Motherhood, Metrics, and the Myth of Balance: The Real Story

Because balance isn't real — but showing up is.

Apr 27, 2025

I don’t believe in work-life balance. I believe in being fully present in whatever moment you’re in. There are so many things I want to be present for — my kids, my husband, my podcast, the authors I work with, my advocacy work, and standing up for what I believe in. Most days, it feels like I’m juggling them all without ever fully crushing it across the board. But yesterday was different. Yesterday, I did it all — and I did it well.

I flew to Los Angeles for the day to attend the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for the first time. I met authors I’d only known online, made new connections, and sat in panels that had me thinking deeply — and laughing to the point of tears. I got to hug friends and clients in real life, including one political activist friend who came early just to see me. I crossed off a bucket-list moment hearing the USC Trojan Marching Band play Tusk live (yes, I geeked out hard).

USC Trojan Marching Band, Strong Female Lead Panel with Amy Tintera, Kate Fagan, Ally Condie & Lauren Ling Brown (she's been a guest!), Stacey Abrams, Anneliese Judge (guest!), spicy panel with Ali Hazelwood, Nana Malone & Meghan Quinn, Steve Hoffman (guest!) and Victor Shi (guest!)

When my return flight kept getting delayed, I made a snap decision to switch to an earlier one — and made it home just in time for dinner. Major win with my daughter. Sure, I missed two of her soccer games, but a fellow mom took videos of her goals and sent them to me. My husband (who was coaching) showed her my texts, and just like that — the support of others helped dissolve any guilt I might’ve felt. If you ever have the chance to do that for another parent — take the photo, record the video, and send it without hesitation. It matters more than you know…to the mom and to the child!

Another win — and honestly, maybe the one that meant the most — was connecting with my adult stepdaughter. I went to a panel with her favorite author, Ali Hazelwood, and sent her video clips from it. Nothing fancy. Just a few minutes here and there.

Being a present mom is something I fight for every day. But being a present stepmom? That’s a different kind of work. It’s the kind of work you do for years without any guarantee it’s landing. I’ve been showing up in whatever ways I can for almost 18 years now — sometimes unsure if it mattered, sometimes getting it wrong, but never giving up.

Those small texts, that shared moment over a favorite author, felt like a quiet win. A reminder that even the tiny things can build something real.

Yesterday, I got to experience and be fully present in every part of my life that matters most. As a working mom, these days are rare. Most days, I’m lucky if I manage to fit everything in, let alone feel like I’m thriving in all of it. But now I know it’s possible — and that feeling is something I’ll keep chasing.

Authors & Podcasts

Last week, I had the honor of presenting to the Authors Guild, teaching authors how to book themselves as podcast guests. I shared all my tips, tools, and strategies — nothing held back.

Ahead of the session, attendees were invited to submit their biggest questions, and over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing those questions — and my real, unfiltered answers — with you.

The first question was one I hear all the time: How can you measure the ROI (return on investment) of podcast interviews?

Here’s the truth: it’s not always easy, especially when it comes to tracking direct book sales. Platforms like Amazon Author Central often lag behind by a week (and their numbers aren’t always spot-on). But after this presentation, I was able to share some real-world data.

One simple, powerful tool? Create a unique Bitly link for every podcast interview you do. It allows you to track actual clicks and engagement — not just guess. I used a custom Bitly link for the Authors Guild event and paired that data with other metrics I have access to.

Bottom line: While tracking podcast ROI isn’t always straightforward, it is absolutely possible — and I’ll be walking you through exactly how to do it.

You can do the same thing for podcast interviews and once an episode goes live, track what happens with your follower count, newsletter subscribers, social media, etc. The book sales on Amazon were enough to make How To Get On Podcasts almost sell out and reach #2 in the Podcast category!

What I’m Reading

My TBR stack continues to grow both on my desk and my NetGalley account but that thrills me to no end! I’ll be recording another Books On My Desk this week to share all of the recent book mail I’ve received…thank you to every author, publisher and publicist who thinks of me when they’re sending out their books!

April reads have been amazing and I’ll be adding at least 3 more to this list before it’s May! A Gardin Wedding by Rosey Lee comes out May 13th and there is a giveaway for this beautiful book. It’s perfect for wedding season and if you loved The Gardins of Edin like I did, then I know you’ll love this next book in the series!

I’m currently in the middle of reading Free by Amanda Knox, Resist: A Story of D-Day by Alan Gratz (reading with D), Ban This Book by Alan Gratz (reading with K and her bookclub), A Life Made From Scratch by Marie Newman, Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross.

What are you reading?

My Simplified Life Podcast

With 3 episodes per week and me being behind on sending this out, there are a lot of episodes to catch up on! Don’t forget to check out my Wednesday series, Booked & Unfiltered with Pie Lady Steph Hockersmith!

#293 Civic Engagement: The Key To Community Change - Solo