Never Apologize for Being a Mom
Women Are So Much More Than Moms
Mother’s Day is a time for gratitude—but also a moment for truth.
Yes, let’s celebrate the mothers who raised us, nurtured us, and shaped who we are. But if we’re honest, we must also recognize the invisible weight too many of them still carry—especially those navigating careers, caregiving, eldercare and a culture that too often expects them to act like they don’t have a family while at work, and don’t have a job while at home.
I was raised by a single mom and a remarkable aunt. My Aunt Joanne stepped in with unwavering strength and love when life demanded it. She helped mold me into the man I am today, showing me—through action—what grace, resilience, and unconditional support look like. It’s why we believe we don’t just owe mothers a thank you—we owe them a system that works better.
In today’s corporate world, we still ask mothers to do the impossible and then apologize for being human.
Just recently, one of the women on my team, Felicia, apologized for a delay in getting back to me. Her reason? Her child had been sick.
She exhaled. But she shouldn’t have had to hold her breath in the first place.
Let’s be clear: Being a working mom is a superpower. But it shouldn’t require superhuman strength. And that brings us to this moment—Mother’s Day.
This isn’t just a day for celebration. It’s a call for systemic change.
The Stats We Cannot Ignore
- Women are still nearly 48 years away from achieving workplace senior leadership parity in corporate America.
- For every 100 men promoted from entry level to manager, only 81 women are promoted—and only 73 women of color.
- This is known as the “broken rung”—and it’s the first step on the corporate ladder.
Until that rung is repaired, the ladder stays broken. And we all lose out.
(Source: McKinsey & Company and Lean In report.)
The Pandemic Didn’t Create This Problem—It Exposed It
The pandemic brought work into our homes—and with it, a view into the daily juggle. The toddler in the Zoom background. The sick child with no daycare. The before-school meeting, the after-bedtime email.
Most men don’t realize how often the caregiving default still lands on moms.
In those moments, what mothers need isn’t more pressure to be perfect. They need grace. They need support. They need leaders who say:
“Your full humanity is welcome here.”
Women Are So Much More Than Moms
Caregiving is sacred—but it’s not the sum of a woman’s value.
As we modernize the workplace for an AI-first, always-on economy, we must expand the frame.
In my article The 5 Tectonic Shifts Shaping the Next Decade of Work, I talk about how the future of work demands more than automation or efficiency. It demands emotional intelligence, systems that center real life, and leadership that reflects reality—not outdated assumptions and rigid systems built by and for men.
Women are not a monolith. They are not a checkbox. And they are certainly not a side note.
We remember them in March for Women’s History Month and in May on Mother’s Day—
but too often, our systems forget them every other day.
They are—and always have been—the blueprint for modern leadership.
Women are not just moms. They are also:
- Operators – Building the systems, teams, and processes that turn vision into reality—quietly powering growth at every level.
- Innovators – Driving breakthroughs in science, technology, and medicine.
- Mentors – Shaping future leaders through wisdom and generosity.
- Executives – Defining what empathetic, high-performing leadership looks like.
- Strategists – Managing complexity in both business and life.
- Activists – Advocating for justice, equity, and sustainable futures.
- Builders – Launching companies, building cultures, and creating systems of change.
- Problem-solvers – Seeing connections others miss and solving challenges with clarity.
- Storytellers – Amplifying unheard voices and rewriting narratives.
- Protectors – Of people, values, and what matters most.
- Partners, Friends, Daughters, Sisters – Showing up, again and again, with strength and care.
If we ignore this in the modernization of work, we fail everyone.
This is What Leadership Looks Like Now
Leadership in the AI-first, always-on economy isn’t just about outputs. It’s about awareness.
It’s about understanding that great work happens when people feel seen, respected, and supported—not squeezed dry, and not mandated to return to the office.
So this Mother’s Day, I offer this to every business leader, every executive, every manager:
If you’ve ever been supported by a mother, it’s time to return the favor—not just in words, but in policy, empathy, and action.
Because when we support mothers, we’re not just building better workplaces. We’re building a better world. One where women and men are on a level playing field in the modern workplace.
Achievement knows no gender.
To all the moms—in offices, on calls, behind the scenes, and holding it all together even when no one’s watching—
We see you.
We thank you.
We’ve got your back.
#PARITYNOW
In this short video, I ask if we can create AGI this year, why can’t we solve the gender leadership gap in corporate America.
About Jeremy
Jeremy Victor is a father, coach, and senior executive in the digital health industry. He writes about leadership, emotional intelligence, and the modernization of work in the AI-first, always-on economy. His mission: help people—and the systems they work in—Become More. Join Jeremy online at his Substack: Business at the Speed of AI, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, OneMORE Minute.