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The Baby Was Always the Goal
After becoming a mother by choice, I realized why many of my past relationships failed. My true goal was always motherhood, and that shaped how I approached dating and love.
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Closing the DC Chapter: A Cross-Country Move, A Road Trip to San Antonio, and Letting Go
After 18 years in Washington, DC, I packed up my life, said goodbye to friends and my USAID community, revisited my late father’s belongings, and embarked on a cross-country road trip to San Antonio with a baby and two dogs.
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Watching My Mother Fade Through FaceTime: A Tribute to a Woman Ahead of Her Time
As this post is published, my mother, Tahera Rashid, is being laid to rest in Bangladesh. A woman ahead of her time, she built a life across journalism, banking, education, and family legacy while raising generations shaped by strong women. This is a reflection on grief, caregiving from afar, motherhood, and enduring love.
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I Was Asked to Tell My Story. I’m Still Not Sure It Matters.
A former public servant reflects on job loss, financial instability, and the emotional tension of sharing her story with policymakers who may not have the power to act.
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One and Done Wasn’t the Plan
A personal reflection on being one and done, navigating a remaining IVF embryo, solo motherhood, aging parents, and the realities of modern family planning after 40.
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When Stability Turns Out to Be Conditional
There’s a particular kind of disillusionment that comes from realizing that the “safe” choices weren’t actually safe. Public sector careers are often framed as the steady alternative. Lower risk. Predictable. Secure. But that stability is conditional. It depends on political priorities, budget cycles, and decisions made far above your pay grade. And when those shift,…
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Almost Forgetting My Dad’s Birthday
I almost forgot my dad’s birthday this year. That sentence alone feels impossible to write. Grief has a way of making certain dates feel etched into your bones, and yet life—messy, exhausting, relentless life—can sometimes blur even the moments you thought you’d never miss. Growing up, my dad never made much of a fuss about…
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Closing the Gap: Why the Future of Work Must Account for Caregiving
Final piece in the series Work, Care, and the Missing Middle For too long, the structure of work has assumed something that is no longer true. That most workers have uninterrupted availability. That caregiving happens outside of professional life. And that productivity can be measured primarily in hours spent at a desk. These assumptions are…
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When Caregiving Expands: The Rise of the Sandwich Generation
Part of the series Work, Care, and the Missing Middle There is a point where caregiving stops being one role and becomes many. It is not always a clear transition. It happens gradually. A doctor’s appointment here. A check-in call there. A shift in responsibility that at first feels temporary, until it is not. For…
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The Return-to-Work Cliff: Why So Many Mothers Don’t Come Back the Same
Part of the series Work, Care, and the Missing Middle There is a moment that does not get talked about enough. It is not the moment a child is born. It is not even the moment a parent decides to return to work. It is the moment you actually try to go back. The other…
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