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The Future of Development: The Book Isn’t Finished
Earlier this month marked one year since thousands of us at USAID were separated from the agency through the Reduction in Force. While I’ve come to terms with the end of that chapter in my career, I don’t believe the story of American foreign assistance is over. As policymakers debate what comes next, perhaps the…
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The Quiet Isolation of Motherhood in the Suburbs
After becoming a mother, the author grapples with unexpected loneliness, especially after moving to San Antonio. She reflects on the loss of her career, community, and daily interactions, realizing the importance of rebuilding connections. Despite her love for motherhood, she craves social ties and acknowledges that mothers need a supportive community as well.
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One Client Is Enough: My First Step Into Fractional Work as a New Mom
After leaving USAID and becoming a mother, I started my first fractional social media management role with a nonprofit. Here’s what I learned about balancing meaningful work, motherhood, and realistic expectations.
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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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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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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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The Childcare Cost Trap: When Working No Longer Makes Financial Sense
Part of the series Work, Care, and the Missing Middle There is a moment many parents encounter, often quietly and sometimes with a bit of disbelief, when the numbers stop making sense. For me, that understanding did not come all at once. During COVID, I remember speaking with a relative who had been laid off.…
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The Missing Middle of the Modern Workforce: Why Fractional Jobs Are the Future for Caregivers
This article is part of a series, Work, Care, and the Missing Middle, exploring how motherhood, caregiving, and economic policy intersect with the future of professional work. Drawing from both personal experience and a career in public service, this series looks at the growing gap between how we work and how we live—and what it…
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Bureaucrat to Baby Steps 