Doing the hard thing to protect the thing that matters.

I hate working out in the morning. I really don’t like working out alone. And the workout this day? Well, it involved thrusters. IYKYK 😩

But I had a full day of presentations, meetings, and showing my face ahead, and this was the only window to move my body—to protect my energy, clarity, and emotional regulation before I step into the rest of it.

A tiny act of resistance against the idea that we always come last.

For Scientist Moms, the idea of protecting time for yourself can feel impossible. There are always papers to revise, emails to answer, deadlines to meet, and kids who need you.

But on this day I remembered: doing the hard thing now is how I protect the things that matter later—my leadership, my focus, my presence at home.

It wasn’t joyful. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t ideal. But it was mine.

What’s one way you can reclaim a bit of space for yourself this holiday weekend? Even if it's hard. Even if it's imperfect.

#ScientistMoms #MotherMind #LeadershipForMothers #WomenInSTEM #AcademicMedicine #MotherMind #WorkingMoms