optimizing your utility function with Dr. Corinne Low

If you are a Scientist Mother, there is a decent chance you have spent years successfully optimizing your life around your institution's definition of success.

More papers.
More grants.
More productivity.
More checking boxes.

And somewhere along the way, many of us start assuming that if we just work a little harder or become a little more efficient, then life will finally feel manageable.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I have become mildly obsessed with Wharton economist Dr. Corinne Low's work 😆 I’m essentially in the unofficial fan club at this point — if Corinne is speaking somewhere, there is an embarrassingly high probability I have already registered and am sitting there with my notebook ready.

I’m sharing a recent interview below sponsored by Brighton Jones Women’s Wealth with Corinne, who recently authored the book Having It All.

While this interview focuses more on how we got here and some of the financial decisions women and mothers can make to support their thriving, what resonates most deeply with me about Corinne’s work is her explanation of optimizing your utility function.

Translation: life is not about maximizing one thing.
Not publications.
Not salary.
Not prestige.
Not perfect parenting.

It's about figuring out how to do it YOUR way — making decisions that maximize what matters most to you: your family, your wellbeing, your impact, your time, your joy, your relationships, your sense of purpose.

Your institution already has its own utility function. It is doing exactly what institutions are designed to do: optimize for its goals — productivity, grants, revenue, rankings, profit.

Your job is to optimize yours.

Watch the interview: "Having It All" — A Conversation with Wharton Economist Dr. Corinne Low
And definitely don’t stop there. Read the book!