Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at one of my favorite partner companies: athenahealth.
What makes this organization special isn’t just the work they do.
It’s who they are.
They are working parents with full calendars, high standards, and a lot of leadership energy. They show up for their roles and for each other — including through a parent Employee Resource Group led by a volunteer board that is deeply committed to helping parent employees feel seen and supported.
That level of care matters.
And honestly, it’s still rare.
This was our third year partnering together. When the parent ERG offered a live webinar on practical tools to help parents feel more calm and confident at home, over 150 parents registered.
For context:
Last year, about 100 parents signed up.
This year, it was the highest registration the ERG has ever had for any offering.
That tells me two important things:
- The need is real.
- Parents know this is a meaningful use of their time.
What We Talked About (And Why It Landed)
We didn’t talk about “fixing” kids.
We talked about real parenting.
The exhaustion.
The aggravation.
The impatience we don’t always say out loud.
The middle-of-the-night worries that spill over into work, sleep, and health.
We also talked about something many working parents quietly carry:
the fear that when home is hard, it affects everything.
In the session, parents named what keeps them awake at night:
- Ongoing meltdowns
- Feeling emotionally drained
- Wondering, “What if this never gets better?”
And we named the truth behind it:
When stress runs high in families, logic alone doesn’t help.
You can’t “think your way out” of a nervous system that’s overloaded.
That’s where brain-based parenting tools matter.
The Moment That Stuck With Me
After the webinar, the ERG leader shared something that stayed with me:
“It’s hard to look at the role we play in shaping our kids and their emotions. This is hard stuff.
But you + your message = hope, no doubt about it ❤️.”
That word — hope — is everything.
Because when parents feel hopeless, they’re just surviving.
Walking on eggshells.
Running on adrenaline.
But when even a little hope comes back, something shifts:
- Shoulders drop
- The mind clears
- Parents can see a path forward instead of just the problem
Why This Matters at Work, Too
Supporting parents isn’t just a “nice benefit.”
When parents feel supported:
- They sleep better
- They bring more presence to their work
- They stay engaged longer
- They grow into steadier leaders at home and at work
Family stress doesn’t stay neatly contained.
And neither does family support.
Organizations like athenahealth are showing what it looks like to lead with humanity — and the ripple effects are real.
I’m deeply grateful for partners who recognize that supporting parents is an investment in.
Want to Go Deeper?
If this resonates, here are a few ways to continue the conversation:
- Follow along on Instagram for practical tools, short teaching moments, and real-life parenting examples
- Learn more about the brain-based system I use with 1,000+ parents of emotionally intense kids with this video
- I open a limited number of spots each month for workplace parenting webinars and trainings. March has one opening, and April is now booking. You can read more and book a call here.
Because when parents are supported — everyone benefits.