028 | Navigating Work and Life as an Executive Mom with Joann Lublin

Joann Lublin is a Pulitzer-winning journalist, author, and speaker. She is the former Management News Editor of The Wall Street Journal, and in 2003, she shared in the Journal's Pulitzer Prize for stories covering corporate scandals. Joann is the creator of the Wall Street Journal's first career advice column, which she wrote until May 2020, and she is still a regular contributor. In 2018 Joann won the Gerald Loeb Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor in business journalism. She is also the author of two books about female business leaders: Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of Business and Power Moms: How Executive Mothers Navigate Work and Life.

Today, Joann shares the story of her trailblazing career as a journalist and reveals some of the struggles she faced in the male-dominated industry of journalism. She shares her inspiration for her first book and the advice she would have given her younger self when navigating the unwritten rules in office politics. She reveals how she managed her "working mother guilt" and how the workplace has changed over time for different generations of working women. She also shares why businesses need to be more supportive of working parents, both men and women, what a personal board of directors is, and how they can help you with your career choices.

“We now have workplaces in which there are many boomer moms in positions of power who can serve as role models, who can be advocates for those younger women.”
- Joann Lublin

This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast:

  • Joann's career and how she started working at The Wall Street Journal

  • The struggles Joann faced in the male-dominated industry of journalism

  • The inspiration behind Joann's book: Earning It

  • Essential advice Joann would give to her younger self on the unwritten rules of office politics

  • How Joann managed "working mom guilt" throughout her career

  • The ways work and life has changed for various generations of working women

  • Why workplaces need to be more supportive of parents, both mothers and fathers

  • What a personal board of directors is and how they can help you advance your career

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “We undervalue ourselves; we don't think about the fact that we are a valued contributor.” - Joann Lublin

  • “So many employers now recognise that it's important to attract and retain and promote working parents.” - Joann Lublin

  • “Think before you act, particularly when you are in a leadership role.” - Joann Lublin

Connect with Joann Lublin:

Writing the Rules of Women Leadership

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