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First Edition: March 2023
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Faris, Paula, 1975- author.
Title: You dont have to carry it all : ditch the mom guilt and find a better way forward / Paula Faris.
Description: First edition. | Nashville : Worthy, [2023] | Summary: Being a working mom should work. Instead, it is a thankless, incredibly difficult job, marked by impossible contradictions and unreachable expectations. American moms are more burned out than any time in history. We believed we could have it all - fulfilling work and a healthy and happy family. We pick up responsibilities wherever we go - at work, at home, in our communities. We try to CARRY it all-and we can. Because moms are superheroes with superpowers! But at some point, our shoulders grow tired - tired from carrying around the expectations and the mental load, tired from juggling the constant conflict between working and momming, tired of how our work - whether at home or at the office - isnt valued equally, and tired of workplaces that treat us like risks instead of assets. Award-winning journalist and mom-of-three Paula Faris offers a declaration to the millions of overwhelmed and depleted working moms out there - things ARE going to get better! There is another way forward that frees us from the barbaric conflict of mom-guilt and the bone-weary exhaustion of carrying it all and feeling like were failing everywhere. Through the lens of her personal experience and interviews with working women, men, leaders and experts across the country, Faris dismantles the cultural expectations and toxic traps that American moms experience. She also gathers insightful and actionable steps towards a better way of working, momming, and living. The problems we have as a country and culture are not insurmountable. Besides, weve got working moms on this job. And there are literally no hands more capable than ours!-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022047943 | ISBN 9781546003731 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781546003755 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Working mothers. | Work and family. | Career development. | Work-life balance.
Classification: LCC HQ759.48 .F37 2023 | DDC 331.4/4--dc23/eng/20221116
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022047943
ISBNs: 978-1-5460-0373-1 (hardcover), 978-1-5460-0375-5 (ebook)
E3-20230302-JV-PC-COR
Paula pulls back the curtain to reveal the truth and double standards that women face in the workplace, especially after becoming moms. She shares the real story behind the statistics and makes those of us who have experienced the challenges and obstacles we face feel seen and heard.
Relatable, realistic, yet revolutionary, Paula speaks with candor and humor. You can feel the pain and bewilderment that led her to write this book not only to make sense of her own experience but to challenge the norms that brought her here. She calls on us to end mom guilt and the feeling we have to carry it all, and instead learn to support one another and extend each other grace and support. A must-read for mothers in the workplace.
Deb Liu, CEO of Ancestry.com, author, and mom of three
Paula is one of those women who seems to have it allwhile effortlessly doing it all, without breaking a sweat or breaking a nail. You just cant imagine her in a pair of Spanx.
Well, the real Paula is not that woman at all and she willingly admits it. With gut-level honesty and good-natured humor, Paula shares her frustrations and desperations over being a working mother in her latest book.
She uses her unique skills as a journalist and interviewer to take you along on her journey. And hopefully share some powerful guidance and advice on how you can begin to put down all the baggage and actually take control of your life again.
Kathie Lee Gifford, Emmy Awardwinning co-host and New York Times bestselling author
For years, Ive had a front-row seat to watch my wife, Amy, juggle the demands of her ministry, her profession, her friendships, and our family with six children. Like Amy, many of us feel like its impossible to do everything that matters to us. Thankfully, my good friend Paula Faris has written a deeply encouraging and profoundly practical book called You Dont Have to Carry It All. In her book, Paula shares the raw and unfiltered truth of her personal journey alongside doable and life-changing advice that will encourage and equip readers to let go of their guilt and live a life focused on what truly matters.
Craig Groeschel, pastor of Life.Church and New York Times bestselling author
With the many demands and competing priorities that working mothers experience, we can easily run ourselves into burnout and isolation. Paula reminds us that we are not alone, and that together, we have the power to create meaningful and lasting change.
Danielle Walker, New York Times bestselling author of the Against All Grain series
This book is a game-changer for working moms. A must-read!
Shawn Johnson East, Olympic gymnast, bestselling author, CEO, and mom
THIS is the book working moms have been waiting for! In You Dont Have to Carry It All, Paula shows us how to create meaningful change and finally put an end to mom guilt.
Jenna Bush Hager, co-host of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna and founder, Read With Jenna
You Dont Have to Carry It All explores the challenges that working mothers face from so many thoughtful and insightful angles. You will be both encouraged and motivated to action by this empathetic and empowering book.
Dr. Anita Phillips, trauma therapist and host of the In the Light podcast
To all moms, future moms, and brave dads
(Without you, our society ceases to exist. Dont ever forget that!)
Telling your stories is the most important reporting Ill ever do.
May these pages give you hope, knowing there is a better way forward.
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