I was watching Jon Stewart interview Jacinda Ardern about the documentary “Prime Minister” when this image suddenly appeared and brought tears to my eyes. It’s a striking visual representation of something almost unheard of – a woman becoming a mother while at the height of power.

I once had a graduate intern who casually said “You don’t seem like a mom!”. It was hard to know how to take this. I think what she meant was that I approached my job as though it were my primary focus. (And maybe also that I didn’t do some of the typically female office tasks like arranging celebrations and bringing in homebaked treats). I did take my job seriously. But, I always felt like I should put an asterisk on my professional accomplishments:

* achieved while also raising two children and running a household

I never wanted this to be a tradeoff. I wanted to be great at my job and be a great mom to my boys, and I hope I have been - I’m so proud of the young men they have become! But there’s no question that having a demanding job and taking the lead on parenting and household management the way many moms do represents an uncapped commitment that can be a lot to handle. Seeing other women also try to do both simultaneously and well creates a deep sense of camaraderie even with strangers on other continents.