Paula Faris wants to make a case for working moms.
The former Good Morning America anchor and former co-host of The View was inspired by Lee Strobel’s book The Case for Christ. “I loved how Lee Strobel put Jesus on trial by building a case for his existence,” she said.
So she modeled her own project in similar fashion, explaining, “I used my own personal journey as a mother, and I wanted to really flesh that out and give working moms the support they need and deserve.”
Paula Faris and family
This began with asking and answering the question of why investing in moms is so important. “I was kind of building a case, and that’s why I interviewed thought leaders, experts, scientists, sociologists, historians and mothers from all walks of life,” she explained.
The result is her new book, You Don’t Have to Carry It All.
Faris said she saw the need for support nine years ago, after her youngest was born and she returned to work from maternity leave. “My first day back at Good Morning America, I was told by one of my executives, ‘That’s not your best look.’ I remember in that moment just feeling hurt. … I responded to that email and I said, ‘Hey, it’s my first day back from maternity leave. I’m not feeling so great about myself.’”
“My first day back at ‘Good Morning America,’ I was told by one of my executives, ‘That’s not your best look.’”
The experience left her not only hurt but also angry. Yet the experience also crystallized in her mind what she believes is bedrock truth: “Without mothers, we do not have a society. Motherhood should be celebrated instead of scrutinized. Do not hold us to these unrealistic standards.”
Enlightened by her own experience, the TV journalist began to investigate how mothers are treated in the workplace.
“We are paid less once we become moms,” she said. “We make 70 cents on the dollar compared to fathers, and those numbers are even lower for mothers of color. We’re not deemed as viable leaders once we become mothers.”
This last aspect Faris simply finds ridiculous, “because we’ve actually grown in all these core capacities, yet we’re scrutinized more once we become mothers.”
She made it her goal to change this situation, so highlighting motherhood has been her calling the last nine years. It was not until her time at ABC News came to an end, however, that she felt like she could write about the topic and carry the mantle by forming a new company. Thus was born Carry Media, where she strives to tell the stories of mothers who are adding value to society.
Motherhood is both a gift and a mission, she said.
“Children are such gifts. My own children have opened my heart like never before. I’m not a terribly compassionate person, but motherhood has definitely made me more empathetic; it has changed me for the good. Of course, I don’t always like who I am. I’m very short and exacting with my kids, and I need to be better.”
“My own children have opened my heart like never before.”
She believes motherhood has helped her be the best version of herself: “I love that it’s made me super-efficient and productive and a great leader and a visionary. It’s given me a whole new perspective on life. I see things through a totally different lens now.”
The same can be true of fathers, as well, she added. A better, changed perspective is “true for all mothers and all fathers, whether the baby grew in your heart or your stomach. Parenthood changes you for the better. Parenthood is actually a masterclass on leadership. … One of the most overlooked leadership development opportunities is parenthood.”
With this in mind, Faris wants to use her platform to help employers understand the need to look at motherhood in a different light.
“I want to advocate for working moms, because so many of the issues we have — so many of the issues we’re facing in our society — are in direct result to how we devalue mothers in the workplace and also how we treat families in this country,” she said. “I have this righteous frustration. However, I’m really encouraged and hopeful.”
The book is “very practical and tactical,” she explained. “It’s a hug and a sword. You’ll feel seen and you’ll actually feel empowered to do something about it. There’s a better way forward toward working and being a mother. There’s a chapter for corporate America, why they need to support families and mothers and what they can do about it.”
Yet this is not a buttoned-up business book.
“I’m very vulnerable in the book. It’s my story. It’s the story of other moms,” she said. “It’s the research, the history, how we got here. I don’t sugarcoat things. I’m very real. I wanted to be authentic. And, you know, there’s always that fear when you put yourself out there. You have no choice in how people are going to respond to you. That’s the people pleaser in me.”
But this project, for her, is about pleasing God more than anyone else.
“God made it pretty clear I was supposed to do this, so I just like did the next right thing and the next right thing,” she said. “I’m just taking one more step, and I’m stepping into my fear, and I’m stepping into my faith in highlighting motherhood. It’s my calling.”
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On this Mother’s Day, will churches act more like Rome or Christ? | Opinion by Alicia D. Myers
