Navigating the Dual Demands of Motherhood and Nonprofit Work With Melanie Rodriguez
Balancing the demands of a thriving career and the responsibilities of motherhood can be a complex challenge, especially when your professional life revolves around impactful nonprofit work. For many, the pursuit of making a difference in the world through nonprofit initiatives is deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its own set of pressures and commitments. When combined with the equally demanding role of being a parent, this balancing act can feel overwhelming.
Melanie Rodriguez exemplifies how to navigate this intricate dance with grace and determination. As the Director of Corporate Partnerships at the Toronto Public Library Foundation, Melanie’s professional journey is marked by a profound commitment to social impact. Her impressive career includes work with over 20 social impact organizations around the world, from teaching sustainable funding models to post-graduate students at Western University to managing a substantial $200 million banking portfolio. She has led business development efforts as the Executive Director of an international children’s foundation and has been instrumental in advancing gender equity and affordable housing through her advisory roles.
Her accomplishments extend beyond her professional realm. Melanie has led Canada’s youth delegation at the G7 Summit and has been recognized through prestigious fellowships, including those from Forte and the International Women’s Forum. Her academic background includes studies at some of the world’s top business schools, such as Ivey Business School, Schulich, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School.
Despite these significant professional achievements, Melanie’s most cherished role is being a mother to two young children. Balancing the demands of a high-impact career with the responsibilities of parenthood is no small feat, and Melanie’s ability to excel in both areas offers valuable lessons for others facing similar challenges.
In this enlightening interview, Melanie Rodriguez opens up about her journey, sharing practical advice and personal reflections on how she successfully manages the dual demands of a thriving career in the nonprofit sector and the joys and challenges of motherhood. Her insights provide inspiration and guidance for those striving to achieve balance and fulfillment in their own lives.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you face in juggling motherhood and nonprofit work, and how do you address them?
One of the biggest challenges was adapting to the competing priorities of my career and parental responsibilities.
For many, working in the nonprofit sector is a gift because your work advances causes you care deeply about. This gift, however, can make disconnecting and deprioritizing work even harder. Volunteering and working in the nonprofit sector felt like a core part of my identity. Before kids, I loved spending most of my hours working and volunteering - even on holidays. Like many parents though, when I had kids this was no longer possible.
As a new parent, I spent years waking every hour during the night and feeling like I needed to be in two places at once during the day. From sick days to appointments to multiple childcare drop-offs, there simply wasn’t enough time in the day. I was “failing” both the causes I cared for and the little ones that I loved the most.
It took a few years, but I was able to find balance while regaining my joy and passion for the sector by:
Ruthlessly prioritizing: Saying no to many things I care about to ensure that when I say yes I can do a great job;
Finding alignment: Between my career goals, family requirements, and values;
Starting small: I started with seeking only 2-minutes a day for self-care and gradually increased over time;
Seeking support: From a Board of Adivsors, mother mentors, and fantastic role models along the way; and
Redefining success: Self-care and work life balance is a spectrum. Redefining what career success looked like for me in the new phase of motherhood was important for moving forward with positivity and gratitude.
Q: What advice would you give to other women in the nonprofit sector who are trying to balance their careers and motherhood?
I would say to give yourself grace and remember that being a mother can also be a superpower.
When I first had kids, they were sick quite often. I remember one year when my kids were sick 46 weeks of the year! That was 46 weeks of working evenings and weekends to make up for lost days.
As hard and exhausting as those years were, they improved how I would work forever. They taught me to be more patient, more empathetic, and work kinder under pressure. I learned how to prioritize and drastically improve my productivity. Most importantly, they forced me to prioritize roles that aligned with my skills, passion, and family commitments (including financial) which was an incredible gift.
Now, the sick days are fewer but the lessons and network continue to improve my output and happiness at work.
If you are struggling to find balance, I hope that you give yourself grace and remember that all you can do is try your best in this time. You may fail at work and at parenthood sometimes, but as long as you try your best you will come out kinder and more resilient than before.
Q: Have you found any particular tools or resources that are helpful in managing your time and responsibilities effectively?
Yes!
There are so many tools and resources that can help balance professional and personal responsibilities. When a colleague or friend is becoming a parent, I tend to send them a specific list of maternity resources.
I am also grateful to use a long list of resources and tools to make balancing responsibilities easier. I’ve added a couple of my favourites below.
Apps: Asana for project management, Grammarly for writing, Gabby App for meditation and coaching, Canva for everything from birthday invitations to professional proposals, and LinkedIn for staying connected to amazing sector leaders because finding time in person, post-kids, is a lot harder!
Books: “The Collective Wisdom of High-Performing Women” by Colleen Moorehead is my favourite book to recommend to working mothers.
Networks: The greatest resource I have found in this new chapter is connecting with mothers across sectors. Although networking felt impossible at the beginning of motherhood, friendships made through networking have made such a measurable impact on my journey. Some of the networks I love to engage with are: International Women’s Forum; Women, Worth, and Wellness; Rotary Club of Scarborough; and Women’s Nonprofit Network of course.
Q: Can you share a specific example of a time when you successfully managed a challenging situation related to balancing work and family?
Every challenging situation has been a lesson. I wouldn't say I have specific success examples but that overtime each situation has gotten easier to manage because in parenthood we tend to “fail forward”.
I have countless examples of when I was unsuccessful but each one of them is bringing me closer to finding my personal definition of “successful balance”.
Q: How do you ensure that your work-life balance is sustainable over the long term?
Focusing on managing energy instead of tasks has been extremely important in maintaining work-life balance.
Some specific strategies to manage energy include:
Changing career and volunteer roles to ones that “fill my cup”;
Surrounding myself with leaders who inspire me; and
Giving myself the grace to reset when I fall off track.
Most importantly, I take time to reflect on how I am working as opposed to what I am achieving. I always tell my kids that our goal for the day is to spread love and joy. This is also true for me at work. If I notice my “how”, e.g. my communication style, is no longer kind, I know it's time to prioritize positivity and rest.
Q: How do you handle guilt or stress related to not being able to give 100% to both your professional and personal roles at all times?
Guilt was one of the hardest parts of adjusting to parenthood and still is. There are two things I found helpful to remember:
All we can do is try our best: I had a previous co-worker, Jay Singh, who was incredibly kind, social, and wise. When I was really struggling, he gave me the following advice: “Everyone is trying their best in this moment”. When I feel guilty, I remember his advice and wait for the guilt to pass.
Know when to seek help: When my guilt got the best of me such as when I was diagnosed with post-partum depression it was important to seek professional help. Recognizing that I needed help was the first step in really overcoming it. I participated in cognitive behavioural therapy and 1:1 virtual therapy which made a great difference. The nonprofit sector is known for lower wages and less benefits which can make getting help difficult for mothers in the sector. If you need help and cannot afford therapy, I strongly recommend Greenshields free mental health supports: https://www.greenshield.ca/en-ca/cares/womens-mental-health.
Q: What advice would you give to organizations looking to support employees who are balancing demanding careers with family responsibilities?
I would recommend focusing on flexibility and work autonomy, benefits, and consistent feedback.
Adjusting to family responsibilities is different for every parent. The family supports, challenges, and financial situations are so unique for each parent that there rarely, if ever, is a one size fits all approach to supporting working parents.
When employers can provide flexibility, such as remote work options or flexible schedules, it can make a great difference. Additionally, the more control someone has over their work deliverables the easier it may be to succeed. Benefits are a helpful investment that can increase employee retention, lower turnover costs, and increase your team members productivity.
Lastly, providing feedback and mentorship can make a great difference to all employees but especially those balancing new family demands. Constructive criticism, whether about balance or work outcomes, can be hard to deliver and receive…but it has the potential to positively change someone's productivity, success, and career trajectory over the long term.
Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn here.
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