How Working Remotely Made Me a Better Marketer and Mom
Reclaiming my mornings, my creativity, and my mental health
TL;DR
I went from 17-hour days to slow mornings and more creativity
Working remotely has made me more productive as a marketer
I’m finally able to be both a present parent and a focused professional
Tips for thriving in a remote role
What to know if you're trying to land a remote job
What My Life Looked Like Before Remote Work
Let’s set the scene.
It’s 7:15 a.m. I’m speed-showering while mentally calculating if I have enough dry shampoo left to make it look like I wasn't rushing. I’ve got a preschooler who still needs help getting dressed, a dog who treats “come inside” as a suggestion, not a command, no time to pack lunches, and a minimum 30-minute commute ahead of me if traffic is kind (it never is).
Imagine doing all that while knowing you have a community event at 6 p.m., and you’ll be eating a sad granola bar in your car for dinner again.
That was life before remote work.
It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t sustainable.
Before I joined a fully remote team, I worked for a local startup accelerator. The people were great and some of the best I have ever worked with (shoutout — I miss you guys!). However, the schedule kept me on my toes and contributed to my high cortisol levels.
For a long time, I loved that job — truly one of the most fun and fulfilling roles I’ve ever had. I got to work with some of the most ambitious founders in Buffalo, run pitch nights and panels, and plan marketing campaigns that made the startup scene feel electric. But the thing is, it never really stopped. One week a year, I moved into a downtown hotel and worked 17-hour days like some kind of founder summer camp counselor. And the rest of the year wasn’t exactly light.
It was the kind of job that runs on passion and purpose. And it works really well for people who can give it their all around the clock. A lot of the tenured team members have been there for years and still love it. But if you look closely, most of them don’t have young kids. That doesn’t make it a bad job. It just made it a hard fit for the season of life I was in.
The schedule was full, unpredictable, and built around our founders, not a traditional 9 to 5. I was burning out faster than my favorite candle.
The Shift That Changed Everything
By the time my daughter started universal preschool, I was panicking about how I'd handle work and her new schedule. My husband works in medical sales, so he’s often meeting up with surgeons before dawn or traveling out of state. I had been relying on 8 am - 6 pm daycare for years until then. Now, school starts at 9 am and ends at 3 pm. Even with wraparound care, there are a lot of days off on a traditional school calendar. I knew I needed something else.
I wasn’t just looking for a remote job. I was looking for a better way to work. And I found it.
Now, I work from home full-time for a company I enjoy (shoutout to Ninety), and my life looks entirely different.
How I Work Now (And Why It’s Better)
My daughter starts school at 9, so we walk there together every morning. It’s about a quarter mile from our house. When there’s snow, I pull her on a sled. When it’s warm, she picks dandelions or flies down the street on her scooter. No more scrambling to beat traffic. No whiteout panic. No racing the clock for daycare dropoff.
My mornings are quiet and productive. I log on around 8:45, usually with my second cup of coffee, and dive into deep work before the rest of my team is even online. (Perks of working with folks in a different time zone.)
I get more done now than I ever did in an office. And not just because I’m saving hours on a commute. As a marketer — and a creative — I need space to think. Not just about the next task, but about the big picture. The story. The why. Remote work gives me that.
Some of my best ideas come when I’m writing outside with my laptop while my dog sunbathes next to me. I still hop on back-to-back Zooms and collaborate all day long, but I do it in a way that feels a lot less draining and a lot more aligned with how my brain works best.
What I Miss About the Office (Yes, Really)
I do miss those epic marketing brainstorms. At the accelerator or the marketing agency I worked for before that, we’d go off-site for the day, order in lunch, and map out an entire year of campaigns on oversized Post-its. It was some of the most fun and energizing creative work I’ve done. There’s something powerful about being in a room full of smart marketers with snacks (and the occasional margarita pitcher — only once, I swear).
But 90 percent of the time, I’m more productive at home. And I feel better doing it.
How Remote Work Changed My Life
Remote work has made me a better marketer and a more present parent. I no longer feel like I’m doing a mediocre job at everything — I actually feel like I’m thriving at both.
I’ve worked from my family’s lake cottage. I’ve worked from our second home, Charleston. I’ve worked from my back patio with my feet in the sun. I walk my dog daily. I’ve painted more in the last year than I have in the five years before. I’ve started scaling my art business and taken on creative projects I’d forgotten I loved.
In my old life, I was constantly pulled in different directions in the office, putting out fires or getting caught in so many conversations that left me drained. My brain felt like it had 42 tabs open and I was busy, but nothing was getting done. So I had no choice but to go home and sign on at 9 pm to get my actual work done.
Sure, in my remote role, I’ve taken meetings after hours and checked email on a Saturday. But now, it’s usually my choice, not a last resort.
The Truth About That “Housewife” Comment
At a very public event once, I heard a man — successful, powerful, and proud of it — say that “if a woman wants to work remotely, she doesn’t want a career. She wants to be a housewife.”
I will never forget those words.
And I will never change my mind about the fact that he was so wrong.
I can be a wife. I can be a mom. I can be a marketing leader, a content strategist, an artist, a business owner, a three-time-a-week Barre3-goer, and a Kindergarten pickup regular.
I can be all of those things at once. Not because I’m superhuman. But because I have a job that lets me build my life around what matters most.
Tips for Thriving in a Remote Role
Remote work is not for everyone. In 2020, a lot of people learned whether or not it was an environment they liked. Personally, remote work is entirely for me, and here are a few things I practice to make sure I am thriving in it.
Get dressed. Comfy is fine. Pajamas are not it. Shower, throw on a clean tee, and put on lip gloss.
Create a morning routine. Mine includes a school walk, a hot coffee, and a to-do list review.
Have a real workspace. Not your bed. Not the couch with Netflix in the background. It doesn’t matter if it’s an office, a desk, or that dining room table that never gets used for meals. Just have a dedicated space to work.
Let yourself move around. Some of my best work happens outside or at a coffee shop.
Tips for Finding a Legit Remote Job
I spent years being jealous of people working remotely. I applied to hundreds of roles before landing mine. Some I turned down. One offer was even rescinded. But I kept going.
It’s hard, but worth it. Connect with people who work for remote companies on LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to send them a DM and let them know you’re looking for work. They might just think of you when a role opens.
Have a wish-list of remote companies you’d love to work for. Sign up for their email notifications or follow them on LinkedIn so you know when new roles open.
Don’t be afraid to turn down what isn’t right.
If they want to send you money before the paperwork — run. There are a lot of scams out there, but there are also a lot of legit remote-first companies. Be careful and follow your instincts if something does not feel right.
Look for real signs of legitimacy — HR team, interviews, and employees on LinkedIn. Joining a remote company should feel the same as joining an in-person role.
The Future of Remote Work
I don’t think I’ll ever go back to an office. Not unless I own it.
If you’re wondering whether remote work is really worth it, maybe it’s exactly what you didn’t know you needed.
And I’d bet your dog and your kids would agree.
— J
Connect with me on LinkedIn