MOTHERHOOD MEANS BUSINESS: Experience Is on the Ballot
The leaves are changing, the ballots are arriving, and election season is officially upon us. While much of the country prepares to head to the polls, here in Washington we have already received our ballots, are filling them out at kitchen tables, and making plans to return them.
At this time last year, I was knocking on doors, meeting voters, raising money, and running for school board. This year looks a little different. And I wouldn't change it for the world.
Dr. Laura Marie Rivera (center) marching in the Seattle Pride Parade with her twins and Pramila Jayapal, U.S. Congresswoman and Mother (right), 2025. Courtesy of Laura Marie Rivera.
While I was not elected to the school board, I did gain more from that campaign than I could have imagined. I was able to take everything I had learned and redirect my time and energy toward founding Intuitionship, a nonprofit advancing my research on Motherhood and leadership. Shortly afterward, the MOTHERHOOD ADVANTAGE podcast was born.
And what a year it's been! I've had the privilege of talking with remarkable Mothers, including several who have run for office, currently serve, or are working to change the political system itself.
If there's one thing I've learned, it's that we need more Mothers at the decision-making table. And we need to start by recognizing the leadership experience they're already bringing.
First, We Have to Count Them
In 2018, Liuba Grechen Shirley ran for Congress in New York with two toddlers in tow. Her children got a front-row seat to democracy, but campaigning created a childcare problem.
So Liuba petitioned the Federal Election Commission to use campaign funds for childcare expenses. She won a unanimous ruling. Today, 41 states and Washington, D.C., allow some form of campaign-funded childcare.
Liuba didn't win her congressional race, but she founded Vote Mama, an organization dedicated to removing barriers and supporting Mothers running for—and serving in—public office.
And she discovered something that stopped me in my tracks.
“Nobody had ever looked at caregiving. Nobody had ever looked at Motherhood,” she told me.
Vote Mama began systematically tracking Mothers in elected office. Its research found that just 8.3% of state legislators are Mothers with children under 18.
Sound familiar?
When I began investigating how many women on the Fortune 500 CEO list were Mothers, I couldn't find the answer either. That frustrating discovery inspired Motherhood Data Gap, a new research initiative from Intuitionship.
We track degrees, job titles, revenues, and promotions. But Motherhood? Apparently, nobody thought to count.
And when we don't count something, we make it easier to overlook its value.
Experience Counts. Or Does It?
Renee Walls knows something about having to prove herself.
A Mother, immigrant, and woman of color, Renee is running for King County District Court judge. She brings 26 years of legal experience, including 17 years serving as a judge pro tempore.
That's right. She's already spent 17 years doing the very job she's now seeking to hold as an elected judge.
And yet, despite those qualifications, Renee still finds herself having to make the case for her place on the bench.
During our conversation, she described the difference between being granted a “presumption of competence” and having to continually prove your qualifications—a distinction that resonated deeply with my own research on the leadership skills Mothers develop but rarely receive recognition for.
What also struck me was how thoughtfully Renee connects her roles as Mother and judge. Both, she explained, require active listening, understanding people's circumstances, and helping them find a path forward. In criminal court, she considers how her decisions might “help stop cycles” of conflict and create opportunities for people to make different choices.
“There’s a lot of crossover,” she told me.
Renee's experience challenges us to ask what we actually mean when we talk about someone being qualified to lead. With nearly two decades serving on the bench, she has a substantial record of judicial experience to bring to the elected position.
The question isn't whether Motherhood makes her qualified to be a judge. It's why someone with her extensive qualifications should still have to work so hard to have them recognized.
A Baby on Her Hip—and a Seat at the Table
Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Grace Hasegawa told me that without technology allowing her to participate remotely, she simply couldn't have run for office.
While Toshiko was pushing a stroller and patiently explaining the role of Port Commissioners when we first met, she later said, “I wouldn't have been able to run countywide with an infant on my hip,” much less continue serving while raising two young children.
That flexibility didn't make her less effective. It opened the door for an entirely new perspective at the Port of Seattle.
And her lived experience matters. During her time at the Port, Toshiko championed better support for travelers and airport workers, including a $550,000 childcare navigator program to help working families access childcare.
Now she's running for King County Council, hoping to bring that same perspective to regional policy.
From the PTA to the Legislature
Danica Noble, a first-time candidate for the Washington Legislature, brings nearly two decades of experience at the Federal Trade Commission, specializing in antitrust and consumer protection.
She's also a Mother of three and longtime PTA advocate. Danica and I first crossed paths in Olympia, where we were both advocating for children and public education. She's since helped develop Washington State PTA's AI policy and worked on legislation protecting children from harmful AI chatbots.
That's quite a résumé. And her advocacy as a Mother is part of it.
But Danica also described the difficult family conversations that came before her candidacy: Could they afford the lost income? What about time away from her children? And, increasingly, what about their safety?
Those concerns aren't hypothetical. A Brennan Center study found that 23% of women in local elected office reported threats during the previous three months, compared with 16% of men.
Thirty-two states now permit some form of campaign-funded security expenses. Just as with childcare, the question is whether our political systems recognize the real costs of running for office.
And there's another kind of recognition that matters: acknowledging the work these women have already done. Danica's experience protecting consumers, challenging powerful technology companies, and advocating for children's safety has already helped shape public policy—including protections for minors using AI chatbots. She's bringing that experience, along with her perspective as a Mother, to her campaign for the Legislature.
The Skills We Bring With Us
Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra sees Motherhood and professional leadership as inseparable.
“I think the skills of being a Mother are transferred so easily into any professional job,” she told me, particularly when it comes to managing relationships and people.
And then there's the humility.
“Nothing like your children making sure you understand that you don't understand anything.”
Any parent of a teenager might recognize that particular leadership lesson.
Senator Dhingra believes good leaders create environments where others can thrive. That's something Mothers practice every day, even if we haven’t agreed to start adding it to our résumés yet.
Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra and her family on Election Night 2017. Courtesy of Dhingra’s social media archive.
Roots, Wings, and Everything in Between
I begin every MOTHERHOOD ADVANTAGE interview with the same question: What is a Mother? And I will end with their beautiful responses, reminding us why representation matters.
Motherhood was described as mission critical (Toshiko) and the most important job you’ll ever have (Manka). Danica said Moms are the backbone that holds you up whether or not you can see her. Renee highlighted the duality of serving as both the roots and wings of a child’s life. And Liuba, who has been a stay-at-home Mom, work-from-home Mom, congressional candidate, and nonprofit founder, said, “They're literally the reason that I get up every morning and do the work that I do.”
Then added, “They are my whole world. And that is how I identify. I identify as their Mama.”
And I couldn’t agree more.
Five Mothers. Five very different experiences. Five perspectives shaped by the people they care for and the communities they serve.
As we fill out our ballots this fall, perhaps it's time to reconsider what counts as preparation for public service.
After all, Mothers aren't waiting to become leaders.
They're already doing the work.
Make Your Voice Heard!
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3! Washington ballots can be mailed postage-free or returned to an official ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day. If mailing, it's best to send yours at least a week early. Missing or damaged ballot? Visit VoteWA.gov for help.
And if you'd like to do more, I can tell you from experience just how much candidates appreciate a helping hand. Running for office is a tremendous undertaking, especially when you're also raising a family. Whether it's knocking on doors, making a donation, or making dinner for someone's kids so they can get out and meet voters, every bit of support matters. There's still time to reach out to the candidates and causes you care about and make a difference!
