Working Parent Spotlight: Lauren Christine Walker
Lauren is a black mom, wife, working professional, and her children are in elementary school. Her career has spanned communications, operations, and leadership across education, startups, and corporate sectors, including serving as a VP, supporting senior leadership strategy, and leading organizational development.
Today, she is the founder of Path & Bridges, a company transforming how people connect at work and in life. She believes parenting and leadership require the same adaptability, emotional intelligence, and boundary-setting. The skills she uses as a parent are the same ones she brings into boardrooms and workshops.
JW: What are some of your guiding principles when making decisions about your career?
LW: Clarity, alignment, and peace. I don’t pursue opportunities that compromise my peace or pull me out of alignment with the kind of life I’m trying to build for my family. I ask: Does this honor the season I'm in? Will this serve my growth and still protect my time with my kids?
How do you determine the right timing for different opportunities while considering your family’s needs?
I view timing through the lens of capacity and calling. Just because something is a “yes” doesn’t mean it’s a “yes right now.” I evaluate our family’s rhythm, emotional bandwidth, and needs before saying yes to big moves.
If you could go back to the early days of becoming a parent, what would you tell yourself now knowing what you know?
You don’t have to earn rest. You don’t have to apologize for your boundaries. And your children will benefit more from your wholeness than your hustle.
As your children have grown and moved through different stages, how has your approach to work-family integration evolved?
I’ve learned to let go of perfection. Integration for me now means that some days, the family needs more, and some days, the work calls louder—and that’s okay. What matters is that we keep returning to the table with intention and grace.
What else do you want my population of working parents to know?
You are not behind. You are not doing it wrong. There is no universal formula for balancing it all—there’s just the daily, courageous choice to keep showing up with love, clarity, and intention.
What’s the best advice you’ve received about balancing the demands of being a parent and professional?
"You can do it all—but not all at once." This freed me from the pressure to juggle every role perfectly at the same time. Seasons matter. Grace matters.
How about the worst?
“Don’t let them see you sweat.” I’ve learned that sometimes, faking it is part of survival—but pretending everything’s okay all the time is not sustainable. I do fake it—often—but I’ve also learned to balance that with moments of honesty, vulnerability, and asking for help. You can lead with strength and still be real about the struggle.
Final thoughts?
The work I do now was born from the moment I realized that how we communicate with our children and our colleagues isn't that different—it’s about being seen, heard, and understood. I want to help more people understand that communication isn’t just a skill, it’s a human need. And when we get it right, everything else flows better.
