Kelly Corrigan Wonders Deep Dive with Alexa Arnold & Kate Cockrill on Working & Parenting
Nov 18, 2025
Alexa Arnold, a social impact entrepreneur, and Kate Cockrill, a leadership coach and improv comedian, dive into the chaos of balancing ambitious careers with parenting. They share personal anecdotes, including Alexa's anxiety over a dream job proposal while managing a toddler. The discussion explores the pressures of modern intensive parenting, the joy in pursuing personal fulfillment, and how social media amplifies the parenting performance. They challenge the belief that one must excel in all areas, advocating for redefining success and prioritizing mental health for better parenting.
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Panic In The Hot Tub
- Alexa Arnold panicked in a hot tub after being offered to help Jonathan Haidt build a movement while parenting an 18-month-old.
- The panic came from fear she couldn't do both demanding roles well and feeling alone in that choice.
Question Your Hidden Rules
- Interrogate your own parenting rules to see which are self-imposed and why they exist.
- Kelly advises tracing rules back to origins and asking "Is it true?" before holding yourself to them.
Experiment With Small Rule Changes
- Treat work–parenting choices as experiments and test small changes to see what improves balance.
- Alexa stopped doing pickups to reclaim thirty minutes for work and found it improved her presence later.
