Plus, a new featured job seeker and the women’s leadership academy deadline! Email not displaying correctly?
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In the last issue of this newsletter I spoke to three journalists about how they’re managing their careers on top of caregiving ([link removed]) .
I rolled my eyes at myself when I realized part of what’s happening here is that I'm rehashing that classic question: “Can women really have it all?!” But here we are still having it. The question at the root of it hasn’t been resolved. For the most part, we haven’t built our workplaces to reflect the realities of caregiving ([link removed]) in conjunction with our work lives. Aside from large-scale systemic change, the burden of finding solutions to these problems remains on the shoulders of those who choose to have children or otherwise care for their loved ones.
In order to make things work, folks have had to get creative. I’ve gathered experiences of three people who have approached caregiving from different perspectives: as a freelancer, as a manager who went freelance, and as a full time staffer. I was inspired by each of them in how they are managing to make things work.

"I think that for a long time, becoming a parent felt like a risk that I needed to mitigate by having everything in my professional world lined up just right." - Meg Cramer
Meg Cramer is a freelance audio journalist who is planning to have her first child in a few months (full disclosure: she’s a former colleague of mine, a friend, and an alumna of the women’s leadership academy ([link removed]) !). I have always loved how she thinks about work and life, so I sent her a few questions I had about how she’s getting ready for parenthood.
LISTEN TO MEG ([link removed])
Read the full transcript of Meg’s voice note here ([link removed]) .
Some highlights:
• Start with your budget. “I don't want to be in a position where I'm doing math to figure out whether or not it's worth it to pay for day care if I'm in between projects.” Meg bought into New York state’s paid family leave insurance ([link removed]) , which helped her plan for parental leave with her spouse. They have also been putting money away for the last few years to save for child care in the first few months.
• It might not ever feel like the “right” time. Meg used to think that she had to have everything lined up perfectly in order to start a family — the perfect job, the supportive team, the comprehensive benefits. Then she got laid off, and she realized that she was ready anyway. It takes privilege to take risks, but after sitting with the numbers, Meg and her spouse realized the risk was doable.
• You’re not meant to do this alone. Lean on your community, whether that’s friends, family, your spouse, or a Facebook group of new parents.
Some might have luck advocating for themselves. Megan Smalley was the managing editor at Recycling Today magazine earlier this year when she found out she was pregnant. She realized that she and her husband couldn’t afford to both work full time and pay for child care.
“So this summer, I had to ask my boss if the company would be comfortable with me downscaling my job from managing editor to freelancer. I worried about judgment since there really is pressure to put work before all else.
“But I was pleasantly surprised when the publisher and my boss both wholeheartedly supported my decision. … My workplace has been amazing in giving me flexibility to take parental leave and downscale to freelancer once my baby comes this winter. I was shocked the company offered to pay for a 12-week maternity leave and then let me pick my hours to work part time (about 20-25 hours a week) when I come back. Nobody has looked down on my decision, and if anything other co-workers have respected my choice. I know my situation is rare, and I feel especially lucky my company was willing to work with me.”
There are other things that workplaces can do to help parents and caregivers do their best work, too. Jessica Glazer is an audio producer at Vox Media (and a former colleague of mine) who gave birth a little over a year ago:
“At Vox there's an ERG for parents so that's a great start. People share fears about their kids going to school in COVID. I've felt seen by other parents who also just had babies. There's also a flexible hours policy that is enormously helpful. We are treated as adults who know how to get their work done, even if you have to stop work between say 3 to 5 or whatever and work more later. If that's your preference.
“There's also a culture of not making the work of parenting hidden. For example I see a lot of people use Slack emojis that say ‘primary caregiver’ on a particular day. Or my boss told me to put a calendar block every day for when I have to pick up Ollie, so no one puts calendar invites on those days. It’s both a recognition that we might need to work in ways that aren’t 9 to 5 sitting at attention at a desk, and it’s also a culture of trusting your employees to make decisions about what works for them.”

Job Seeker Spotlight
In every other newsletter issue, I’m going to be highlighting someone who is looking for a journalism job. If you’d like to submit yourself to be featured, fill out this Google Form ([link removed]) !
This month’s featured job seeker is Daric Cottingham (he/him). He’s looking for full-time work.
Daric Cottingham (he/him)
Here’s what he had to say:


In summer 2020, I had the opportunity to expand my concept of storytelling through UX and podcast mediums in tech at Spotify as a podcast editorial intern ([link removed]) . A key responsibility was providing Gen Z demographic research to expand the consumer market by curating original content and pitching new show ideas. Since then, I’ve been freelancing, writing articles ([link removed]) on the need for diversity in newsrooms, and sharing my own story ([link removed]) as a marginalized person.
As a Black queer person, I try to be empathetic to sources and frame content to be ethical and respectful to underrepresented communities. I believe authentic storytelling requires understanding cultural nuances.
This unique approach has helped me with a budding journalism career of a little over eight years, covering hard-hitting news, politics, sports, lifestyle ([link removed]) , beauty ([link removed]) , music ([link removed]) , TV/film ([link removed]) and more ([link removed]) across mediums.
While pursuing my master’s degree at the USC Annenberg School for Journalism and Communication, I served as a managing editor at Annenberg Media, overseeing 400+ newsroom staff producing cross-platform content. In this role, I saw a shift of inclusion and respect throughout the newsroom as I helped implement a new foundation of “fun and flexible.” This phrase means that we roll with the punches and keep pursuing a story while remaining open to wherever our reporting takes us.
After graduating in 2021 with my master’s degree, I joined the Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) as a multiplatform editor. I used my newsletters and audience engagement expertise to help grow their subscriber base using qualitative and quantitative data. I wrote the flagship newsletter, “Today’s Headlines,” and produced other staple newsletters. It was a great experience that allowed me to refine these skills to incorporate them into more diverse and innovative journalism, but my heart is in entertainment reporting, and I’d like to pursue opportunities that align with this passion.

Get in touch with Daric here ([link removed]) . You can also connect with him on LinkedIn ([link removed]) and check out his website ([link removed]) .

P.S. Today is the last day to apply for the 2022 Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Media ([link removed]) . The deadline for its sibling program, the Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media ([link removed]) , is Jan. 15.
Alex Sujong Laughlin
Host, The Cohort
@alexlaughs ([link removed])

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