35: Moms in Government Relations + Public Affairs, Part I

Parents At Work

In this episode of Parents at Work, Lori Mihalich-Levin and Jason Levin interview Nedra Pickler. Nedra is a partner at the global public affairs firm, Finsbury Glover Hering, where she advises clients on communications strategy, including crisis communications, reputation management, thought leadership, and brand awareness. She brings deep perspective from inside the media after 17 years at The Associated Press and as a commentator on television and radio. Nedra covered the George W. Bush and Barack Obama presidencies, and the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns.

Nedra is a single mother to two amazing young boys and has successfully managed to thrive in her career despite the numerous challenges and bumps in the road that come with juggling the two. From constantly travelling on the campaign trail as a journalist covering presidential politics to dealing with different working parent challenges in the different roles she’s held throughout her career, Nedra has always found ways to make sure that she strikes some kind of balance between work and parenting her boys.

In this conversation, she talks about the advantages of working in public relations as a working parent and expresses her concerns about the issue of paid leave in America. At the end of this episode, you’ll have learned so much about how you can make it work as a working parent in a way that suits you and your kids, so don’t miss out.

Show Highlights

• The working parent challenge of being on the campaign trail as a journalist covering presidential politics (03:01)
• How her mum “The Granny Nanny” enabled her to thrive in her career (04:16)
• Transitioning from journalism into government relations and some of the positive surprises that came with it (05:21)
• Why working in public affairs and government relations may just be the best job for you as a working parent (10:10)
• Types of workplace supports that were helpful for her as a parent (11:56)
• The value of having the one day a week work at home day and the need for paid leave in America (15:17)
• Why you should get the Gizmo Watch for your kids (18:53)
• Making sure you spend quality time with your kids, not being too hard on yourself and lowering your expectations (20:40)

Links and Resources

• Why the White House Isn’t a Place for Mothers to Work, But Should Be
• Jason's Website
• Jason on Linkedin
• Lori's Website
• Lori on Linkedin