Causeways | Sarah A McLean

I was sitting in my office with my new work coach, tears streaming down my face.

"You need some help," she said.

We had just moved from Hong Kong to New York with three kids under ten. My husband was overseeing the renovation of our new home. And I had stepped into a role as Lower School Head at one of New York City's largest independent schools—a role that was supposed to come with an assistant principal. There wasn't one.

"No, no, I don't need help," I insisted. "I'm fine."

What was I thinking? I was not fine.

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Once I accepted that I couldn't do it all, things got better. Slowly. My husband sold his company and took over managing our household. I hired a trusted assistant principal and built a leadership team. I started to see small patches of white space in my calendar.

And then COVID hit.

As a school leader, my team and I kept our school open and operating safely while other schools remained closed. I was making constant, high-stakes decisions that affected hundreds of children, teachers, and families.

 

And then our own children started to melt down.

One started hitting people at school. Another set off red flags at the annual physical by answering a question about suicidal ideation. The pediatrician's response protocol said everything. Drop everything. This can't wait.

My children were in crisis. My work was all-consuming. I was stretched to a breaking point. And I kept coming back to the same question: How do other mothers do this?

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Slowly, we found a way through. We got the help we needed for our kids. Two of them went to boarding school. I changed jobs. We relocated.

As I finally caught my breath, something occurred to me. I had spent my whole career designing days for children—when they needed to move, when they needed to rest, when they needed a snack. But my own day? There was no white space in my calendar. Every minute I was on the move.

I needed a lot of help.

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As I set about rebuilding my own life, I came back to that question: How do other mothers do this? And more: How can I make it easier for them? What would independent schools be like if more mothers in leadership were flourishing?

Causeways is my answer.

I work with mothers in independent school leadership—division heads, associate heads, heads of school—helping them get the support I needed but didn't know how to ask for.

I help you identify the work that only you can do, build systems to manage what you have to manage, and cut away everything that doesn't serve you, your family, or your school.

When mothers in leadership flourish, children flourish too.

I'm so glad you're here.

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