Wola Joseph-Condotti 
The phrase “work-life balance” is often floated around like a promise, a formula, or a goal. Something that, if we just manage our calendars better, we will finally achieve.
But for many working mothers (especially those in leadership) balance is not a fixed state. It is a moving target. One day we are ahead, the next we are behind. Sometimes we soar in one area while barely holding it together in another.
It is not balance. It is a juggle. A constant rebalancing.
And sometimes, some balls hit the floor.
The Juggling Act No One Trains You For
Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo and one of the most visible female leaders of our time, once described work-life balance as a juggling act, but not all balls are equal. According to her:
“You will juggle five balls: work, family, health, friends and spirit. Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four are made of glass.”
That insight stayed with me.
Because too many women treat everything like the rubber ball. We hustle to keep all the balls in the air, believing if we just try harder, we will not drop anything.
But something always gives, and sometimes, what we lose is precious.
The Pressure is Personal
Like Indra Nooyi, I have lived the tension of being both present and pulled. There are days I have chaired strategic sessions, led high-stakes negotiations, and flown across cities, only to come home to my husband or children who just need my time, my touch, my voice.
I have missed milestones. I have answered business calls with a child tugging at my sleeve. I have watched the clock during events, calculating whether I will make it back for bedtime.
There have been days I have delivered a keynote speech, reviewed contracts late into the night, and then switched gears to help with homework, respond to a school issue, or simply be mum to a child who does not care how many people reported to me that day.
And the truth is, I do not want them to care. I want them to know that I showed up for them. That my love was not lost in my ambition.
But many days, the trade-offs are real.
And it is not just about time. It is about presence. About how often our minds are split between two worlds, both of which need us, and neither of which always gets us fully.
And I have also felt the sting of guilt. Guilt for leaving the office “too early” to attend a school function, or for missing the school function to attend an industry roundtable.
Because somehow, society has made it so that no matter which choice we make, we feel like we are failing at one.
What Working Mothers Really Need
We do not need more productivity hacks. We do not need more articles telling us to “lean in” harder. What we need is truth and support:
Truth that having it all is not always having it all at the same time.
Support in the form of workplace cultures that honour motherhood without penalising it.
Flexibility that is not performative.
Systems that make it okay to say, “Today, I am choosing my child,” without professional backlash.
We also need grace. Grace for ourselves, and grace for one another. Because behind every powerful woman is a complex, delicate, and deeply human story.
Faith in the Messy Middle
As a woman of faith, I have come to understand that I am not called to perfection. I am called to obedience and stewardship. Some seasons demand more from me at work. Others, more from me at home. But in all of it, God is present.
I have clung to that on days I felt frayed at both ends. And I have watched God fill in the gaps when I simply could not.
Final Thoughts
To every working mother navigating boardrooms and bedtimes, contracts and carpools, you are not alone.
You are not dropping the ball. You are doing your best to juggle what truly matters.
Let us stop preaching the myth of balance and start telling the truth about seasons, support, and sustainability.
Let us remind ourselves that work is a rubber ball. But family, faith, health, and friendship are made of glass.
And while you can pick up your career after a stumble, you must hold the glass with intention.
You are not failing. You are faithfully juggling. And that, in itself, is strength.
Wola Joseph-Condotti is the Group Managing Director/CEO of West Power & Gas Limited. A Harvard-trained lawyer and passionate advocate for faith-driven leadership, gender equity, and energy transition in Africa, she writes from the intersection of power, purpose, and personal growth.