Working parents are often overwhelmed with quick-fix solutions and incomplete advice for achieving “work-life balance.” But the real goal is achieving true integration that aligns career, family, and personal well-being.
ThirdPath’s 2024 Virtual Parents Forum: A Fresh Approach
With the tagline “Create Time for Life by Redesigning Work and Home,” ThirdPath’s 2024 Virtual Parents Forum offered a refreshing and transformative experience. This online event provided working parents with:
- Tangible solutions
- Practical skills
- Supportive community connections
- Inspiration and actionable insights
Key Highlights
Flexible Design
The forum was designed to fit around working parents’ responsibilities, allowing easy flow between sessions and real-life obligations.
Expert-Led Workshops
Workshops featured renowned experts, including:
- Kyra Cavanaugh (author of “Who Works Where [and Who Cares?]: A Manager’s Guide to the New World of Work”)
- Ed Frauenheim (author of “Reinventing Masculinity: The Liberating Power of Compassion and Connection”)
- Kate Mangino (author of “Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home”)
- Jessica DeGroot (Executive Director, ThirdPath)
Opening Workshop: “What’s Around the Corner? The Changing Needs of Families”
Jessica DeGroot shared best practices for parenting at different developmental stages. Key takeaways:
- Parenting is not one-size-fits-all.
- Adaptability to each child’s unique needs is crucial.
- Empowering fathers to share parenting experiences at every family stage.
“Creating High Performing Hybrid Work Teams”
Led by Kyra Cavanaugh, this session focused on:
- Deliberate and transparent work practices.
- Clarifying mission, vision, and performance measures.
- Effective communication and connection norms.
“Sharing the Mental Load at Home from Birth to Launch”
Jessica DeGroot and Kate Mangino encouraged open conversations with partners about co-creating ideal lives together. A participant noted, “Today’s session helped me see that we have control over designing the lives we want.”
“Reinventing Fathering and Families”
Ed Frauenheim and Kelly J. Kelly discussed:
- Moving beyond outdated beliefs about fathers and masculinity.
- Creating an inclusive path for all genders.
- Making caregiving more visible and involving men in conversations about modern fatherhood.
Transformative Takeaways
By the forum’s end, attendees experienced a significant mindset shift. They realized that integrating work and life is a continuous journey of intentional choices co-created with partners. As one participant said, “These sessions helped me realize my husband and I can lay everything on the table and reimagine the life we want to build together. We can dream bigger than ever before.”
Looking Ahead
Attendees left with:
- Renewed inspiration and confidence.
- A clear vision for revolutionizing work-life integration.
- Tools to redesign their careers, families, and personal well-being.
ThirdPath Institute’s Mission and Resources
At ThirdPath, we are dedicated to helping individuals, families, and organizations create a culture that supports work-life integration and gender equity. Our mission is to provide resources, support, and education to empower people to lead balanced and fulfilling lives. We offer a variety of programs, workshops, and tools designed to help you achieve your work-life integration goals.
Learn More
Discover how our work is making a difference and become part of our community of change. Visit our website to explore our many free resources or tailored programs designed to support your work-life integration goals.
Support Our Work
As we continue our journey towards promoting work-life integration and gender equity, your support is crucial. Your donation enables us to develop and deliver programs that make real differences in people’s lives. Help us create the future we all deserve and make a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us bring work-life integration to all.
Thank you for being a part of the ThirdPath community. Together, we’re creating the future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive both personally and professionally.