On paper, it looked risky. I trusted myself anyway.
by Courtney Williams, The Variable July 08 2026
The moment you become pregnant, people start treating your life like it should come with a warning label. Suddenly, every decision is filtered through caution. Stay put. Be grateful. Don’t rock the boat. Delay the move, the promotion, the leap. As if motherhood and ambition can’t exist at the same time.
Recently, I made the biggest decision of my career while pregnant — leaving one of the world’s largest publicly traded groups to join an independent ad agency. On paper, it looked risky. Leaving a role that I loved to step into a new opportunity during a time when most people expect women to prioritize stability above all else.
But the truth is, pregnancy is exactly why I took the leap.
