{
    "componentChunkName": "component---src-templates-articles-homepage-ssr-tsx",
    "path": "/articles",
    "result": {"pageContext":{"href":"/articles","homepage":[{"seo":{"seoDescription":"This is the meta description for Chief editorial homepage. ","seoMetaTitle":"This is the meta title for Chief editorial homepage. ","seoImage":null,"seoHide":null},"heroSection":{"_key":null,"_type":"heroSection","__typename":"SanityHeroSection","featuredArticle":{"title":"Can DEI Efforts Succeed in a Hybrid Workplace?","category":"EXECUTIVE IMPACT","isPodcast":true,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":"Chief logo","asset":{"id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png"}},"slug":{"current":"the-new-rules-of-business-podcast-minda-harts-frances-frei-anne-morris"}},"secondArticle":{"title":"Our Most Popular Articles of 2021","category":"EXECUTIVE IMPACT","isPodcast":null,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":"Photo Credit: Chief","altText":"best of 2021, best articles of 2021, top stories of 2021, top performers, best essays, most read, most popular stories, most viewed articles, a look back, Chief, Chief editorial, business writing, business topics, women in leadership, leadership advice","asset":{"id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png"}},"slug":{"current":"best-articles-of-2021"}},"thirdArticle":{"title":"Juggling the Demands of Informal Leadership at Work","category":null,"isPodcast":true,"heroImage":{"caption":"Juggling demands at work","attribution":null,"altText":"Juggling demands at work alt text","asset":{"id":"image-40af2ef54e581d68e9d718ba27edc3a0295e61fb-1920x1104-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/40af2ef54e581d68e9d718ba27edc3a0295e61fb-1920x1104.png"}},"slug":{"current":"informal-leadership-combatting-employee-burnout"}}},"customizeHeroSection":true,"homePageBuilder":[{"_key":"3a41e8a7b1a4","__typename":"SanityAllCatFeatArticles","allCategoriesFeature":true},{"_key":"70d096d4878b","__typename":"SanityRecentPodcasts","subCopy":"Chief Co-Founders Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan dig into today’s most challenging leadership questions, alongside world-renowned business minds and academics.","heading":"The New Rules of Business Podcast"},{"_key":"f4ac0dfd4967","__typename":"SanityEditorialHomeIconGrid","heading":"The Power Seat","intro":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec sed interdum massa, sit amet ornare lacus. ","gridItem":[{"image":{"caption":"Lorem ipsum","attribution":"Lorem ipsum","altText":"Lorem ipsum","asset":{"id":"image-9f569f6dc072467a0b812807b0c9176b495ba01c-3840x2208-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/9f569f6dc072467a0b812807b0c9176b495ba01c-3840x2208.png"}},"iconArticle":{"title":"Work-Like ","slug":{"current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"isPodcast":null,"editorialCategory":null}},{"image":{"caption":"Lorem ipsum","attribution":"Lorem ipsum","altText":"Lorem ipsum","asset":{"id":"image-9f569f6dc072467a0b812807b0c9176b495ba01c-3840x2208-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/9f569f6dc072467a0b812807b0c9176b495ba01c-3840x2208.png"}},"iconArticle":{"title":"Work-Like ","slug":{"current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"isPodcast":null,"editorialCategory":null}},{"image":{"caption":"Lorem ipsum","attribution":"Lorem ipsum","altText":"Lorem ipsum","asset":{"id":"image-9f569f6dc072467a0b812807b0c9176b495ba01c-3840x2208-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/9f569f6dc072467a0b812807b0c9176b495ba01c-3840x2208.png"}},"iconArticle":{"title":"Work-Like ","slug":{"current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"isPodcast":null,"editorialCategory":null}}]},{"_key":"abaa74f207f4","__typename":"SanityThreeGridArticles","heading":"Trending Now","articleOne":{"title":"Can DEI Efforts Succeed in a Hybrid Workplace?","category":"EXECUTIVE IMPACT","isPodcast":true,"editorialCategory":null,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":"Chief logo","asset":{"id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png"}},"slug":{"current":"the-new-rules-of-business-podcast-minda-harts-frances-frei-anne-morris"}},"articleThree":{"title":"Work-Like ","category":null,"isPodcast":null,"editorialCategory":null,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":"Photo Credit: Shonda Rhimes","altText":"Photo of Shonda Rhimes","asset":{"id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg"}},"slug":{"current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"}},"articleTwo":{"title":"How to Implement Long-Term Thinking to Achieve Meaningful Goals","category":"EXECUTIVE IMPACT","isPodcast":null,"editorialCategory":null,"heroImage":null,"slug":{"current":"dorie-clark-long-term-strategic-thinking"}}},{"_key":"06c37c8305ac","__typename":"SanityEmailSignUp","customizeEmailSignUp":false,"subCopy":null,"Heading":null},{"_key":"507bd073967a","__typename":"SanityFullWidthBrandedCta","cta":[{"buttonText":"Learn More","href":"https://chief.com/explore","target":"_blank"}],"content":"Chief is the most powerful network of executive women."}]}],"firstThreeArticles":[{"id":"-14da7d5b-b856-5f88-99aa-fdc0dfd29995","title":"Test test123","slug":{"current":"test-slug"},"category":null,"isPodcast":null,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":"Chief logo","asset":{"id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png"}},"episodeImage":null},{"id":"-de7906aa-6742-5ebe-b6cd-42896210bb97","title":"Testing for pagination","slug":{"current":"testing-for-pagination"},"category":null,"isPodcast":null,"heroImage":{"caption":"Stock photo","attribution":"stocksy","altText":"stock photo of paper and pencils","asset":{"id":"image-4f0e253cd88c7f54948a3939b898cb998197cdce-1920x1104-jpg","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/4f0e253cd88c7f54948a3939b898cb998197cdce-1920x1104.jpg"}},"episodeImage":null},{"id":"-5a617a4e-742d-55d5-b7ce-85e4d6e7e48f","title":"new test for cut off images","slug":{"current":"new-test-for-cut-off-images"},"category":null,"isPodcast":null,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":null,"asset":{"id":"image-6d06b1f7fccb7ef078704ec687d733e95826bdba-275x183-jpg","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/6d06b1f7fccb7ef078704ec687d733e95826bdba-275x183.jpg"}},"episodeImage":null}],"topics":[{"id":"-609437db-5056-5ed0-bf15-3247402864ff","title":"Business Management","hideFromNav":null,"relatedBenefitCta":{"benefitDescription":"Want more? Chief provides members with cutting-edge insight and tactical support for leaders to better navigate today’s biggest challenges.","name":"Business Management","cta":[{"buttonText":"Learn More","href":"https://chief.com/explore","target":"_blank"}],"icon":{"asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/934babcd42eb61f6a331151107637345443b3722-98x98.svg","altText":null}}},"featuredArticles":{"_type":"featuredArticles","featuredArticle":{"_id":"072ce4ce-b1f1-478b-8caf-1b382bd25f77","_type":"editorial","_rev":"HVao7AivMXTNTMm8IIhJuc","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:34:51Z","_updatedAt":"2026-04-02T13:53:00Z","articleAuthor":{"_id":"c7cbb8e0-8cf9-4ccd-a640-0dea3553a633","_type":"author","_rev":"olsJQPKIraTF6w0BBfpapq","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","_updatedAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","bio":[{"_key":"d7f6c4c2c05c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ff815af96b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A lorem ipsum dolor sit amet experience that adipiscing elits nunc alliqum torpis ultrics au elementum torpis"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"name":"Courtney Connley","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"courtney-connley"},"id":"-08af0a6c-2287-5b16-a49d-d57bfc4569d8","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Courtney Connley","content":[{"_key":"0cdc733161ea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Shonda Rhimes knows what it’s like to be the “only” in a room. As the first Black woman to create and executive produce a top 10 network series, and the first woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each, Rhimes has made more than a name for herself in Hollywood — she became the pinnacle. But, like other women who have experienced unparalleled success, the award-winning producer behind "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb61","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb63","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Scandal"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb64","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and Netflix’s "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb65","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb66","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", has had to cope with the feeling of loneliness at the top."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"20ab3de96566","_type":"quote","attribution":"Shonda Rhimes","body":"The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing","quoteImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"multitasking chair","asset":{"_ref":"image-c876d102477a4dcba55e31156eeca83c5856ca3e-411x260-png","_type":"reference"}},"quoteOptions":"pullQuoteImage"},{"_key":"7b42ba56344f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1cbc10a2105e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing,” says Rhimes, who is the founder and CEO of the global media company Shondaland. “I think, however, it's not a devastating thing. I mean, you have to really learn to look at it for what it should be. Yes, it can feel lonely sometimes. But, you can go out and find other women and other people who share the experience of what it is to be a leader… Who know exactly what you're talking about when you talk about being in charge of everybody and what that feels like and how awkward it can feel sometimes to be the person in the room that everybody's looking to.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"15d9e993f6f8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8aac0c7e5d010","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"98fbe6be0c03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7b87d6b750a40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Secret to Developing a Good Idea"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading1"},{"_key":"9c43a41ee0a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c9c1efe5fa3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4e4379f86928","_type":"floatedImage"},{"_key":"f400c3a31126","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54e5d19f0f020","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, for me, a lot of it is how much does something stick with me? I have a lot of little ideas that sound interesting. But, the things that stick with me are the ones that I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about, or I wake up in the morning and I have to write down some notes. Or, once you tell an idea to somebody, you can tell if it's good or bad by how well you tell it, in a weird way. Like how well you felt telling it. So once I've told it to somebody and it sort of still sticks with me, I know that I have something worth writing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"16146e5fd95e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b939c5ef05480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Also, you know, the dirty little secret of writing is that nobody loves writing. I don't know anybody who loves writing while they're writing. We all love "},{"_key":"b939c5ef05481","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"having written"},{"_key":"b939c5ef05482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So the key is to have an idea you love and then to just do the work. Like do the work and force yourself through the harder parts, the parts where you're not feeling so inspired. Get those pages out every single day so that once you're done with the script, you feel amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"846f7a5f8124","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"01346f7703de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Growing Shondaland"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"db733192d2ac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2c864d1625f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“At first, it was just me and my producing partner Betsy Beers. And then it grew. And now, that company is, I want to say there's close to 50 of us now. So it's really grown and we have a digital division. We have a podcast division. We have partnerships that we do with people… We have all of these things and we're growing at this exponential rate. And part of what you want to do is to make sure that everybody who comes in still feels the coziness of what it was like when there were only four of us or five of us. You want to make sure that everybody feels that sort of investment, that sort of buy-in. I like it when people come and they stay for a long time. You know, there are some people who've been there from the very beginning.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1c74f831373d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"caaeac346bd50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Saying “No” — Without Apology"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"a4dc45dc1080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8db7502d81640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I realized that I was just as bad at saying ‘no’ as I was at saying ‘yes.’ You know, we're all built to please. We never want anybody to think "},{"_key":"8db7502d81641","_type":"span","marks":["90dab3711a10"],"text":"we are not lovely and kind"},{"_key":"8db7502d81642","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and all of these things. So, it feels harsh to say no and then not give 55 reasons why. The whole idea that no is a complete sentence is a very hard thing for most of us. So you find yourself saying, "},{"_key":"8db7502d81643","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I can't do that because of this and because of this and because of this and because of this"},{"_key":"8db7502d81644","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and suddenly it's very easy to get talked into saying yes because people come up with reasons why those becauses don't matter. And really what you're trying to do is set your boundary. When you're saying no to something, you're setting your boundary. You should not be doing things that you don't want to do, or that you feel manipulated into doing or feel uncomfortable doing, or that are sort of charged to make somebody else feel good but not you."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"90dab3711a10","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/alicia-menendez-likeability-trap-the-new-rules-of-business-podcast"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d71b8d774c25","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“And I'm not saying that you don't do things for other people, obviously. But, understanding that you can say, "},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I'm not able to do that"},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and have that be a complete sentence and not feel like you have to add to it or apologize for it is very important. And it took a long time for me to learn how to do it.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6b14acdbb42","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4b456989673c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Difference Between Knowing Your Power and Owning It"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading4"},{"_key":"585e61d33199","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, I think it starts with the idea that power is not power if you don't know you have it. There was a lot of time during my career when I had power and I don't even think I realized I had power… So when you find out, when you start to realize, like, "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Maybe I have some power here"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", that's great. But it's also terrifying [because it’s like] "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How am I going to wield this power? How am I going to use it to get what I want? How am I going to make it work for me and my company and my people?"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The moment you start to really accept the idea, not just that you have power, but that you deserve the power you have, that's the moment you start to own it. It's a very hard thing for women I've noticed. And I talked to a lot of women about this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a powerful woman. And yet, somehow we've all been raised to believe that we are supposed to make other people feel more comfortable with their own power than we are with our own. We make ourselves smaller to make other people feel bigger."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"644b2319f32a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fe237ce9d9260","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“We all think like, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9261","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, I don't want them to think I'm difficult"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9262","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9263","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm angry"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9264","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9265","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm this or that"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9266","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". It's not about that. When you are comfortable in your power, when you decide, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9267","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Okay, this power does belong to me and I can own it"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9268","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", it's not about wielding it or treating anybody a certain way. It's just about knowing your worth.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"80baf9652db7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2f71659d56640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Importance of Delegating"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"533f8a7958f7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“When you're afraid, when you're not sure, you are hanging onto everything and trying to do it all yourself because if somebody messes up, Oh my God. As opposed to, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc81","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I'm comfortable. I know what I'm doing. I can do this"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And a good leader finds people and then entrusts them to do their job. That changed my life in a huge way. Like somebody would come to me and say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc83","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, what do you want me to do?"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And I would say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc85","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, it's your job? Do it and let me know what happens."},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc86","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" First of all, those people began to feel so empowered and got really excited and felt true ownership of their job. But second, my life changed because my level of control and worry and the amount of time I spent trying to do work that I didn't need to do was just brought down to a halt, which was amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8610aebaa9ec","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"447262dad7990","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Debunking the Myth of Work-Life Balance"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"c05af4a27885","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"129c0a3901380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think we all remember that period of time where, if you were a woman in any job, that was the question they were asking you, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901381","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How do you have "},{"_key":"129c0a3901382","_type":"span","marks":["em","5918f5a1d6d9"],"text":"work-life balance"},{"_key":"129c0a3901383","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901384","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" That question used to drive me crazy. And I used to say, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901385","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, Chuck Lorre has three shows. What does he say when you ask him that question?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901386","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And nobody knew what to say to that because Chuck was a guy, he's not supposed to have work-life balance. But the reality of it is the idea that we're all supposed to live in this sort of perfect little bubble where we've got it all figured. It’s one of the cruelest myths I feel like we've put out there for women. And I was very interested in not doing it because I never felt that way. And it wasn't until people started asking me the question that I really realized why it bothered me so much. It is that thing of, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901387","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"If I am succeeding in one area of my life, I do feel like I'm failing in another and that's okay"},{"_key":"129c0a3901388","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". You know, as a mother I can be either at my child's science fair, or I can be at Sandra Oh's very last day of work on "},{"_key":"129c0a3901389","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"129c0a39013810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". I can go to England and watch them film scenes of "},{"_key":"129c0a39013811","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"129c0a39013812","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", or I can stay here and take my kids to school on their very first day. Those are choices that you make and those choices are okay. Like it's okay to feel like you're not giving 100% to everything.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5918f5a1d6d9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/work-life-balance-pandemic"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bd8f6f7f500e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Writing "},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" With a Newborn"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"fbc4e2f7c102","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0450bd029d8f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I became a mother and had a script due for a movie like three weeks later. And then with a brand new baby strapped to my chest, I wrote the pilot for "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" and my daughter are the same age. That's what happened because I thought, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f5","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Hey, I'll write a television show. "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And then that show turned out to be this big, giant job. So I had to find ways to deal with the fact that I was suddenly a mother with a huge job that I had never had before at the same time. So I brought my kid to work as much as I possibly could. And I did all the things I possibly could, but I definitely feel like "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f7","_type":"span","marks":["3f43a81d3fbc"],"text":"there were trade-offs"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" that I would not have made had I had more experience in the job and more leverage in my job or more experience as a mother and more of a sense of who I was as a mother. I say that because I think it's important for women to understand and to not look at my life and go, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f9","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, it's so simple."},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" No, I made tons of mistakes. And it was 10 years before I felt like I could have a second kid. That's how hard the job was.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3f43a81d3fbc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/balancing-motherhood-career"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"eccf3a0ca663","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"733a789bbef40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Pandemic Changing Her Approach to Workplace Culture"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"7548214e09a4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"707675e68e170","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think I thought, "},{"_key":"707675e68e171","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"We have playrooms, we have nursing spaces for mothers, and anybody can bring their kid to work if they want to"},{"_key":"707675e68e172","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And I thought like we had done it all. But really what was happening was that people were both trying to mother and work at the same time. You're bringing your kid to work, but you were still working and it wasn't the same thing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a508df6071a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1d4bc046ddc90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The pandemic really changed that because suddenly we all had to go home. We didn't have a choice. And what I realized was the power for so many people of being able to work from home. They were getting as much work done. They were just as efficient, and sometimes they were more efficient. And, they were far happier because the things that they were worried about at home were no longer things that were over there that they were trying to squeeze into their work life. Now it was, you do your work as you do your work and maybe you stop at 3:00pm to pick up your kids and make dinner for your kids and hang out with your kids for three hours. And maybe you pick work up later, if that's a thing for you. Or you don't pick it up later because you got it all done earlier. I think that was the biggest lesson for me was realizing that we could find a way to let people work how they needed to work and when they needed to work.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"13ceae39d51a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ad23cea1d561","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1ae4f2167ece","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b30f5fe00915","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Shonda Rhimes on the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to know their power, and own it as leaders.","heroBackgroundColor":{"title":"Dark Green","value":"#1E320B"},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Photo of Shonda Rhimes","asset":{"_id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"wslL6fmfObZkQeBQ7w3tVS","_createdAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","assetId":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","extension":"jpg","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"MAEVZx004.~pDj~V0K?b?b00.8V@R5R*t8","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.8551587301587302,"height":2016,"width":3740},"hasAlpha":false,"isOpaque":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#6a492a","foreground":"#fff","population":0.07,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#beaa93","foreground":"#000","population":8.46,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#e6be9c","foreground":"#000","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac6c5c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac7c4c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","originalFilename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","sha1hash":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","size":446247,"uploadId":"iYnABQzk6Usv1MegfZ8gVXB1Y8Ccgsk3","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","filename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","width":3740,"height":2016,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg?rect=1198,0,1344,2016&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Shonda Rhimes"},"metaTitle":"Shonda Rhimes Believes Work-Life Balance Is ‘The Cruelest Myth’","publishDate":"2023-01-25","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"summary":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Shonda Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"45747c0bd9a1","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Work-Like ","id":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","children":[],"parent":null},"firstArticle":{"_id":"072ce4ce-b1f1-478b-8caf-1b382bd25f77","_type":"editorial","_rev":"HVao7AivMXTNTMm8IIhJuc","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:34:51Z","_updatedAt":"2026-04-02T13:53:00Z","articleAuthor":{"_id":"c7cbb8e0-8cf9-4ccd-a640-0dea3553a633","_type":"author","_rev":"olsJQPKIraTF6w0BBfpapq","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","_updatedAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","bio":[{"_key":"d7f6c4c2c05c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ff815af96b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A lorem ipsum dolor sit amet experience that adipiscing elits nunc alliqum torpis ultrics au elementum torpis"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"name":"Courtney Connley","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"courtney-connley"},"id":"-08af0a6c-2287-5b16-a49d-d57bfc4569d8","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Courtney Connley","content":[{"_key":"0cdc733161ea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Shonda Rhimes knows what it’s like to be the “only” in a room. As the first Black woman to create and executive produce a top 10 network series, and the first woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each, Rhimes has made more than a name for herself in Hollywood — she became the pinnacle. But, like other women who have experienced unparalleled success, the award-winning producer behind "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb61","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb63","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Scandal"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb64","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and Netflix’s "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb65","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb66","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", has had to cope with the feeling of loneliness at the top."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"20ab3de96566","_type":"quote","attribution":"Shonda Rhimes","body":"The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing","quoteImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"multitasking chair","asset":{"_ref":"image-c876d102477a4dcba55e31156eeca83c5856ca3e-411x260-png","_type":"reference"}},"quoteOptions":"pullQuoteImage"},{"_key":"7b42ba56344f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1cbc10a2105e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing,” says Rhimes, who is the founder and CEO of the global media company Shondaland. “I think, however, it's not a devastating thing. I mean, you have to really learn to look at it for what it should be. Yes, it can feel lonely sometimes. But, you can go out and find other women and other people who share the experience of what it is to be a leader… Who know exactly what you're talking about when you talk about being in charge of everybody and what that feels like and how awkward it can feel sometimes to be the person in the room that everybody's looking to.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"15d9e993f6f8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8aac0c7e5d010","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"98fbe6be0c03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7b87d6b750a40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Secret to Developing a Good Idea"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading1"},{"_key":"9c43a41ee0a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c9c1efe5fa3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4e4379f86928","_type":"floatedImage"},{"_key":"f400c3a31126","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54e5d19f0f020","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, for me, a lot of it is how much does something stick with me? I have a lot of little ideas that sound interesting. But, the things that stick with me are the ones that I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about, or I wake up in the morning and I have to write down some notes. Or, once you tell an idea to somebody, you can tell if it's good or bad by how well you tell it, in a weird way. Like how well you felt telling it. So once I've told it to somebody and it sort of still sticks with me, I know that I have something worth writing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"16146e5fd95e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b939c5ef05480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Also, you know, the dirty little secret of writing is that nobody loves writing. I don't know anybody who loves writing while they're writing. We all love "},{"_key":"b939c5ef05481","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"having written"},{"_key":"b939c5ef05482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So the key is to have an idea you love and then to just do the work. Like do the work and force yourself through the harder parts, the parts where you're not feeling so inspired. Get those pages out every single day so that once you're done with the script, you feel amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"846f7a5f8124","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"01346f7703de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Growing Shondaland"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"db733192d2ac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2c864d1625f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“At first, it was just me and my producing partner Betsy Beers. And then it grew. And now, that company is, I want to say there's close to 50 of us now. So it's really grown and we have a digital division. We have a podcast division. We have partnerships that we do with people… We have all of these things and we're growing at this exponential rate. And part of what you want to do is to make sure that everybody who comes in still feels the coziness of what it was like when there were only four of us or five of us. You want to make sure that everybody feels that sort of investment, that sort of buy-in. I like it when people come and they stay for a long time. You know, there are some people who've been there from the very beginning.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1c74f831373d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"caaeac346bd50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Saying “No” — Without Apology"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"a4dc45dc1080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8db7502d81640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I realized that I was just as bad at saying ‘no’ as I was at saying ‘yes.’ You know, we're all built to please. We never want anybody to think "},{"_key":"8db7502d81641","_type":"span","marks":["90dab3711a10"],"text":"we are not lovely and kind"},{"_key":"8db7502d81642","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and all of these things. So, it feels harsh to say no and then not give 55 reasons why. The whole idea that no is a complete sentence is a very hard thing for most of us. So you find yourself saying, "},{"_key":"8db7502d81643","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I can't do that because of this and because of this and because of this and because of this"},{"_key":"8db7502d81644","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and suddenly it's very easy to get talked into saying yes because people come up with reasons why those becauses don't matter. And really what you're trying to do is set your boundary. When you're saying no to something, you're setting your boundary. You should not be doing things that you don't want to do, or that you feel manipulated into doing or feel uncomfortable doing, or that are sort of charged to make somebody else feel good but not you."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"90dab3711a10","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/alicia-menendez-likeability-trap-the-new-rules-of-business-podcast"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d71b8d774c25","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“And I'm not saying that you don't do things for other people, obviously. But, understanding that you can say, "},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I'm not able to do that"},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and have that be a complete sentence and not feel like you have to add to it or apologize for it is very important. And it took a long time for me to learn how to do it.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6b14acdbb42","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4b456989673c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Difference Between Knowing Your Power and Owning It"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading4"},{"_key":"585e61d33199","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, I think it starts with the idea that power is not power if you don't know you have it. There was a lot of time during my career when I had power and I don't even think I realized I had power… So when you find out, when you start to realize, like, "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Maybe I have some power here"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", that's great. But it's also terrifying [because it’s like] "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How am I going to wield this power? How am I going to use it to get what I want? How am I going to make it work for me and my company and my people?"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The moment you start to really accept the idea, not just that you have power, but that you deserve the power you have, that's the moment you start to own it. It's a very hard thing for women I've noticed. And I talked to a lot of women about this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a powerful woman. And yet, somehow we've all been raised to believe that we are supposed to make other people feel more comfortable with their own power than we are with our own. We make ourselves smaller to make other people feel bigger."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"644b2319f32a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fe237ce9d9260","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“We all think like, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9261","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, I don't want them to think I'm difficult"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9262","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9263","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm angry"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9264","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9265","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm this or that"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9266","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". It's not about that. When you are comfortable in your power, when you decide, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9267","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Okay, this power does belong to me and I can own it"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9268","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", it's not about wielding it or treating anybody a certain way. It's just about knowing your worth.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"80baf9652db7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2f71659d56640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Importance of Delegating"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"533f8a7958f7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“When you're afraid, when you're not sure, you are hanging onto everything and trying to do it all yourself because if somebody messes up, Oh my God. As opposed to, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc81","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I'm comfortable. I know what I'm doing. I can do this"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And a good leader finds people and then entrusts them to do their job. That changed my life in a huge way. Like somebody would come to me and say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc83","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, what do you want me to do?"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And I would say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc85","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, it's your job? Do it and let me know what happens."},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc86","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" First of all, those people began to feel so empowered and got really excited and felt true ownership of their job. But second, my life changed because my level of control and worry and the amount of time I spent trying to do work that I didn't need to do was just brought down to a halt, which was amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8610aebaa9ec","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"447262dad7990","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Debunking the Myth of Work-Life Balance"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"c05af4a27885","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"129c0a3901380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think we all remember that period of time where, if you were a woman in any job, that was the question they were asking you, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901381","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How do you have "},{"_key":"129c0a3901382","_type":"span","marks":["em","5918f5a1d6d9"],"text":"work-life balance"},{"_key":"129c0a3901383","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901384","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" That question used to drive me crazy. And I used to say, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901385","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, Chuck Lorre has three shows. What does he say when you ask him that question?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901386","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And nobody knew what to say to that because Chuck was a guy, he's not supposed to have work-life balance. But the reality of it is the idea that we're all supposed to live in this sort of perfect little bubble where we've got it all figured. It’s one of the cruelest myths I feel like we've put out there for women. And I was very interested in not doing it because I never felt that way. And it wasn't until people started asking me the question that I really realized why it bothered me so much. It is that thing of, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901387","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"If I am succeeding in one area of my life, I do feel like I'm failing in another and that's okay"},{"_key":"129c0a3901388","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". You know, as a mother I can be either at my child's science fair, or I can be at Sandra Oh's very last day of work on "},{"_key":"129c0a3901389","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"129c0a39013810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". I can go to England and watch them film scenes of "},{"_key":"129c0a39013811","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"129c0a39013812","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", or I can stay here and take my kids to school on their very first day. Those are choices that you make and those choices are okay. Like it's okay to feel like you're not giving 100% to everything.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5918f5a1d6d9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/work-life-balance-pandemic"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bd8f6f7f500e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Writing "},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" With a Newborn"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"fbc4e2f7c102","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0450bd029d8f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I became a mother and had a script due for a movie like three weeks later. And then with a brand new baby strapped to my chest, I wrote the pilot for "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" and my daughter are the same age. That's what happened because I thought, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f5","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Hey, I'll write a television show. "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And then that show turned out to be this big, giant job. So I had to find ways to deal with the fact that I was suddenly a mother with a huge job that I had never had before at the same time. So I brought my kid to work as much as I possibly could. And I did all the things I possibly could, but I definitely feel like "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f7","_type":"span","marks":["3f43a81d3fbc"],"text":"there were trade-offs"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" that I would not have made had I had more experience in the job and more leverage in my job or more experience as a mother and more of a sense of who I was as a mother. I say that because I think it's important for women to understand and to not look at my life and go, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f9","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, it's so simple."},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" No, I made tons of mistakes. And it was 10 years before I felt like I could have a second kid. That's how hard the job was.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3f43a81d3fbc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/balancing-motherhood-career"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"eccf3a0ca663","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"733a789bbef40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Pandemic Changing Her Approach to Workplace Culture"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"7548214e09a4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"707675e68e170","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think I thought, "},{"_key":"707675e68e171","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"We have playrooms, we have nursing spaces for mothers, and anybody can bring their kid to work if they want to"},{"_key":"707675e68e172","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And I thought like we had done it all. But really what was happening was that people were both trying to mother and work at the same time. You're bringing your kid to work, but you were still working and it wasn't the same thing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a508df6071a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1d4bc046ddc90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The pandemic really changed that because suddenly we all had to go home. We didn't have a choice. And what I realized was the power for so many people of being able to work from home. They were getting as much work done. They were just as efficient, and sometimes they were more efficient. And, they were far happier because the things that they were worried about at home were no longer things that were over there that they were trying to squeeze into their work life. Now it was, you do your work as you do your work and maybe you stop at 3:00pm to pick up your kids and make dinner for your kids and hang out with your kids for three hours. And maybe you pick work up later, if that's a thing for you. Or you don't pick it up later because you got it all done earlier. I think that was the biggest lesson for me was realizing that we could find a way to let people work how they needed to work and when they needed to work.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"13ceae39d51a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ad23cea1d561","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1ae4f2167ece","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b30f5fe00915","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Shonda Rhimes on the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to know their power, and own it as leaders.","heroBackgroundColor":{"title":"Dark Green","value":"#1E320B"},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Photo of Shonda Rhimes","asset":{"_id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"wslL6fmfObZkQeBQ7w3tVS","_createdAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","assetId":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","extension":"jpg","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"MAEVZx004.~pDj~V0K?b?b00.8V@R5R*t8","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.8551587301587302,"height":2016,"width":3740},"hasAlpha":false,"isOpaque":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#6a492a","foreground":"#fff","population":0.07,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#beaa93","foreground":"#000","population":8.46,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#e6be9c","foreground":"#000","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac6c5c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac7c4c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","originalFilename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","sha1hash":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","size":446247,"uploadId":"iYnABQzk6Usv1MegfZ8gVXB1Y8Ccgsk3","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","filename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","width":3740,"height":2016,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg?rect=1198,0,1344,2016&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Shonda Rhimes"},"metaTitle":"Shonda Rhimes Believes Work-Life Balance Is ‘The Cruelest Myth’","publishDate":"2023-01-25","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"summary":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Shonda Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"45747c0bd9a1","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Work-Like ","id":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","children":[],"parent":null},"secondArticle":{"_id":"072ce4ce-b1f1-478b-8caf-1b382bd25f77","_type":"editorial","_rev":"HVao7AivMXTNTMm8IIhJuc","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:34:51Z","_updatedAt":"2026-04-02T13:53:00Z","articleAuthor":{"_id":"c7cbb8e0-8cf9-4ccd-a640-0dea3553a633","_type":"author","_rev":"olsJQPKIraTF6w0BBfpapq","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","_updatedAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","bio":[{"_key":"d7f6c4c2c05c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ff815af96b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A lorem ipsum dolor sit amet experience that adipiscing elits nunc alliqum torpis ultrics au elementum torpis"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"name":"Courtney Connley","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"courtney-connley"},"id":"-08af0a6c-2287-5b16-a49d-d57bfc4569d8","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Courtney Connley","content":[{"_key":"0cdc733161ea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Shonda Rhimes knows what it’s like to be the “only” in a room. As the first Black woman to create and executive produce a top 10 network series, and the first woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each, Rhimes has made more than a name for herself in Hollywood — she became the pinnacle. But, like other women who have experienced unparalleled success, the award-winning producer behind "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb61","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb63","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Scandal"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb64","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and Netflix’s "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb65","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb66","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", has had to cope with the feeling of loneliness at the top."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"20ab3de96566","_type":"quote","attribution":"Shonda Rhimes","body":"The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing","quoteImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"multitasking chair","asset":{"_ref":"image-c876d102477a4dcba55e31156eeca83c5856ca3e-411x260-png","_type":"reference"}},"quoteOptions":"pullQuoteImage"},{"_key":"7b42ba56344f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1cbc10a2105e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing,” says Rhimes, who is the founder and CEO of the global media company Shondaland. “I think, however, it's not a devastating thing. I mean, you have to really learn to look at it for what it should be. Yes, it can feel lonely sometimes. But, you can go out and find other women and other people who share the experience of what it is to be a leader… Who know exactly what you're talking about when you talk about being in charge of everybody and what that feels like and how awkward it can feel sometimes to be the person in the room that everybody's looking to.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"15d9e993f6f8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8aac0c7e5d010","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"98fbe6be0c03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7b87d6b750a40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Secret to Developing a Good Idea"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading1"},{"_key":"9c43a41ee0a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c9c1efe5fa3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4e4379f86928","_type":"floatedImage"},{"_key":"f400c3a31126","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54e5d19f0f020","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, for me, a lot of it is how much does something stick with me? I have a lot of little ideas that sound interesting. But, the things that stick with me are the ones that I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about, or I wake up in the morning and I have to write down some notes. Or, once you tell an idea to somebody, you can tell if it's good or bad by how well you tell it, in a weird way. Like how well you felt telling it. So once I've told it to somebody and it sort of still sticks with me, I know that I have something worth writing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"16146e5fd95e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b939c5ef05480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Also, you know, the dirty little secret of writing is that nobody loves writing. I don't know anybody who loves writing while they're writing. We all love "},{"_key":"b939c5ef05481","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"having written"},{"_key":"b939c5ef05482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So the key is to have an idea you love and then to just do the work. Like do the work and force yourself through the harder parts, the parts where you're not feeling so inspired. Get those pages out every single day so that once you're done with the script, you feel amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"846f7a5f8124","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"01346f7703de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Growing Shondaland"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"db733192d2ac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2c864d1625f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“At first, it was just me and my producing partner Betsy Beers. And then it grew. And now, that company is, I want to say there's close to 50 of us now. So it's really grown and we have a digital division. We have a podcast division. We have partnerships that we do with people… We have all of these things and we're growing at this exponential rate. And part of what you want to do is to make sure that everybody who comes in still feels the coziness of what it was like when there were only four of us or five of us. You want to make sure that everybody feels that sort of investment, that sort of buy-in. I like it when people come and they stay for a long time. You know, there are some people who've been there from the very beginning.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1c74f831373d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"caaeac346bd50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Saying “No” — Without Apology"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"a4dc45dc1080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8db7502d81640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I realized that I was just as bad at saying ‘no’ as I was at saying ‘yes.’ You know, we're all built to please. We never want anybody to think "},{"_key":"8db7502d81641","_type":"span","marks":["90dab3711a10"],"text":"we are not lovely and kind"},{"_key":"8db7502d81642","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and all of these things. So, it feels harsh to say no and then not give 55 reasons why. The whole idea that no is a complete sentence is a very hard thing for most of us. So you find yourself saying, "},{"_key":"8db7502d81643","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I can't do that because of this and because of this and because of this and because of this"},{"_key":"8db7502d81644","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and suddenly it's very easy to get talked into saying yes because people come up with reasons why those becauses don't matter. And really what you're trying to do is set your boundary. When you're saying no to something, you're setting your boundary. You should not be doing things that you don't want to do, or that you feel manipulated into doing or feel uncomfortable doing, or that are sort of charged to make somebody else feel good but not you."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"90dab3711a10","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/alicia-menendez-likeability-trap-the-new-rules-of-business-podcast"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d71b8d774c25","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“And I'm not saying that you don't do things for other people, obviously. But, understanding that you can say, "},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I'm not able to do that"},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and have that be a complete sentence and not feel like you have to add to it or apologize for it is very important. And it took a long time for me to learn how to do it.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6b14acdbb42","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4b456989673c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Difference Between Knowing Your Power and Owning It"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading4"},{"_key":"585e61d33199","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, I think it starts with the idea that power is not power if you don't know you have it. There was a lot of time during my career when I had power and I don't even think I realized I had power… So when you find out, when you start to realize, like, "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Maybe I have some power here"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", that's great. But it's also terrifying [because it’s like] "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How am I going to wield this power? How am I going to use it to get what I want? How am I going to make it work for me and my company and my people?"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The moment you start to really accept the idea, not just that you have power, but that you deserve the power you have, that's the moment you start to own it. It's a very hard thing for women I've noticed. And I talked to a lot of women about this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a powerful woman. And yet, somehow we've all been raised to believe that we are supposed to make other people feel more comfortable with their own power than we are with our own. We make ourselves smaller to make other people feel bigger."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"644b2319f32a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fe237ce9d9260","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“We all think like, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9261","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, I don't want them to think I'm difficult"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9262","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9263","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm angry"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9264","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9265","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm this or that"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9266","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". It's not about that. When you are comfortable in your power, when you decide, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9267","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Okay, this power does belong to me and I can own it"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9268","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", it's not about wielding it or treating anybody a certain way. It's just about knowing your worth.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"80baf9652db7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2f71659d56640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Importance of Delegating"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"533f8a7958f7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“When you're afraid, when you're not sure, you are hanging onto everything and trying to do it all yourself because if somebody messes up, Oh my God. As opposed to, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc81","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I'm comfortable. I know what I'm doing. I can do this"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And a good leader finds people and then entrusts them to do their job. That changed my life in a huge way. Like somebody would come to me and say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc83","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, what do you want me to do?"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And I would say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc85","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, it's your job? Do it and let me know what happens."},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc86","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" First of all, those people began to feel so empowered and got really excited and felt true ownership of their job. But second, my life changed because my level of control and worry and the amount of time I spent trying to do work that I didn't need to do was just brought down to a halt, which was amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8610aebaa9ec","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"447262dad7990","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Debunking the Myth of Work-Life Balance"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"c05af4a27885","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"129c0a3901380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think we all remember that period of time where, if you were a woman in any job, that was the question they were asking you, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901381","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How do you have "},{"_key":"129c0a3901382","_type":"span","marks":["em","5918f5a1d6d9"],"text":"work-life balance"},{"_key":"129c0a3901383","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901384","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" That question used to drive me crazy. And I used to say, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901385","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, Chuck Lorre has three shows. What does he say when you ask him that question?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901386","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And nobody knew what to say to that because Chuck was a guy, he's not supposed to have work-life balance. But the reality of it is the idea that we're all supposed to live in this sort of perfect little bubble where we've got it all figured. It’s one of the cruelest myths I feel like we've put out there for women. And I was very interested in not doing it because I never felt that way. And it wasn't until people started asking me the question that I really realized why it bothered me so much. It is that thing of, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901387","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"If I am succeeding in one area of my life, I do feel like I'm failing in another and that's okay"},{"_key":"129c0a3901388","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". You know, as a mother I can be either at my child's science fair, or I can be at Sandra Oh's very last day of work on "},{"_key":"129c0a3901389","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"129c0a39013810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". I can go to England and watch them film scenes of "},{"_key":"129c0a39013811","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"129c0a39013812","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", or I can stay here and take my kids to school on their very first day. Those are choices that you make and those choices are okay. Like it's okay to feel like you're not giving 100% to everything.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5918f5a1d6d9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/work-life-balance-pandemic"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bd8f6f7f500e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Writing "},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" With a Newborn"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"fbc4e2f7c102","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0450bd029d8f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I became a mother and had a script due for a movie like three weeks later. And then with a brand new baby strapped to my chest, I wrote the pilot for "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" and my daughter are the same age. That's what happened because I thought, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f5","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Hey, I'll write a television show. "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And then that show turned out to be this big, giant job. So I had to find ways to deal with the fact that I was suddenly a mother with a huge job that I had never had before at the same time. So I brought my kid to work as much as I possibly could. And I did all the things I possibly could, but I definitely feel like "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f7","_type":"span","marks":["3f43a81d3fbc"],"text":"there were trade-offs"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" that I would not have made had I had more experience in the job and more leverage in my job or more experience as a mother and more of a sense of who I was as a mother. I say that because I think it's important for women to understand and to not look at my life and go, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f9","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, it's so simple."},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" No, I made tons of mistakes. And it was 10 years before I felt like I could have a second kid. That's how hard the job was.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3f43a81d3fbc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/balancing-motherhood-career"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"eccf3a0ca663","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"733a789bbef40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Pandemic Changing Her Approach to Workplace Culture"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"7548214e09a4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"707675e68e170","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think I thought, "},{"_key":"707675e68e171","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"We have playrooms, we have nursing spaces for mothers, and anybody can bring their kid to work if they want to"},{"_key":"707675e68e172","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And I thought like we had done it all. But really what was happening was that people were both trying to mother and work at the same time. You're bringing your kid to work, but you were still working and it wasn't the same thing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a508df6071a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1d4bc046ddc90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The pandemic really changed that because suddenly we all had to go home. We didn't have a choice. And what I realized was the power for so many people of being able to work from home. They were getting as much work done. They were just as efficient, and sometimes they were more efficient. And, they were far happier because the things that they were worried about at home were no longer things that were over there that they were trying to squeeze into their work life. Now it was, you do your work as you do your work and maybe you stop at 3:00pm to pick up your kids and make dinner for your kids and hang out with your kids for three hours. And maybe you pick work up later, if that's a thing for you. Or you don't pick it up later because you got it all done earlier. I think that was the biggest lesson for me was realizing that we could find a way to let people work how they needed to work and when they needed to work.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"13ceae39d51a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ad23cea1d561","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1ae4f2167ece","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b30f5fe00915","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Shonda Rhimes on the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to know their power, and own it as leaders.","heroBackgroundColor":{"title":"Dark Green","value":"#1E320B"},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Photo of Shonda Rhimes","asset":{"_id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"wslL6fmfObZkQeBQ7w3tVS","_createdAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","assetId":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","extension":"jpg","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"MAEVZx004.~pDj~V0K?b?b00.8V@R5R*t8","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.8551587301587302,"height":2016,"width":3740},"hasAlpha":false,"isOpaque":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#6a492a","foreground":"#fff","population":0.07,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#beaa93","foreground":"#000","population":8.46,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#e6be9c","foreground":"#000","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac6c5c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac7c4c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","originalFilename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","sha1hash":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","size":446247,"uploadId":"iYnABQzk6Usv1MegfZ8gVXB1Y8Ccgsk3","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","filename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","width":3740,"height":2016,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg?rect=1198,0,1344,2016&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Shonda Rhimes"},"metaTitle":"Shonda Rhimes Believes Work-Life Balance Is ‘The Cruelest Myth’","publishDate":"2023-01-25","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"summary":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Shonda Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"45747c0bd9a1","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Work-Like ","id":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","children":[],"parent":null},"thirdArticle":{"_id":"072ce4ce-b1f1-478b-8caf-1b382bd25f77","_type":"editorial","_rev":"HVao7AivMXTNTMm8IIhJuc","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:34:51Z","_updatedAt":"2026-04-02T13:53:00Z","articleAuthor":{"_id":"c7cbb8e0-8cf9-4ccd-a640-0dea3553a633","_type":"author","_rev":"olsJQPKIraTF6w0BBfpapq","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","_updatedAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","bio":[{"_key":"d7f6c4c2c05c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ff815af96b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A lorem ipsum dolor sit amet experience that adipiscing elits nunc alliqum torpis ultrics au elementum torpis"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"name":"Courtney Connley","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"courtney-connley"},"id":"-08af0a6c-2287-5b16-a49d-d57bfc4569d8","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Courtney Connley","content":[{"_key":"0cdc733161ea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Shonda Rhimes knows what it’s like to be the “only” in a room. As the first Black woman to create and executive produce a top 10 network series, and the first woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each, Rhimes has made more than a name for herself in Hollywood — she became the pinnacle. But, like other women who have experienced unparalleled success, the award-winning producer behind "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb61","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb63","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Scandal"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb64","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and Netflix’s "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb65","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb66","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", has had to cope with the feeling of loneliness at the top."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"20ab3de96566","_type":"quote","attribution":"Shonda Rhimes","body":"The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing","quoteImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"multitasking chair","asset":{"_ref":"image-c876d102477a4dcba55e31156eeca83c5856ca3e-411x260-png","_type":"reference"}},"quoteOptions":"pullQuoteImage"},{"_key":"7b42ba56344f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1cbc10a2105e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing,” says Rhimes, who is the founder and CEO of the global media company Shondaland. “I think, however, it's not a devastating thing. I mean, you have to really learn to look at it for what it should be. Yes, it can feel lonely sometimes. But, you can go out and find other women and other people who share the experience of what it is to be a leader… Who know exactly what you're talking about when you talk about being in charge of everybody and what that feels like and how awkward it can feel sometimes to be the person in the room that everybody's looking to.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"15d9e993f6f8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8aac0c7e5d010","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"98fbe6be0c03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7b87d6b750a40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Secret to Developing a Good Idea"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading1"},{"_key":"9c43a41ee0a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c9c1efe5fa3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4e4379f86928","_type":"floatedImage"},{"_key":"f400c3a31126","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54e5d19f0f020","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, for me, a lot of it is how much does something stick with me? I have a lot of little ideas that sound interesting. But, the things that stick with me are the ones that I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about, or I wake up in the morning and I have to write down some notes. Or, once you tell an idea to somebody, you can tell if it's good or bad by how well you tell it, in a weird way. Like how well you felt telling it. So once I've told it to somebody and it sort of still sticks with me, I know that I have something worth writing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"16146e5fd95e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b939c5ef05480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Also, you know, the dirty little secret of writing is that nobody loves writing. I don't know anybody who loves writing while they're writing. We all love "},{"_key":"b939c5ef05481","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"having written"},{"_key":"b939c5ef05482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So the key is to have an idea you love and then to just do the work. Like do the work and force yourself through the harder parts, the parts where you're not feeling so inspired. Get those pages out every single day so that once you're done with the script, you feel amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"846f7a5f8124","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"01346f7703de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Growing Shondaland"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"db733192d2ac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2c864d1625f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“At first, it was just me and my producing partner Betsy Beers. And then it grew. And now, that company is, I want to say there's close to 50 of us now. So it's really grown and we have a digital division. We have a podcast division. We have partnerships that we do with people… We have all of these things and we're growing at this exponential rate. And part of what you want to do is to make sure that everybody who comes in still feels the coziness of what it was like when there were only four of us or five of us. You want to make sure that everybody feels that sort of investment, that sort of buy-in. I like it when people come and they stay for a long time. You know, there are some people who've been there from the very beginning.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1c74f831373d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"caaeac346bd50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Saying “No” — Without Apology"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"a4dc45dc1080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8db7502d81640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I realized that I was just as bad at saying ‘no’ as I was at saying ‘yes.’ You know, we're all built to please. We never want anybody to think "},{"_key":"8db7502d81641","_type":"span","marks":["90dab3711a10"],"text":"we are not lovely and kind"},{"_key":"8db7502d81642","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and all of these things. So, it feels harsh to say no and then not give 55 reasons why. The whole idea that no is a complete sentence is a very hard thing for most of us. So you find yourself saying, "},{"_key":"8db7502d81643","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I can't do that because of this and because of this and because of this and because of this"},{"_key":"8db7502d81644","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and suddenly it's very easy to get talked into saying yes because people come up with reasons why those becauses don't matter. And really what you're trying to do is set your boundary. When you're saying no to something, you're setting your boundary. You should not be doing things that you don't want to do, or that you feel manipulated into doing or feel uncomfortable doing, or that are sort of charged to make somebody else feel good but not you."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"90dab3711a10","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/alicia-menendez-likeability-trap-the-new-rules-of-business-podcast"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d71b8d774c25","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“And I'm not saying that you don't do things for other people, obviously. But, understanding that you can say, "},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I'm not able to do that"},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and have that be a complete sentence and not feel like you have to add to it or apologize for it is very important. And it took a long time for me to learn how to do it.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6b14acdbb42","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4b456989673c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Difference Between Knowing Your Power and Owning It"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading4"},{"_key":"585e61d33199","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, I think it starts with the idea that power is not power if you don't know you have it. There was a lot of time during my career when I had power and I don't even think I realized I had power… So when you find out, when you start to realize, like, "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Maybe I have some power here"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", that's great. But it's also terrifying [because it’s like] "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How am I going to wield this power? How am I going to use it to get what I want? How am I going to make it work for me and my company and my people?"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The moment you start to really accept the idea, not just that you have power, but that you deserve the power you have, that's the moment you start to own it. It's a very hard thing for women I've noticed. And I talked to a lot of women about this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a powerful woman. And yet, somehow we've all been raised to believe that we are supposed to make other people feel more comfortable with their own power than we are with our own. We make ourselves smaller to make other people feel bigger."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"644b2319f32a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fe237ce9d9260","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“We all think like, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9261","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, I don't want them to think I'm difficult"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9262","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9263","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm angry"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9264","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9265","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm this or that"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9266","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". It's not about that. When you are comfortable in your power, when you decide, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9267","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Okay, this power does belong to me and I can own it"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9268","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", it's not about wielding it or treating anybody a certain way. It's just about knowing your worth.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"80baf9652db7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2f71659d56640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Importance of Delegating"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"533f8a7958f7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“When you're afraid, when you're not sure, you are hanging onto everything and trying to do it all yourself because if somebody messes up, Oh my God. As opposed to, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc81","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I'm comfortable. I know what I'm doing. I can do this"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And a good leader finds people and then entrusts them to do their job. That changed my life in a huge way. Like somebody would come to me and say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc83","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, what do you want me to do?"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And I would say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc85","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, it's your job? Do it and let me know what happens."},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc86","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" First of all, those people began to feel so empowered and got really excited and felt true ownership of their job. But second, my life changed because my level of control and worry and the amount of time I spent trying to do work that I didn't need to do was just brought down to a halt, which was amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8610aebaa9ec","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"447262dad7990","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Debunking the Myth of Work-Life Balance"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"c05af4a27885","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"129c0a3901380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think we all remember that period of time where, if you were a woman in any job, that was the question they were asking you, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901381","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How do you have "},{"_key":"129c0a3901382","_type":"span","marks":["em","5918f5a1d6d9"],"text":"work-life balance"},{"_key":"129c0a3901383","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901384","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" That question used to drive me crazy. And I used to say, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901385","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, Chuck Lorre has three shows. What does he say when you ask him that question?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901386","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And nobody knew what to say to that because Chuck was a guy, he's not supposed to have work-life balance. But the reality of it is the idea that we're all supposed to live in this sort of perfect little bubble where we've got it all figured. It’s one of the cruelest myths I feel like we've put out there for women. And I was very interested in not doing it because I never felt that way. And it wasn't until people started asking me the question that I really realized why it bothered me so much. It is that thing of, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901387","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"If I am succeeding in one area of my life, I do feel like I'm failing in another and that's okay"},{"_key":"129c0a3901388","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". You know, as a mother I can be either at my child's science fair, or I can be at Sandra Oh's very last day of work on "},{"_key":"129c0a3901389","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"129c0a39013810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". I can go to England and watch them film scenes of "},{"_key":"129c0a39013811","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"129c0a39013812","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", or I can stay here and take my kids to school on their very first day. Those are choices that you make and those choices are okay. Like it's okay to feel like you're not giving 100% to everything.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5918f5a1d6d9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/work-life-balance-pandemic"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bd8f6f7f500e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Writing "},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" With a Newborn"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"fbc4e2f7c102","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0450bd029d8f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I became a mother and had a script due for a movie like three weeks later. And then with a brand new baby strapped to my chest, I wrote the pilot for "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" and my daughter are the same age. That's what happened because I thought, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f5","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Hey, I'll write a television show. "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And then that show turned out to be this big, giant job. So I had to find ways to deal with the fact that I was suddenly a mother with a huge job that I had never had before at the same time. So I brought my kid to work as much as I possibly could. And I did all the things I possibly could, but I definitely feel like "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f7","_type":"span","marks":["3f43a81d3fbc"],"text":"there were trade-offs"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" that I would not have made had I had more experience in the job and more leverage in my job or more experience as a mother and more of a sense of who I was as a mother. I say that because I think it's important for women to understand and to not look at my life and go, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f9","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, it's so simple."},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" No, I made tons of mistakes. And it was 10 years before I felt like I could have a second kid. That's how hard the job was.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3f43a81d3fbc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/balancing-motherhood-career"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"eccf3a0ca663","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"733a789bbef40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Pandemic Changing Her Approach to Workplace Culture"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"7548214e09a4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"707675e68e170","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think I thought, "},{"_key":"707675e68e171","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"We have playrooms, we have nursing spaces for mothers, and anybody can bring their kid to work if they want to"},{"_key":"707675e68e172","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And I thought like we had done it all. But really what was happening was that people were both trying to mother and work at the same time. You're bringing your kid to work, but you were still working and it wasn't the same thing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a508df6071a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1d4bc046ddc90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The pandemic really changed that because suddenly we all had to go home. We didn't have a choice. And what I realized was the power for so many people of being able to work from home. They were getting as much work done. They were just as efficient, and sometimes they were more efficient. And, they were far happier because the things that they were worried about at home were no longer things that were over there that they were trying to squeeze into their work life. Now it was, you do your work as you do your work and maybe you stop at 3:00pm to pick up your kids and make dinner for your kids and hang out with your kids for three hours. And maybe you pick work up later, if that's a thing for you. Or you don't pick it up later because you got it all done earlier. I think that was the biggest lesson for me was realizing that we could find a way to let people work how they needed to work and when they needed to work.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"13ceae39d51a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ad23cea1d561","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1ae4f2167ece","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b30f5fe00915","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Shonda Rhimes on the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to know their power, and own it as leaders.","heroBackgroundColor":{"title":"Dark Green","value":"#1E320B"},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Photo of Shonda Rhimes","asset":{"_id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"wslL6fmfObZkQeBQ7w3tVS","_createdAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","assetId":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","extension":"jpg","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"MAEVZx004.~pDj~V0K?b?b00.8V@R5R*t8","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.8551587301587302,"height":2016,"width":3740},"hasAlpha":false,"isOpaque":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#6a492a","foreground":"#fff","population":0.07,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#beaa93","foreground":"#000","population":8.46,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#e6be9c","foreground":"#000","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac6c5c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac7c4c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","originalFilename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","sha1hash":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","size":446247,"uploadId":"iYnABQzk6Usv1MegfZ8gVXB1Y8Ccgsk3","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","filename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","width":3740,"height":2016,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg?rect=1198,0,1344,2016&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Shonda Rhimes"},"metaTitle":"Shonda Rhimes Believes Work-Life Balance Is ‘The Cruelest Myth’","publishDate":"2023-01-25","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"summary":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Shonda Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"45747c0bd9a1","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Work-Like ","id":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","children":[],"parent":null}}},{"id":"-c1f75d3d-0c5b-5aeb-bb78-1ea1c2d0952c","title":"Career Growth","hideFromNav":null,"relatedBenefitCta":{"benefitDescription":"Executive coaches help leaders assess their business’s strengths and challenges, leading to improvement for both individual employees and the bottom line.","name":"Leadership Development","cta":[{"buttonText":"Learn More","href":"https://chief.com/","target":"_blank"}],"icon":{"asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/cac0c3d818fb9c866e3c1f4c7bbb18028d393cce-98x98.svg","altText":null}}},"featuredArticles":{"_type":"featuredArticles","featuredArticle":{"_id":"072ce4ce-b1f1-478b-8caf-1b382bd25f77","_type":"editorial","_rev":"HVao7AivMXTNTMm8IIhJuc","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:34:51Z","_updatedAt":"2026-04-02T13:53:00Z","articleAuthor":{"_id":"c7cbb8e0-8cf9-4ccd-a640-0dea3553a633","_type":"author","_rev":"olsJQPKIraTF6w0BBfpapq","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","_updatedAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","bio":[{"_key":"d7f6c4c2c05c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ff815af96b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A lorem ipsum dolor sit amet experience that adipiscing elits nunc alliqum torpis ultrics au elementum torpis"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"name":"Courtney Connley","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"courtney-connley"},"id":"-08af0a6c-2287-5b16-a49d-d57bfc4569d8","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Courtney Connley","content":[{"_key":"0cdc733161ea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Shonda Rhimes knows what it’s like to be the “only” in a room. As the first Black woman to create and executive produce a top 10 network series, and the first woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each, Rhimes has made more than a name for herself in Hollywood — she became the pinnacle. But, like other women who have experienced unparalleled success, the award-winning producer behind "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb61","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb63","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Scandal"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb64","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and Netflix’s "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb65","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb66","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", has had to cope with the feeling of loneliness at the top."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"20ab3de96566","_type":"quote","attribution":"Shonda Rhimes","body":"The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing","quoteImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"multitasking chair","asset":{"_ref":"image-c876d102477a4dcba55e31156eeca83c5856ca3e-411x260-png","_type":"reference"}},"quoteOptions":"pullQuoteImage"},{"_key":"7b42ba56344f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1cbc10a2105e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing,” says Rhimes, who is the founder and CEO of the global media company Shondaland. “I think, however, it's not a devastating thing. I mean, you have to really learn to look at it for what it should be. Yes, it can feel lonely sometimes. But, you can go out and find other women and other people who share the experience of what it is to be a leader… Who know exactly what you're talking about when you talk about being in charge of everybody and what that feels like and how awkward it can feel sometimes to be the person in the room that everybody's looking to.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"15d9e993f6f8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8aac0c7e5d010","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"98fbe6be0c03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7b87d6b750a40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Secret to Developing a Good Idea"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading1"},{"_key":"9c43a41ee0a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c9c1efe5fa3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4e4379f86928","_type":"floatedImage"},{"_key":"f400c3a31126","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54e5d19f0f020","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, for me, a lot of it is how much does something stick with me? I have a lot of little ideas that sound interesting. But, the things that stick with me are the ones that I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about, or I wake up in the morning and I have to write down some notes. Or, once you tell an idea to somebody, you can tell if it's good or bad by how well you tell it, in a weird way. Like how well you felt telling it. So once I've told it to somebody and it sort of still sticks with me, I know that I have something worth writing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"16146e5fd95e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b939c5ef05480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Also, you know, the dirty little secret of writing is that nobody loves writing. I don't know anybody who loves writing while they're writing. We all love "},{"_key":"b939c5ef05481","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"having written"},{"_key":"b939c5ef05482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So the key is to have an idea you love and then to just do the work. Like do the work and force yourself through the harder parts, the parts where you're not feeling so inspired. Get those pages out every single day so that once you're done with the script, you feel amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"846f7a5f8124","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"01346f7703de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Growing Shondaland"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"db733192d2ac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2c864d1625f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“At first, it was just me and my producing partner Betsy Beers. And then it grew. And now, that company is, I want to say there's close to 50 of us now. So it's really grown and we have a digital division. We have a podcast division. We have partnerships that we do with people… We have all of these things and we're growing at this exponential rate. And part of what you want to do is to make sure that everybody who comes in still feels the coziness of what it was like when there were only four of us or five of us. You want to make sure that everybody feels that sort of investment, that sort of buy-in. I like it when people come and they stay for a long time. You know, there are some people who've been there from the very beginning.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1c74f831373d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"caaeac346bd50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Saying “No” — Without Apology"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"a4dc45dc1080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8db7502d81640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I realized that I was just as bad at saying ‘no’ as I was at saying ‘yes.’ You know, we're all built to please. We never want anybody to think "},{"_key":"8db7502d81641","_type":"span","marks":["90dab3711a10"],"text":"we are not lovely and kind"},{"_key":"8db7502d81642","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and all of these things. So, it feels harsh to say no and then not give 55 reasons why. The whole idea that no is a complete sentence is a very hard thing for most of us. So you find yourself saying, "},{"_key":"8db7502d81643","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I can't do that because of this and because of this and because of this and because of this"},{"_key":"8db7502d81644","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and suddenly it's very easy to get talked into saying yes because people come up with reasons why those becauses don't matter. And really what you're trying to do is set your boundary. When you're saying no to something, you're setting your boundary. You should not be doing things that you don't want to do, or that you feel manipulated into doing or feel uncomfortable doing, or that are sort of charged to make somebody else feel good but not you."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"90dab3711a10","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/alicia-menendez-likeability-trap-the-new-rules-of-business-podcast"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d71b8d774c25","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“And I'm not saying that you don't do things for other people, obviously. But, understanding that you can say, "},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I'm not able to do that"},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and have that be a complete sentence and not feel like you have to add to it or apologize for it is very important. And it took a long time for me to learn how to do it.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6b14acdbb42","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4b456989673c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Difference Between Knowing Your Power and Owning It"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading4"},{"_key":"585e61d33199","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, I think it starts with the idea that power is not power if you don't know you have it. There was a lot of time during my career when I had power and I don't even think I realized I had power… So when you find out, when you start to realize, like, "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Maybe I have some power here"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", that's great. But it's also terrifying [because it’s like] "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How am I going to wield this power? How am I going to use it to get what I want? How am I going to make it work for me and my company and my people?"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The moment you start to really accept the idea, not just that you have power, but that you deserve the power you have, that's the moment you start to own it. It's a very hard thing for women I've noticed. And I talked to a lot of women about this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a powerful woman. And yet, somehow we've all been raised to believe that we are supposed to make other people feel more comfortable with their own power than we are with our own. We make ourselves smaller to make other people feel bigger."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"644b2319f32a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fe237ce9d9260","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“We all think like, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9261","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, I don't want them to think I'm difficult"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9262","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9263","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm angry"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9264","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9265","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm this or that"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9266","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". It's not about that. When you are comfortable in your power, when you decide, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9267","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Okay, this power does belong to me and I can own it"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9268","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", it's not about wielding it or treating anybody a certain way. It's just about knowing your worth.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"80baf9652db7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2f71659d56640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Importance of Delegating"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"533f8a7958f7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“When you're afraid, when you're not sure, you are hanging onto everything and trying to do it all yourself because if somebody messes up, Oh my God. As opposed to, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc81","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I'm comfortable. I know what I'm doing. I can do this"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And a good leader finds people and then entrusts them to do their job. That changed my life in a huge way. Like somebody would come to me and say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc83","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, what do you want me to do?"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And I would say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc85","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, it's your job? Do it and let me know what happens."},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc86","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" First of all, those people began to feel so empowered and got really excited and felt true ownership of their job. But second, my life changed because my level of control and worry and the amount of time I spent trying to do work that I didn't need to do was just brought down to a halt, which was amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8610aebaa9ec","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"447262dad7990","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Debunking the Myth of Work-Life Balance"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"c05af4a27885","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"129c0a3901380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think we all remember that period of time where, if you were a woman in any job, that was the question they were asking you, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901381","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How do you have "},{"_key":"129c0a3901382","_type":"span","marks":["em","5918f5a1d6d9"],"text":"work-life balance"},{"_key":"129c0a3901383","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901384","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" That question used to drive me crazy. And I used to say, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901385","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, Chuck Lorre has three shows. What does he say when you ask him that question?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901386","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And nobody knew what to say to that because Chuck was a guy, he's not supposed to have work-life balance. But the reality of it is the idea that we're all supposed to live in this sort of perfect little bubble where we've got it all figured. It’s one of the cruelest myths I feel like we've put out there for women. And I was very interested in not doing it because I never felt that way. And it wasn't until people started asking me the question that I really realized why it bothered me so much. It is that thing of, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901387","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"If I am succeeding in one area of my life, I do feel like I'm failing in another and that's okay"},{"_key":"129c0a3901388","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". You know, as a mother I can be either at my child's science fair, or I can be at Sandra Oh's very last day of work on "},{"_key":"129c0a3901389","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"129c0a39013810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". I can go to England and watch them film scenes of "},{"_key":"129c0a39013811","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"129c0a39013812","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", or I can stay here and take my kids to school on their very first day. Those are choices that you make and those choices are okay. Like it's okay to feel like you're not giving 100% to everything.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5918f5a1d6d9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/work-life-balance-pandemic"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bd8f6f7f500e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Writing "},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" With a Newborn"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"fbc4e2f7c102","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0450bd029d8f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I became a mother and had a script due for a movie like three weeks later. And then with a brand new baby strapped to my chest, I wrote the pilot for "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" and my daughter are the same age. That's what happened because I thought, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f5","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Hey, I'll write a television show. "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And then that show turned out to be this big, giant job. So I had to find ways to deal with the fact that I was suddenly a mother with a huge job that I had never had before at the same time. So I brought my kid to work as much as I possibly could. And I did all the things I possibly could, but I definitely feel like "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f7","_type":"span","marks":["3f43a81d3fbc"],"text":"there were trade-offs"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" that I would not have made had I had more experience in the job and more leverage in my job or more experience as a mother and more of a sense of who I was as a mother. I say that because I think it's important for women to understand and to not look at my life and go, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f9","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, it's so simple."},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" No, I made tons of mistakes. And it was 10 years before I felt like I could have a second kid. That's how hard the job was.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3f43a81d3fbc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/balancing-motherhood-career"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"eccf3a0ca663","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"733a789bbef40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Pandemic Changing Her Approach to Workplace Culture"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"7548214e09a4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"707675e68e170","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think I thought, "},{"_key":"707675e68e171","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"We have playrooms, we have nursing spaces for mothers, and anybody can bring their kid to work if they want to"},{"_key":"707675e68e172","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And I thought like we had done it all. But really what was happening was that people were both trying to mother and work at the same time. You're bringing your kid to work, but you were still working and it wasn't the same thing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a508df6071a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1d4bc046ddc90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The pandemic really changed that because suddenly we all had to go home. We didn't have a choice. And what I realized was the power for so many people of being able to work from home. They were getting as much work done. They were just as efficient, and sometimes they were more efficient. And, they were far happier because the things that they were worried about at home were no longer things that were over there that they were trying to squeeze into their work life. Now it was, you do your work as you do your work and maybe you stop at 3:00pm to pick up your kids and make dinner for your kids and hang out with your kids for three hours. And maybe you pick work up later, if that's a thing for you. Or you don't pick it up later because you got it all done earlier. I think that was the biggest lesson for me was realizing that we could find a way to let people work how they needed to work and when they needed to work.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"13ceae39d51a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ad23cea1d561","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1ae4f2167ece","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b30f5fe00915","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Shonda Rhimes on the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to know their power, and own it as leaders.","heroBackgroundColor":{"title":"Dark Green","value":"#1E320B"},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Photo of Shonda Rhimes","asset":{"_id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"wslL6fmfObZkQeBQ7w3tVS","_createdAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","assetId":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","extension":"jpg","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"MAEVZx004.~pDj~V0K?b?b00.8V@R5R*t8","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.8551587301587302,"height":2016,"width":3740},"hasAlpha":false,"isOpaque":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAALABQDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFwABAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwAEBv/EACYQAAICAQIEBwEAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABREGBxUhEiIxQlFhcYH/xAAXAQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgME/8QAGBEAAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERAiH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/ADC1ZavWsFTt5NgfvEDlfqh0bV1rLNHGtigJHVz3ZvnDq13VQfQyoCP7nf8AHkUcHMuusKKi9PTso29uZ5c0snOGnW+JR1GXdwfzLD22S9qUsST4ssVZQVn/2Q==","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#6a492a","foreground":"#fff","population":0.07,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#beaa93","foreground":"#000","population":8.46,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#e6be9c","foreground":"#000","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac6c5c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac7c4c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","originalFilename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","sha1hash":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","size":446247,"uploadId":"iYnABQzk6Usv1MegfZ8gVXB1Y8Ccgsk3","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","filename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","width":3740,"height":2016,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg?rect=1198,0,1344,2016&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Shonda Rhimes"},"metaTitle":"Shonda Rhimes Believes Work-Life Balance Is ‘The Cruelest Myth’","publishDate":"2023-01-25","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"summary":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Shonda Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"45747c0bd9a1","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Work-Like ","id":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","children":[],"parent":null},"firstArticle":{"_id":"79261f99-b3e4-4647-9541-f93674eb8387","_type":"editorial","_rev":"HVao7AivMXTNTMm8II6OdO","_createdAt":"2022-01-26T19:52:07Z","_updatedAt":"2026-04-02T13:41:26Z","article_related_series":{"_id":"d17b866d-71c4-4b28-a260-9c9d5bf40b2f","_type":"series","_rev":"60drdzXgFuuRxJsEySrGrO","_createdAt":"2022-12-16T18:48:08Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T18:07:28Z","heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"photo of burned matches","asset":{"_ref":"image-6de240967b1e78f86a9096ff5e6c48fd3307f2e4-1680x574-png","_type":"reference"},"attribution":"Stock Photo"},"seriesIntroduction":"Introduction / description of this series, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.","seriesSponsorship":{"_type":"seriesSponsorship","sponsorDescription":"Place to briefly describe sponsor. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas dolor amet dolor ipsing elit boris.","sponsorImage":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-6d06b1f7fccb7ef078704ec687d733e95826bdba-275x183-jpg","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"Taylor Swift"},"sponsorLink":"https://www.microsoft.com","sponsorLogo":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-fd10d34b80c9d5589f75b302a5163553294791a8-446x96-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"Microsoft logo"},"sponsorName":"Microsoft","sponsoredText":"In partnership with"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"series-test-a"},"title":"Series Test A","id":"-0c3fffb9-83bd-5690-ad46-6fb08f823e65","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Rebecca Gale","category":"EXECUTIVE IMPACT","content":[{"_key":"f8f2e0d970f6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"529af76a91c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"There's a conflict that many C-Suite leaders face: On one hand, when you've made it to senior leadership, there is an expectation — or a duty as "},{"_key":"ffa02b6ee3aa","_type":"span","marks":["2aeaac8116eb"],"text":"Michelle Obama might say"},{"_key":"a54a0505b931","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" — to give back to the next generation. But on the other hand, as you balance the demands of your executive role, you might feel compelled to pull back in order to avoid feeling burned out or exhausted as a leader."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"2aeaac8116eb","_type":"link","href":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/obama-legacy/michelle-obama-biography.html"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"40f5916a286a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"828664632b3c","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With the pandemic continuing to impact our daily lives, data shows that it's women, specifically women leaders, who are experiencing the most burnout as they juggle work, caregiving, and household chores. In addition to "},{"_key":"a6a537c31e4a","_type":"span","marks":["bcf2b3eccba4"],"text":"one in five women leaders"},{"_key":"11d6e45e5aab","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" spending extra time on diversity and inclusion efforts that are not part of their job, data from LeanIn.org and McKinsey shows that women executives are more likely than men to mentor employees in the workplace. Though the demands of mentorship can be overwhelming to some, Alexandra Phillips, a Chief guide and executive coach, says that mentorship is something executive-level women should make time for because they stand to gain a lot — often times as much as the mentee — out of the opportunity."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"bcf2b3eccba4","_type":"link","href":"https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2021/09/mckinsey-lean-in.html?page=all"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"477c804a5286","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a5e8d5959804","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\"It really needs to be a two-way street [though],\" Phillips says. \"When someone takes on a mentee, they feel as though they want to give what they didn't have. But if you give too much, you take the onus on you to entirely develop this person's career.\""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dc70cef6b31e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"99e3773b6089","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Set Time Limits Around Mentorship Duties"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"sectionHeader"},{"_key":"4447cf9b8e53","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a6ab88f89cf4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Phillips has seen examples of executive women giving too much to mentees, where their scheduling demands exceed their available time. As a result, their work and personal relationships suffer, and in some cases, they're even unable to see through on their mentorship commitments. To combat this, Shauwea Hamilton, Chief Member and executive director of a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, NY, says she always sets boundaries and establishes a timeline for how long she plans to mentor someone."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"416339276816","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0693cc3eb1fa","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\"Mentorship is support provided for a specific end,\" she says. For some situations, such as a person preparing for an interview, Hamilton and the mentee meet two times to prepare for the interview, and then a follow-up only as needed. For those seeking more general career advice, Hamilton limits the meetings to once per month. In each relationship, she creates an off-ramp, so both sides are clear as to when the mentorship will end, and what those next steps will be."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"18624f18a29b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c7eea7ec0dbb","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Hamilton explains that after the formal mentorship period has ended, she continues to keep in touch with many of the individuals she's mentored, which allows for her network to continue to grow. But, she says there is no expectation for them to speak on a frequent basis, allowing her to move on and effectively mentor other individuals without feeling overwhelmed."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a2be853c30ee","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8ba4ad5bced9","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\"Some people assume that a mentor is for the rest of your life,\" says Phillips. \"And some people gather mentees and never send them on their way.\" Phillips agrees with Hamilton about setting boundaries and time limits around mentor-mentee relationships so that they can be more purposeful. She suggests holding on to a mentor for six months, and then evaluating if that formal mentor-mentee relationship needs to be extended. She also advises executives to take on one to two mentees at a time. \"More than that, and it can be too much,\" she says."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"15b4e1a77bae","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8b7d6347d729","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Understand the Learning Opportunities of Being a Mentor"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"sectionHeader"},{"_key":"a2d57e4a22e2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"61eabec7f695","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Allowing yourself permission to learn from your mentee is something Phillips recommends, especially those who come from different generations. \"Too often we feel as though we have to know it all, but sometimes our mentees can provide razor-sharp clarity when they question existing paradigms,\" she says. \"Remember, doing things the way they have always been done is the death of innovation. So allow yourself to see things through the wonderful lens of someone who may have fewer years of experience.\""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8fd0da6043db","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"778036c2a163","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Deborah Kerson Bilek, executive director of a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, agrees. She says that her leadership position has given her a de facto role as a mentor, even when she hasn't sought to label the relationship as such, and it's allowed her to learn a lot from her younger colleagues."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"273593cd6822","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e3b13e781f4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"During a one-on-one conversation with a junior team member, she recalls being asked a personal growth question. \"She wanted to understand how she presents herself outwardly, compared to what I know about her,\" Kerson Bilek explained. \"I was really floored [she chose] to use this opportunity to seek that kind of reflection and feedback. It led to a really fascinating conversation, and I started thinking about that for myself.\""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"edd655f3f639","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d41a6926429a","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"At the time, Kerson Bilek was transitioning to her current position as executive director. She reached out to her own mentors, asking that same question, and came up with some specifics on ways she could excel in her new role."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a90d8dba2094","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"14a831725752","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While some leaders may feel inclined to shy away from the responsibility of being a mentor, Hamilton emphasizes how rewarding the relationship can be when used effectively. She explains that as she continues to think about her own career path, she's learned that mentorship is one of the things she values a lot. \"It's really about making time for things that are important to you,\" she says."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Mentorship at work helps to build the next generation of leaders, but it’s important for executives to set boundaries around mentor-mentee relationships.","heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"hero image keyword, keyword, keyword","asset":{"_id":"image-8e87cd989918099c4625f3dfcaf215e3201770ba-1920x1104-jpg","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"vXAyqbrZGgz3YYYTw3EhD0","_createdAt":"2022-12-16T19:23:30Z","_updatedAt":"2022-12-16T19:23:30Z","assetId":"8e87cd989918099c4625f3dfcaf215e3201770ba","extension":"jpg","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"MGSX#0oh?f$^?f-iobfQWFWF_5%CILD]IM","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.7391304347826086,"height":1104,"width":1920},"hasAlpha":false,"isOpaque":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAMABQDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAGAAAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEBQf/xAAiEAACAgIBAwUAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADESEEBQYSEzFBUXH/xAAXAQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABBQYH/8QAHhEAAQMEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEQABAwIEITESE0H/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/ANV7g60OknjL6TWNe/iD8D9jL+Q73DGvHYlhdRVeoF1auBsZETyqUyrYwSQNTFLW4tOuONohW3IuSTrHgbCpVKU5UH7EIe2oRI+0F//Z","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#98499c","foreground":"#fff","population":0.94,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#a46c18","foreground":"#fff","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#fce404","foreground":"#000","population":67.88,"title":"#000"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#c17d95","foreground":"#fff","population":0.11,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#d474fc","foreground":"#000","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#a46267","foreground":"#fff","population":0.46,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#fce404","foreground":"#000","population":67.88,"title":"#000"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","originalFilename":"03282022 CHIEF The Power of Women's (Natural) Voices ARTICLE.jpg","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/8e87cd989918099c4625f3dfcaf215e3201770ba-1920x1104.jpg","sha1hash":"8e87cd989918099c4625f3dfcaf215e3201770ba","size":297739,"uploadId":"6bZIhJ5hoQ1H8mSdVHKZzSHDQvr9MD68","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/8e87cd989918099c4625f3dfcaf215e3201770ba-1920x1104.jpg","filename":"03282022 CHIEF The Power of Women's (Natural) Voices ARTICLE.jpg","width":1920,"height":1104,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/8e87cd989918099c4625f3dfcaf215e3201770ba-1920x1104.jpg?rect=592,0,736,1104&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-8e87cd989918099c4625f3dfcaf215e3201770ba-1920x1104-jpg","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: TK Stocksy","caption":"TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. TKTK CAPTION OF IMAGE TKTKTK. "},"isSponsored":true,"metaTitle":"How to Navigate Mentor-Mentee Relationships at Work | Chief","publishDate":"2022-01-05","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"navigating-mentor-mentee-relationship-at-work"},"sponsorship":{"_type":"sponsorship","clientLogo":{"_type":"image","asset":{"_ref":"image-daa53cf17cc45878a1b153f3c3bf47dc9669d78f-216x46-png","_type":"reference"}},"clientName":"Microsoft","clientUrl":"https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/","sponsoredText":"Presented by "},"subhead":"Experts weigh in on how leaders can benefit from mentoring junior employees without experiencing burnout.","summary":"Sumary text lorem ipsum","supportingContent":[{"_key":"dbcaffaa4b5f","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Balancing the Demands of Mentorship as an Executive Leader","articleRelatedSeries":{"_id":"d17b866d-71c4-4b28-a260-9c9d5bf40b2f","_type":"series","_rev":"60drdzXgFuuRxJsEySrGrO","_createdAt":"2022-12-16T18:48:08Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T18:07:28Z","heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"photo of burned matches","asset":{"_ref":"image-6de240967b1e78f86a9096ff5e6c48fd3307f2e4-1680x574-png","_type":"reference"},"attribution":"Stock Photo"},"seriesIntroduction":"Introduction / description of this series, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.","seriesSponsorship":{"_type":"seriesSponsorship","sponsorDescription":"Place to briefly describe sponsor. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas dolor amet dolor ipsing elit boris.","sponsorImage":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-6d06b1f7fccb7ef078704ec687d733e95826bdba-275x183-jpg","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"Taylor Swift"},"sponsorLink":"https://www.microsoft.com","sponsorLogo":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-fd10d34b80c9d5589f75b302a5163553294791a8-446x96-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"Microsoft logo"},"sponsorName":"Microsoft","sponsoredText":"In partnership with"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"series-test-a"},"title":"Series Test A","id":"-0c3fffb9-83bd-5690-ad46-6fb08f823e65","children":[],"parent":null},"id":"-f3b1a9f1-0a7d-5a0a-ae5c-e9b8eb3fbb85","children":[],"parent":null},"secondArticle":{"_id":"072ce4ce-b1f1-478b-8caf-1b382bd25f77","_type":"editorial","_rev":"HVao7AivMXTNTMm8IIhJuc","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:34:51Z","_updatedAt":"2026-04-02T13:53:00Z","articleAuthor":{"_id":"c7cbb8e0-8cf9-4ccd-a640-0dea3553a633","_type":"author","_rev":"olsJQPKIraTF6w0BBfpapq","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","_updatedAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","bio":[{"_key":"d7f6c4c2c05c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ff815af96b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A lorem ipsum dolor sit amet experience that adipiscing elits nunc alliqum torpis ultrics au elementum torpis"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"name":"Courtney Connley","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"courtney-connley"},"id":"-08af0a6c-2287-5b16-a49d-d57bfc4569d8","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Courtney Connley","content":[{"_key":"0cdc733161ea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Shonda Rhimes knows what it’s like to be the “only” in a room. As the first Black woman to create and executive produce a top 10 network series, and the first woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each, Rhimes has made more than a name for herself in Hollywood — she became the pinnacle. But, like other women who have experienced unparalleled success, the award-winning producer behind "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb61","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb63","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Scandal"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb64","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and Netflix’s "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb65","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb66","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", has had to cope with the feeling of loneliness at the top."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"20ab3de96566","_type":"quote","attribution":"Shonda Rhimes","body":"The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing","quoteImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"multitasking chair","asset":{"_ref":"image-c876d102477a4dcba55e31156eeca83c5856ca3e-411x260-png","_type":"reference"}},"quoteOptions":"pullQuoteImage"},{"_key":"7b42ba56344f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1cbc10a2105e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing,” says Rhimes, who is the founder and CEO of the global media company Shondaland. “I think, however, it's not a devastating thing. I mean, you have to really learn to look at it for what it should be. Yes, it can feel lonely sometimes. But, you can go out and find other women and other people who share the experience of what it is to be a leader… Who know exactly what you're talking about when you talk about being in charge of everybody and what that feels like and how awkward it can feel sometimes to be the person in the room that everybody's looking to.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"15d9e993f6f8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8aac0c7e5d010","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"98fbe6be0c03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7b87d6b750a40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Secret to Developing a Good Idea"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading1"},{"_key":"9c43a41ee0a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c9c1efe5fa3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4e4379f86928","_type":"floatedImage"},{"_key":"f400c3a31126","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54e5d19f0f020","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, for me, a lot of it is how much does something stick with me? I have a lot of little ideas that sound interesting. But, the things that stick with me are the ones that I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about, or I wake up in the morning and I have to write down some notes. Or, once you tell an idea to somebody, you can tell if it's good or bad by how well you tell it, in a weird way. Like how well you felt telling it. So once I've told it to somebody and it sort of still sticks with me, I know that I have something worth writing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"16146e5fd95e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b939c5ef05480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Also, you know, the dirty little secret of writing is that nobody loves writing. I don't know anybody who loves writing while they're writing. We all love "},{"_key":"b939c5ef05481","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"having written"},{"_key":"b939c5ef05482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So the key is to have an idea you love and then to just do the work. Like do the work and force yourself through the harder parts, the parts where you're not feeling so inspired. Get those pages out every single day so that once you're done with the script, you feel amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"846f7a5f8124","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"01346f7703de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Growing Shondaland"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"db733192d2ac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2c864d1625f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“At first, it was just me and my producing partner Betsy Beers. And then it grew. And now, that company is, I want to say there's close to 50 of us now. So it's really grown and we have a digital division. We have a podcast division. We have partnerships that we do with people… We have all of these things and we're growing at this exponential rate. And part of what you want to do is to make sure that everybody who comes in still feels the coziness of what it was like when there were only four of us or five of us. You want to make sure that everybody feels that sort of investment, that sort of buy-in. I like it when people come and they stay for a long time. You know, there are some people who've been there from the very beginning.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1c74f831373d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"caaeac346bd50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Saying “No” — Without Apology"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"a4dc45dc1080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8db7502d81640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I realized that I was just as bad at saying ‘no’ as I was at saying ‘yes.’ You know, we're all built to please. We never want anybody to think "},{"_key":"8db7502d81641","_type":"span","marks":["90dab3711a10"],"text":"we are not lovely and kind"},{"_key":"8db7502d81642","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and all of these things. So, it feels harsh to say no and then not give 55 reasons why. The whole idea that no is a complete sentence is a very hard thing for most of us. So you find yourself saying, "},{"_key":"8db7502d81643","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I can't do that because of this and because of this and because of this and because of this"},{"_key":"8db7502d81644","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and suddenly it's very easy to get talked into saying yes because people come up with reasons why those becauses don't matter. And really what you're trying to do is set your boundary. When you're saying no to something, you're setting your boundary. You should not be doing things that you don't want to do, or that you feel manipulated into doing or feel uncomfortable doing, or that are sort of charged to make somebody else feel good but not you."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"90dab3711a10","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/alicia-menendez-likeability-trap-the-new-rules-of-business-podcast"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d71b8d774c25","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“And I'm not saying that you don't do things for other people, obviously. But, understanding that you can say, "},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I'm not able to do that"},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and have that be a complete sentence and not feel like you have to add to it or apologize for it is very important. And it took a long time for me to learn how to do it.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6b14acdbb42","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4b456989673c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Difference Between Knowing Your Power and Owning It"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading4"},{"_key":"585e61d33199","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, I think it starts with the idea that power is not power if you don't know you have it. There was a lot of time during my career when I had power and I don't even think I realized I had power… So when you find out, when you start to realize, like, "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Maybe I have some power here"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", that's great. But it's also terrifying [because it’s like] "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How am I going to wield this power? How am I going to use it to get what I want? How am I going to make it work for me and my company and my people?"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The moment you start to really accept the idea, not just that you have power, but that you deserve the power you have, that's the moment you start to own it. It's a very hard thing for women I've noticed. And I talked to a lot of women about this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a powerful woman. And yet, somehow we've all been raised to believe that we are supposed to make other people feel more comfortable with their own power than we are with our own. We make ourselves smaller to make other people feel bigger."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"644b2319f32a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fe237ce9d9260","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“We all think like, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9261","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, I don't want them to think I'm difficult"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9262","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9263","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm angry"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9264","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9265","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm this or that"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9266","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". It's not about that. When you are comfortable in your power, when you decide, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9267","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Okay, this power does belong to me and I can own it"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9268","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", it's not about wielding it or treating anybody a certain way. It's just about knowing your worth.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"80baf9652db7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2f71659d56640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Importance of Delegating"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"533f8a7958f7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“When you're afraid, when you're not sure, you are hanging onto everything and trying to do it all yourself because if somebody messes up, Oh my God. As opposed to, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc81","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I'm comfortable. I know what I'm doing. I can do this"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And a good leader finds people and then entrusts them to do their job. That changed my life in a huge way. Like somebody would come to me and say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc83","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, what do you want me to do?"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And I would say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc85","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, it's your job? Do it and let me know what happens."},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc86","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" First of all, those people began to feel so empowered and got really excited and felt true ownership of their job. But second, my life changed because my level of control and worry and the amount of time I spent trying to do work that I didn't need to do was just brought down to a halt, which was amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8610aebaa9ec","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"447262dad7990","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Debunking the Myth of Work-Life Balance"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"c05af4a27885","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"129c0a3901380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think we all remember that period of time where, if you were a woman in any job, that was the question they were asking you, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901381","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How do you have "},{"_key":"129c0a3901382","_type":"span","marks":["em","5918f5a1d6d9"],"text":"work-life balance"},{"_key":"129c0a3901383","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901384","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" That question used to drive me crazy. And I used to say, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901385","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, Chuck Lorre has three shows. What does he say when you ask him that question?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901386","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And nobody knew what to say to that because Chuck was a guy, he's not supposed to have work-life balance. But the reality of it is the idea that we're all supposed to live in this sort of perfect little bubble where we've got it all figured. It’s one of the cruelest myths I feel like we've put out there for women. And I was very interested in not doing it because I never felt that way. And it wasn't until people started asking me the question that I really realized why it bothered me so much. It is that thing of, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901387","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"If I am succeeding in one area of my life, I do feel like I'm failing in another and that's okay"},{"_key":"129c0a3901388","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". You know, as a mother I can be either at my child's science fair, or I can be at Sandra Oh's very last day of work on "},{"_key":"129c0a3901389","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"129c0a39013810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". I can go to England and watch them film scenes of "},{"_key":"129c0a39013811","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"129c0a39013812","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", or I can stay here and take my kids to school on their very first day. Those are choices that you make and those choices are okay. Like it's okay to feel like you're not giving 100% to everything.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5918f5a1d6d9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/work-life-balance-pandemic"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bd8f6f7f500e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Writing "},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" With a Newborn"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"fbc4e2f7c102","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0450bd029d8f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I became a mother and had a script due for a movie like three weeks later. And then with a brand new baby strapped to my chest, I wrote the pilot for "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" and my daughter are the same age. That's what happened because I thought, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f5","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Hey, I'll write a television show. "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And then that show turned out to be this big, giant job. So I had to find ways to deal with the fact that I was suddenly a mother with a huge job that I had never had before at the same time. So I brought my kid to work as much as I possibly could. And I did all the things I possibly could, but I definitely feel like "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f7","_type":"span","marks":["3f43a81d3fbc"],"text":"there were trade-offs"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" that I would not have made had I had more experience in the job and more leverage in my job or more experience as a mother and more of a sense of who I was as a mother. I say that because I think it's important for women to understand and to not look at my life and go, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f9","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, it's so simple."},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" No, I made tons of mistakes. And it was 10 years before I felt like I could have a second kid. That's how hard the job was.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3f43a81d3fbc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/balancing-motherhood-career"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"eccf3a0ca663","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"733a789bbef40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Pandemic Changing Her Approach to Workplace Culture"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"7548214e09a4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"707675e68e170","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think I thought, "},{"_key":"707675e68e171","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"We have playrooms, we have nursing spaces for mothers, and anybody can bring their kid to work if they want to"},{"_key":"707675e68e172","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And I thought like we had done it all. But really what was happening was that people were both trying to mother and work at the same time. You're bringing your kid to work, but you were still working and it wasn't the same thing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a508df6071a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1d4bc046ddc90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The pandemic really changed that because suddenly we all had to go home. We didn't have a choice. And what I realized was the power for so many people of being able to work from home. They were getting as much work done. They were just as efficient, and sometimes they were more efficient. And, they were far happier because the things that they were worried about at home were no longer things that were over there that they were trying to squeeze into their work life. Now it was, you do your work as you do your work and maybe you stop at 3:00pm to pick up your kids and make dinner for your kids and hang out with your kids for three hours. And maybe you pick work up later, if that's a thing for you. Or you don't pick it up later because you got it all done earlier. I think that was the biggest lesson for me was realizing that we could find a way to let people work how they needed to work and when they needed to work.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"13ceae39d51a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ad23cea1d561","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1ae4f2167ece","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b30f5fe00915","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Shonda Rhimes on the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to know their power, and own it as leaders.","heroBackgroundColor":{"title":"Dark Green","value":"#1E320B"},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Photo of Shonda Rhimes","asset":{"_id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"wslL6fmfObZkQeBQ7w3tVS","_createdAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","assetId":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","extension":"jpg","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"MAEVZx004.~pDj~V0K?b?b00.8V@R5R*t8","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.8551587301587302,"height":2016,"width":3740},"hasAlpha":false,"isOpaque":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#6a492a","foreground":"#fff","population":0.07,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#beaa93","foreground":"#000","population":8.46,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#e6be9c","foreground":"#000","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac6c5c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac7c4c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","originalFilename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","sha1hash":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","size":446247,"uploadId":"iYnABQzk6Usv1MegfZ8gVXB1Y8Ccgsk3","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","filename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","width":3740,"height":2016,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg?rect=1198,0,1344,2016&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Shonda Rhimes"},"metaTitle":"Shonda Rhimes Believes Work-Life Balance Is ‘The Cruelest Myth’","publishDate":"2023-01-25","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"summary":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Shonda Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"45747c0bd9a1","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Work-Like ","id":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","children":[],"parent":null},"thirdArticle":{"_id":"80981f8b-8e53-40de-9404-5771787b90a3","_type":"editorial","_rev":"4Btq2at9xXmEtLaIca70kc","_createdAt":"2022-01-26T17:20:41Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T21:26:23Z","article_related_series":{"_id":"246e0566-699d-4420-bbe2-b93c4f8e7599","_type":"series","_rev":"aepHCTFpeo1Z0CjhytoTPm","_createdAt":"2023-01-25T19:11:55Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T19:11:55Z","expirationDate":"2023-01-26","heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","asset":{"_ref":"image-276129676bc793fdaba06ec5038d8d543589656f-1024x617-jpg","_type":"reference"},"attribution":"Photo by Lego","caption":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit"},"publishDate":"2023-01-25","seriesIntroduction":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","seriesSponsorship":{"_type":"seriesSponsorship","sponsorDescription":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","sponsorLink":"https://www.lego.com/en-us","sponsorLogo":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-1723a9522b277b54da87d4100c97b2e6eb2efade-225x225-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"lego"},"sponsorName":"Lego","sponsoredText":"Presented by"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"series-test-b"},"sponsorImage":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-1723a9522b277b54da87d4100c97b2e6eb2efade-225x225-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"lego"},"title":"Series Test B","id":"-30d5fd1a-ccff-58f7-b9c1-12b0b5454850","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Chief","category":"EXECUTIVE IMPACT","content":[{"_key":"f00573cf9cbf","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"686109abd9f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"As the pandemic continued to alter how we lived and worked in 2021, Chief’s weekly editorial newsletter explored the many different challenges facing C-Suite executives today. From how to effectively show emotion in the workplace to how to avoid burnout as a leader, here are the top-read stories from this year’s Chief in Brief."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"61a3e706037b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5c208271b517","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2fef53719171","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"978949a50f25","_type":"span","marks":["strong","b50a2153a468"],"text":"1. An Argument for Anger: How to Use This Taboo Emotion for Effective Leadershi"},{"_key":"ab2eced326e9","_type":"span","marks":["strong","0bd8e7d6e6b6"],"text":"p"},{"_key":"19d04ce646bf","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"8c55990d36c5","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Anger has always been an off-limits topic for executive women. But a new movement towards emotional acceptance is changing old rules."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b50a2153a468","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/angry-woman"},{"_key":"0bd8e7d6e6b6","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/angry-woman"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"06570ac03e88","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"be49a0531365","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"91221693784c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"acf0cddb565d","_type":"span","marks":["strong","b6f0afdb9ea4"],"text":"2. Is a Stay-at-Home Spouse the Secret to Executive Success?"},{"_key":"146528cfc0b9","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"98874722c5ee","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Studies show that 70% of high-earning men have a stay-at-home spouse, compared to 22% of high-earning women. Could shifting the dynamic at home be the key to getting more women to the top?"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b6f0afdb9ea4","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/stay-at-home-spouse"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9eb96aeb71db","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"73888f809b43","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9144a6497862","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ac1ac393b465","_type":"span","marks":["strong","657ae6388c28"],"text":"3. An Argument for Turning Off Your Camera — Why Phone Calls Can Get You Heard"},{"_key":"a4ac5c69f5cf","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"f54a1407730d","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Not only is Zoom fatigue real, studies show that the camera may not be helping us communicate any better. In fact, it could be making things worse — especially for women."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"657ae6388c28","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/pick-up-the-phone"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c90e70795824","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"de3837a866ab","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1df6f8749311","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"abdb68e0a4a3","_type":"span","marks":["strong","ec180b59c629"],"text":"4. What Midlife Crisis? Here’s How to Plan for Your Next Act"},{"_key":"84c75c4616e7","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"1df7b061d1a2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"After climbing the corporate ladder and amassing huge success, C-Suite women may be planning for what comes next. Here’s why executive coaches believe the best is yet to come."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"ec180b59c629","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/turning-50-at-work"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"970c5039353d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"db81e33d32d4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"333fbb862dea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9a4b7c55059e","_type":"span","marks":["strong","0bcadcb1a43f"],"text":"5. We Need to Talk About Mental Health in the C-Suite"},{"_key":"bcaf02c02ccf","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"ce4699ec82b8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Studies show that executive leaders and managers are experiencing the highest levels of workplace burnout due to ongoing changes from the pandemic. Here’s why now is the time to better support executives and their well-being at work."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"0bcadcb1a43f","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/burnout-in-the-workplace"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7280f3b5184a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"839e05606e65","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"48c40bd0fbea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f322c22d1a05","_type":"span","marks":["strong","d257d57dbb94"],"text":"6. The Importance of a Solid VP Bench — and How It Can Fix the C-Suite Pipeline"},{"_key":"2bcec939c508","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"05b7a50301d1","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With the pandemic forcing millions of women out of the workplace, the broken C-Suite pipeline has become even more strained. That’s why, solidifying a VP bench could be the key to creating a more equitable future at the top."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"d257d57dbb94","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/business-succession-planning"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"03bc993fcdd2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6c1546ce6c9c","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"942dc106c3e4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9195917b52c9","_type":"span","marks":["strong","fa052a309d9a"],"text":"7. 96% of CEOs View DEI as a Priority — Here’s How Measuring These Metrics Can Lead to Better M&A"},{"_key":"64ac00c1fe8f","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"9578906de7ed","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Diversity, equity, and inclusion has become a strategic priority for many business leaders, which is why experts say now is the time for executives to incorporate DEI mandates into the mergers and acquisitions process."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"fa052a309d9a","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/DEI-in-mergers-and-acquisitions"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"524b6919d190","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1144a4b72afc","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f4165992918a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"42c34381e1c0","_type":"span","marks":["strong","c9289e4b3c93"],"text":"8. Does Our New Era of Corporate Empathy Bode Well for Women Leaders?"},{"_key":"c3e71104a6d6","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"da4281329ae4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While expectations of empathetic leadership have long been the Achilles’ heel of women executives, a shift to corporate-driven empathy could provide a much-needed counterbalance to a crisis that has largely impacted women’s advancement."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"c9289e4b3c93","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/corporate-empathy"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"08c84356545f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"13e2bcae9a79","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"654c538b6fac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"65511265456c","_type":"span","marks":["strong","8a13ba827fa0"],"text":"9. What It Actually Means to Think — and Act — Like a Breadwinner"},{"_key":"56754506173f","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"10930160595a","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Chief Member Jennifer Barrett explains how becoming a breadwinner is less about earning a certain amount of money and more about taking on the mindset."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"8a13ba827fa0","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/how-to-think-like-breadwinner"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a9cc481c6d84","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"528fb5ec616c","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d464aa9b268d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1b1001ddf0d7","_type":"span","marks":["strong","b964fba295f9"],"text":"10. What You Need to Know About the Metaverse — and Why It Matters for Your Bottom Line"},{"_key":"8cd5bbb1b98a","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"293a9cbdb234","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With digital social interactions increasing, and the popularity of cryptocurrencies and NFTs rising, experts say now is the time for executives to start thinking about the importance of the metaverse."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b964fba295f9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/metaverse-future-of-work"}],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Here’s a look back at our best articles of 2021.","editorialCategory":{"_id":"4cbeb5e8-cb80-4ee0-8687-22d94b75b63b","_type":"category","_rev":"4Btq2at9xXmEtLaIcZ1u0a","_createdAt":"2023-01-24T20:36:37Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T18:18:49Z","description":"Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Learn the keys to building a healthy company culture that attracts and retains top talent.","featuredArticles":{"_type":"featuredArticles","featuredArticle":{"_ref":"-62fa9f71-a1d2-5ccc-ba5b-917e333644d5","_type":"reference"},"firstArticle":{"_ref":"-f3b1a9f1-0a7d-5a0a-ae5c-e9b8eb3fbb85","_type":"reference"},"secondArticle":{"_ref":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","_type":"reference"},"thirdArticle":{"_ref":"-5ad4545a-0ce4-5e00-aaf1-b3c2e35c6cbe","_type":"reference"}},"seo":{"_type":"seoFields","seoDescription":"Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Learn the keys to building a healthy company culture that attracts and retains top talent.","seoMetaTitle":"Company Culture"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"company-culture"},"title":"Company Culture","id":"-07e80ffa-0cee-54e6-a028-c8b1bf46b2a9","children":[],"parent":null},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"best of 2021, best articles of 2021, top stories of 2021, top performers, best essays, most read, most popular stories, most viewed articles, a look back, Chief, Chief editorial, business writing, business topics, women in leadership, leadership advice","asset":{"_id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"aepHCTFpeo1Z0CjhytolXe","_createdAt":"2023-01-25T19:17:07Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T19:17:07Z","assetId":"ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b","extension":"png","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"M00cDqj@IqayxsoLfQWVfQj[Iqaz%0j[M}","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.910828025477707,"height":628,"width":1200},"hasAlpha":true,"isOpaque":false,"lqip":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAKCAYAAAC0VX7mAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAaUlEQVQokcXRQQuAIAyG4W3O1MQKouj//1C/UDp4C0zo8OLtcWNERPhYbt7SDyDz01fQGEbwihQnrMkhBgsj3A9aKxU69xnXEbEtHqrSDwoTrAq8M/BO6wdl9TcwDwgjr9xOOmzCtrHgDZYzyHbefvgaAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#565137","foreground":"#fff","population":0.13,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#1c1c04","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#565137","foreground":"#fff","population":0.13,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#c7c0ab","foreground":"#000","population":0.04,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#cbbf8c","foreground":"#000","population":0.03,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#9f9858","foreground":"#fff","population":0.02,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#79742e","foreground":"#fff","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/png","originalFilename":"temp-placeholder.png","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png","sha1hash":"ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b","size":6264,"uploadId":"zLuKbDsEVvsVNmAHCoHkHbrgWP7ZePBw","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png","filename":"temp-placeholder.png","width":1200,"height":628,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png?rect=391,0,419,628&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Chief"},"metaTitle":"Chief’s Best of 2021: A Look Back at Our Top Performing Articles","publishDate":"2021-12-15","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"best-articles-of-2021"},"subhead":"A look back at our top-read stories from the year.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"f7e0e3aa2ea6","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Our Most Popular Articles of 2021","articleRelatedSeries":{"_id":"246e0566-699d-4420-bbe2-b93c4f8e7599","_type":"series","_rev":"aepHCTFpeo1Z0CjhytoTPm","_createdAt":"2023-01-25T19:11:55Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T19:11:55Z","expirationDate":"2023-01-26","heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","asset":{"_ref":"image-276129676bc793fdaba06ec5038d8d543589656f-1024x617-jpg","_type":"reference"},"attribution":"Photo by Lego","caption":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit"},"publishDate":"2023-01-25","seriesIntroduction":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","seriesSponsorship":{"_type":"seriesSponsorship","sponsorDescription":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","sponsorLink":"https://www.lego.com/en-us","sponsorLogo":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-1723a9522b277b54da87d4100c97b2e6eb2efade-225x225-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"lego"},"sponsorName":"Lego","sponsoredText":"Presented by"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"series-test-b"},"sponsorImage":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-1723a9522b277b54da87d4100c97b2e6eb2efade-225x225-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"lego"},"title":"Series Test B","id":"-30d5fd1a-ccff-58f7-b9c1-12b0b5454850","children":[],"parent":null},"id":"-62fa9f71-a1d2-5ccc-ba5b-917e333644d5","children":[],"parent":null}}},{"id":"-cfe07e3a-69a3-5bfd-a9ff-d04ea3808c1f","title":"Diversity, Equity & Inclusion","hideFromNav":null,"relatedBenefitCta":null,"featuredArticles":null},{"id":"-e966d6ac-b275-5f99-9bb4-f5c973d5eece","title":"Leadership","hideFromNav":null,"relatedBenefitCta":null,"featuredArticles":{"_type":"featuredArticles","featuredArticle":{"_id":"072ce4ce-b1f1-478b-8caf-1b382bd25f77","_type":"editorial","_rev":"HVao7AivMXTNTMm8IIhJuc","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:34:51Z","_updatedAt":"2026-04-02T13:53:00Z","articleAuthor":{"_id":"c7cbb8e0-8cf9-4ccd-a640-0dea3553a633","_type":"author","_rev":"olsJQPKIraTF6w0BBfpapq","_createdAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","_updatedAt":"2022-12-19T11:26:11Z","bio":[{"_key":"d7f6c4c2c05c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ff815af96b5e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A lorem ipsum dolor sit amet experience that adipiscing elits nunc alliqum torpis ultrics au elementum torpis"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"name":"Courtney Connley","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"courtney-connley"},"id":"-08af0a6c-2287-5b16-a49d-d57bfc4569d8","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Courtney Connley","content":[{"_key":"0cdc733161ea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Shonda Rhimes knows what it’s like to be the “only” in a room. As the first Black woman to create and executive produce a top 10 network series, and the first woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each, Rhimes has made more than a name for herself in Hollywood — she became the pinnacle. But, like other women who have experienced unparalleled success, the award-winning producer behind "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb61","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb63","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Scandal"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb64","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and Netflix’s "},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb65","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"1a97b0c3ceb66","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", has had to cope with the feeling of loneliness at the top."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"20ab3de96566","_type":"quote","attribution":"Shonda Rhimes","body":"The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing","quoteImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"multitasking chair","asset":{"_ref":"image-c876d102477a4dcba55e31156eeca83c5856ca3e-411x260-png","_type":"reference"}},"quoteOptions":"pullQuoteImage"},{"_key":"7b42ba56344f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1cbc10a2105e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The isolation that comes with being everybody's boss is a very real thing,” says Rhimes, who is the founder and CEO of the global media company Shondaland. “I think, however, it's not a devastating thing. I mean, you have to really learn to look at it for what it should be. Yes, it can feel lonely sometimes. But, you can go out and find other women and other people who share the experience of what it is to be a leader… Who know exactly what you're talking about when you talk about being in charge of everybody and what that feels like and how awkward it can feel sometimes to be the person in the room that everybody's looking to.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"15d9e993f6f8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8aac0c7e5d010","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"98fbe6be0c03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7b87d6b750a40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Secret to Developing a Good Idea"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading1"},{"_key":"9c43a41ee0a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c9c1efe5fa3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4e4379f86928","_type":"floatedImage"},{"_key":"f400c3a31126","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54e5d19f0f020","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, for me, a lot of it is how much does something stick with me? I have a lot of little ideas that sound interesting. But, the things that stick with me are the ones that I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about, or I wake up in the morning and I have to write down some notes. Or, once you tell an idea to somebody, you can tell if it's good or bad by how well you tell it, in a weird way. Like how well you felt telling it. So once I've told it to somebody and it sort of still sticks with me, I know that I have something worth writing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"16146e5fd95e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b939c5ef05480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Also, you know, the dirty little secret of writing is that nobody loves writing. I don't know anybody who loves writing while they're writing. We all love "},{"_key":"b939c5ef05481","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"having written"},{"_key":"b939c5ef05482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So the key is to have an idea you love and then to just do the work. Like do the work and force yourself through the harder parts, the parts where you're not feeling so inspired. Get those pages out every single day so that once you're done with the script, you feel amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"846f7a5f8124","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"01346f7703de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Growing Shondaland"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"db733192d2ac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2c864d1625f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“At first, it was just me and my producing partner Betsy Beers. And then it grew. And now, that company is, I want to say there's close to 50 of us now. So it's really grown and we have a digital division. We have a podcast division. We have partnerships that we do with people… We have all of these things and we're growing at this exponential rate. And part of what you want to do is to make sure that everybody who comes in still feels the coziness of what it was like when there were only four of us or five of us. You want to make sure that everybody feels that sort of investment, that sort of buy-in. I like it when people come and they stay for a long time. You know, there are some people who've been there from the very beginning.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1c74f831373d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"caaeac346bd50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Saying “No” — Without Apology"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"a4dc45dc1080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8db7502d81640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I realized that I was just as bad at saying ‘no’ as I was at saying ‘yes.’ You know, we're all built to please. We never want anybody to think "},{"_key":"8db7502d81641","_type":"span","marks":["90dab3711a10"],"text":"we are not lovely and kind"},{"_key":"8db7502d81642","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and all of these things. So, it feels harsh to say no and then not give 55 reasons why. The whole idea that no is a complete sentence is a very hard thing for most of us. So you find yourself saying, "},{"_key":"8db7502d81643","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I can't do that because of this and because of this and because of this and because of this"},{"_key":"8db7502d81644","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and suddenly it's very easy to get talked into saying yes because people come up with reasons why those becauses don't matter. And really what you're trying to do is set your boundary. When you're saying no to something, you're setting your boundary. You should not be doing things that you don't want to do, or that you feel manipulated into doing or feel uncomfortable doing, or that are sort of charged to make somebody else feel good but not you."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"90dab3711a10","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/alicia-menendez-likeability-trap-the-new-rules-of-business-podcast"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d71b8d774c25","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“And I'm not saying that you don't do things for other people, obviously. But, understanding that you can say, "},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"No, I'm not able to do that"},{"_key":"3e7d919ecbba2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", and have that be a complete sentence and not feel like you have to add to it or apologize for it is very important. And it took a long time for me to learn how to do it.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6b14acdbb42","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4b456989673c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Difference Between Knowing Your Power and Owning It"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading4"},{"_key":"585e61d33199","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“You know, I think it starts with the idea that power is not power if you don't know you have it. There was a lot of time during my career when I had power and I don't even think I realized I had power… So when you find out, when you start to realize, like, "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Maybe I have some power here"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", that's great. But it's also terrifying [because it’s like] "},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How am I going to wield this power? How am I going to use it to get what I want? How am I going to make it work for me and my company and my people?"},{"_key":"3f4c2f8ea9bc4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The moment you start to really accept the idea, not just that you have power, but that you deserve the power you have, that's the moment you start to own it. It's a very hard thing for women I've noticed. And I talked to a lot of women about this. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a powerful woman. And yet, somehow we've all been raised to believe that we are supposed to make other people feel more comfortable with their own power than we are with our own. We make ourselves smaller to make other people feel bigger."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"644b2319f32a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fe237ce9d9260","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“We all think like, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9261","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, I don't want them to think I'm difficult"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9262","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9263","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm angry"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9264","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Or, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9265","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I don't want them to think I'm this or that"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9266","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". It's not about that. When you are comfortable in your power, when you decide, "},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9267","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Okay, this power does belong to me and I can own it"},{"_key":"fe237ce9d9268","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", it's not about wielding it or treating anybody a certain way. It's just about knowing your worth.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"80baf9652db7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2f71659d56640","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Importance of Delegating"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"533f8a7958f7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“When you're afraid, when you're not sure, you are hanging onto everything and trying to do it all yourself because if somebody messes up, Oh my God. As opposed to, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc81","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"I'm comfortable. I know what I'm doing. I can do this"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And a good leader finds people and then entrusts them to do their job. That changed my life in a huge way. Like somebody would come to me and say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc83","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, what do you want me to do?"},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And I would say, "},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc85","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, it's your job? Do it and let me know what happens."},{"_key":"5f9f56bc7dc86","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" First of all, those people began to feel so empowered and got really excited and felt true ownership of their job. But second, my life changed because my level of control and worry and the amount of time I spent trying to do work that I didn't need to do was just brought down to a halt, which was amazing.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8610aebaa9ec","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"447262dad7990","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Debunking the Myth of Work-Life Balance"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"c05af4a27885","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"129c0a3901380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think we all remember that period of time where, if you were a woman in any job, that was the question they were asking you, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901381","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"How do you have "},{"_key":"129c0a3901382","_type":"span","marks":["em","5918f5a1d6d9"],"text":"work-life balance"},{"_key":"129c0a3901383","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901384","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" That question used to drive me crazy. And I used to say, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901385","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Well, Chuck Lorre has three shows. What does he say when you ask him that question?"},{"_key":"129c0a3901386","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" And nobody knew what to say to that because Chuck was a guy, he's not supposed to have work-life balance. But the reality of it is the idea that we're all supposed to live in this sort of perfect little bubble where we've got it all figured. It’s one of the cruelest myths I feel like we've put out there for women. And I was very interested in not doing it because I never felt that way. And it wasn't until people started asking me the question that I really realized why it bothered me so much. It is that thing of, "},{"_key":"129c0a3901387","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"If I am succeeding in one area of my life, I do feel like I'm failing in another and that's okay"},{"_key":"129c0a3901388","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". You know, as a mother I can be either at my child's science fair, or I can be at Sandra Oh's very last day of work on "},{"_key":"129c0a3901389","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"129c0a39013810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". I can go to England and watch them film scenes of "},{"_key":"129c0a39013811","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Bridgerton"},{"_key":"129c0a39013812","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", or I can stay here and take my kids to school on their very first day. Those are choices that you make and those choices are okay. Like it's okay to feel like you're not giving 100% to everything.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5918f5a1d6d9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/work-life-balance-pandemic"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bd8f6f7f500e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On Writing "},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey’s Anatomy"},{"_key":"e8b42fa5414b2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" With a Newborn"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"fbc4e2f7c102","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0450bd029d8f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I became a mother and had a script due for a movie like three weeks later. And then with a brand new baby strapped to my chest, I wrote the pilot for "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f1","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". So, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f3","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Grey's Anatomy"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" and my daughter are the same age. That's what happened because I thought, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f5","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Hey, I'll write a television show. "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And then that show turned out to be this big, giant job. So I had to find ways to deal with the fact that I was suddenly a mother with a huge job that I had never had before at the same time. So I brought my kid to work as much as I possibly could. And I did all the things I possibly could, but I definitely feel like "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f7","_type":"span","marks":["3f43a81d3fbc"],"text":"there were trade-offs"},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" that I would not have made had I had more experience in the job and more leverage in my job or more experience as a mother and more of a sense of who I was as a mother. I say that because I think it's important for women to understand and to not look at my life and go, "},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f9","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Oh, it's so simple."},{"_key":"0450bd029d8f10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" No, I made tons of mistakes. And it was 10 years before I felt like I could have a second kid. That's how hard the job was.”"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3f43a81d3fbc","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/balancing-motherhood-career"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"eccf3a0ca663","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"733a789bbef40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On the Pandemic Changing Her Approach to Workplace Culture"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading3"},{"_key":"7548214e09a4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"707675e68e170","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“I think I thought, "},{"_key":"707675e68e171","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"We have playrooms, we have nursing spaces for mothers, and anybody can bring their kid to work if they want to"},{"_key":"707675e68e172","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And I thought like we had done it all. But really what was happening was that people were both trying to mother and work at the same time. You're bringing your kid to work, but you were still working and it wasn't the same thing."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a508df6071a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1d4bc046ddc90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The pandemic really changed that because suddenly we all had to go home. We didn't have a choice. And what I realized was the power for so many people of being able to work from home. They were getting as much work done. They were just as efficient, and sometimes they were more efficient. And, they were far happier because the things that they were worried about at home were no longer things that were over there that they were trying to squeeze into their work life. Now it was, you do your work as you do your work and maybe you stop at 3:00pm to pick up your kids and make dinner for your kids and hang out with your kids for three hours. And maybe you pick work up later, if that's a thing for you. Or you don't pick it up later because you got it all done earlier. I think that was the biggest lesson for me was realizing that we could find a way to let people work how they needed to work and when they needed to work.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"13ceae39d51a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ad23cea1d561","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1ae4f2167ece","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b30f5fe00915","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Shonda Rhimes on the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to know their power, and own it as leaders.","heroBackgroundColor":{"title":"Dark Green","value":"#1E320B"},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Photo of Shonda Rhimes","asset":{"_id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"wslL6fmfObZkQeBQ7w3tVS","_createdAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-20T16:35:05Z","assetId":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","extension":"jpg","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"MAEVZx004.~pDj~V0K?b?b00.8V@R5R*t8","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.8551587301587302,"height":2016,"width":3740},"hasAlpha":false,"isOpaque":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#6a492a","foreground":"#fff","population":0.07,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#494135","foreground":"#fff","population":9.36,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#beaa93","foreground":"#000","population":8.46,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#e6be9c","foreground":"#000","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac6c5c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#ac7c4c","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","originalFilename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","sha1hash":"ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843","size":446247,"uploadId":"iYnABQzk6Usv1MegfZ8gVXB1Y8Ccgsk3","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg","filename":"shonda-rhimes.jpg","width":3740,"height":2016,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016.jpg?rect=1198,0,1344,2016&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ee06ba6738622f6f7902b44117a8572a66569843-3740x2016-jpg","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Shonda Rhimes"},"metaTitle":"Shonda Rhimes Believes Work-Life Balance Is ‘The Cruelest Myth’","publishDate":"2023-01-25","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"why-shonda-rhimes-believes-work-life-balance-is-the-cruelest-myth-for-women"},"summary":"Sitting down with Chief Member Dara Treseder, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, Comms & Membership at Peloton, Shonda Rhimes spoke about the tradeoffs that have come with her success as a working mother, and why she wants all women to not only know their power, but own it as leaders.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"45747c0bd9a1","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Work-Like ","id":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","children":[],"parent":null},"firstArticle":{"_id":"80981f8b-8e53-40de-9404-5771787b90a3","_type":"editorial","_rev":"4Btq2at9xXmEtLaIca70kc","_createdAt":"2022-01-26T17:20:41Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T21:26:23Z","article_related_series":{"_id":"246e0566-699d-4420-bbe2-b93c4f8e7599","_type":"series","_rev":"aepHCTFpeo1Z0CjhytoTPm","_createdAt":"2023-01-25T19:11:55Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T19:11:55Z","expirationDate":"2023-01-26","heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","asset":{"_ref":"image-276129676bc793fdaba06ec5038d8d543589656f-1024x617-jpg","_type":"reference"},"attribution":"Photo by Lego","caption":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit"},"publishDate":"2023-01-25","seriesIntroduction":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","seriesSponsorship":{"_type":"seriesSponsorship","sponsorDescription":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","sponsorLink":"https://www.lego.com/en-us","sponsorLogo":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-1723a9522b277b54da87d4100c97b2e6eb2efade-225x225-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"lego"},"sponsorName":"Lego","sponsoredText":"Presented by"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"series-test-b"},"sponsorImage":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-1723a9522b277b54da87d4100c97b2e6eb2efade-225x225-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"lego"},"title":"Series Test B","id":"-30d5fd1a-ccff-58f7-b9c1-12b0b5454850","children":[],"parent":null},"byline":"Chief","category":"EXECUTIVE IMPACT","content":[{"_key":"f00573cf9cbf","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"686109abd9f6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"As the pandemic continued to alter how we lived and worked in 2021, Chief’s weekly editorial newsletter explored the many different challenges facing C-Suite executives today. From how to effectively show emotion in the workplace to how to avoid burnout as a leader, here are the top-read stories from this year’s Chief in Brief."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"61a3e706037b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5c208271b517","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2fef53719171","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"978949a50f25","_type":"span","marks":["strong","b50a2153a468"],"text":"1. An Argument for Anger: How to Use This Taboo Emotion for Effective Leadershi"},{"_key":"ab2eced326e9","_type":"span","marks":["strong","0bd8e7d6e6b6"],"text":"p"},{"_key":"19d04ce646bf","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"8c55990d36c5","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Anger has always been an off-limits topic for executive women. But a new movement towards emotional acceptance is changing old rules."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b50a2153a468","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/angry-woman"},{"_key":"0bd8e7d6e6b6","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/angry-woman"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"06570ac03e88","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"be49a0531365","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"91221693784c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"acf0cddb565d","_type":"span","marks":["strong","b6f0afdb9ea4"],"text":"2. Is a Stay-at-Home Spouse the Secret to Executive Success?"},{"_key":"146528cfc0b9","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"98874722c5ee","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Studies show that 70% of high-earning men have a stay-at-home spouse, compared to 22% of high-earning women. Could shifting the dynamic at home be the key to getting more women to the top?"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b6f0afdb9ea4","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/stay-at-home-spouse"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9eb96aeb71db","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"73888f809b43","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9144a6497862","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ac1ac393b465","_type":"span","marks":["strong","657ae6388c28"],"text":"3. An Argument for Turning Off Your Camera — Why Phone Calls Can Get You Heard"},{"_key":"a4ac5c69f5cf","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"f54a1407730d","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Not only is Zoom fatigue real, studies show that the camera may not be helping us communicate any better. In fact, it could be making things worse — especially for women."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"657ae6388c28","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/pick-up-the-phone"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c90e70795824","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"de3837a866ab","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1df6f8749311","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"abdb68e0a4a3","_type":"span","marks":["strong","ec180b59c629"],"text":"4. What Midlife Crisis? Here’s How to Plan for Your Next Act"},{"_key":"84c75c4616e7","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"1df7b061d1a2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"After climbing the corporate ladder and amassing huge success, C-Suite women may be planning for what comes next. Here’s why executive coaches believe the best is yet to come."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"ec180b59c629","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/turning-50-at-work"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"970c5039353d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"db81e33d32d4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"333fbb862dea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9a4b7c55059e","_type":"span","marks":["strong","0bcadcb1a43f"],"text":"5. We Need to Talk About Mental Health in the C-Suite"},{"_key":"bcaf02c02ccf","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"ce4699ec82b8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Studies show that executive leaders and managers are experiencing the highest levels of workplace burnout due to ongoing changes from the pandemic. Here’s why now is the time to better support executives and their well-being at work."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"0bcadcb1a43f","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/burnout-in-the-workplace"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7280f3b5184a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"839e05606e65","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"48c40bd0fbea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f322c22d1a05","_type":"span","marks":["strong","d257d57dbb94"],"text":"6. The Importance of a Solid VP Bench — and How It Can Fix the C-Suite Pipeline"},{"_key":"2bcec939c508","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"05b7a50301d1","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With the pandemic forcing millions of women out of the workplace, the broken C-Suite pipeline has become even more strained. That’s why, solidifying a VP bench could be the key to creating a more equitable future at the top."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"d257d57dbb94","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/business-succession-planning"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"03bc993fcdd2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6c1546ce6c9c","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"942dc106c3e4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9195917b52c9","_type":"span","marks":["strong","fa052a309d9a"],"text":"7. 96% of CEOs View DEI as a Priority — Here’s How Measuring These Metrics Can Lead to Better M&A"},{"_key":"64ac00c1fe8f","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"9578906de7ed","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Diversity, equity, and inclusion has become a strategic priority for many business leaders, which is why experts say now is the time for executives to incorporate DEI mandates into the mergers and acquisitions process."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"fa052a309d9a","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/DEI-in-mergers-and-acquisitions"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"524b6919d190","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1144a4b72afc","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f4165992918a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"42c34381e1c0","_type":"span","marks":["strong","c9289e4b3c93"],"text":"8. Does Our New Era of Corporate Empathy Bode Well for Women Leaders?"},{"_key":"c3e71104a6d6","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"da4281329ae4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While expectations of empathetic leadership have long been the Achilles’ heel of women executives, a shift to corporate-driven empathy could provide a much-needed counterbalance to a crisis that has largely impacted women’s advancement."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"c9289e4b3c93","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/corporate-empathy"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"08c84356545f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"13e2bcae9a79","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"654c538b6fac","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"65511265456c","_type":"span","marks":["strong","8a13ba827fa0"],"text":"9. What It Actually Means to Think — and Act — Like a Breadwinner"},{"_key":"56754506173f","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"10930160595a","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Chief Member Jennifer Barrett explains how becoming a breadwinner is less about earning a certain amount of money and more about taking on the mindset."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"8a13ba827fa0","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/how-to-think-like-breadwinner"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a9cc481c6d84","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"528fb5ec616c","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d464aa9b268d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1b1001ddf0d7","_type":"span","marks":["strong","b964fba295f9"],"text":"10. What You Need to Know About the Metaverse — and Why It Matters for Your Bottom Line"},{"_key":"8cd5bbb1b98a","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"293a9cbdb234","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With digital social interactions increasing, and the popularity of cryptocurrencies and NFTs rising, experts say now is the time for executives to start thinking about the importance of the metaverse."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b964fba295f9","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/metaverse-future-of-work"}],"style":"normal"}],"description":"Here’s a look back at our best articles of 2021.","editorialCategory":{"_id":"4cbeb5e8-cb80-4ee0-8687-22d94b75b63b","_type":"category","_rev":"4Btq2at9xXmEtLaIcZ1u0a","_createdAt":"2023-01-24T20:36:37Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T18:18:49Z","description":"Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Learn the keys to building a healthy company culture that attracts and retains top talent.","featuredArticles":{"_type":"featuredArticles","featuredArticle":{"_ref":"-62fa9f71-a1d2-5ccc-ba5b-917e333644d5","_type":"reference"},"firstArticle":{"_ref":"-f3b1a9f1-0a7d-5a0a-ae5c-e9b8eb3fbb85","_type":"reference"},"secondArticle":{"_ref":"-688d93a1-0236-5e92-bc53-6c5b2f07421e","_type":"reference"},"thirdArticle":{"_ref":"-5ad4545a-0ce4-5e00-aaf1-b3c2e35c6cbe","_type":"reference"}},"seo":{"_type":"seoFields","seoDescription":"Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Learn the keys to building a healthy company culture that attracts and retains top talent.","seoMetaTitle":"Company Culture"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"company-culture"},"title":"Company Culture","id":"-07e80ffa-0cee-54e6-a028-c8b1bf46b2a9","children":[],"parent":null},"heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"best of 2021, best articles of 2021, top stories of 2021, top performers, best essays, most read, most popular stories, most viewed articles, a look back, Chief, Chief editorial, business writing, business topics, women in leadership, leadership advice","asset":{"_id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","_rev":"aepHCTFpeo1Z0CjhytolXe","_createdAt":"2023-01-25T19:17:07Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T19:17:07Z","assetId":"ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b","extension":"png","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","blurHash":"M00cDqj@IqayxsoLfQWVfQj[Iqaz%0j[M}","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","aspectRatio":1.910828025477707,"height":628,"width":1200},"hasAlpha":true,"isOpaque":false,"lqip":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAKCAYAAAC0VX7mAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAaUlEQVQokcXRQQuAIAyG4W3O1MQKouj//1C/UDp4C0zo8OLtcWNERPhYbt7SDyDz01fQGEbwihQnrMkhBgsj3A9aKxU69xnXEbEtHqrSDwoTrAq8M/BO6wdl9TcwDwgjr9xOOmzCtrHgDZYzyHbefvgaAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","palette":{"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#565137","foreground":"#fff","population":0.13,"title":"#fff"},"darkVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#1c1c04","foreground":"#fff","population":0,"title":"#fff"},"dominant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#565137","foreground":"#fff","population":0.13,"title":"#fff"},"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#c7c0ab","foreground":"#000","population":0.04,"title":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#cbbf8c","foreground":"#000","population":0.03,"title":"#fff"},"muted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#9f9858","foreground":"#fff","population":0.02,"title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","background":"#79742e","foreground":"#fff","population":0.01,"title":"#fff"}}},"mimeType":"image/png","originalFilename":"temp-placeholder.png","path":"images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png","sha1hash":"ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b","size":6264,"uploadId":"zLuKbDsEVvsVNmAHCoHkHbrgWP7ZePBw","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png","filename":"temp-placeholder.png","width":1200,"height":628,"placeholderUrl":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png?rect=391,0,419,628&w=%width%&h=%height%&q=80","id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","children":[],"parent":null},"attribution":"Photo Credit: Chief"},"metaTitle":"Chief’s Best of 2021: A Look Back at Our Top Performing Articles","publishDate":"2021-12-15","slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"best-articles-of-2021"},"subhead":"A look back at our top-read stories from the year.","supportingContent":[{"_key":"f7e0e3aa2ea6","_type":"nextUpFeatured","article":{"_ref":"6898e932-2c69-4469-8d9d-f2767789bb2b","_type":"reference"},"cta":"Read More","heading":"Next Up"}],"title":"Our Most Popular Articles of 2021","articleRelatedSeries":{"_id":"246e0566-699d-4420-bbe2-b93c4f8e7599","_type":"series","_rev":"aepHCTFpeo1Z0CjhytoTPm","_createdAt":"2023-01-25T19:11:55Z","_updatedAt":"2023-01-25T19:11:55Z","expirationDate":"2023-01-26","heroImage":{"_type":"labelledImage","altText":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","asset":{"_ref":"image-276129676bc793fdaba06ec5038d8d543589656f-1024x617-jpg","_type":"reference"},"attribution":"Photo by Lego","caption":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit"},"publishDate":"2023-01-25","seriesIntroduction":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","seriesSponsorship":{"_type":"seriesSponsorship","sponsorDescription":"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit","sponsorLink":"https://www.lego.com/en-us","sponsorLogo":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-1723a9522b277b54da87d4100c97b2e6eb2efade-225x225-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"lego"},"sponsorName":"Lego","sponsoredText":"Presented by"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"series-test-b"},"sponsorImage":{"_type":"imageWithAlt","asset":{"_ref":"image-1723a9522b277b54da87d4100c97b2e6eb2efade-225x225-png","_type":"reference"},"imageAltTag":"lego"},"title":"Series Test B","id":"-30d5fd1a-ccff-58f7-b9c1-12b0b5454850","children":[],"parent":null},"id":"-62fa9f71-a1d2-5ccc-ba5b-917e333644d5","children":[],"parent":null}}},{"id":"-9b83e4ae-2dd9-5142-a8a2-cc30f23d56bb","title":"Women in the Workplace","hideFromNav":null,"relatedBenefitCta":null,"featuredArticles":null}],"podcastArticles":[{"id":"-1572324e-0fa9-5740-a2ab-559032ee1777","title":"Will Banning Affirmative Action Kill Corporate DEI?","slug":{"current":"the-new-rules-of-business-will-banning-affirmative-action-kill-corporate-dei"},"category":null,"isPodcast":true,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":null,"asset":{"id":"image-cc88f74920a5d28d4f9c92fa7be5adc622397c82-1200x760-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/cc88f74920a5d28d4f9c92fa7be5adc622397c82-1200x760.png"}},"episodeImage":{"imageAltTag":"Affirmative Action DEI Podcast","asset":{"id":"image-6f4902b8e25c1ebb0f746b709f9d4f27f36bb7c1-650x650-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/6f4902b8e25c1ebb0f746b709f9d4f27f36bb7c1-650x650.png"}}},{"id":"-ef21b628-57ee-5468-bf10-1230ac8b2155","title":"Juggling the Demands of Informal Leadership at Work","slug":{"current":"informal-leadership-combatting-employee-burnout"},"category":null,"isPodcast":true,"heroImage":{"caption":"Juggling demands at work","attribution":null,"altText":"Juggling demands at work alt text","asset":{"id":"image-40af2ef54e581d68e9d718ba27edc3a0295e61fb-1920x1104-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/40af2ef54e581d68e9d718ba27edc3a0295e61fb-1920x1104.png"}},"episodeImage":{"imageAltTag":"tete","asset":{"id":"image-76c4c6ed0f6b00101dcd474d749b5e45b0a7d0f6-650x650-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/76c4c6ed0f6b00101dcd474d749b5e45b0a7d0f6-650x650.png"}}},{"id":"-de0cd25f-c02a-5e7b-9dc6-1097693b043b","title":"Can DEI Efforts Succeed in a Hybrid Workplace?","slug":{"current":"the-new-rules-of-business-podcast-minda-harts-frances-frei-anne-morris"},"category":"EXECUTIVE IMPACT","isPodcast":true,"heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":"Chief logo","asset":{"id":"image-ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/ba6a74a5127931f5839989e5a6f60ad73333cb0b-1200x628.png"}},"episodeImage":{"imageAltTag":"DEI Efforts in a Hybrid Workplace | Chief%","asset":{"id":"image-c5a8f4cdd95d52ea13429dc08ff26a55f091ec90-250x243-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/staging/c5a8f4cdd95d52ea13429dc08ff26a55f091ec90-250x243.png"}}}]}},
    "staticQueryHashes": ["1283004308","1456097487","1783121836","3783448019","667690031","772055865","784271801"]}