I graduated from UC Berkeley with a job lined up, but I was quickly laid off. I found my next job by cold emailing.

Tech Insider : Business
Monique Evdokiou in her graduation gown on UC Berkeley's campus
The author was laid off from her first job after college.

Courtesy of Monique Evdokiou

I live in a van full-time without a remote job. There are challenges, but I've found sustainable ways to fund my lifestyle.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business, Environment
The writer sitting on the roof of their van, with a blue sky in the background.
I've been living in a van and doing gig work for about two years now.

Koi Reid

I've been taking each of my 3 kids on solo dates for nearly a decade. It's one of my favorite traditions.

Tech Insider : Business
Mom and child
The author takes her kids on solo dates to connect with them.

Courtesy of the author

My teenage son is against AI, but I use it every day at my corporate job. It's made for difficult conversations at home.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Technology
Two smiling people pose for a selfie beside a window in a passenger cabin.
The author (right) and her son (left) disagree on AI.

Courtesy of Crystal Hoshaw

My kids don't want to hear about my successes, but they absolutely love hearing about my failures

Tech Insider : Business
a mom sitting on a rock with her son
The author (not pictured) tells her sons about her failures.

Maskot/Getty Images/Maskot

I quit my job and started over as an unpaid intern at 31. I was the oldest person in the room, but it led to my dream job.

Tech Insider : Business
Jackie Garcia-Morales golding a book and reading it in front of her bookcase
The author pivoted her career by taking an unpaid internship in her 30s.

Courtesy of Jackie Garcia-Morales

When my grandmother died, we didn't know the story behind her jewelry. I took time to preserve the memories behind mine for my kids.

Tech Insider : Business
the author smiling and wearing a pineapple necklace
The author recently organized all her jewelry to preserve family memories. Here, she's wearing a pineapple necklace her mom got her in Hawaii.

Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel

We raised our daughter in China and Cambodia. Now she's not sure she wants to leave Los Angeles.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Family posing for photo
The author's family moved to China and Cambodia for four years.

Courtesy of the author

My mom died 6 weeks after my son was born. Losing the woman I wanted to talk to the most reshaped motherhood for me.

Tech Insider : Business
The author with her mother in a garden.
The author, shown with her mother, said that she still has the urge to call her mom from time to time.

Courtesy of Frankie Samah.

We take turns hosting kids-only dinners with our neighbors. It gave my kids the closest thing to an extended family they've had.

Tech Insider : Business
Kids having dinner
The author and her neighbors take turns hosting kid-only meals.

Courtesy of the author

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