Motherhood didn't make me less ambitious. It sharpened my focus and made me more intentional about the work I take on.

The author says she became more intentional about work after becoming a mother. ingwervanille/Getty Images Becoming a mother didn't diminish my ambition — it sharpened it.

With limited time and costly childcare, I became far more selective about the work I take on.

Motherhood forced me to define what truly matters in my career, and pursue it with focus.

Before I became a mother , I thought ambition meant saying yes.

Yes to another assignment, even if the pay was mediocre.

Yes to the meeting that probably could have been an email.

Yes to the opportunity that sounded impressive, even when it wasn't especially interesting.

I wanted the byline, the invitation, the proof that I was moving forward.

My calendar was full, and I rarely stopped to ask whether the work itself was worth my time.

Then, in the terrifying early days of the pandemic, I became a mother.

Everything felt frightening and surreal.

I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and suddenly responsible for keeping a tiny human alive during a global emergency.

The competent, confident version of myself I had known — the writer who interviewed people, met deadlines, and understood how to navigate her professional world — felt very far away.

A few weeks into motherhood, I received a freelance assignment from a brand that sold one of my favorite cheeses.