The Unlock of Motherhood
When her home life was upended in her mid-30s with three infants, Jolen hit a wall that completely transformed her leadership style. Until that point, her career had relied on pure individual effort, intense drive, and a refusal to delegate. But the sheer volume of managing three young children forced her to rewrite her own playbook.
"My individual effort to sort of drive and enable my team was no longer enough. I was forced to delegate. I was forced to rely on others. I was forced to make sure I hired people who were better than me so that they could be their best. And that really was an unlock for me in my career."
During this intense part of life, advice from her mother—who had worked continuously while raising her own family—offered a helpful guiding principle: focus on being present for the specific moments that matter most. Her mother reminded her that young children have simple needs and will not remember every minor absence. Jolen applied that prioritization to her corporate world, learning to focus entirely on high-impact work while intentionally letting go of the rest.