Editorials

Jun 13, 2023

Reflecting on What It Takes to Successfully Parent and Lobby

Author: Brook S. Appleton

Corrected from June 12, 2023: we mistakenly listed former Senator Heidi Heitkamp as having represented Nebraska in the Senate when, in fact, she represented North Dakota. We regret the error.   I am happy to be back writing Ears in Washington after spending the last several months away on maternity leave. While I’ve missed the office, the team and policy work, I was thankful to have the time at home with our newest son Henry and his big brother Daniel. But over the last several months I had a lot of time to reflect on many things, and I realized I can use some of the same skills I have developed as an advocate to navigate the challenges that come with parenting. In fact, there are a lot of similarities between my two professions: mothering and lobbying. Not just Me, We In both cases, success depends on building wide support and sometimes joining forces with unlikely allies. Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), speaking last summer at Corn Congress, gave some great advice on...

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