MOM LIFE
Meet Laicie Heeley
BY PJ FEINSTEIN
What do you love
about the work you do?
I spent a big part of my career working for
think tanks, with a creative outlet on the
side. My husband and I have a photography
business, and for a long time we kept up a
lifestyle blog. At the same time, I was always
looking for ways to inject some of that cre-
ativity into my day-to-day work.

Inkstick is the result of that pursuit. I
founded the media outlet in an effort to
humanize and diversify the field of foreign
policy — a new approach for a new gen-
eration of folks like me who aren’t satis-
fied with the status quo. Today, the outlet
includes an online foreign policy magazine,
a podcast called “Things That Go Boom”
and a weekly newsletter in partnership
with “The World.”
What do you love about
being a mom?
OCCUPATION: Founder/CEO
of Inkstick Media
LIVES: New
Market, MD
SPOUSE: Mark
CHILDREN :
Austin, 13; Arlo, 4;
and Ames, 1
I love my job, but I never really felt whole
until I had kids. That sounds so cheesy to
say, but it’s true. Being a mom isn’t easy, but
it’s the greatest gift.

the load, and then some. I don’t know how
I’d do any of it without him.

How do you take care of your
mental and physical health?
Running has always been my outlet. I fell out
of it a bit during pregnancy, but getting back
in the swing has been so good for my head.

This year I ran my third marathon, and I’m
working on training for my first 50k.

What’s something your family
loves to do together?
A year or so ago we decided to start a Sat-
urday morning breakfast tradition. It’s the
best. Every Saturday we set the table, make
something fancy and sit down together in
the dining room. (Instead of at the breakfast
table, where we find ourselves most often.)
It’s my favorite part of the week.

What do you love about
raising kids in the D.C. area?
I feel so fortunate to be raising my kids just
down the road from the nation’s capital —
with so much history and so many great
resources at our fingertips. I grew up in a
What do you find challenging small town in Oregon. It’s a beautiful place,
and I miss it all the time, but I didn’t have
about raising kids?
Ha ha, so much. Right now one of my big- the same opportunities they have here.

gest challenges is that I work from home. I
feel so lucky to be able to do it, especially What are 5 things
since the littlest is still nursing, but working you can’t live without?
upstairs while the kids play downstairs can Hmm, like 5 material things? Well, I just dis-
be tough. You have to fight the urge to come covered Drunk Elephant and eyebrow tint-
running every time someone has a break- ing, and my whole beauty brain has basically
down or bumps an elbow and trust that their exploded. Beyond that I think I could live
caregiver has it under control. When you’re on coffee and dried mango. And my running
out of the house, you’re just much more shoes, definitely my running shoes.

removed. I’m working on creating better
boundaries between the office and the play- What would you do if you
room (and trying hard not to have too many had 1 hour without any
of these moments when I’m on the phone).

responsibilities? We’re looking for local parents
who are juggling multiple
priorities, including work, passion
projects or hobbies, to feature in
our new Mom/Dad Life column.

Send your nominations to
editor@washingtonfamily.com. What makes juggling
motherhood and your career
a little bit easier?
Read a totally frivolous and beautiful book
that has nothing to do with my work ... that
would be a dream. T
My husband. Full stop. He’s a true partner in Read our extended interview with Laicie Heeley
crime who never fails to take on his share of at washingtonfamily.com.

54 Washington FAMILY FEBRUARY 2020



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