Tory Burch, 59, says her career success didn’t come at the expense of being a mom — but it did cost her a social life.
Speaking on Tuesday’s episode of the “Aspire with Emma Grede” podcast, the fashion designer said she refused to compromise on family time, even as her company demanded more of her.
“I mean, one thing I would never trade off was being a good mom,” Burch told podcast host Emma Grede. “I never thought I could start a business if that were to have to happen.”
Burch shares three sons with her ex-husband, J. Christopher Burch, with whom she co-founded her namesake label in 2004. The pair divorced in 2006.
“When we got divorced, I was raising my kids a lot on my own. So, it was being at the doctor, going to a lacrosse game,” Burch said.
Drawing from her own experience, Burch said she set out to build a flexible company culture that supports women balancing work and motherhood.
“I have done it, and what I say is that as long as it gets done, I’m not really clocking how it gets done,” Burch said.
She also made a point of leaving work as soon as she could.
“And I used to do that, maybe not at five, but I would be a stickler for being at home,” she said. “I would say, if anything suffered, it was my social life.
She said that was “fine” with her, since motherhood has been the most fulfilling part of her life.
“But I will say, being a mom is the joy of my life. And I often say I’m a survivor of raising three boys, because it’s hard,” she added.
Burch recalled how her sons were like little “torturers” who used to “bully” her, though she was a “tough mom.” Now in their 20s, they sometimes apologize for what they put her through.
Looking back, Burch said she didn’t see it as making sacrifices, but as working around both her personal and professional responsibilities.
“I guess the only thing that was sacrificed is my sleep,” she said. “I still don’t sleep, but I think, you know, for me, I would, you know, get the kids handled and put to bed and then start work.”
It was simply part of the reality of running a company, Burch added. “But at the same time, I will say I can turn it off very easily, too. I have a lot of outside passions.”
Burch isn’t the only high-profile figure to speak about the realities of balancing work and motherhood.
In October, Shonda Rhimes said it was a relief to accept she couldn’t excel at her career and be the perfect mother at the same time.
“It’s never going to happen. You’re never going to feel amazing at both. It’s always going to be a little bit, you know, shaky. So let it be shaky,” she said.
In April, Rebecca Minkoff told Business Insider she doesn’t believe in work-life balance — and said she struggled to do it all while raising her first three children.
“I wish someone had sat me down and shaken me and been like, ‘Only your babies matter, focus on them,'” Minkoff said.
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