Overview

This Wasn't the Plan What Motherhood Taught Me About Work, Worth, and Wanting More She had a vision: Climb the ladder. Make a difference. Live fully. Then came motherhood-and the map no longer matched the terrain. This Wasn't the Plan is a raw, funny, and deeply reflective look at what happens when ambitious women become mothers and everything they thought they wanted starts to shift. Part memoir, part guidebook, part middle-of-the-night pep talk, this is a book for working moms navigating identity, direction, and meaning in the middle of diaper blowouts, leadership meetings, and late-night self-doubt. If you've ever found yourself asking... Who am I now? Is this what I really want... or just what I was chasing before kids? Can I be a good mom and still want more? ...you'll feel seen in these pages. Through vulnerable storytelling and laugh-out-loud real talk, author and entrepreneur Lauren Sanchez shares her journey from high-performing corporate professional to postpartum haze to finding her way back to a life rooted in her values, boundaries, and voice. You'll walk away with: A new definition of success that actually fits the life you're living Practical reflection prompts to reconnect with who you are now Permission to shift, pivot, and dream differently A sense that you're not alone and never really were Whether you're holding a baby, holding it together, or holding space for the next version of yourself, This Wasn't the Plan is your reminder that what feels like falling apart might just be the beginning of something better.

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Reviews

""This book is incredible! I read the entire book, and I wish I would have had something like this for my first few years of motherhood. Then maybe it wouldn't have taken me five years of unsustainable self-sacrifice (and a few years of therapy) before I found the beginning of the path back to myself. I love that it is broken down into small, digestible pieces; perfect for busy moms. I love the raw vulnerability when sharing her stories and lessons learned and how Lauren normalized and reframed ""failure."" I also love the beautiful poems, real talk, and journal prompts... thank you for normalizing anger and resentment; Ch. 7 - this chapter on mom guilt moved me to tears... Ch. 19 evoked raw emotion as I read it; the fairy godmother with 3 wishes only for you - I needed this then, and I need it now. This book is so GOOD!"" - Erin Chupka, Executive Director, Girls Inc. ""The real stories, they were heartbreaking and hilarious. Especially, ""I missed you"". Please take the knife out of my heart!!"" - Elizabeth Jenswold, former Executive Director of HR at JPMorgan Chase & Co and SVP Global Head of People, Corporate Functions at CBRE, and currently Senior HR and Organization Development Consultant, The Human Resources Consortium ""As a man, it also felt like being given a secret key to understanding a world I'm adjacent to but not fully in. The chapter that hit me unexpectedly hard was ""The Myth of Getting Back to Normal."" The Pokémon analogy where she evolved from Charmander to a full-on, fire-breathing Charizard? Genius. It's such a perfect, vivid way to describe that transformation. It's not about losing yourself, but becoming something more powerful, and that's a universal feeling that really landed with me."" - Mike O'Hora, CEO of Semper Mind ""Reading it made me feel less alone & understood! It was so beautifully put into words!! I love that Lauren touched on topics that NO ONE talks about when you have kids - especially the one about how marriages get messy too since you're both learning your new selves!"" - Tiffany Head, Client Delivery Lead at Talent Groups ""I'm not a mom and they still resonate as someone who experienced unexpected change and continues to face new situations that require adaptation and growth"" - Irene Gow, former Physical Therapist at Kaiser Permanente

Author Information

Lauren Sanchez is a writer, leadership coach, entrepreneur, wife, and mom of three based in Dallas, Texas. She helps women navigate the intersection of career, identity, and motherhood with courage and compassion. Her debut book, This Wasn't the Plan, invites working moms to rethink success, rediscover themselves, and find meaning in the middle of real life.

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