For the many mothers out there who are Inner Circle readers, happy Mother’s Day. Here’s my special message to you: You’re doing a great job, and your kids will turn out just fine despite the hours you spend away from them. Truly.

While I’ll be celebrating with my husband, two kids and own mother this Sunday, Mother’s Day was on my mind Monday as I attend the 2017 Outstanding Mother Awards in New York City. This year’s honorees were Jane Hertzmark Hudis, group president, The Estée Lauder Companies; Kate Oldham, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of beauty, lingerie and swim, Saks Fifth Avenue; Judy Schmeling, president, Cornerstone Brands and chief operating officer, HSN Inc.; and Kendra Scott, founder and CEO, Kendra Scott LLC.

The honorees were selected by the National Mother’s Day Committee, an entity of the Father’s Day/Mother’s Day Council that exists to confer “Outstanding Mother” honors on contemporary lifestyle leaders of society. The Council, a nonprofit, all volunteer, noncommercial organization, donates funds raised from presentations of its annual awards to meaningful family-related philanthropies dealing with issues affecting mothers, fathers and family. This year’s event raised $600,000, with proceeds benefiting Save the Children’s U.S. programs.

All of the honorees shared touching stories with the audience. Hudis, for example, the first stepmom to be awarded the honor in 39 years, said she “never thought of myself as a stepmother. I always thought of myself as a mother.” Hudis said she met her husband Cliff when the boys were seven and five. “When I married Cliff, the joke was that Sam and Isaac were my gift with purchase,” adding that families “are about love and acceptance. They’re about doing the things that count and not counting it.”

Oldham, a single mother, joked about some mishaps that occurred over the years raising her 20-year-old son as a single mom. For example, she recalled lighting a candle and her son’s pajamas at the same time. “The mother of the year isn’t the mother of every year,” she said. “Even the best moms have messed up on some occasions. We do the best we can with what we’ve got and we hope for the best.” Oldham thanked Saks Fifth Avenue for embracing her single motherhood. “Being a single mom is tough, but I had bosses and leaders who let me be the best mom I wanted to be.”

Schmeling said when it comes to managing her career and family, it’s not a balancing act at all. “Family comes first no matter what,” she said. When asked to describe herself, adjectives such as serious, hardworking and dramatic came to mind. But when her boys were asked the same question, they offered “caring, supportive, passionate and inspirational.” “Tears sprang to my eyes,” said Schmeling.

Scott, who employs 2,000 people, 98 percent of which are women, said there’s one woman in the room who deserves this award more than her, and that’s her mother, Janet Ricks. “She’s what strength looks like,” said Scott. “You showed me unconditional love and that anything is possible, no matter where you come from.”

See below for a video featuring the Outstanding Mother honorees, in which they discuss how they achieve work/life balance. I left the event so inspired! Also, if you’re looking for presentations from our Women in Retail Leadership Summit, look no further! Click here to download the presentations.

Melissa Campanelli
Co-Founder
Women in Retail Leadership Circle