The Unseen Leadership of Moms: A Tribute to My Wife and Mothers Everywhere
Honoring the Women Who Lead — At Home and Beyond
Mother’s Day is more than a calendar date. It’s a reminder of the quiet leadership that mothers show every single day — the kind that rarely makes headlines but shapes lives in the most profound ways.
This year, I’m thinking about the incredible women who not only keep families together but also pursue their own careers, passions, and ambitions. One of those women I want to take a moment to honor is my wife, Dr. Sheryl Ziegler.
Sheryl has spent her career helping families navigate the challenges of parenting, and this week, she launched her latest book: The Crucial Years: The Essential Guide to Mental Health and Modern Puberty in Middle Childhood (Ages 6-12). It’s a book she wrote out of a deep commitment to supporting parents and caregivers through one of the most misunderstood and perhaps the most important phase of childhood.
I’ve seen Sheryl balance so many roles — a trusted therapist, an author, a speaker, and most importantly, an incredible mom to our three kids. I have watched her take late-night calls from worried parents, guide them through crises, and then turn around to help our own children with their own questions, worries, and dreams.
A Tribute to Working Moms
What I admire most about Sheryl — and about so many mothers I know — is her ability to lead with both strength and compassion. Whether they are running companies, leading teams, managing households, or (like Sheryl) writing books that help others, moms take on an impossible number of roles with grace.
However too often, their work goes unnoticed. We take for granted the endless support, the quiet resilience, and the invisible labor that keeps everything running. This Mother’s Day, I want to change that — even in a small way — by recognizing just how much they do.
The Crucial Years
If you are a parent, educator, or just someone who knows a family navigating the middle childhood years, I hope you will consider picking up a copy of Sheryl’s new book.
Click here to order The Crucial Years. Order by May 10, and you will get access to an exclusive replay of her live parenting webinar.
The Wall Street Journal featured an excerpt of her book in this article, Why Your 8-Year Old is Acting Like a Moody Teen – and What to Do About It.
Also, subscribe to her Substack for daily updates.
Meet Her In-Person
Join us at her Book Signing event at The Tattered Cover at Aspen Grove in Littleton, CO on May 10th from 5:30 - 7 pm. She will be interviewed by Sam Schacher of The Daily Beast and Channel 9 News.
Join us as Z3Talent's guest at Clayton Early Learning's event on May 20th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm, where Sheryl will be the keynote speaker.
To all the mothers who lead at home, at work, and in their communities — THANK YOU! A special thank you to Sheryl for being a constant example of leadership, love, and resilience in our family.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Steve Ziegler