Throughout her years as a working mother climbing the corporate ladder, Farida Mercedes tried to be home for dinner with her kids. But until recently, she never imagined staying home full time.
“I respect stay-at-home moms. But it wasn’t part of my DNA,” said Mercedes, who spent almost two decades working for the cosmetics company, L’Oreal. “I love the hustle. I love being hungry and passionate. And I love my children. But I just couldn’t see myself out of that.”
That changed with the pandemic. Work became more stressful when L’Oreal’s sales dropped. Mercedes — an assistant vice president of human relations — had to lay people off.
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