Cris Gordon: The New Motherhood: Brave, Honest, Unbound

From losing the plot to rewriting it, Cris Gordon shows how modern mothers can lead, love, and live fully without abandoning their dreams or themselves

There’s a loss of self that comes with being a mother. For children to flourish, it’s almost expected and automatic that a mother sacrifices everything to keep her child alive and thriving-and there’s nothing wrong about that. But there comes a time in a mother’s life when the busyness dies down. She gets three seconds to herself, when she realizes that she doesn’t recognize herself anymore, and wonders, “Who have I become?” 

Accepting Change 

Cris Gordon, a mother of 4 children all under the age of 6, understands that loss of self to a T. Currently the Chief Brand Officer of MMC and the founder of CB Communications, those roles require constant visibility, persuasion, clarity, and a level of mental stamina most people underestimate. Cris works with women undergoing different forms of reinvention.

“Motherhood changes you,” she says plainly. “Whether you’re trying to conceive, going through IVF, adopting, pregnant, or growing your family,  the journey alters you. A lot of women lose themselves temporarily and then try to find their old selves again. I want women to find the new version of themselves and stand in that power. It’s okay to leave behind the woman you once knew. I promise the woman you’re becoming is even better.”

There is something liberating about hearing this from a mother who has carried four babies, survived blurry seasons of newborn chaos, and remained anchored to her ambition. Cris doesn’t glamorize reinvention. She doesn’t pretend mothers simply bounce back. Instead, she treats the transition into motherhood as something sacred, complex, and deeply personal.

“We’re so much more than ‘just’ mothers,” she says. “We can be caregivers and leaders, partners and friends, all at the same time. You just have to figure out what you stand for, and be brave enough to tell that story.”

Except that Cris did something most mothers never permit themselves to do. She rewrote the story. “As soon as I took control of that narrative I had fabricated in my head, I felt so much better,” she says. “And so did my kids.” Now, when she packs her bags, she no longer feels the infamous “mommy guilt.” “We talk about all the adventures I get to go on,” she says.

The Working Mother Story, Revisited and Recharged 

Cris believes anyone who claims parenting does not affect work is lying or in denial. “Being a mom has made me more efficient and intentional with my time,” she says. “I have four babies watching me. They’re not just watching how I succeed; they’re watching what I do when I hit challenges.”

In our society, an ambitious woman is seen as negative. Add “mother” into the mix, and it seems like an oxymoron. Apologizing for being ambitious—or for anything at all—is something Cris considers a typical communication pattern that undermines women’s authority both at work and at home. “Apologizing,” she says. “Women apologize for everything. For being late from work, for needing help, for going against the grain.” This constant apologizing, she believes, keeps women small. 

Her solution: take up space. “Confidence doesn’t look the same for everyone,” she says. “You don’t need to be loud or extroverted. You just need to know who you are and what you stand for. Your goals matter. Your dreams matter.”

The world may not permit women to take up space, but mothers can grant themselves that permission.

Authenticity Over Performative Work 

Cris has built an entire career around visibility, helping women and executives craft their public presence, shape their story, and communicate who they are with clarity. But in a world where social media glamourizes curated perfection, she draws a sharp line between authentic visibility and performative motherhood. “If you follow me, you’ll see the real behind-the-scenes of juggling four kids and a high-powered career,” she says. “I don’t sugarcoat things. I want people to see the chaos and the joy.”

She teaches polish and poise, yet pushes for honesty and humanity. “In an age of social media and AI, where it’s hard to know what’s real or fake, authenticity is essential,” she says. “The world doesn’t need more perfect clones. It needs real stories.” 

Real stories, she insists, are lifelines, especially for moms who feel like they are not doing enough. Her example is simple: a mother nursing in the middle of the night, exhausted and alone. “Imagine that mother scrolling and seeing a story from someone who gets it,” she says. “That moment of connection can make her feel less alone. That’s the power of authenticity.” The future of family, in her eyes, is not a performance but a community of honest, imperfect, evolving people telling the truth about their lives.

What to Do When You “Lose the Plot”

There’s a moment many mothers experience but rarely talk about — the moment they wake up and realize they no longer recognize themselves. Burnout, overstimulation, caregiving fatigue, and emotional overload can make even the strongest women feel unhinged. Cris doesn’t sugarcoat it. “Motherhood is noisy,” she says. “We’re caring for other human beings all the time. It’s easy to lose track of ourselves.” 

Her advice is grounded, almost startling in its simplicity. “Start with journaling and meditation,” she says. “Go inward. Get quiet. Reflect on what you want.” She compares it to the oxygen-mask metaphor—one mothers often hear but rarely take to heart. “You can’t help someone else if you don’t have enough oxygen,” she says. “And you can’t pour from an empty cup. You don’t want to wake up one day with grown children and realize you forgot you were a woman doing life for the first time, too.” It’s a reminder that reinvention is part of being human, as much as motherhood is. 

Agile, Not Fragile 

If there’s anything mothers know, it’s that, yes, consistency is key to parenting, but so is staying agile. There are family values that never change with the times, but there are rules that seemed to make sense back in the day that need to be broken once you’re in the trenches. 

When asked about what rule of motherhood she once believed that turned out to be false, she reveals with a laugh, “No iPads,” she says. “I had so many rules in my head before I became a mom. But really, motherhood is a lived experience. Until you’re in the trenches, you don’t know what will work for your family. My advice is to enter motherhood with an open mind.” In her view, rigidity serves no one. Flexibility, compassion, and a willingness to adapt are the real superpowers of modern mothers.

So what does she let go of to stay sane? “Cooking and cleaning,” she says bluntly. “We can’t do everything all at once.” She chooses to save her limited energy for what matters most. “It’s the time I take with my kids at the end of the day,” she says. “I don’t want to spend their time cleaning or cooking. I want to enjoy my family.” It’s a helpful lesson for mothers who silently expect themselves to do it all. Let things go. Choose what matters. Time is the only resource you can never get back. Use it wisely. 

Finding Your Power Source 

When asked what part of motherhood makes her feel powerful today compared to before she had children, Cris answers without hesitation. “My kids have always been the source of my strength,” she says. “When I look at them, I feel unstoppable. It took me time to get comfortable in my new skin, but now I’m fully embracing this new version of Cris because she has lived and learned and grown.” 

It’s a high-pressure career, yet when she talks about her life, she starts not with her résumé but with gratitude for the partnership that makes it all possible. She says, “I could give you my entire rundown of apps and tools, but the truth is, I couldn’t do any of this without my husband.”

Cris names something rarely acknowledged: for a mother to truly flourish, having a support system is a necessity. “He holds down the fort while I follow my dreams,” she says. “He manages working full-time while caring for the kids and cheering me on. He’s the single most supportive person in my life.” 

This sense of partnership, this shared holding of each other’s dreams, forms the foundation of how Cris sees the future of family. It’s a living, breathing system that adapts, evolves, and grows with its people. And in many ways, it mirrors her message for mothers today, as she says: “Owning their own personal narrative is such an important part of navigating motherhood. The world and society, especially in the U.S., have a lot to say about what moms can and cannot do, how they should be acting, or showing up as a mom, and we must forge our own path.”

The phrase “future of family” often brings images of trends, technologies, and shifting social norms. Cris approaches it differently. “I want us to stop defining what we think a family should be,” she says. “By labeling it, we decide it must look one way or another.” Gender roles, in particular, she considers outdated. “They kept people in a box,” she says. “They were dangerous for women who had dreams. They perpetuated guilt.” 

Her call is simple: Let go of definitions that don’t serve you, the roles that limit you, and the expectations that silence you.  And keep what matters: love, support, reciprocity, courage, and room for everyone to grow. “Family is what you make it,” she says. “Redefine it in a way that works for you.”

A Mother Reborn 

It’s a tale as old as time: A mother striking the elusive work-life balance, hoping to do it all. But there’s something about the future of family. In that case, it’s about how mothers must allow themselves to reclaim their power and be transformed, as many times as they need to.  

And at its best, when a mother stands in her power, the whole family rises with her. And as moms, isn’t that what we all hope for our families? 

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