Reshma Saujani: Girls Who Code Founder’s Top 9 Tips For Moms

The Visionary Behind the Movement

Reshma Saujani is a name that resonates powerfully across the technology sector, entrepreneurial circles and parenting communities alike. As the pioneering founder of Girls Who Code, a groundbreaking nonprofit organisation dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology, Saujani has transformed how we approach tech education for young women. With her immigrant background and history as a Yale Law graduate who transitioned from a career on Wall Street to becoming a champion for women’s education and workplace equality, Reshma Saujani: Girls Who Code founder offers invaluable wisdom for mothers navigating today’s complex parenting landscape.

Influential tech CEO women like Saujani aren’t just reshaping industries; they’re redefining what parenting can look like in an era where workplace diversity remains a critical challenge. Through her numerous books, memorable TED talk and advocacy work, Reshma Saujani has established herself as both a woman boss role model and a voice for working mothers everywhere.

Today, we’ll explore Reshma Saujani’s top nine pieces of advice for mothers, drawing from her extensive work as an advocate, author and parent. These insights stem from her experiences launching Girls Who Code, writing bestselling books including “Brave, Not Perfect” and “Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work,” and her candid discussions on the My So-Called Midlife podcast.

Reshma Saujani Girls Who Code: The Foundation of Her Philosophy

The creation of Girls Who Code wasn’t merely the establishment of another educational initiative. When Saujani founded the organisation in 2012, she was responding to a profound imbalance she had witnessed firsthand. The stark underrepresentation of women in computer science education and tech careers motivated her to build a movement that has now reached over 450,000 young women. This foundation informs her first three tips for mothers.

Tip 1: Teach Bravery Over Perfection

One of the most resonant Reshma Saujani quotes comes from her viral Reshma Saujani Ted Talk: “We’re raising our girls to be perfect, and we’re raising our boys to be brave.” This observation forms the cornerstone of her advice to mothers.

According to Saujani, many young women grow up with a perfectionistic mindset that can severely limit their willingness to take risks, try new things or venture into fields where they might initially struggle – like coding. The female tech innovators she admires all share one common trait: a willingness to attempt difficult things without the guarantee of success.

For mothers, this means encouraging daughters to pursue activities where failure is not just possible but likely and necessary for growth. It means celebrating the effort and the learning process rather than focusing solely on achievements or results. Reshma Saujani Girls Who Code programmes deliberately incorporate this philosophy into their curriculum, making failure a normal and expected part of the learning process.

This approach doesn’t just benefit girls in tech. The mindset of valuing bravery over perfection can help young women thrive in any area where risk-taking and resilience are required – from sports to public speaking to entrepreneurship.

Tip 2: Model Technology Engagement

Women in technology leadership positions are still too rare, with only 26% of computing jobs held by women as of 2024. Saujani believes this gap begins with the examples children see at home. Mothers who actively engage with technology – whether through coding, digital creation or simply demonstrating curiosity about how things work – send a powerful message to their children about who belongs in tech spaces.

“Many girls never consider tech careers because they’ve internalised the false narrative that technical fields aren’t for them,” Saujani explained in a recent interview. “Mothers who openly learn new technological skills alongside their children break down those harmful stereotypes.”

This doesn’t mean every mother needs to become a programmer. It might mean taking an online course together, exploring how household devices work or simply avoiding self-deprecating language about one’s own technical abilities. The goal is to normalise the presence of women in computing careers for the next generation.

Reshma Saujani Girls Who Code initiatives often feature mother-daughter participation components, recognising that parental engagement significantly increases the likelihood that girls will pursue technical subjects long-term. Through these efforts, both generations develop greater technological confidence.

Tip 3: Build Community Support Systems

The path to addressing the gender gap in technology isn’t one that individuals should walk alone. In the Reshma Saujani books she has authored, particularly “Pay Up,” she emphasises the critical importance of community for working mothers.

“We’ve been sold this myth of individual achievement – that if we just work hard enough or are organised enough, we can do it all,” Saujani says. “But the truth is, we need robust community support systems and policy changes to make working motherhood truly sustainable.”

For mothers, this means being deliberate about cultivating networks of support. This could include formalised childcare co-ops, neighbourhood meal exchanges or simply friendships with other parents who can provide emotional support and practical assistance. Women supporting women becomes not just a slogan but a survival strategy.

The New York Times bestselling author frequently discusses how women in tech face unique challenges that require particular forms of community support. Technical fields often demand continuous learning and adaptation, which is especially difficult without a support network that understands these pressures.

Balancing Career and Family: Reshma’s Next Three Tips

As someone who has navigated high-pressure career environments while advocating for family-friendly policies, Saujani offers particularly relevant advice for mothers balancing professional ambitions with family responsibilities.

Tip 4: Reject the Myth of Work-Life Balance

In the widely-viewed Reshma Saujani commencement speech at Scripps College, Saujani challenged the graduating class to reject the misleading concept of perfect work-life balance. This advice extends especially to mothers.

“The idea that we can perfectly balance career and family at all times is not just unrealistic; it’s harmful,” she stated. “It sets women up for feelings of inadequacy when the messy reality of life inevitably fails to match this pristine ideal.”

Instead, Saujani advocates for a more fluid understanding of how work and family intersect. Some days, work will demand more attention. Other days, family needs will take precedence. The key is developing the discernment to recognise which area needs focus at any given time and the flexibility to adjust accordingly.

This perspective is particularly relevant for women in STEM fields, where project deadlines and technical challenges can create unpredictable workflows. Reshma Saujani Girls Who Code programmes often include discussions about career planning that acknowledge these realities, preparing young women for the actual challenges of technical careers rather than idealised versions.

Tip 5: Advocate for Structural Changes

While individual adaptation is necessary, Saujani is clear that mothers shouldn’t bear the entire burden of making work and family compatible. Through initiatives like the Marshall Plan for Moms, she advocates for policy changes that would make working motherhood more sustainable.

“Personal strategies are important, but they can only take us so far,” says Saujani. “We need paid family leave, affordable childcare and flexible work arrangements to become standard, not exceptional benefits.”

For individual mothers, this means being willing to advocate for better policies within their workplaces and supporting broader political movements for family-friendly legislation. It might mean discussing salary transparency with colleagues, requesting flexible arrangements or supporting candidates who prioritise family-friendly policies.

Female pioneers in technology have often led the way in creating more humane workplace policies. When women in computer science reach positions of influence, they frequently implement changes that benefit all parents – particularly mothers who still shoulder a disproportionate share of domestic responsibilities.

Tip 6: Confront Imposter Syndrome Head-On

Imposter syndrome – the persistent feeling of being a fraud despite evidence of competence – affects many high-achieving women, particularly in male-dominated fields. In her Reshma Saujani speech at the Women in the World Summit, she addressed this phenomenon directly.

“Many of the most accomplished women I know secretly worry they don’t belong in the rooms they’ve worked so hard to enter,” she noted. “This is especially true for mothers returning to work after having children, who may feel they’ve fallen behind or lost their edge.”

Saujani’s advice is straightforward: acknowledge these feelings rather than attempting to suppress them, share them with trusted colleagues and collect evidence that contradicts these negative self-assessments. Creating a document of accomplishments, positive feedback and successful outcomes can provide concrete counters to the voice of self-doubt.

For many female tech leaders, imposter syndrome has been an ongoing battle throughout their careers. By naming and normalising these feelings, Reshma Saujani Girls Who Code programmes help prepare young women for the psychological challenges they may face in addition to the technical ones.

Personal Growth and Activism: Reshma’s Final Three Tips

The final three pieces of advice from Saujani focus on personal development and creating broader change – areas where she has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness throughout her career.

Tip 7: Turn Personal Challenges into Systemic Solutions

When Saujani experienced the inadequacies of America’s maternity leave policies firsthand, she didn’t just cope privately – she launched a movement. Her Marshall Plan for Moms initiative emerged directly from her personal frustrations with the lack of support for working mothers.

“The most powerful advocacy often comes from lived experience,” Saujani explains. “When you encounter a problem that affects you as a mother, consider whether it might be a systemic issue requiring a collective solution.”

This approach reflects Saujani’s background as an attorney and policy advocate before becoming known for her work in technology education. Her legal training taught her to look for patterns and precedents – skills she now applies to issues affecting working mothers.

For mothers who may not have the platform to launch national movements, this might mean starting smaller: organising parents at a local school, creating support groups for working mothers in specific industries or simply documenting and sharing experiences to help others feel less alone.

Women in technology are particularly well-positioned to create technical solutions to problems they experience. Many apps and platforms addressing childcare coordination, breast milk delivery and other parenting challenges have been created by mothers who encountered these problems personally.

Tip 8: Invest in Your Own Technical Literacy

While much of Saujani’s work focuses on the next generation, she emphasises that it’s never too late for mothers themselves to develop technical skills. As technology increasingly shapes every industry, technical literacy becomes valuable regardless of one’s primary field.

“Understanding the basics of how technology works is becoming as fundamental as knowing how to read,” Saujani argues. “For mothers, staying technically literate allows you to guide your children more effectively and remain competitive professionally.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a programmer. It might mean taking online courses in data analysis, learning to use industry-specific software more effectively or simply following tech news relevant to your field. The goal is to maintain familiarity with technological developments rather than allowing a knowledge gap to develop.

Women who changed tech world often began with small steps into technical education that gradually expanded. Reshma Saujani Girls Who Code has begun offering programmes specifically for adult women returning to the workforce or seeking to transition into technical roles, recognising that technical education shouldn’t be limited to the young.

Tip 9: Redefine Success on Your Own Terms

Perhaps Saujani’s most personal advice comes from her own journey of redefining success. After unsuccessful political campaigns and career pivots, she has spoken openly about learning to measure achievement differently.

“Society offers very narrow definitions of success, particularly for women,” she observes. “We’re told to pursue specific career trajectories, parent in particular ways and maintain certain appearances – often simultaneously and perfectly.”

For mothers, this means consciously examining inherited definitions of success and determining which actually align with personal values. It might mean prioritising impact over prestige, flexibility over advancement or time with family over financial rewards at certain life stages.

Women’s empowerment, in Saujani’s view, means having the confidence to chart one’s own course rather than following prescribed paths. This perspective is particularly valuable for mothers navigating the often-conflicting expectations placed on them professionally and personally.

The empowerment of women in technical fields relies on this willingness to define success individually rather than accepting external metrics that may reflect male career patterns or workplaces designed without caregiving responsibilities in mind.

Conclusion: The Broader Impact of Reshma’s Work

What’s particularly valuable about Saujani’s advice is that it operates at multiple levels simultaneously: she offers practical strategies for individual mothers while also working toward the structural changes that would make those strategies less necessary.

If you’re curious about the Reshma Saujani net worth question that often comes up, it’s worth noting that her focus has consistently been on creating value for others rather than personal wealth accumulation so a concrete figure of her fortune is not available. Many people wonder who is Reshma Saujani husband? The answer is Nihal Mehta, is himself a tech entrepreneur and investor who shares her commitment to creating positive social impact through technology.

Through Girls Who Code, her books, speaking engagements and policy initiatives, Saujani has created a comprehensive approach to addressing gender disparities in technology and the workplace more broadly. Her advice for mothers reflects this holistic perspective, acknowledging both personal agency and structural constraints.

For mothers navigating the complex landscape of modern parenting, career development and technical engagement, Saujani’s experiences offer valuable guidance. Whether you’re a mother in technology, a mother raising children who may enter technical fields or simply someone interested in creating more equitable workplaces, her insights provide thoughtful direction.

The work of increasing women’s contributions to technology continues, and mothers play a crucial role both as participants and as those raising the next generation. By applying Saujani’s advice, we can all contribute to creating environments where technical talent can flourish regardless of gender – and where motherhood and professional achievement are no longer seen as conflicting paths.

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of Reshma Saujani’s message is that individual success and collective progress are deeply intertwined. As she noted in her book “Brave, Not Perfect,” “When women become brave enough to pursue their own definitions of success, they create space for other women to do the same.” For mothers navigating today’s complex landscape, that might be the most valuable insight of all.