We headed for the heights of Lausanne, to Pully, where we met Laurence and her three daughters. This involved and attentive mother brilliantly manages to reconcile her professional life (she's a 100% lawyer) with her personal life. Find out how in the interview below. Great reading.

Laurence, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
I'm 41 years old, French, and Swiss at heart since 2003. I'm married and the proud mother of 3 little girls! I studied in France and started my career as a lawyer in Paris, then Mulhouse, before returning to study in Geneva to enter the Swiss job market more easily. After Basel and Lausanne, we had a wonderful 3-year experience in China. Back in Switzerland, I now work as a lawyer in Lausanne.

When the girls were little, how did you reconcile your professional and personal lives?
We always opted for shared childcare. For us, it was an excellent compromise, combining on the one hand a certain socialization for the children, as well as the necessary adaptation to the routine of another family every other week, and on the other, a certain comfort for us parents, not to be totally constrained by nursery hours. We've always been lucky enough to find great families and very professional, flexible nannies. In fact, I've been able to go back to work with complete confidence after each birth.

And now?
With three children, shared childcare became more complex. So we recruited someone to look after the girls and help with housekeeping, adapting the hours as the children became more independent. This help is invaluable; it's the cornerstone of our organization. To keep track of the older children's schedules, our ally is definitely WhatsApp, so that we can maintain very close communication and always be informed (or even authorized!) of changes and adaptations to the schedule.

Do you feel you've found your balance? Do you feel fulfilled?
I always wanted to have three children, so naturally I've found my balance, and I'm very grateful to have been able to receive these three beautiful gifts. My husband has always encouraged me a lot to work, and I've had to reinvent myself a few times during our expatriations, but these have all been extremely positive experiences that have always enriched me, and now I'm delighted to be where I am, fulfilled at home and in the office.

Do you have any advice for young mothers?
Learn from your children.

What do you do in your spare time, if you have any?
Free time... yes, I do... sometimes! I love visiting exhibitions, seeing ballets, decorating. I walk and do Pilates, and the ultimate luxury... drink coffee with a friend.

What's your favorite family activity?
Traveling.

If you had to define motherhood in 1 word?
Questioning. 

What fundamental values would you like to instill in girls, and how should they be educated?
The transmission of values is the most important legacy we can leave our children. Respect for others, commitment, non-judgment, gratitude and the value of hard work are key values for building an open, balanced personality.

We work on our educational model a little each day, depending on the children's personalities. I'm always very humbled by questions about education, because it's not always easy to respect the great principles we think we've set ourselves. Positive discipline seems to me the most promising educational reference and the one we're moving towards, but it's not always easy. Education by example is also something we hold dear. If we ask our children to commit themselves or to be generous, we have to commit ourselves to doing so.

Which women do you find inspiring?
There are so many to choose from, if you have to choose between personalities, I greatly admire Carla Del Ponte, the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, a brilliant woman who sacrificed much of her personal life for international justice. And, of course, Simone Veil for her intelligent feminism, based on an appreciation of the differences between the sexes.

 

"My demand as a woman is that my difference be taken into account, that I not be forced to adapt to the male model."

 

And of course Florence Foresti, who never takes herself completely too seriously, and finally Delphine, Catherine and Caroline, two dear friends and my sister, who manage magnificent careers while being super-moms.   

Laurence, what can we wish you today for tomorrow?
Healthy children and husband, and always so much optimism!