From Chasing Titles to Choosing Time: My Shift from Girl Boss to No Boss

I used to chase opening bell rings. Now I chase presence. Lunches packed with intention. Conversations at 3 p.m. sharp. And the sound of my son grabbing the car keys to head to the gym or meet friends. We're living a life I built through every bold, and strategic choice.

When I left Wall Street, it wasn’t just about career transition. It was survival and redefinition. I was already doing the hardest job of my life: raising a son on my own. Divorced since he was two years old, I didn’t just step into motherhood, I stepped into everything: provider, nurturer, protector, and architect of a future that had to work on my terms.

The recent New York Times article "From Girl Boss to No Boss" on the evolution of women’s ambition brought it all back. We were raised on “Girl Boss” energy and Lean In narratives, told to climb harder and blend into boardrooms. But that version of ambition didn’t leave space for single moms without safety nets. It didn’t account for building empires between nap times, client calls during homework, or rebuilding life from scratch with a toddler in tow.

I chose a different path...not out of luxury, but out of necessity.

I built businesses from my kitchen table. I scheduled client calls around bedtime. And I made a non-negotiable promise to myself: I will create memories and not miss a special moment with my son.

Ask my son and he’ll tell you I’ve been too involved. And I wear that with pride.

Today, my son begins his senior year of high school. I feel the shift again. Empty nesting is approaching. But I’m not grieving. I’m grateful. I didn’t miss a thing. We’re gearing up for campus visits and soaking in every senior year milestone. And through it all, I’m proud that the life I built had him beside me every step of the way.

Cash has been part of the build. He would book nail appointments, take payments, ride along to buy supplies, and practice his math by doing payroll with me. He’d pitch me marketing ideas over dinner, and now he shows up to my speaking engagements as my social media manager, gives me content ideas, segments my email lists, talks me off the ledge when I want to give up, and even offers advice on managing my team. He constantly shares his own business ideas with me. His ideas push my vision forward. Recently, I was presented with an opportunity to shape the future of business growth and community development on a scale I’ve never done before. I had doubts, but he looked at me and said, “No, Mom, you have to. This is you and everything you love to do. You can do something really great that helps a lot of people”. In that moment, I realized the roles had shifted: I’ve been mentoring him his whole life, and now he mentors me right back.

That belief in blending ambition with connection is what inspired PWRHAUS Golf Society, a national movement I founded so women could stop choosing between business and connection. Golf became more than a game for me. It became the space where I could be all of me.

Through PWRHAUS Golf Society, I remind women: you don’t have to divide yourself to succeed. I can grow my business, play a round of golf with my son, and spark meaningful conversations that turn into deals doing something I'm passionate about. That’s real power. That’s the kind of ambition no headline ever taught me to want but I created anyway.

And here’s the thing, after scaling and selling businesses of my own, I know exactly what keeps women founders up at night.

That’s why I created Style Your Business™, a digital framework that gives female entrepreneurs the clarity, strategy, and support to grow with intention and exit with power. Whether you're building for legacy, freedom, or financial independence my mission is to help you align your purpose, profits, and presence so you never have to sacrifice what matters most.

Because we don't just need more women in business. We need more women building businesses that work for their lives, not against them.

This isn’t a soft life. It’s a strong one.

To every woman navigating business, motherhood, or solo parenting: You’re not behind. You’re building something sacred.

Warmly,

Michelle Caba