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Rebecca Minkoff shares the parenting advice she had to learn the hard way

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Work-life balance is a myth that working parents should stop chasing, Rebecca Minkoff told Business Insider.

“I don’t believe in balance,” the fashion designer and cofounder of the Female Founder Collective, 45, said, adding: “It does not exist. It’s never existed for men who want to be parents, or women. Period.”

Minkoff, who has four children between the ages of four and 14, said she struggled with trying to do it all while raising her first three kids.

“You’re giving a bath to your baby, and I just remember thinking for the first three kids, ‘Hurry up, go to bed, I need to get back to work, oh my god.’ Just having that feeling in me,” she said.

It was especially hard when she was in “build mode” earlier in her career, trying to scale the fashion brand she owned until 2022. “When I scroll through the photos on my phone, I’m like, ‘Wow, I only see smiles.’ But that felt miserable a lot of the time,” she said.

After the birth of her fourth child in February 2022, Minkoff said her mindset shifted.

“I was like, ‘Guess what happened when I didn’t reply to that email?’ Nothing,” she said. “Guess what happened on the weekend when I didn’t check it? Nothing.”

She wishes she realized sooner that ‘only your babies matter’

After returning from maternity leave, she began restructuring her work and delegating more, which Minkoff said involved reducing her direct reports from 18 to one. “We took a lot of the detail work out of my job and relied on a creative director to do that, which freed me up a lot,” she said.


Rebecca Minkoff, husband, and four kids

Rebecca Minkoff tries to finish work at 5 p.m. to spend time with her family. 

Courtesy of Rebecca Minkoff



Now, Minkoff said she aims to finish work at 5 p.m. to spend time with her family and tries to minimize the amount she travels for work.

Looking back, she said she wishes she’d been given one piece of advice: “I wish someone had sat me down and shaken me and been like, ‘Only your babies matter, focus on them.'”

Minkoff said her advice won’t apply to everyone.

“I don’t do this alone,” she said. “I have an amazing team, an amazing husband, an amazing babysitter, and amazing parents. There’s a machine, and I greatly rely on my team, my cofounder, Ali, for this all to happen.”

But, she said, it’s important for all working parents to set their own boundaries.

“I think you have to put the guardrails up for yourself and not what some other mom is doing,” she said. “Try your best to hold true.”




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I didn’t learn ‘Chinamaxxing’ on TikTok — my Chinese mom taught me. Here are 4 habits I still swear by.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

  • Faye Bradley was born and raised in Hong Kong with a Chinese mom.
  • When she first started seeing “Chinamaxxing” on social media, she felt a surprising sense of pride.
  • Even though these habits are trending now, they’ve been part of her life for years.

When I first saw “Chinamaxxing” on my feed, I was surprised by how happy it made me.

The viral trend — where people share Chinese lifestyle hacks, from wearing red for luck during Lunar New Year to banning outdoor shoes indoors — felt like watching the world embrace the culture I grew up with.

Around the same time, another phrase was everywhere: “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life.” The line went viral after Hong Kong-born stand-up comedian Jimmy O Yang posted a video of himself singing the well-known Chinese song “Yi Jian Mei” on Instagram in November, with those words splashed across the screen. The clip has since drawn more than 6.5 million views.

It was around the same time that New Jersey TikTok creator Sherry Zhu started sharing wellness tips with her “Chinese baddies.”

Summers in Hong Kong get hot, but Bradley’s mom always discouraged cold water.

Proivded by Faye Bradley

Growing up in Hong Kong, I followed these habits long before they had a name. My mom talked constantly about balance: hot versus cold foods, drying your hair before bed, and the little miracles of White Flower Oil.

Watching the internet embrace these traditions made me reflect. Some explanations oversimplify centuries-old practices — feng shui isn’t just moving your desk, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) isn’t just a trendy tea. But the curiosity feels genuine.

Here are four simple things my mom taught me years ago that I still swear by.

1. The herbal ointment is a cure-all


A bottle of White Flower Oil.

Bradley’s mom would use White Flower Oil for aches, pains, and motion sickness; she now does the same.

Provided by Faye Bradley

Growing up, my mom would reach for a tiny bottle of White Flower Oil, a concentrated ointment, whenever my brother or I complained about tummy aches.

A dab of the concentrated herbal ointment — that has a sharp smell that combines menthol, eucalyptus, and a hint of lavender — on my belly, temples, or behind my ears, and relief would follow almost instantly.

Today, I carry a small bottle whenever I travel and keep one at my bedside.

It’s also a staple for motion sickness, muscle aches, or even mild stomach pain.

2. Start every morning with a hot cup of water


An electric kettle and a white mug with warm water.

Hot water helps her with digestion and circulation.

Provided by Faye Bradley

My mom had firm rules about drinks. Hong Kong summers are stifling — often 90 degrees Fahrenheit and humid — yet anything cold in the morning was discouraged.

In TCM, hot water is believed to support digestion and circulation, while cold drinks can “shock” the body and disrupt internal balance.

Switching to hot water first thing in the morning may sound trivial, but it transformed my mornings. My energy feels steadier, my stomach calmer, and I start the day feeling grounded instead of jolted awake.

I used to brush off her advice, but after seeing my friends do the same, I began incorporating it into my routine in my late teens.

To think she was right all along.

3. Never go to bed with wet hair


Woman taking a photo in the mirror at a hair salon.

She avoid going to sleep with wet hair.

Provided by Faye Bradley

“You’ll get sick!” my mom would yell every time I tried to crawl into bed with damp hair.

I used to roll my eyes, but now, decades later, I have to admit she was right. Sleeping with wet hair often leaves me stiff, chilled, and inexplicably irritable — not just uncomfortable, but subtly disruptive to my body’s rhythm and sleep quality.

For me, blow-drying signals closure: a pause at the end of the day and a small act of respect for my body. By keeping warm and dry before bed, I wake up more rested, my muscles looser, and my mind calmer.

4. Don’t underestimate the rice cooker


Black rice cooker plugged in.

Rick cookers can do more than make rice.

Provided by Faye Bradley

I remember heading off to university in the UK and asking my future British flatmates in a group chat whether anyone was bringing a rice cooker. “What’s that?” they replied. “We just boil rice in a pan.” I was stunned. When I moved in, I quickly realized I couldn’t live without one. It makes the rice taste better.

And my rice cooker isn’t just for rice. My mom taught me it’s perfect for complete meals: chicken, vegetables, and rice all in one pot. The magic isn’t just convenience — steaming keeps food tender, flavorful, and healthy, locking in nutrients while reducing oil. It’s practical, too, with fewer pots to scrub.

It’s heartening to see these traditions embraced more widely. For me, they’ve always been simple acts of care; practical, grounding habits shaped by generations before us.




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