I was tired of asking my boss for permission to take my kids to doctors. So I became my own boss.

For most of my 20s, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what my career would look like.

I graduated from college with a political science degree, lots of ambition, and very sincere plans to “change the world.” Instead, I ended up working in a small office where I spent a lot less time changing the world and a lot more time looking at Excel.

I liked working, but I never needed my career to be the biggest thing in my life. That became even clearer after I had my first son.

I switched to part-time work

I wanted to keep working and keep that part of my...