THE FINE LINE | with Leah Melby Clinton
The Fine Line | with LEAH MELBY CLINTON
Writer, editor, and community builder, Leah Melby Clinton has dedicated her career to crafting meaningful narratives for women — whether through journalism or simply fostering genuine connection. As the founder of Diana, a private membership community designed to cultivate creativity, support, and authentic relationships amongst women, and In Kind, a print magazine and newsletter celebrating conscious content around motherhood, personal style, career, and intentional living, Leah creates spaces where women can share, reflect, and grow.
Her work delves into the intersection of identity, ambition, and balance — especially in motherhood. She explores how becoming a mother has reshaped her perspective, the realities of working parenthood, and the trust it takes to let things unfold.
Leah’s journey mirrors the essence of The Fine Line — navigating the push and pull of career, creativity, and personal fulfillment. Through her experiences, she offers insight into embracing professional ambition while honoring life’s inevitable shifts, proving that success isn’t about doing it all, but about doing what matters most.
How has becoming a mother positively affected your career?
When you have children, you can suddenly easily understand what your most important, ‘it-comes-first’ job is: Raising good future citizens and keeping tiny people healthy, happy, and safe.
For people who are passionate and driven about work, it can be so easy to let it consume all your energy and attention — it's easy to separate it from how you look at the world or where your energy is focused and consumed. Children force your hand in a way. It's an easier turn-off switch, this thing that makes it simple to remember, “You know, that frustrating thing at work, or roadblock I haven't been able to work through — it just doesn't matter that much in the grand scheme of things. My life in total — this, these people, and the work I need to put into life with them, is what truly matters.”
What advice do you have for working moms?
Never forget that it always gets done somehow.
It can be easy to stress over huge to-do lists and wondering how it'll all work out. We take work home and crack open the laptop after bedtime, worried that we'll never find the time we need… but it all happens, right?
Mothers are amazing multi-taskers and so, so efficient at cutting away things that aren't mandatory to really focus on the ‘musts.’ Never forget that. Call it quits at 6pm, don't spend a few hours working on the weekend, and just watch — I promise you, the projects will still happen and the deliverables will get delivered.
I will never forget a fantastic conversation I had with the amazing Aya Kanai before I had children. She mused on that exact fact: Thinking she was so busy before kids, but then having her daughter and realizing the same amount of work that somehow consumed 12 hours before, suddenly could get done in eight.
fOLLOW ALONG
Follow Leah at @leahmelbyclinton.
Follow In Kind Magazine at @inkindmag.
Follow Diana at @join.diana.
Follow Brigade Events and stay tuned for the next iteration of The Fine Line at @brigadeevents.
We’d be honored to include you — or a woman you admire — in this series. If you or someone you know has a story to share, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at carly@ingoodcompanypr.com. Together, we can uplift, support, and redefine leadership for the next generation.
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