This week’s episode features my conversation with Brooke Bentley, mother, author, and former television anchor and award-winning sports reporter, talking about “having it all” and how to manage a busy life and be productive, without feeling overwhelmed.
Having it all–possibility or myth? Brooke Bentley has some thoughts.
I’m excited to share with you my conversation with mother, author, and former sports journalist Brooke Bentley as part of our Productive Living series.
Who is Brooke?
Brooke is a former television anchor and award-winning sports reporter. After graduating with a master’s in journalism from the University of Southern California, she spent two years working for the Houston Texans as a media personality and over a decade working in sports journalism. She recently released her first novel, Sideline Confidential, inspired by her work as a journalist in the NFL. Brooke now devotes her time to championing local nonprofits, including Homemade Hope, where she serves as the development director. She and her husband live in Houston and are raising two young boys.
How Brooke got started
Brooke was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and always loved playing sports growing up. She also loved going to Houston Rockets games, which is where she saw a female sports reporter for the first time. Brooke decided that she would be a sports reporter someday too. She went on to Davidson College, where she played volleyball. She also got her Master’s Degree in Journalism at USC and pursued her dream, despite her fears of being a female in the male-dominated industry of sports. She wasn’t sure there was a place for her. Right out of college though, she did end up getting a job with the Houston Texans, which was both an exciting and humbling experience. Brooke was one of the few females working for an NFL team at the time but she learned a lot about herself and how to navigate tricky situations. Brooke realized that all the experiences she was having would make a great book. She wrote small stories here and there, but writing an entire book was hard to make time for.
Brooke went on to work as a sports anchor and a sports reporter and also had her two children. During this time, she hung on to the dream of writing a book and was able to put in time here and there, but again, it was hard to get any real work done.
In 2020, Brooke left sports reporting and began working in the nonprofit sector. She was no longer in the hectic space of the sports world and had some time to devote to her book. She set goals, disciplined herself, and learned more about productivity. She was able to finish her book, which came out in 2023. Brooke considers writing this book to be the most rewarding part of her career. Brooke wrote this book to share a message; it is very difficult for women to be a part of a male-dominated industry but it is possible to succeed. This book is a combination of Brooke’s personal experiences, as well as those of other women. There is some fun, juicy fiction in there as well.
A typical day for Brooke
Brooke is a morning person and does her best work at the earliest part of the day. She typically gets up before 5:00 am so she can begin writing before her children wake up. After writing for a while, she gets her children up, makes them breakfast, gets their lunches ready, and then takes them to school. She then comes home and continues to write until lunch time. She will use her lunch break to not only eat but to exercise, take a walk, or be involved in the community in some way. She is very involved in the nonprofit organization she and her sister formed, Homemade Hope, which teaches at-risk children how to cook healthy foods. This organization is very important to her and something she is sure to make time for in her day.
Brooke is very much a schedule person, puting commitments in her calendar, phone, and written planner to make sure she stays on track. She also loves lists and planners, using both digital and paper planners. Brooke finds planning, particularly by hand, to be very theraputic.
The biggest challenges to productivity
It’s very hard to get things done when you have young children because you never know what might come up. Brooke’s children are a bit older now so she can be a little more productive, but she has to account for things that might pop up, such as one of her children getting sick.
There is also just not enough time in the day. Brooke has learned to prioritize her time by doing the hardest things first. This way, she doesn’t stew about it and it doesn’t weigh her down. She does these hard things first thing so she can prioritize the remaining things on her to-do list that are less burdonsome. Getting the hard things done first makes the biggest difference in her day and gives her momentum to finish the rest of her to-do list.
Brooke’s career path in the NFL
Brooke started her career in her 20s, getting hired into the NFL industry right out of college. She was not fully prepared to handle being in such a powerful sports league, where she was one of very few women. She started with the Houston Texans and on her very first day, her boss called her in and said that they were concerned with having a female along on the bus and how that may play out. It was suggested she ride in her own bus to separate herself from the players and coaches, as she could be a distraction. This was how unacustomed the industry was to having a female around. Brooke was so grateful and excited for this new role and was not willing to ruin it by objecting. So she started out going to games on her own, but this changed over time as everyone got to know her.
However, this first experience made an impact on Brooke and it became an opening scene in her novel. Brooke worked for the NFL for a few Super Bowls and spoke with other women who had similar expereinces, some worse that her own. The expectation was for women to be smart, but not smarter than the men. Pretty, but not sexy. Brooke’s goal with her book was to not be preachy, but to entertain and also educate on how women are treated in male-dominated fields.
Now, many years later, Brook looks back on this experience wishing she’d had a mentor at the time to guide her and give her advice. She wants to be that mentor for other young women and has had many reach out to her, needing advice in their careers.
Brooke has been surprised by the attention her book and it’s subject matter has brought and is excited to begin writing again at the end of March. She wants to write about the Little League world and all the little behind the scenes dramas (something she has a lot of experience witnessing).
The pressure to have it all
Brooke has also written an essay for the online publication, Mother, where she wrote about the pressure to have it all. One of the things she talked about was making the choice to take a sabatical from her television career while her children were young. At this point in her life, her goal was to be a present mom and wife, but was also managing a busy career. She didn’t feel like she was doing a good job in any of the roles and decided to step back from her career. She had different priorities right now and her family was number one. It wasn’t an easy decision to make but she was at peace with what she needed to do.
Brooke achknowledges that some women are able to have it all, manage their family and career without missing a beat, but it’s very hard and involves lots of sacrifices.
The first year after Brooke had stepped away from her career, it was difficult to see her peers on TV and advancing in their careers. She would have a bit of remorse but knew she was doing the right thing for her family.
Around this time, Brooke’s sister had just started her non-profit organization, Homemade Hope, and needed some assistance. Brooke decided to work with her sister to help grow the nonprofit, which she has really enjoyed.
She now feels that she is able to be present with her family and in her role with the nonprofit, as well as make time to write, all without feeling like she’s running in circles. Leaving her sports journalism career in that season of her life was the best decision for her and she has no regrets. She is using this time to promote her book and build her career, with the support of her family, without taking away from other areas of her life.
Brooke’s tips for managing important responsibilities
Let go of expectations for having it all. Look at this season of your life and decide who/what needs you the most and what brings you the most fulfillment. Then try to figure out how to make it all work. There are a lot of things we can’t control but we can make decisions on what or who needs the most attention. It’s okay to say no! And don’t compare yourself to other women who seem to have a perfect life. They may be battling things behind the scenes that you don’t know about. No one has a perfect life.
What does it mean to make a life that matters?
For Brooke, it is about being your true authentic self and being true to yourself. A self that is open-hearted, open-minded, and ready to learn and listen. Brooke wants to make an impact in her home and community and thinks we all have a gift we can give to others, whether on a small or large scale. Find somewhere you can make an impact in somone’s life in a positive way.
Brooke’s work with Homemade Hope
Homemade Hope started with Brooke’s sister, who has a culinary background. She wanted to volunteer and teach kids how to make healthy snacks after school. She began doing this in homeless shelters and was soon teaching kids how to make healthy dinners as well. She began to receive donations and soon after, Brooke joined her to help out. As of today, they have helped over 11,000 children in the Houston areas and have after-school programs five days a week. They also partner with Urban Harvest, which is a mobile food delivery service for urban areas. Homemade Hope teaches people how to cook healthy meals with these foods.
What do you do to get back on track on a day when everything gets away from you?
On these days, Brooke finds that she can feel a little manic, feeling stressed to get everything done. She will take a minute to calm down, take a deep breath and maybe do a meditation. She will then ask herself what the next thing is she has to get done. Whatever that thing may be, the rest can wait. This helps Brooke to regroup and reassess her priorities.
What’s next for Brooke?
Right now, she is focused on promoting her book. She’s been doing a lot of interviews and having conversations with others in the industry. She is also excited to begin writing her little league book at the end of the month. Brooke has also been asked about writing a sequal to Sideline Confidential, as well as possibly turning it into a movie, which she is considering.
Brooke’s last words for the listener
Don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to do it all. Decide what needs to be done in each season of your life and focus on that. Also, get the hardest things done first. This will give you peace and bring more productivity to your day.
What do you think? Questions? Comments?
Do you have questions for Brooke or me? Please share them in the comments section below or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group, or send me an email.
Connect with Brooke
- On her website
- On Instagram
- On Facebook
- On Twitter
- Read Brooke’s book, Sideline Confidential
- Read Brooke’s essay in MotherMag
- Learn more about Homemade Hope
Brooke’s favorite productivity resources
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