Melissa Nicholson Intro

MELISSA NICHOLSON: This episode is for everyone. Everyone who’s felt like they’re carrying it all—at work and at home. It’s for the high-achieving, conscientious parents trying to do everything perfectly while secretly wondering if anyone would even notice if they disappeared tomorrow. And friend, if that’s you, I see you. This one is for you.

Introduction

INTRO: Welcome to Job Share Revolution. The show about job sharing—a partnership between two people to bring two minds and skill sets to one full-time position. I’m Melissa Nicholson, former job sharer turned founder of the first U.S. job share company. But it wasn’t long ago that I felt like an utter failure at work and as a new parent. Job sharing was my game-changer. I reclaimed four days a week to fully engage in my life while my capable partner handled everything. Together, we achieved more than I ever could solo. Fast forward to many lessons learned to bring you the training and support I wish I’d had to change lives and the modern-day workplace. Let’s live life and slay work.

Melissa Nicholson

MELISSA: Hey friend, it’s Mel, and before we dive in today, I want to ask you something: When was the last time you felt truly supported at work? Not just managed or directed, but genuinely seen, backed up, and cared for by someone who gets it?

If you’re drawing a blank, you’re not alone. And that’s exactly why today’s episode matters so much.

We’re talking about something that’s affecting millions of us but rarely gets the attention it deserves: workplace loneliness. Especially for working parents trying to keep all the plates spinning while feeling completely isolated in the process. I mean, I just came off of my daughter’s graduation and I’m telling you, I’ve never spun so many plates in my GD life, seriously. Now I don’t want you tuning out if you’re like, “Mel, I’m not a parent, this episode isn’t for me.” The loneliness epidemic that we’ve been facing, the isolation, it doesn’t just affect parents.    

This episode is for everyone. Everyone who’s felt like they’re carrying it all—at work and at home. It’s for the high-achieving, conscientious parents trying to do everything perfectly while secretly wondering if anyone would even notice if they disappeared tomorrow. And friend, if that’s you, I see you. This one is for you.

Now before we go further, if something resonates today, share this episode. Share it with that friend who’s been struggling. Share it with someone who might become your future job share partner. Because sometimes the best solution is hiding in plain sight.

Friend, we don’t just need this pause—we deserve it.

Part 1: The Loneliness Epidemic We’re Not Talking About

MELISSA: In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued what I consider one of the most important warnings of our time: America is facing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. His report didn’t just call it a nice-to-have social issue—he called it a public health crisis.

The numbers are staggering. Chronic loneliness affects our physical health as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It raises our risk of heart disease by 29%, stroke by 32%, and dementia by (up to) 50%. Depression, anxiety, suicide ideation—they all skyrocket when we’re isolated.

And you know who’s feeling this most acutely? Working parents. Especially moms navigating what researchers call the “motherhood penalty”—where we’re simultaneously expected to be fully committed to our careers while being the primary caregiver at home. 

And I don’t want to completely ignore incredible fathers. They are stepping up at rates that we have never seen before: 2.5 hours more hours (in caregiving) a week compared to a decade ago and 3X what fathers in 1965 did. So, men are stepping up. They want to be equal caregivers at home. You know I believe job sharing is a way to get there. 

 I’ve been there. Before I found job sharing, I remember completely feeling torn up. I didn’t have daycare for my daughter, she was 3 months old. It came in at the very very last minute.  And then, when I started back to work, I was just a complete mess. I couldn’t do anything well. I was running and gunning, and running down the hallway trying to pump and get three to four pumps in a day at least so that I could, you know, just feed my baby. I was trying to get out of there so that I could make her 6 o’clock feeding, and I just felt like an utter failure. 

So, I know. I know what it feels like to feel completely alone, even though I was surrounded by colleagues all day. The weight of trying to be everything to everyone while having no one to truly share the load with—it’s crushing.

But here’s what I discovered, and what I want you to know: We’re not meant to do this thing alone. We’re just not. It was so black and white evident to me the moment I started job sharing. And it just lifted all of that huge weight of the world that felt like it was on my shoulders at that point.  With job sharing, we don’t have to do it alone.

Part 2: What Job Sharing Does Differently

Melissa: So when people think about job sharing, they often focus on the flexibility—you know,  the part-time hours, the better work-life balance. But there’s something deeper happening that changes everything: You gain a true partner. And, it’s different than any other relationship you’ve ever had. It’s not like a romantic relationship, obviously, but they are that supportive partner and it is personal. And it’s unlike any other relationship that you’ll have with a colleague in your work realm. It just is. 

Your job share partner is not just someone who covers your work when you’re out. They’re a partner who shares the mental load, who notices when you are struggling, and who steps in without being asked. And who genuinely wants you to succeed. 

Your job share partner becomes the first person to sense when something’s off. When you are overwhelmed, they feel it. When life throws you a curveball, they are there. When you need to advocate for something at work they have your back. They make sure you don’t slip through the cracks the way so many of us do in traditional roles.

Work Muse Job Share Project Case Study: Pam McElroy & Emily Dillinger

Let me share what this looks like in real life, because hearing from job sharers themselves is so much more powerful than me just telling you about it. Here’s Pam McElroy, who job shared with Emily Dillinger from the Work Muse Job Share Project.

Pam McElroy: Okay, so I think what working with another person does is, it’s not all about work. It’s celebrating the big sale, sure, and it’s bumming out over the big loss of the sale. But it’s also what you’re going through in your personal life, and “Can you help me with my kid situation?”, “Here’s my problem,” or “My husband did this, what do you think?” So, you’re bonded not only on a work level, you’re bonded on a personal level, too. Because you really are true partners like that. They’re your work family and they’re also your sisterhood family.

Emily Dillinger: Yeah, sort of sisters. I mean, you become sisters. And we still are fourteen years later. 

Melissa: What Pam and Emily describe—that deep professional friendship, that mutual support—it’s not an accident. It’s built into the structure of job sharing itself.

I think about my partner Stacy, whose teenage daughter went through a mental health crisis a year or so   into our job share. Stacy needed to step away to focus on her family, and you know what happened? I worked full-time for several weeks. No questions asked. No resentment. No keeping score. Because that’s what job share partners do—we show up for each other.

And here’s the beautiful thing: Six months later, when my father-in-law had a health emergency and I needed to be with my family, Stacy stepped in the exact same way. That’s not just job sharing—that’s life sharing.

You might be thinking, “That sounds amazing, Mel, but I don’t think anyone would actually do that for me.” And I get it. I get it. If you’ve been burned by workplace relationships or you’re used to being the one who always gives but never receives, it’s hard to imagine.

Work Muse Job Share Project Case Study: Heather Lonsdale & PaiGe Wilson

But take it from Heather Lonsdale and Paige Wilson, another incredible job share team from the Work Muse Job Share Project. When Paige faced her own family crisis, Heather didn’t hesitate:

Heather Lonsdale: In a job share, you work so closely that you know what’s going on obviously.

Paige Wilson: Yeah, absolutely

Heather: And you can cover for that other person really easily.

Paige: Yeah, very easily. It’s a totally different deal. But, when you’ve got a job share partner who is sharing that job with you, they already know everything. My dad passed away while we were job sharing, and that’s exactly what happened. I was in San Antonio, and, you know, Heather covered. I don’t know what I would have done if I was just working myself. I would have just been out of commission.

Heather: And those things happen in life, right? That’s just life. 

Paige: That is life. That is life.

Melissa: This is what partnership looks like. This is what we’re missing when we try to go it alone.

Part 3: Why This Matters More Than Ever

Melissa: Let’s be honest: 2025 has been a lot. Between political instability, the economic uncertainty, the violence, the rising costs, and the constant noise of social media, our nervous systems are in overdrive. I mean, overdrive. Add parenting, caregiving, and demanding careers into the mix, and many of us are barely hanging on.

I see this with my clients, in my Facebook community, in my own life. We are teetering on the edge, and traditional work structures aren’t helping—they are making it worse.

But here’s what I’ve learned from nearly a decade of job sharing and now coaching others through it for nearly as long: Job share partners weather uncertainty differently. When layoffs hit, they don’t panic—they problem-solve together. When managers change or markets shift, they lean on each other and adapt. When burnout threatens, one partner steps in while the other recharges. Think about that.

Because having someone truly in your corner gives you the space to breathe, to rest, to think clearly. It gives you the confidence to set boundaries, take vacation, ask for what you need—because you know the work is genuinely covered.

It also gives you perspective. When you’re spiraling about a difficult client or a challenging project, your partner can say, “Hey, remember when we handled that crisis last month? We have got this.” They remind you of your strengths when you’ve forgotten them, friend.

Part 4: What I Want You to Know

Melissa: If you’ve been feeling lonely at work—if you’re drowning in invisible labor, if you’re tired of being the one who always says yes, if you’re craving real connection and support—please know you’re not alone in feeling this way.

Job sharing isn’t just about splitting tasks or working fewer hours. It’s about shared purpose, mutual care, and genuine partnership. It’s about knowing you have someone who wants you to win, not just professionally but personally.

In a world where so many of us are isolated, that kind of partnership isn’t just nice to have—it’s revolutionary.

I think about my own journey—how job sharing didn’t just change my work life, but transformed how I parent as an equal co-parent with Mike, how I show up in my marriage, and how I care for my mom. When you experience true partnership at work, it ripples into every area of your life.

Closing:

Melissa: As we head into the second half of 2025, I want you to imagine something different for yourself. Instead of carrying everything alone, imagine having a true partner. Instead of feeling isolated in your career, imagine being part of a team that genuinely cares about your well-being.

If this episode stirred something in you, I’d love to hear from you. DM me on LinkedIn or join our Job Share, Live Life + Slay Work Facebook Community. Let’s talk about it. Let’s normalize needing and deserving support.

And if someone came to mind while you were listening—that friend who’s been struggling, that colleague who always looks exhausted, that family member who’s trying to do it all—send them this episode. You might just open a door they didn’t even know existed.

Reminder: We’re on our gentle summer biweekly schedule to honor the natural rhythms of your life and work, and mine. So until the week after next, I am sending you so much love. Same time, same place. Meet ya here. Take care of you, friend.