The first time, I was pregnant with our first. He stepped back from his law career to stay home with our kids. One year turned into 13. The second time, I’d just been fired. After 25 years climbing to Executive Vice President at Nordstrom, my time there was over. When your title disappears, you find out how much of your identity was attached to it. I was no longer “Loretta from Nordstrom.” No longer the breadwinner. To say I was rudderless is an understatement. Sam could have asked me to play...

When I was pregnant with our first, Sam offered to stay home for a year. It turned into 13, and it became the best bet we ever made on our family.

The party was for the photos. The swim meet was for my kid. How the discipline behind a $2B business taught me to protect what matters at home.