ESPN’s Laura Rutledge has done what is technically impossible for many people. She has managed a high-profile career in broadcasting alongside motherhood. However, balancing these two wasn’t easy for one of ESPN’s most recognizable faces, and she even spoke about her “mom guilt” feeling. Going deeper, she now opens up about the realities that come with juggling two worlds.

“Ever since I had kids, I have felt like at work, I haven’t been nearly as prepared as I needed to be, like constantly,” said Rutledge during her June 15 appearance on the Summer Guest Series of the Gramlich and Mac Lain football podcast when asked how she manages to balance both worlds. “I always feel this pain of anxiety of, like, ‘I’m not ready; I didn’t do enough prep.'”

Being a mother of two children, Reese and Jack, and at the very top of her game, Laura Rutledge later realized that the standard “work-life balance” doesn’t exist. However, when the 37-year-old entered motherhood, she was worried about her dedication to the work she loved most.

“I spent the time that I should have been prepping. I spent it on the floor with my kids,” said the host of NFL Live. “And I would never regret that. But I don’t feel prepared enough. It leads me constantly to feel like I’m going to scr-w something up and, you know, ruin everything.”

“But the reality is, if I actually look at what’s happened since I’ve had kids, my career has grown exponentially. It’s way better than it was before. It’s way better than what it was when I was doing all of that prep,” added the sideline reporter of Monday Night Football.

After giving birth to her first child, Laura Rutledge became the permanent host of NFL Live in 2020. Then, when she returned after the birth of her second child, her opportunities in media coverage expanded to another level. Her multi-year extension expanded her role to CFP, the NFL Draft, and other major coverage.

Laura secured a spot on ESPN’s broadcast crew for Super Bowl LXI in 2027. But her job demanded time away from home, especially the inability to stay with the children, which led her to question whether she was a good mother.

Laura Rutledge spoke about parents’ handling of pressure

Rutledge realized that being a working parent will not be perfect. Along the way, there will be a few mistakes. However, what’s also important to her is that she was able to do it amid all the pressure. That’s not what Rutledge has always believed. During her pregnancy, she was afraid it could destroy the momentum she had worked so hard to build in her career. However, becoming a mom proved her biggest strength.

“Both of my children have been actually key career moments where things have gotten better afterward,” she said during her appearance on The Pivot in May 2026. “And listen, it is a constant battle every single day of trying to juggle it all and make sure that they have what they need and I can be there for them, and I can also be there for this job, and there’s no balance; that doesn’t exist.”

The ESPN broadcaster recently stepped down as host of SEC Nation to better juggle her personal and professional lives.