Member-only story
Alpha Women Want Alpha Men, but Does it Really Work?
A modern day dilemma.
We’re sitting poolside at a Palm Springs resort. Two friends who haven’t seen each other in eight years. We’ve been talking non-stop for the last several hours, catching up. My friend flew in from Chicago for a girls weekend. She’d informed her husband the night before that she was heading out of town. That’s how they roll.
Dani’s a badass Executive Vice President of a large corporation who flies all over the world for work while her husband takes care of the kids. He used to have a busy career directing commercials, but the work dwindled once he became more engaged in childcare. Now both kids are grown. One in college, the other finishing high school. Still, Dani’s husband isn’t working.
“When I get home,” she says, “he’s just sitting there reading a magazine.”
“Maybe he’s taking a break?” I offer.
“That’s not it. He’s not pushing his career anymore. He’s content to take care of the house and the kids, which is great, but all his ambition is gone. It’s not sexy.”
“But he’s the reason you’ve been able to fly all over the world on a moment’s notice, right?”
“Yes, I guess. It’s true. But he could at least display an ounce of ambition in life. When we met, he was full of…
