Holly Wainwright

But you can very often tell what you don't want.

I think Claire's got a good theory about this.

But I was thinking about a time that I said no to a job when I was very early pregnant with my first child.

So that's 16 years ago because she's 16.

I was the deputy editor on a magazine and I was doing well and I really liked it.

And my editor...

was leaving and i got called to the big office and they said this job is your job if you want it and i said and i was like literally eight weeks pregnant or something i hadn't ticked over the time that you tell people i said to the publisher guy the big boss guy because the big bosses were always guys in those days the editors were all women and the big bosses were always men

Oh, I couldn't do that.

I can't do that.

I'm pregnant.

And I thought I'd seen editors around me.

I know I love that industry and I was working really hard.

They took three months to four months maternity leave and then they came back full on.

And I was like, I don't think that's what I either want or can do.

So I turned it down and he was really surprised.

My editor was really surprised.

They were kind of like looking at me like I was crazy.

And when I think about that now with all the hindsight I have of what it's like being a working parent and everything, I don't regret saying no because other things happened in my career that were, I'm sure, arguably much better, but who knows.

But I could have done it.

I could have easily done it.