Trying To Do It All

A post sponsored by Uber, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that put food in Harlow’s mouth.




Every Monday night I host a standup open mic at the iO Theater. It doesn’t start until 10 p.m., but I have to get there at 9:30 to put out the list.

In the winter, the last thing I want to do at 9:30 on a Monday night is walk to the train in the dark when it’s freezing outside. And so I get a ride with Uber every week. It’s quick and it’s affordable and I prefer riding with the Uber driver-partners as opposed to any other transportation in the city. I also like that they pick me up right outside my door because as I said, it’s winter in Chicago. And that’s just not pleasant.

I have a lot of friends in the comedy world who drive with Uber. I’ve honestly thought of doing it myself several times. The only thing only me back is that I haven’t figured out whether or not I can bring Harlow along…

I was recently given the opportunity to speak with, Donna, a female driver-partner, to find out more about her experience with Uber in Chicago.

Donna has partnered with Uber for more than two years. Previous to being with Uber, she was a cook for a company. But like a lot of working mothers, she was torn because she felt like she was missing out on so much time with her children.

So she started looking for other opportunities in the city.

She was quickly drawn to the flexibility of Uber. Donna is allowed to pick her own schedule and loves that it’s not a standard “9-5” position. She also loves the excitement of it. Every day is different and she gets to meet a lot of interesting people, while also seeing many parts of Chicago she had never been to before.

Donna says Uber is a great opportunity for women who are looking to spend more time with their families.

Even better, she doesn’t find partnering with Uber stressful at all. And she has never once felt unsafe and says the rating system that Uber uses helps to identify customers before they even get into her vehicle.

Safety and quality are top priorities for Uber and Donna likes that.

But what Donna likes most of all is that she gets to be a part of her childrens’ lives more than ever. She gets to be there for their activities and plan her schedule around what they are doing. She doesn’t have to feel like she’s missing out on anything.

The pull between work life and home life is a big struggle for a lot of women. Donna says that signing up with Uber helps take the strain off this and she recommends any woman looking for a more flexible job, or part time work, sign up with Uber.

“My children are just so important to me and Uber allows me to spend more time with them,” Donna said.

What would partnering with Uber allow you to do?

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8 Comments

  1. January 10, 2016 / 10:27 pm

    I think it's a great idea! Espedially for people who can use some spare income!

  2. January 11, 2016 / 3:22 am

    We only have Uber in certain parts of the island (unfortunately not the part I live in) and people rave about it! I'm always afraid a serial killer would pick me up. Yes, I am paranoid.

  3. January 11, 2016 / 9:35 am

    I've had two different Uber drivers pick me up with their dogs in the car, so I am thinking Harlow would enjoy it as well 🙂

  4. January 11, 2016 / 10:53 am

    We love Uber as well as Lyft, but unfortunately, they will not agree to finger print their drivers, so Austin is basically kicking them out if they won't oblige. It's pretty devastating considering ride sharing has decreased DWIs by near 30% (in a city that's known for drinking and driving and partying!). Hopefully, they continue to grow rapidly in other markets, so others can enjoy it.

  5. January 11, 2016 / 1:57 pm

    Uber is so great! I don't typically use it when I'm home, but always when I'm in new places!

  6. January 11, 2016 / 3:47 pm

    Oh we loooove Uber! We only end up using it when we travel, but I will always choose it over any other standard "taxi" service. My sister actually works for them (not driver, but no idea her official title lol) and they are the best company. She has gotten so many great opportunities with them. But that's not the only reason I like them better, it's really because of the story you just told. I don't like to talk…but my husband does (I literally just wrote about this lol) and we always meet the most interesting people. And #1 thing that we hear is that they're doing it for their family in some way or another. One woman (in Chicago too!) was doing rides before she had to go on her way to her Mothers 90th birthday party and her story was just so sweet we gave her $20 when we left, even though my sister would tell me you're not supposed to do that!

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