I'm just like you!: Hillary Clinton talks about her struggles as a working mom at women's event in attempt to move past 'dead broke' gaffe

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Attempting to move past her now infamous 'dead broke' gaffe, Hillary Clinton sought to empathize with low-income women on Friday at event in Washington by opening up about the difficulties she faced as a young mother more than 30 years ago.

While making the case for Paid Family Leave and an increase in the federal minimum wage, Clinton recounted an instance when her usual babysitter cancelled on her and she had to find a last-minute replacement.

'I had many more advantages, much more support, and yet I too felt that squeeze,' she said, comparing her situation to that of other working mothers.

Attempting to move past her now infamous 'dead broke' gaffe, Hillary Clinton sought to empathize with low-income women on Friday at event in Washington by opening up about the difficulties she faced as a young mother more than 30 years ago

Clinton, who is a presumed 2016 presidential candidate, has struggled to relate to average Americans throughout her political career. 

Even before her cringe-worthy comment earlier this summer about her financial woes, Clinton faced criticism for being too closed off and unapproachable.The former New York Senator's chilly demeanor has often been cited as a contributing factor to her 2008 loss in the Democratic presidential primary.

Since leaving the Obama administration, Clinton has taken steps to soften her image ahead of a second, possible presidential campaign, embarking on a nationwide book tour earlier this summer and headlining an iconic steak fry fundraiser in Iowa last week.

Clinton reportedly spent her summer vacation in the Hamptons asking friends for advice on how to talk about economic inequality.

The former lawmaker appeared to try out her improved message in Washington, D.C. this week during two women's events sponsored by leading Democratic organizations.

On Thursday Clinton participated in a roundtable discussion on the obstacles working women face that was held at the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank founded by Clinton White House alum John Podesta.

This afternoon she appeared at the Democratic National Committee's annual Women's Leadership Forum.

In her remarks at the Democratic Party event, Clinton said she was approached at the roundtable by a woman from Chicago who lost her job last winter because she was unable to obtain reliable childcare for her autistic son when the city's schools shut down due to bad weather. 

'As I sat there listening to her story, I remembered how I felt as a young mother, so many years ago,' Clinton said.

'There was one morning when I was due in court at 9:30 for a trial. It was already 7:30, and Chelsea, just two years old, was running a fever and throwing up. 

'My husband was out of town, the normal babysitter called in sick with the same symptoms, I had no relatives living nearby, my neighbors were not home, and so, frantic, I called a trusted friend who came to my rescue,' she recalled.

'Still I felt terrible that I had to leave my sick child at all. And I called back every break in the trial, and I rushed home as soon as court adjourned. 

'When I opened the door and saw my friend reading to Chelsea ,who was clearly feeling better, my head and stomach stopped aching for the first time that day.'

But for many parents, Clinton said, 'that ache is with them every single day.'

'The most vulnerable families in our country have the least support.'

'I had many more advantages, much more support, and yet I too felt that squeeze,' Clinton said, comparing her situation to that of other working mothers while speaking at the Democratic National Committee's annual Women's Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C.

Women hold a majority of minimum wage jobs, she said, and 'without flexibility, or predictability, without access to quality affordable childcare, without paid family leave,' it's 'no wonder there were 5.1 million more women in poverty than men last year.'

'No wonder so many American families are hurting today,' she continued.

'For too many women for too many families, they don't just face ceilings on their dreams, it feels to them as though the floor has collapsed beneath their feet. 

'That's not how its supposed to be in America. This is the country where if you work hard, you can make it.'

Clinton has not officially announced her candidacy for president in 2016, and it's unclear if she'll actually enter the race.

At last week's steak fry she acknowledged that that she was considering another campaign but left it at that.

If she does run for president again, she's expected to breeze through the Democratic primary.

In the general election, however, she could face stiff competition from several Republican politicians, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan. Both are known for their compelling personal stories and ability to speak plainly to Americans.