Our cultural frame is changing - generations want different things now, business needs different things now. And it means our structures and policies need to change too. Is it time to end maternity leave as we know it?

Closing the gender pay gap is an untangling and re-imagining of a deeply engrained, tightly woven web of systems, beliefs, cultural behaviours, societal expectations and stereotypes. It can feel overwhelming. Here I show you how you can start to make the change today.

During the transition back to work after maternity leave, we seem to scrutinise ourselves with far greater intensity than ever before. And perhaps it’s no surprise; it’s a time of emerging conflict between our new role as parent and our work routines of the past; the push and pull of desire and priority, the juggle of two highly significant pillars in our lives.

Employing mothers is a smart move. One CEO I spoke to recently shared that if he had the choice, he would only employ mothers because they are by far his highest performers. But what makes mums such brilliant employees?

Language is complicated. Brilliant and powerful. Enabling. And yet it has a great deal to answer for. Here, I’m shining a light on language and I share how by changing your language you can change your experience of life.

I was really conscious that after I had Naima, I didn’t feel like I knew who I was. I was quite early on in my career and I just felt like I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. And I remember that feeling, listening to nursery rhymes all day, wondering - is this all my life is going to become? And if so, I can’t do it - I’m going to be an awful mother.

I love the freedom, the space, the independence, the room to breathe, using my brain again and boosting my confidence, knowing I’m adding value and drinking over-priced cocktails with friends after work.

If you're trying to juggle a job on top of parenting and homeschooling, the idea of creating any calm might seem an impossible task! Here I share how feeling calm can also come from reconnecting. Remembering who you are, your values, your boundaries and talking about it all with others can help you feel a little bit more in control and calmer, amidst the chaos.  

I have always been ambitious, and my career means a lot to me – it’s like it’s imprinted on my DNA. I am happiest when my brain is challenged and I really value the ‘career’ part of me.

My work and career mean a huge amount to me. It’s where I exercise my independence and my ‘adult’ brain and get to learn something for myself. I also enjoy working - it gives me a different sense of purpose to what I feel from being a Mum.

Being a family-friendly business is significant and complex; an ongoing mission that requires continually conscious attention. It is an eco-system of structure, policies, ways of working – all of which must be agile enough to give real agency to your people. And in the eco-system is expectation, attitude and behaviour. And it’s the behaviour that makes the real difference.

There was a time when women gave up their careers when they became a mum. Today in the UK, at least 3 in 4 mothers with dependent children also work. There is a myriad of reasons for the rise of working mums and a very important one is that many of us actually want to continue our successful career into motherhood.

Diversity is a hot topic in our world right now, particularly in business. When we look at our industry, some agencies are working this out, however, whilst they know it’s important, many are yet to grasp the commercial benefit of a diverse workforce; how it increases innovation, creativity, productivity, loyalty, employee satisfaction, not to mention the available talent pool.

I’ve recently surveyed 200 women about their experiences of returning to work. Asking how they felt ahead of the first day back, they said they were anxious, nervous, excited. Is this you? If so, then read on.

When I worked in HR some of my most difficult conversations were with women talking to their boss about how they’d return to work from maternity or adoption leave. I was always surprised by just how tough it was.

Perfectionism has always been a part of me. She sits on my right shoulder dressed like a princess. She shouts about my inadequacies, undermines my wisdom, gives me irrational advice & smirks with pride as I shrink under her spell. She irritates me. A lot.

Just five months ago I walked away from my secure job as a well paid senior executive working for a bright, successful, entrepreneurial business where I got free breakfast, yoga classes in the studio, private healthcare, an iPhone and mac and so much more. Many thought I was mad to leave. I wondered myself at times.