What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?
Prioritisation at pace, empathy, resilience, leadership, perspective.
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
My return to work was very supportive and well thought through, I had regular KIT days in the lead up, so nothing was a real surprise. My manager kept a log of ‘things that have changed’ to share with me. I preferred an immediate leap into 4 days, but some prefer a phased return. All the team understood that many sick days would happen in the early days of a new nursery, I’d be sleep derived, and would have had a tough morning with drop offs. There wasn’t any pressure.
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
Community. I was nursing a five-month-old when I started my first tech internship. What helped me most was having people — my family and a few close friends — who believed in me, especially in moments when I doubted myself. Just knowing I wasn’t doing it alone made all the difference.
Looking back, I think more mums would thrive — not just survive — if they had access to peer support groups, mentorship programs, or even just safe spaces where they could talk honestly about the juggling act. Sometimes, you just need someone to say, “You’re doing great. Keep going.”