How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty

• The Part Time Power Listers

  In this episode, Emma sits down with two of New Zealand’s 2024 Part-Time Power Listers: Emma Thompson and Liz Blythe.Emma is a partner in PWC’s private business team and a chartered accountant with a passion for simplifying finance through technology. She supports privately owned businesses with virtual CFO services, finance function, transformation and general accounting and tax. Emma co-leads PWC’s women in business founder series championing woman-led businesses to connect, grow, and reach their goals.Liz is a partner at Russell Mcveagh, heading up technology, digital, and strategic sourcing law practice in Auckland. Liz also sits on Russell Mcveagh’s Board of Management and is the board lead for the firm's AI transformation program. Liz has worked on a reduced hours arrangement at Russell Mcveagh since 2022.These two incredible women are senior leaders in law and finance, and they’re doing it all while working reduced hours and raising young families. Together, they unpack the reality of senior part-time roles, the mental load of motherhood, setting boundaries at work, and how they’ve shaped careers on their own terms.From how to structure a four-day workweek, to the importance of organisational support, to creating equity at home and in the workplace, this conversation is packed with wisdom, real talk, and practical takeaways for anyone balancing ambition with caregiving.Whether you’re eyeing a more flexible career path, already working part-time, or leading a team that includes parents, this episode will shift how you think about leadership, success, and what’s really possible.We speak about:· The real power behind reduced-hours roles and why they work at senior levels· How Emma and Liz set (and protect) their non-working days· Managing guilt, boundaries, and expectations in high-pressure industries· The truth about mental load and why “help” at home isn’t the answer· How supportive leadership and open conversations make all the difference· The importance of role modelling flexible success and why visibility matters· Why part-time does not mean part-talented, part-driven, or part-committedNominations are open for the 2025 NZ Part Time Power List - a list that celebrates innovative employers who are creating senior career building part time roles. Nominations close on August 18th 2025: https://forms.gle/mAw8e35zbaK1yEj49Resources Discussed · Anna Whitehouse Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mother_pukka/?hl=en· Dirty Mother Pukka Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/5f2dP1jR7pYrhGRzz5NMKy?si=f235bb67ad76474e · "Fair Play" by Eve Rodsky https://www.fairplaylife.com/· "Fair Play" card deck (A Couple's Conversation Deck for Prioritising What's Important) https://shorturl.at/bXaLlConnect with EmmaThis podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes, executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family.As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping." To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nz...

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• Dr Ellen Joan Ford: The overt and covert penalties of motherhood

  In this powerful conversation, I talk to Dr Ellen Joan Ford, who is terrifyingly ambitious about improving the working world for people and for organisations.As a leader, researcher, military veteran, international speaker, TEDx speaker, facilitator, consultant and parent, Ellen draws on her research and practical experiences to drive organisational outcomes by enhancing inclusive leadership capabilities and workplace culture.Ellen shares what she learned about leadership, identity and inclusion over more than a decade in the New Zealand Army, including the double standards mothers face, how bias shows up in both obvious and subtle ways, and why we need to rethink “professionalism” in the workplace.This conversation is practical, honest and deeply empowering, especially if you’re navigating leadership, parenthood, or workplaces that weren’t designed with mothers in mind.Ellen was awarded the Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the Year - Local Hero for her efforts supporting the evacuation of 563 from Afghanistan, is Person of the Year - Manawatu Standard and the prestigious Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award. She is the author of #WorkSchoolHours and her leadership model is Belonging, Autonomy and Purpose.We speak about:· Why “business as usual” doesn’t work for working parents· What true leadership and inclusion really look like· How unconscious bias shows up in work and parenting· Ellen’s experience with reintegration after parental leave· Why the personal is professional… and always has been· How leaders and organisations can better support parentsResources Discussed· Enter the code EMMA at checkout to get a free copy of Dr Ellen Joan Ford’s e-book: #WorkSchoolHours – buy it here: www.ellenjoanford.com · Connect with Dr Ellen Joan Ford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ellen-joan-ford-791a2655/Connect with EmmaThis podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes,executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family.As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping." To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nz https://www.instagram.com/worksforeveryone/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mclean-9176217/

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• Kimberlee Sweeney: Divorce, co-parenting, and Degrees of Separation

  In this powerful conversation, I am joined by Kimberlee Sweeney, certified divorce and co-parenting coach and founder of Degrees of Separation, to unpack how separation and divorce can amplify the motherhood penalty — and what you can do to protect yourself emotionally, legally and financially.Kimberlee shares her expert insight from a decade in the field, explaining how divorce coaching works, what co-parenting support really looks like, and the critical decisions mothers need to make before, during, and after a relationship ends. She also breaks down how the Aotearoa Divorce and Separation Institute (ADSI) is setting ethical standards for divorce coaching in Aotearoa.This is a must-listen episode if you're navigating (or even contemplating) separation and want to protect your career, your confidence, and your financial future.We speak about:· What a divorce coach actually does, and why it matters· Why divorce can intensify the motherhood penalty· How unpaid caregiving impacts post-divorce financial stability· The importance of being informed about your legal rights· Why co-parenting dynamics affect long-term outcomes· How career coaching and emotional regulation go hand in hand· The questions every couple should ask before having kids· Kimberlee’s magic wand solution to valuing unpaid labour in the homeResources Discussed· Degrees of Separation – https://www.degreesofseparation.co.nz/· Aotearoa Divorce and Separation Institute (ADSI) – https://adsi.org.nz/ Connect with EmmaThis podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes, executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family. As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping."To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nzhttps://www.instagram.com/worksforeveryone/

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• Nicole Retter: The default parent dilemma (and how to fix it)

  In this insightful conversation, I am joined by the brilliant Nicole Retter, founder of PAM, Personal Admin Manager, an app built to ease the mental load for overwhelmed parents.We unpack the invisible labour of parenthood and why the default parent trap isn’t just unfair, but completely unsustainableWe talk about the emotional toll, the cognitive overload, and the system-wide shift we could make if we stopped pretending that flexibility is a “perk” only mothers need.This is an episode that goes beyond complaining. It’s about redesigning.We speak about:· Why default parenting often survives even “equal” partnerships· The difference between doing the task and owning the load· The power of proactive conversations (and default templates) at home· Why flexibility should be for everyone, not just working mums· How six months of paternity leave could transform parenting dynamics· The deep emotional toll dads experience when they’re side-lined· Why true work-life balance is actually work-life integration Resources DiscussedPam - https://www.mypam.co/Connect with EmmaThis podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes, executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family. As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping."To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nzhttps://www.instagram.com/worksforeveryone/https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mclean-9176217/

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• Rachel Carrell: The brutal reality of childcare systems around the world

  In this powerful conversation, I am joined by the brilliant Rachel Carrell, CEO and Founder of Koru Kids, an innovative childcare provider operating in 10 cities in the UK.Rachel shares the story of how Koru Kids came to be (spoiler: it wasn’t built in 18 months), the brutal reality of childcare systems around the world, and why the motherhood penalty is not a personal budgeting problem, but a structural failure.From shift-working nurses to after-school pickup logistics, Rachel unpacks the real-world ripple effects of underfunded childcare and unequal parental leave, including what it costs women’s careers, family planning, and economic growth.This one’s for the mums doing it all, the dads wanting to step up, and anyone ready to rethink the system we’ve all been squashed into.We speak about:· Why good childcare is essential infrastructure, not a luxury· The profound life decisions people are forced into due to lack of support· How Koru Kids is solving “the hardest childcare problems” (hi, shift-working solo mums!)· The real reason population rates are plummeting· The invisible memos society sends to mums and dads· What really happens when dads try to book a nanny…· Rachel’s two-ended magic wand to smash the motherhood penalty for goodResources Discussed · Koru Kids https://www.korukids.co.uk/Connect with EmmaThis podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes, executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family.As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping." To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nz https://www.instagram.com/worksforeveryone/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mclean-9176217/

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