How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental.
In the final episode of the Summer Series, I close the series with a personal book roundup, sharing six books that deeply influenced my thinking, mindset, and growth in 2025.
Rather than a traditional book review, this episode is a reflective conversation about permission: permission to want more, to seek pleasure, to change, to let go, to lighten up, and to live a life that feels aligned.
I explain why each book resonated with me, how it connects to themes explored throughout the Summer Series, and what each one offers for anyone navigating change, leadership, parenting, identity, or self-belief.
From big thinkers like Glennon Doyle, Mel Robbins and Jacinda Ardern, to lighter reads that bring humour and perspective, this episode is an invitation to be intentional about what you consume. Because what you let in shapes how you think.
It’s a thoughtful, generous closing episode that reminds us: you are allowed to put yourself at the centre of your universe and you don’t have to do it alone.
Join the waitlist for Switch Up 2026!
Email me at [email protected] with the subject line “Switch Up 2026!” to join the waitlist. Can’t wait to see you there!
Resources:
· "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle
· "We Can Do Hard Things" book by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle.
· "The Let Them Theory" by Mel Robbins
· "Femonomics. What data tells us about women's lives and how to get the most out of yours" by Corinne Low
· "Disappointing Affirmations" by Dave Tarnowski
· "The Next Day - Transitions, Change and Moving Forward" by Melinda French Gates
· "A Different Kind of Power" by Jacinda Ardern
· The Mel Robbins Podcast - The "Let Them" Theory Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Z2wR3WNIHlhJDELXNYcTi?si=1gFVS8GEQD2lFSsMHGluMw
· We Can Do Hard Things Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0eFL5HJejQHZrdgAFdPnOm?si=36c8676145ca4868
Connect with Emma
This 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

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental.
In this episode, I dive into mindset. Why it matters, how it shapes our behaviour, and how we can take back control of the thoughts that quietly run the show.
Through personal stories from my corporate career and coaching practice, I illustrate how two people can experience the same situation in completely different ways, simply because of mindset. From assuming you’re about to be fired to believing you’re about to be promoted, I show how our internal narratives affect our confidence, energy, and outcomes.
This episode is especially for anyone stuck in the guilt loop: feeling bad for being at work when you “should” be home, or feeling bad for being home when you “should” be at work. I offer three practical, doable mindset tools you can start using immediately. No vision boards or toxic positivity required.
If you want to feel calmer, clearer, and more confident in how you show up at work and at home in 2026, this episode is for you.
Join the waitlist for Switch Up 2026!
Email me at [email protected] with the subject line “Switch Up 2026!” to join the waitlist. Can’t wait to see you there!
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
· Why mindset is a critical capability for modern working parents
· How your internal narrative shapes your confidence and behaviour
· A powerful story about fear, imposter syndrome, and reframing
· The invisible weight of guilt many parents carry at work
· Why we attach our self-worth to things we cannot control
· Three practical ways to cultivate a healthier, more intentional mindset
The 3 Mindset Tools I Share:
1. Swap “Sorry” for “Thank You” How changing your language can instantly shift guilt, energy, and confidence.
2. Use Full Stop Silence Why over-explaining undermines your needs and how saying less makes you stronger.
3. Believe the Good Stuff How to listen for positive feedback, use a brag book, and consciously surround yourself with people and content that lift you up.
Connect with Emma
This 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/

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental.
The third episode of the Summer Series brings together the themes of the series with a practical, honest conversation about starting something of your own. Particularly a business, side hustle, or new direction that’s been quietly sitting with you for a while.
I share my own journey from a successful corporate marketing career to entrepreneurship, coaching and speaking and what I’ve learned over the past six to seven years about building a sustainable business, without the hype, hustle culture, or “overnight success” myths.
This episode explores how to listen to your inner voice (your “whispers”), why jealousy can be a powerful clue to what you actually want, and the critical importance of solving problems that people are genuinely willing to pay for.
I talk about why getting messy in the problem matters more than rushing to a solution, how to articulate your idea clearly, and why you don’t need a website, business cards or perfection to begin, you just need to start.
It’s grounded, encouraging and full of lived experience, practical advice, and reassurance for anyone considering a new path in 2026.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
· Why your inner voice already knows what you want. You just need to hear it
· How jealousy can be a message from your future self
· The difference between a nice idea and a problem worth paying to solve
· Why clarity matters more than complexity when explaining your business
· The value of getting “messy” in the problem before locking in a solution
· What I learned by niching into working parents and corporate clients
· Why you don’t need a website, branding or business cards to begin
· How telling a clear personal story helps people understand your value
· Why consistency beats visibility and why social media likes don’t equal success
· The importance of accountability, community, and not doing it alone
Connect with Emma
This 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/

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental.
In this episode, I explore change. Why we crave it, why we resist it, and how meaningful change actually happens.
Drawing on my own life transformation over the past five years, I share the pivotal moments that helped me radically reshape my career, health, relationships, and sense of self.
From writing my own obituary (yes, really), to confronting the question “What do you want?”, to learning how to hear my inner voice again after years of putting everyone else first, this episode is a compassionate guide for anyone who knows something needs to shift but doesn’t yet know what or how.
Rather than offering quick fixes or prescriptive answers, I invite you to slow down, remove distractions, try new things, and surround yourself with people who truly believe in you.
It’s an episode about trusting yourself, getting curious, and remembering that real change comes from listening inward, not outsourcing your life decisions to someone else.
If you’re standing at the edge of change, this conversation will meet you there.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
· Why change feels hard even when we know we need it
· My personal story of intentional life change over five years
· The powerful exercise of writing your own obituary (and why it works)
· What your 95-year-old self can teach you about what matters now
· The deceptively simple but life-changing question: “What do you want?”
· How I realised I’d lost touch with my own inner voice
· Why removing distractions is essential for clarity
· How doing different things creates different thoughts
· Why you can’t think your way into change. You have to act
· The role of coaching, therapy, and support during major life transitions
· Why believing people who believe in you can change everything
Connect with Emma
This 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/

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! Over the next five weeks, I’ll be bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental.
Across the series, I’ll share tools I’ve used for years as an executive coach and working parent, along with some of my own personal stories and lessons. Think of it as your summer reset: gentle, grounding, spacious, and totally centred around what you want from 2026.

In this first episode of the Summer Series, I introduce you to The Gloria’s: a simple, energising, macro-level planning ritual I’ve used for the past five years to close out the old year and get intentional about the new one.

Part reflection exercise, part dance party, part coaching session, The Gloria’s is all about stepping back from the day-to-day noise and asking yourself the big questions:
· What am I proud of from this year?
· What did I learn about myself?
· What do I want to be proud of next year?
· And what’s my Word of the Year to guide me?

I walk you through the process step by step, sharing how I use music, movement, post-it notes, colour, and conversation to help this yearly ritual come alive and why doing it with a partner or friend can make it even more powerful.

You’ll finish this episode feeling clearer, lighter, and ready to create a one-page plan for 2026 that keeps you grounded and focused on what truly matters.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
What “The Gloria’s” is and how it became my annual reset ritual
Why reflecting on pride, lessons and intentions matters
How to create your own one-page plan for 2026
The power of movement and music in sparking clearer thinking
Why your “Word of the Year” works as an anchor for decision-making
How to turn insights into systems… not just goals
Why doing this exercise with a partner deepens clarity and accountability

Listen to Gloria by Laura Branigan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNEb2k_EmMg

Connect with Emma
This 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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