Working Mumma

If you're about to go back to work after maternity leave, or you're already back and wondering why it feels so much harder than expected, this episode is for you.

The truth is, no one really prepares you for the emotional reality of the return. The guilt. The overwhelm. The strange feeling of being expected to show up as the same person you were before, when you are fundamentally, beautifully different.

In this episode, I'm walking you through what the first 90 days of returning to work after parental leave actually looks like - the messy, the hard, and what genuinely helps.

 

Episode resources and links 

Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn

Podcast ep https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/lighten-your-mental-load-ditch-the-mum-guilt-and/id1495282250?i=1000719634108

You came back from parental leave a different person - more resilient, more decisive, less tolerant of nonsense, and more capable. The question isn't whether you can do your role. It's whether you will give yourself permission to show up as the upgraded version of yourself.

This week on the Working Mumma Podcast, I chat with Rebecca Houghton, founder of Bold HR and author of More Impact, More Easily — a book that started as a guide for middle managers and turned out to be essential reading for every working mum navigating her way back after maternity leave. 

Rebecca has over 20 years of experience in leadership, talent, and organisational transformation.

In this episode, we go deep on what the return to work really involves, and why most women are doing it harder than they need to.

In this episode we cover:

Why returning to work after having a baby is actually one of the most powerful career resets you'll ever have, and how to use it consciously

The two-part reset every working mum needs: one for your home system, one for your professional identity

Why nobody does two jobs well and what has to change before you go back (hint: it's not just you)

The worthiness vs capability confidence model and why your inner critic goes into overdrive when you return

The difference between input and impact and why your boss is measuring you by a completely different currency than you think

Why the "let it go" mindset shift is the single most important tool for working mums in their first year back

How to have a conversation with your inner voice (yes, really) and why Rebecca named hers Desdemona

 

Episode resources and links 

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn and check out her book "More Impact, More Easily" on boldhr.com

Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn

What happens when the job you thought you were returning to after parental leave no longer exists?

In this episode, I speak with executive leader and solo mum Karis Dorrigan, who shares her experience of being made redundant while on maternity leave during COVID, and how that moment became a turning point in redefining her career, ambition, and life.

This is an honest and powerful conversation about the realities many women face but rarely talk about - redundancies whilst on parental leave, job insecurity, lack of support from employer, navigating the return to work, and the pressure to “be grateful” just to have a job.

It’s also a story of rebuilding, advocating for what you need, and designing a career that actually works for you as a mum and senior leader in an organisation.

If you’re returning to work after parental leave, or questioning what you want your career to look like after having children, this episode will leave you feeling seen, validated and empowered.

We chat about:

Karis's career journey from Qantas to executive leadership, and how becoming a mum changed everything

Being made redundant on parental leave during COVID, and what employers should do differently

How getting clear on your values becomes your compass for every big career and life decision

The systems and structures still holding working mums back (and the small changes that would make a real difference)

Why Karis works four days a week, rarely goes into the office, and has a no-meeting Tuesday and how she made that happen

The truth about solo parenting in Australia: 1 in 5 households, high rates of poverty, and why policy needs to catch up

Why you should stop being grateful for flexibility and start advocating boldly for what you need

Her call to action for every leader: would a single mum apply for this role? If not, rewrite it.

 

Episode links

Connect with Karis on LinkedIn

Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn

Returning to work after maternity leave can come with an unspoken pressure many women don’t realise they’re carrying - the need to prove that nothing has changed.

In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, Carina sits down with Rachel Debeck, former lawyer, tech CEO, and mum of three, to unpack the “prove yourself” trap that so many working mothers fall into when they return to work.

Rachel shares her honest experience of coming back to a senior role when her first baby was just seven months old, the internal pressure to overcompensate, and the moment she received feedback that changed how she showed up as both a leader and a role model for other women.

We explore why pretending it’s “easy” can actually make things harder for working mums and what it looks like to lead, work, and parent more honestly.

This conversation is for any mum who has returned to work feeling like she has to be exactly the same as she was before, or better, while quietly carrying the mental load, guilt, and exhaustion that no one sees.

In this episode, we talk about:

The invisible pressure to “prove yourself” after maternity leave, especially in senior roles

Why overcompensating can lead to burnout, and how to recognise when you’re doing it

Why working mums don’t need perfect role models, they need real ones

How each return to work can feel different (and why that’s normal)

The daycare sickness season and why it’s often the point many women consider stepping away from their careers

How to think about your career as non‑linear with seasons of acceleration and steadiness

Why motherhood doesn’t end ambition, it often reshapes it into something more intentional and meaningful

 

Episode links 

Connect with Rachel Debeck on LinkedIn.

Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn

Have you ever posted your child’s name, birth date or kinder photo online?

Most of us have.

And we did it with love.

But in 2026, the digital landscape has changed.

In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast Carina speaks with Zsofi Paterson, CEO of Tinybeans, about the growing conversation around “sharenting” and why parents of young children need to be more aware than ever.

Following a recent Australian Federal Police warning and a 41% rise in online child exploitation, this episode explores:

What sharenting actually means

When and how your child’s digital footprint begins

The risks of sharing names, birth dates and locations

AI and image scraping explained simply

Why consent matters — even for babies

What to do if you’ve already shared a lot

Practical boundaries working parents can implement today

The concept of “digital nesting”

 

If you’re raising babies, toddlers or preschoolers — and navigating Instagram, Facebook or family sharing — this is a conversation worth having.

 

Episode links 

Discover more about Tinybeans or connect with Zsofi on LinkedIn.

Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn