I stepped away from my job as a Director of Strategy at a Healthcare advertising company for almost a year after having my first son. While completely terrifying in the moment, I honestly believe it was the right decision for my family, myself, and my career.
I was about 4 months into my return from maternity leave before I realized that I had spent the past few months trying to be two people at once: the ambitious, high-performing version of me that existed before I became a mom, and this new version of myself that I was still figuring out. Trying to be both, at 100%, while sleep-deprived and hormonally wrecked, was not a winning strategy.
I still loved the work — the strategy, the problem-solving, finding innovative solutions for clients — and the people around me were wonderful. But the pace and ways of working were hard to reconcile with my new role at home that I was still figuring out. Like so many moms balancing a full-time job, I was doing my best to keep my head above water while quietly trying to sort out what I needed from my career and what I needed at home. It took a minute for me to realize that the two just weren't lining up anymore, and that I owed it to myself to pause and figure out what that meant.
Meeting my husband and son after a day of commuting to the office, a few weeks post returning to work.
So I stopped. I took the pause. And here is what I learned from it:
You are allowed to not be OK when you go back after having a baby. The world expects you to snap back like nothing changed, but something enormous changed. Your body and brain are still healing for up to a year postpartum, hormonally and emotionally, and nobody warns you about that part.
Your old career might not fit the new you. Priorities shift and that is not a failure. The job that made perfect sense before your baby might not align with who you are in this chapter. That clarity is worth finding, even if it takes stepping away to see it.
Pausing is not weakness. It's self-awareness. Recognizing that you're not ready, and choosing to wait until you are, is not giving up. It's deciding that when you do come back, you'll show up as the best version of yourself, for your team, your clients, and yourself.
Going back and shutting down only makes it worse. Returning to work without telling your boss or teammates what isn't working doesn't protect you… it isolates you. Speak your needs. Your truth is not a liability; it's the starting point for finding a real solution.
Some freelance work and time at home wasn't "doing nothing" — it was a recalibration. Taking that time to figure out who you are in this new chapter, on your own terms, is the kind of move that sets you up to re-enter the workforce with intention instead of desperation.
How companies can better support returning moms
If your company doesn't have a clear plan for supporting moms returning to work, here are a few ideas worth bringing to your leadership team, or implementing yourself if you are a leader:
Manager training on return-to-work conversations. Most managers want to support returning moms but have never been given the language or framework to do it well.
Soft landing plans with a phased ramp-up. Easing back in, rather than expecting a full sprint on day one, sets people up to actually succeed long-term.
Frequent 1:1 check-ins. Not just at the 30/60/90 day mark — the first few months back are when people need the most support, and check-ins early and often catch what's not working before it becomes a bigger problem.
Access to group sessions or individual counseling. Normalizing the emotional and mental load of this transition, and giving people real resources to work through it, makes a big difference.
The comeback shouldn't rest entirely on you. When companies invest in the transition, they keep great talent and build the kind of culture people want to return to.
My power pause brought me to where I am in my career today and I could not be more grateful that I took that moment to reset. I went from working as a Director of Strategy in a fast-paced corporate environment, to doing the same role for a startup built around something I am beyond passionate about: workplace culture and helping companies thrive with a people-first mentality. I get to help my CEO build something from the ground up and bring her vision to life, which feels deeply fulfilling and aligned with who I am now.
The flexibility of contract work has also allowed me to re-shift my time and energy in ways I never could before. The work I am doing now, the balance that I have found, and the people I surround myself with every day bring me joy and make me feel like I really can handle AND be present for it all — the career ambitions AND my growing family.
If you are sitting somewhere in the middle of this right now, not sure whether to stay, go, or pause, I want you to know: there is no wrong answer. There is only the honest one.
You are not behind. You are figuring it out. And that is exactly what you need to do to achieve the most ambitious version of you.
A happier, more confident version of myself both in where I am at in my career, and where I am at as a mom to my boys!
