Welcome to Motherkind. We are proudly sponsored by wild nutrition's women's supplements. I am your host, Zoe Blaskey, and this is the show that is going to grab you by the hand and be your guide through the wild ride that is modern motherhood.

Every week, I bring you world leading experts and thinkers to give us new ideas, new tools, new support, new inspiration

for our lives as mothers. We span everything from work to relationships to mental health

and healing and parenting. And I am very happy that you are here. This is the final episode

of our special work series. I really hope you've loved it. We've covered everything from starting

your own business to pausing paid work, which we're now calling a power pause, to changing careers,

to confidence and even my own motherhood and work story. To complete the

series, we have got such a special episode because I am joined by three brilliant motherkind

listeners. Amy, who's on a career pause, Vanessa, who is working full time in a corporate role,

and Jess, who is just back from her third maternity leave

and she is working four days a week as an NHS psychologist. You are going to hear from each of

these different setups, what's working, what's not working, the biggest challenges, you're going to

hear what returning from Matt leave was like for each of them and how despite their different setups and choices, so many of the challenges are the same.

And that is what I really want you to take from this episode because we can feel like it's only

us who is just completely struggling and grappling with paid work of motherhood. And I really want

you to take that you are not alone. This episode is like dropping in on an incredible group chat

with honesty, vulnerability and so much support. You're going to listen to this and you're

going to feel less alone. You're going to feel validated and you're definitely going to

take at least one new idea away.

I hope you love it. And if you did, please share it. Share it with that mum in your team who is

just back from Matt Leave. Share it with your friend on a career break and questioning everything

or your friend who you know she feels like she's the only one who's struggling because this

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