How Motherhood Made Me a Better QA Manager - Žaklina Polak Matanović

In this episode, I talk with Žaklina Polak Matanović, an experienced QA manager who discovered that raising three daughters taught her more about software testing than most training courses ever could. She shares concrete stories about how skills like clear ownership assignment, prioritization under pressure, and proactive thinking emerged naturally from parenting chaos – from navigating playgrounds with toddler twins to managing ambiguous requests at home. What makes this conversation powerful is Žaklina's honest reflection on returning to tech after maternity leave, initially doubting her career trajectory while others seemed to advance, only to realize the soft skills in software testing she'd been building at home became her greatest professional assets for achieving work life balance in tech.