73. Going back to work after maternity leave isn’t a return to normal

Going back to work after maternity leave doesn’t mean returning to the career or capacity you had before becoming a mum.

You may be ready to use your brain differently, earn more and start progressing again. But you’re returning inside a completely different structure: childcare fees, nursery illnesses, closures, tight deadlines, reduced flexibility and a mental load that doesn’t disappear when you arrive at work.

In this episode, I talk honestly about feeling split between my ambition and the reality of working motherhood. I want to build a career and increase my income, but I’m also parenting within the limits of childcare, sickness and a separated household.

We explore:

• why starting childcare doesn’t necessarily make life easier

• the financial and logistical costs that come with returning to work

• why you don’t return with the same mental bandwidth you had before children

• the tension between career progression and family stability

• why capability doesn’t always equal current capacity

• choosing a stable job as a stepping stone rather than viewing it as failure

• planning for career growth over years instead of expecting an immediate return to your previous trajectory

You can be ambitious, experienced and capable of much more than your current role allows while recognising that this may not be the season in which you can use all of it.

That doesn’t mean your career is over or that you’re permanently stuck. It means you’re parenting and working inside real limits, and those limits will change as your child and your circumstances change.

🎧 If this resonates, the free audio guide The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs explores the kinds of support that are often missing in moments like this: 👉🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.

We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode?

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