When you become a parent in the workplace there's a lot of fear and stigma around what will this mean for your career and for your progress, especially for women. "Will I be able to continue to do my job? Will I be overlooked for promotions? What will happen to my career aspirations? Will I be a good enough parent? How can I do it all and still stay sane?" These are just some of the questions that come to mind. Parental transition coaching provides business continuity and talent retention long into the future, and is a must for organisations that invest in their people. Maternity and paternity coaching are the new kids on the block in the diversity and inclusion space. They are a real thing that is having really positive impact, according to my podcast guest, Gillian Cederwall. Gillian is an executive coach and director of Great Expectations, a transitions coaching company with blue chip clients who swear by the impact that these programmes have had on their talent retention pipeline. This conversation covers:

• Why becoming a parent shouldn't mean the end of your career advancement
• Why maternity and paternity coaching is so important
• Why such coaching is important each time you have a baby and as your children change ages and stages
• Helping moms and dads maintain their career aspirations
• How employers can invest in their talent pipeline with transition coaching
• Creating harmony between balance, challenge and authenticity and how this changes over time
• Relational, practical and emotional shifts that come with parenting

Quotes from Gillian Cederwall "The shift to motherhood is the biggest pinch point in a female's career, and this is a very transformational phase for her.... she's gone from focused career woman to working mom with expanded responsibilities. And you've got to get your head around that." "Research shows that the line manager influences whether she stays or goes 50:50, which is huge in terms of her successful return." "By owning the conversation a woman has with her line manager, owning her exit and owning her reentry, it really is subtly influencing the culture for working parents for the better. " Mums and dads, I would love to hear what has worked for you in terms of transitioning into parenthood and back to work again. Some of my clients had babies during lockdown and felt very fortunate that both parents were working from home at the time and could both participate in raising their children day and night, not missing out on any milestones. Drop me an email to info@nikkibush.com