Episode 3 Mom’s at Work: From baby to bias – The hidden struggles of moms returning to work

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Returning to work after maternity leave should be a transition, not a battle — but for many women, it’s anything but smooth.

In this episode of our limited edition podcast Mom’s at Work, we explore the struggles of working mothers re-entering the workplace, especially in hostile or unsupportive environments. From being sidelined or laid off to facing subtle (and not-so-subtle) biases, many mothers find that their roles have changed — not because of their abilities, but because of how they’re perceived once they become mothers.

We also discuss the long-term impact of these experiences, including the concept of “employer-inflicted trauma” — the emotional toll of feeling undervalued, dismissed, or even pushed out after becoming a parent.

"I promised myself on that day I will never ever work for somebody who makes me feel bad about being a mother ever again."

Kendra Pennington

Founder of Beyond the 9th

We speak with growth marketer and founder of virtual working moms community Beyond the 9th Kendra Pennington, on how the judgment she has felt at work since becoming a mother have led to “employment-inflicted trauma” that she carries with her still today.

And we speak with Bodacious founder Zoe Scaman on how she unearthed hundreds of other mothers’ stories about being squeezed out of their companies after having a baby, which later led to her releasing the Motherload Report last October.

"I had Audrey in December 2022 and I had worked up until maybe 24 hours before her birth, on U.S. timelines mostly. So I was heavily pregnant, absolutely exhausted, joining video calls at midnight, one o'clock in the morning, just to almost try to prove to myself and also to my clients, and extended team, that I could do it."

Zoe Scaman

Founder, Bodacious

We also explore the concept of the supermom narrative, and why some like Kendra believe that label has become toxic in a period of disillusionment where many women feel having it all simply means “doing it all.” 

"How do you train the most elite athletes in the world, and how do you help their bodies take on the load, recover and adapt? And so when we're thinking about this concept this parallel to the mother load, it's thinking about what is happening to women over the course of time, from being pregnant, through birthing then you know, moving through their own lives."

Amanda Carlson Phillips

Chief performance and innovation officer, Exos

And we also catch up with Amanda Carlson-Phillips, chief performance innovation officer at Exos – a company that specializes in human performance, offering training, nutrition and wellness services to elite athletes, military personnel and corporate employees, about the importance of having a “pro-recovery culture.” 

And finally we speak with Will Porteous, chief growth officer at Maven, a virtual health clinic that partners with corporate organizations, about the parent burnout crisis and why the level of employe support post maternity and paternity leave, drops off a cliff.

Through real stories and expert insights, we break down why these challenges persist, what needs to change, and how women are fighting back to reclaim their careers on their terms.

WorkLife Presents is hosted by Jessica Davies, founding editor of WorkLife, Sara Patterson is producer, and Tim Peterson is the executive editor of audio and video for Digiday Media. 

If you’ve enjoyed listening, please subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you are listening. For more coverage, visit Digiday.com and WorkLife.news.