On the floor, burnt out and questioning everything.
I was 8 weeks postpartum, with a genuine seat at the table on the executive team of the nonprofit where I'd just been appointed CEO.
This boardroom appointment had come off the back of my high-growth career with career pivots across top-tier law firms and executive recruitment in New York City.
When I landed the role - the biggest role of my career - I was 7 months’ pregnant and had been put through a highly competitive external recruitment process. I was so proud of myself, daydreaming how I would be a role model to my kids in what it looked like to break glass ceilings,
I should have been on cloud nine. But instead of triumph, I felt like I was drowning.
One Sunday evening, I found myself sitting on the bathroom floor, silently crying so I wouldn't wake the kids. Spreadsheets scattered around me, breast pump attached, desperately preparing for a board meeting the next morning.
The truth hit me like a ton of bricks: this wasn't working. Not because I couldn't handle the responsibility. I was more than capable. But the role just wasn't compatible with my family reality.
When I raised concerns about the unsustainable pace, the Board's message was crystal clear: I could only stay as CEO if I worked full-time. The subtext being: “pretend motherhood isn’t part of your identity.”
They offered me a demotion - a classic "mommy-tracked" role with less responsibility.
I refused. I left.
Then came the breakdown - and the breakthrough.
I quickly went into a full existential crisis: Who was I if not the high-achieving professional I'd always been? Was I throwing away everything I'd worked SO hard for?
But then I realised, motherhood didn’t shrink my ambition, it redirected it.
“But to where?” I asked myself.
Mums default to supporting everyone else. But who supports mums?
In trying to find advice and support for mums navigating career transitions, I was met with completely generic advice that ignored the realities of motherhood.
Even worse, many approaches encouraged women to minimise or apologise for any career breaks, instead of focusing on the value that these mums bring to the table, because of motherhood (not in spite of it).
It was in that struggle that my next wave of professional purpose was born, and this led me to found EmpowerHER Careers.
A space designed specifically for mums — to help you navigate this next chapter of your career with clarity, strategy and confidence.
The things that I will never let a crappy job steal from me.
When I’m not helping mums redesign fulfilling, purposeful careers, you’ll find me walking while listening to audiobooks and podcasts, binge-watching Shark Tank or Dragon’s Den, spending time with my two amazing kids, catching up with family and friends, finding new ways to grow, and planning my next travel adventure.
Because I believe in building a life — and a career — that feels meaningful, energising and aligned in every season.
So if you’re ready to stop settling for work that drains you, and start building a career that fits who you are now — let me show you how to do it.