Careering into Motherhood

09/03/2026

"When my daughter was born, back before Covid and before hybrid working, I was in the office five days a week. With that routine, guilt often followed me, and I would sit in my office during quiet moments worrying about the milestones that mattered, that I might be missing and have missed. I would have given anything to be able to work from home just one day a week."

This month, we are pleased to feature a guest blog from Niala Butt, Head of Casualty Claims at Liberty Specialty Markets, one of our corporate partners dedicated to advancing women's careers.

Niala shares, "From that stress came strength, I dug deep to find the courage to show up, and she learned independence, adaptability, and quiet resilience by watching me. Living through those honest and sometimes tearful moments together has woven diversity and inclusion into the fabric of everything we both do."

In this candid piece written exclusively for Careering into Motherhood, Niala reflects on her personal journey through an evolving workplace alongside her family commitments.

Find this article and more on our website
For information about careers with Liberty Specialty Markets, head to their dedicated page
https://www.libertyspecialtymarkets.com/gb-en/careers/careering-into-motherhood

🌟

01/03/2026

Concluding the last in our spotlight series with Liberty Syndicates, and profiling some of their UK employees who juggle motherhood alongside their careers. This blog features Niala Butt, Head of Casualty Claims in London, as she talks about some of the pros and cons of being a working mother.

Niala Butt, Head of Casualty Claims at Liberty Specialty Markets writes, "Motherhood and having a meaningful career have always been intertwined for me, each shaping the other in ways I never expected.

12/08/2025

Jane Johnson launched to tackle the obstacles encountered by working parents after struggling to find a job share at an equivalent level to her position as global director of a multinational bank.
“I looked around and it dawned on me,” she tells . “There were so few other senior women with children because they had faced the same challenges.” Ignorance of the logistics of job-sharing is rife. “I once had a conversation with a recruiter,” Johnson says, “and asked if the employer would consider a job share. The response was: ‘No, because we can’t ask for double the salary.’” Job shares are paid pro rata, so they don’t add any costs for the employer, but that recruiter’s mistake may have stemmed from the rarity of job shares at any level, let alone at the director level. Sure enough, law firm DAC Beachcroft, another top employer for working families, tells us that job sharing is uncommon among its staff and the practice has been superseded by
other flexible working arrangements….

Thanks to Stylist for this interview and piece, highlighting the woeful lack of senior roles available as a job-share. Something that we personally believe could smash the issues working mothers face if more employers were open to the concept.

Full article on their website (paywall).

22/07/2025

Hi, I’m Ella — intersectional life & career coach, ex-charity CEO, and recovering overachiever.

I help women who feel stuck, stretched, or a little lost — many of them mums — get out of their own heads and into lives that actually feel good, not just look good on LinkedIn.

I did everything “right”: climbed the ladder, held it all together, said yes when I meant “please no.” Then one day I realised I was successful… but it wasn’t my version of success. Coaching helped me stop performing the life I thought I should want — and start building one that fits the real me.

Now I help other brilliant women do the same. My style blends coaching, nervous system care, and no-nonsense guidance — all backed by credentials and lived experience. I don’t believe in ignoring reality just to stay “positive” but I will help you take aligned action and trust your gut as you become the woman — and mum — you’re here to be.

If you’re ready to be the main character in your own damn life — I’ve got you. Let’s make your next chapter bold, spacious, and actually yours.

Find me at on Instagram or connect with me on LinkedIn and see my profile page on Careering into Motherhood where I'm also a partner Coach

17/07/2025

What if you gave yourself permission to stop holding it all, just for a moment?
You’re not imagining it - the maternal mental load is real, and it can weigh a tonne.

As the summer holidays creep closer, this short, guided-visualisation may feel especially relevant right now. Life is noisier, time is tighter, and your capacity might already feel stretched. But the maternal mental load is not a seasonal phenomenon. It tends to show up and weigh heavily on us at any given moment throughout the year – so give this visualisation a listen whenever the load is weighing heavily on you.

Let The Parenthood Coach - Tamsin Williamson guide you as you step out of the overwhelm, release the noise and tune into your needs, and remember: you don’t have to do it all alone. Follow Tamsin for more helpful guidance and support in managing your maternal mental load.

14/07/2025

"You don’t need to be stress-free to feel in control, just confident enough to stay steady inside," says Career Coach Charlotte Worth Coaching , "Let’s be honest stress is a part of life. Whether it’s deadlines, decisions, or just juggling everything at once, we all feel it. And when stress piles up, confidence can take a hit, but actually confidence can also be part of the solution. What if managing stress could start by turning inwards and not to overthink, but to tune in?"

Charlotte gives 4 quick tips to help you make tiny shifts that will see a big difference in your confidence and stress. And we love them because they're all grounded in well-researched psychology! So head to the link in our bio or give Charlotte a follow and get your stress under control.

09/07/2025

Do you regularly find yourself feeling exhausted, wound up and on edge, even after you’ve tackled that demanding work project or finally got the children settled?

You’re not going mad – you might simply have an incomplete stress cycle.

Understanding the difference between stressors and stress is crucial for working parents in addressing potential burnout.

A stressor is the thing that causes your stress – whether it’s external like a crying baby, looming deadline, sick parent, sitting in traffic, or an internal feeling like your own assumptions, expectations, fears, or anger.

Stress, however, is your body’s physical and emotional response to that situation. It’s the racing heart, tense shoulders, and that feeling of being constantly “switched on” – your body’s ancient fight, flight, or freeze response activated by modern-day challenges.

Here’s what many of us don’t realise: removing the stressor doesn’t automatically switch off the stress response. Your body might still be stuck in fight-or-flight mode long after the crisis has passed. This happens because we haven’t completed what researchers call the “stress cycle.”

Find out all about what you can do to address and minimise the impact of stress in this brilliant post today by Rachel Stern, The Parental Burnout Coach , and see our website for the free article.

02/07/2025

🍵 This isn’t a spa day. It’s a reset manual. For women with real lives who need to find small ways back to themselves.

🍵We don't need to read another spa day suggestion, says Ella Schwarz , "What we do need, is a way to catch ourselves before we spiral. To feel like we’re allowed to pause — even for a minute — and be a human being, not just a mama machine."

🍵Here are three simple but powerful check-ins that take under a minute — and genuinely help. Check out Ella's post on our website - accessible directly from our homepage via link in bio.

🍵This isn’t a spa day. It’s a reset manual. For women with real lives who need to find small ways back to themselves.

16/06/2025

Ever felt like a fraud just as you're about to do something big?

Imposter syndrome loves to crash our party especially when we're stepping into new territory. What if the answer isn’t 'fake it til you make it' with confidence or to shrink back… but to stay, with yourself and show yourself kindness?

In this short read Kim Stokes, Founder of Kindness For Success , shares 3 practical ways to stop running from imposter syndrome and start responding with self-kindness instead.

What have your experiences been? Does that voice creep in?

12/06/2025

“Why don’t I feel like myself anymore?”
If you’ve ever asked yourself this in the blur of early motherhood or during those first few weeks back at work, you’re not alone—and you’re definitely not broken.

Returning to work after becoming a parent can feel disorienting, not because you’re doing it wrong, but because you’ve gone through a profound transformation—emotionally, mentally, even neurologically. And yet, so few people talk about this transition as something real, valid, and worth supporting.

The truth? You’re not going back to who you were. You’re becoming someone new.

In this blog by Becs Bradley, she explores the science behind the identity shift of motherhood (yes, your brain actually changes!) and offers practical tips to help you move forward with more self-compassion, clarity, and confidence AND there's a free coaching tool you can access towards the end of the article.