Make your return to work smooth and confident by bringing support, resilience and structure

In this episode, lawyer and working-parent advocate Lori Mihalich-Levin joins Kinia Romanowska to discuss the rituals and key conversations that can bring support, resilience, and structure into the delicate transition back to work after maternity leave. 

Lori also offers key strategies for managing energy, honoring our needs, and staying grounded when hardly anything about life and work is normal and predictable.

Listen in to glean insights and tips on cultivating mindfulness in your daily life and building supportive relationships at home and at work so you can make your return to work smooth and confident.

Lori Mihalich-Levin, JD, health care lawyer at her own firm, The GME Group, PLLC., has poured her passion for empowering working parents into Mindful Return, a movement that helps new moms and dads navigate the uncertain terrain of working parenthood. Mother to two boys, she is also the author of the widely-acclaimed book “Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave,” and co-host of the Parents at Work Podcast.

Connect with Lori and her Mindful Return program on Instagram @mindfulreturn and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/mindfulreturn 

0:00 Intro

3:04 How to make a “mindful return” 

05:02 The Saturday basket: keeping chaos in one place

6:27 Even if the world ends...I’ll be on point!

8:42 “I’m the Chief bottle washer, you’re the Chief diaper changer:” sharing the domestic labor

9.47 Responsibility-sharing is a never-ending conversation

13:05 Micro tips for managing your energy

14:44 Daily rituals that help us hit “pause,” shift pace and stay grounded

20:36 Why self-care benefits our kids, too

23:45 Me-time...in bulk!

26:07 The top three things women must negotiate for work-life integration

31:11 What new moms need to acknowledge if they want to succeed 

33:18 The wisdom of hindsight: advice for new moms 

37:22 What will your kids say about you in 25 years?

Want more support from moms just like you? Join us for live sessions for support and networking: https://www.prosandbabes.com/stem-mom-webinars

Kinia Romanowska, BA, MA, is a well-traveled award-winning journalist turned entrepreneur, maternity leave strategist, and working parent whisperer. A wife and mom of three passionate about making sure the next generation doesn’t experience the “Motherhood Penalty,” she is the founder and CEO of Pros&Babes and creator of the MoMBA (Mom MBA), the pioneering 360-leadership and personal development program for the busy, ambitious mom in Canada. She is the host of the “Engineer Your Success, Leadership, and Life Harmony #likeamother” podcast.