Mothers, leadership, and the “empathy” advantage

“Working moms bring a different type of leadership that can be very useful with interacting with others. The way that you connect with your child is very pure; you can be stern, you can bring discipline, but it will always come across as loving and empathetic. You need to be able to exploit that and bring it to the workplace. Sometimes, we all act immature, and no one knows how to deal with that better than a mother.”

In this episode, Master leadership consultant Rosa Ponce de Leon joins Pros&Babes founder and CEO Kinia Romanowska to discuss her journey of self-discovery as a leader, the unique (yet still overlooked) contribution of mothers in power and how empathic leadership can create thriving workplaces.

Listen in for insights on developing effective leadership through empathy and self-awareness and all the unique ways motherhood makes us better leaders. 

Rosa Ponce de Leon is a master leadership consultant, public servant, and business adviser. She has helped small business owners build stronger teams and redefine work cultures. Connect with Rosa at ​​rosaponcedeleon.com, on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or listen to more on her podcast, Powerful at Work Radio.

0:00 Intro

2:41 Meet Rosa

4:30  Leading change in the workplace 

07:29 Shedding hard-die stereotypes 

10:32 Recognizing the leader in you

12:51 Nurturing our shared humanity

14:40 The empathy of a leader

22:23 Mothers in the workplace: how to improve wellbeing and retention 

26:16 Projecting leadership through self-awareness 

31:44 What it means to invest in yourself 

37: 46 Why managing conflict with others starts always with us

43:18 The first person to recognize your gifts

44:30 Connect with Rosa

45:32 Endnotes

If you’re enjoying the show, I’d be so grateful if you left us a review so we can reach more moms, just like you. No one should be alone with the crushing overwhelm of trying to balance family and career life.


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.