The action steps successful moms take through pregnancy, maternity, and the return to work

“Success is not only what you do, but how you feel. You can set an intention that can be very broad and say: ‘I want to feel empowered, joyful, and communicative.’  ‘I want to surrender and trust.’ ‘I want to show up as somebody who's prepared and competent and communicates in a successful way.’ “You can set a broad definition of success in terms of how you want to feel and appear. And then you can also have a checklist for the goals and milestones that you want to achieve.”

In this episode, award-winning journalist Pros&Babes founder and CEO Kinia Romanowska, and host of this podcast, walks us through the framework and key action steps that will set you up for success at every stage of your journey, from pregnancy to working motherhood.

From how to disclose your pregnancy to tackling bias in the workplace, from setting realistic expectations for new motherhood to offsetting the financial fallout of career breaks, this episode is jam-packed with easy-to-implement advice on how you can play by your own rules and achieve success in your career and family life.

0:00 Intro

1:40 Defining work-life success at every stage

04:12 Disclosing your pregnancy

5:59 Ditching money worries: how to offset career and financial risks 

8:46 Tackling bias in the workplace 

9.30 Becoming a mother: big shifts, new expectations

12:30 What impact do you want to make? 

13:56 Mindset, tools, and visual cues to drive success

15:37 Weaving motherhood into your personal brand

17:50 Childbirth

20:35 How to optimize sleep a new mom

23:11 Finding your stride

24:59 Your vision of working-parent success

27:32 Endnote 

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.