Parents vs Careers
Work, ambition, identity and what changes after children.
Having children doesn't necessarily make ambition disappear. But it can completely change what a workable career looks like.
Dani talks about moving between founder and job hunter, wanting the stability and company of employment while struggling with the restrictions that come with it. Tash shares how she deliberately stepped back professionally and reduced her hours after becoming a mum, only to discover that working part time doesn't necessarily mean living a part time life.
We talk about the invisible work that often falls to the parent who is 'more available', the pressure to do everything well, social media and impossible standards, and the guilt that comes when something inevitably gives.
And we ask a bigger question. Are women really failing to find the perfect balance, or are we still trying to make motherhood fit into a world of work that wasn't designed around the reality of our lives?
What happens to ambition after you become a mother?
Does working part time actually make life more manageable?
Why does being the 'more available' parent so often mean carrying more?
Are women trying to have it all, or simply trying to make work fit real life?
What would work look like if it were actually designed around modern families?
People, ideas and useful things we found while exploring this conversation.
Who's changing things?
People and organisations trying to redesign the way work fits around real life.
Rethinking what a working day can look like for parents, with professional roles designed to fit between the school runs.
Discover Five Hour Club(opens in a new tab)Working with employers to prove that flexibility can be designed into good jobs, rather than added as an afterthought.
Explore Timewise(opens in a new tab)Read this
Emma Grede
For anyone questioning what success should look like now. A practical take on ambition, work and building a life on your own terms.
Explore the book(opens in a new tab)
Joeli Brearley
Why motherhood still changes women's working lives so dramatically, and what needs to change.
Explore the book(opens in a new tab)Useful right now
Practical advice for parents navigating work, caring responsibilities and flexible working.
Their guidance covers flexible-working requests, changing working patterns, negotiating with employers and what to do if a request is refused.
The bigger picture
6 in 10
mothers granted flexible working say their workload stays exactly the same.
Pregnant Then Screwed, State of the Nation 2026
If work could genuinely fit around your life, what would you want it to look like?
Send us a message, suggest a future conversation or tell us what you see completely differently. We read everything.
Share your thoughtKeep the conversation going
New conversations, different questions, same honest approach.
New conversations and useful things, straight to your inbox.
Music: "Chain Reactions" by Phlotilla x Andrea Wasse, produced by Topher Mohr
Parents vs Food
From fussy eating and mealtime battles to cooking, curiosity and letting kids take the lead.
Parents vs Smartphones
Screens, phones, group chats and the pressure to know exactly when to hand one over.
