Big Careers, Small Children

Do you ever feel under pressure to be the perfect parent?

Verena Hefti MBE chats with Charlotte Boujassy, Director of Talent & Leadership Development Europe for a Japanese pharmaceutical company.

They discuss why it's so important to talk loudly about working flexibly at a senior level, how to deal with the pressure of perfectionism when you're a working parent and progressing your career after you have children.

Born in France, for the past 10 years, Charlotte has lived and worked in Munich. She co-parents her two daughters alongside her now ex-husband.

Enjoy the...

Today we welcome to the podcast Thorey V. Proppe, the CEO and founder of Alda, an Icelandic tech company which developed DEI software for workplaces globally.

Iceland consistently ranks among the highest countries in the world for gender equality.

Thorey shares:

Enjoy the conversation.

Show notes:

Today we're joined by Brita Fernandez Schmidt, transformational coach and author of the brilliant book Fears to Fierce. 

Brita has spent 25 years championing women's rights across the world, and strongly believes that every woman has a fierce power to fulfill her own dreams.

We discussed how we can learn to trust our own intuition, be intentional with our actions and manage our fears.

Enjoy the conversation.

Show notes:

This week we welcome Lea Henry, co-founder of the award-winning creative childcare agency CocoRio.

Together with her business partner Corinna Bordoli, Lea co-founded CocoRio because she worried about the quality of childcare available. As she couldn’t keep her kids with her 24/7, she wanted to ensure their overall development and emotional well-being would be catered for.

Lea shares practical advice on how she manages the competing demands of a baby, a toddler and a growing business.

A common theme during the discussion is perfectionism and letting go of the perfect time to do th...

How can women thrive in a traditionally male-dominated work environment?

Today we welcome to the podcast Polly Ogden Duffy, Managing Director at prime sales and lettings agency John D Wood & Co. London.

Polly, who is married with two children, is passionate that women CAN have it all and shares why she believes being ambitious as a working mother is no bad thing.

Having worked her whole career in a traditionally male-dominated environment, Polly shares the advice she would give other women progressing their career, including why you don't necessarily have to 'act like...

Today on the podcast, Verena Hefti MBE chats with Dr Ana Catalano Weeks, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bath

Dr. Ana shares her experience of how mental load can be gendered and emphasises that creating awareness is a part of the solution.

In this conversation, we delve into the dynamics of heterosexual couples and the evolving landscape of childcare responsibilities. Despite men's increasing involvement in practical child-rearing tasks over the decades, women still bear the brunt of the mental load. We also explore the stigma confronting both men and women within the framework of...

Today on the podcast, Verena Hefti MBE chats with Jane Green, Leaders Plus Mentor and Former EY Partner.

Jane's approach to balancing work and parenthood in an era where flexible-working was rare, can well be considered as a reforming move in the UK workplace.

From pioneering a flexible work model in the 1990s at EY to now mentoring on the Leaders Plus Fellowship, Jane helps working parents to explore a working pattern that best suits their career ambitions and family life.

From her experience as a mum and now a grandmother, Jane shares...

Today on the podcast Verena Hefti MBE chats with Heather Taylor, Director of Finance and Resources for Trust for London and Trustee and Treasurer at charity Pregnant Then Screwed.

Heather is an Alumni of the Leaders Plus Fellowship (having completed the very first cohort of the programme) and advocates for flexible and reduced working days to increase productivity in the workplace.

As a mother to two under-6, Heather shares her journey of transitioning into a 4-day work model which helped her grow professionally while balancing her time with her children, plus her tips on applying...

In this episode, Verena Hefti MBE chats with Sam Butters, Co-CEO of charity the Fair Education Alliance, a coalition of 250 organisations tackling educational inequality. 

Verena and Sam discuss the multiple benefits of having Co-CEO’s and why this isn’t necessarily the same as a traditional job share. 

Sam, who is a big advocate of work-life fluidity, describes how being a Co-CEO aligns perfectly when you’re a working parent, likening it to a long-term partnership akin to a marriage, with shared accountability and management responsibilities.

For Sam (who is currently expecting her second c...

What is the secret to other people talking positively about you at work?

Today on the podcast Verena Hefti MBE chats with Rachel Allison, founder of the PR agency Axe + Saw.

Rachel is someone who regularly advocates for Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in her work and she is passionate about running a progressive, purpose-driven agency.

As a mother to a 6-month-old daughter, Rachel shares her freshest thinking on running an agency whilst raising a young family, including why a 4-day working week is key to their success.

Rachel also shares her...