What happens when a manager and her team member sit down to discuss the highs, lows, and lessons of navigating two maternity leaves together?

In this special episode of the Kundra Podcast, Podcast host Theresa reconnects with Ines, a Paris-based marketer turned entrepreneur, for a rare two-sided conversation.

Together, they reflect on their shared experience at Qonto, where Theresa managed Ines through back-to-back maternity leaves in a fast-scaling tech environment.

With humility and honesty, they explore what worked, what didn’t, and how both perspectives - manager and employee - can shape better parental-leave support inside companies.

Inside this conversation, you’ll discover:

• Empathy in Action: Why simple human check-ins mattered more than any policy.
• Unspoken Fears: How performance reviews, pay decisions, and timing made disclosure difficult.
• Reboarding Realities: The impact of returning without structure - and what a better comeback plan could look like.
• Career Growth After Leave: How open dialogue around ambition and promotions builds trust and motivation.
• Shared Accountability: Why parental-leave success is a partnership between manager, employee, and company.

Whether you’re a manager, HR leader, or working parent, this episode offers an honest look at the messy, human side of maternity leave - and how small, intentional actions can make a lasting difference.

In this episode we cover:

• 00:00 Introduction & Ines’ Background
• 03:26 Two Back-to-Back Maternity Leaves
• 04:37 Feeling Supported - Empathy in Action
• 06:51 The Fear of Announcing Pregnancy
• 08:03 Performance Reviews & Pay Conversations
• 13:00 Reboarding and Career Alignment
• 17:28 Lessons From the Second Leave
• 22:02 The Power of Highlight Moments Before Leave
• 25:54 Creating Excitement and Career Growth on Return
• 30:45 Reflections - Empathy Isn’t Enough

About Kundra

Kundra is building the future of parental leave.

We believe ambition and parenthood can thrive together - and companies that embed equity into their foundations today will lead tomorrow.

This podcast is part of our journey: speaking with working parents, business leaders, and HR innovators to surface the truths of career and parenting and the tools that make it work.

We’re now opening up pilot programs for companies ready to rethink parental leave. If you’d like to see how Kundra can support your teams, email [email protected] for a demo.

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