I’m thrilled to kick off series 4 with a focus on employer conversations, and first up the wonderful Fleur Cox, Co-chair of the Family and Carers Alliance for Rolls Royce. 
This one is for you if you’re running an employee resource group, a parent support network or wanting to get started. There were so many incredible take aways! Fleur shared very generously about their experiences, highs and lows, plus a sprinkling of practical advice of getting started.
The insight into how to work alongside an HR function when you’re trying to make it a whole company approach, the role of an exec sponsor, facing into challenges around policy when you’re a global employer and her top tip of picking no more than three projects a year were all centre stage in this chat. 

TW: in this episode Charlotte and Elliott discuss parental bereavement, mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. If this isn't something you can listen to right now, why not check out some of our other episodes?

I’m bringing the bonus today, with the one and only Elliott Rae. Founder of Music Football Fatherhood, author, co-founder of the working dads employer awards, equal parenting advocate and speaker.

You might also have caught him presenting the documentary ‘Becoming Dad’ on BBC1 earlier this year – he’s a busy fella so I was thrilled to bag a spot in his diary to pass the mic on some of the biggest topics facing dads in the workplace.

We covered how this all got started for Elliott, hopes for parents in the workplace, some of the legislative changes he’d love to see and boundaries when you’re working in a world that is full of emotion and feeling close to home. You can find out more about Elliott and his work through the MFF insta or website.

For the final episode of the series I had the pleasure of chatting to Becky Candy – an utterly brilliant advocate for supporting parents in the workplace. By day Becky is a change manager and co-chair of the parent network at her employer, and by… well the rest of the day… Becky is a solo parent to her son and currently navigating her own diagnosis of autism. 

In a recent LinkedIn post Becky described her own experience of ‘taking off the mask’ in sharing her diagnosis, and it was incredible to read. Becky shares very generously her first hand experiences of being neurodiverse when you’re a parent and her reflections on what it’s meant in the workplace.  

One of the mic drop moments for me was when Becky said that she’d never really shared what she needs and has spent a lot of time walking towards what others require – and the power of meeting in the middle. 

We also spent time unpicking some of the negative narrative we can tell ourselves about our uniqueness, and how they genuinely can be what set us apart and power us. It was one heck of a conversation!

Today I’m joined by Hannah, one half of the Job Share Pair and what a chat it was! I’ve ‘known’ Hannah and Rachel over Instagram for a couple of years now but it was totally different actually chatting. We explored some of the myths around job sharing, Hannah’s experiences of being in a job share relationship and the mission that this incredible two-some hold. I came away inspired and hopeful more than anything, and with a list of conversation starters for organisations! You can find out more about the work of The Job Share Pair on their website or instagram. 

Holly is the Queen of helping you start and grow a sustainable business. An advocate of boundaries, staying curious about your relationship with social media and tenacious approach of deconstructing the overwhelm, Holly Curry is a total beacon of light with her website design expertise, business coaching and consultancy services.

I’ve known and worked with Holly in some capacity for the last four years and I was overjoyed when she said she’d come for a chat – we explored everything from using your strengths, the importance of boundaries (and how they flex), re-brands and being a parent.

I hope you love the insights as much as I did! You can find out more about Holly and the beautiful work she does on her website or through Instagram.

Today I passed the mic to the wonderful Natalie, founder of Power Thoughts. Natalie works with children (and their parents) to know they have the power over their own thoughts.

Through talks, workshops, programs and direct support (not to mention the incredible social media posts and reels) Natalie is on a mission to combine the importance of childhood experiences with building resilience to support kids in responding to challenges and obstacles in a resourceful and individual way.

Previously a teacher and now a qualified coach, Natalie has worked with over 4000 children through Power Thoughts and it seems like the needs of her audience are only going to grow. You can find more from Natalie on Instagram or her website.

In today’s episode we covered A LOT! Victorine is the founder of Baby Duet – a gorgeous business dedicated to creating unique baby clothing with delish hand drawn prints. We explored where it all started for Victorine and how it’s going… hello sustainability conversations! 

We touched on the Baby Duet origins story (literally her kids were the inspo), the impacts of ‘hustle culture’ and the strong foundations her parents instilled in her. Victorine shares so authentically about managing the imbalance and her experience with the narrative of ‘having it all’. 

You can find Victorine on Instagram and on the Baby Duet website.

What a way to start season three of the podcast!

Absolutely honoured to be joined by the brilliant Tinuke Awe – social entrepreneur who is passionate about all things Black motherhood. She was named British Vogue force for change in 2021 for her work with the Five x More campaign which calls for overdue improvements in Black maternal health in the UK. Tinuke is also the founder of Mums and Tea, a social platform for Black mothers which has over a 12,000 strong community.

There’s also one more to add to the mix - Learning with Ez is the home of resources to support Black parents navigate through the experiences of parenting a neurodiverse child. And yep, she did the impossible and found time in her day
to chat!

Tinuke shares her story, how she manages her boundaries when the platforms she runs are so close to home, her hopes for Black mothers and the empowering and protective way she shares the stories of others. You can also find Tinuke on Instagram here.

I've got a very special bonus episode to share with you today - with the incredible Katie, who three years ago adopted her daughters. 
Katie is a friend of a friend so I've known her for a little while, but we've never really talked about her experience of going through the adoption process. I saw that Katie had posted some eye watering numbers about the adoption rates dropping in the UK and a subsequent campaign that is currently running to help dispel some of the myths that surround it. 
Katie shared so generously about the experience her and her husband going through adopting the girls, right from the first information evening through to the importance of them celebrating their family day each year. 
Katie mentions it at the end of the podcast, but if you would like to talk to her or ask a question we didn't cover, please drop them to me on [email protected] and I'll get them over to her. 
After the recording Katie told me that currently self employed people are not entitled to statutory adoption leave which is a huge blocker and there is a petition to change it. If that's something you can support the link is here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/601323 to get some movement.

In the final episode of series two, Charlotte is talking to Shwezin Win - founder of Win At Life coaching. She is a mum, a step-mum, a marketing expert and now a coach who works with parents, young adults and teens to curate a life where they feel able to thrive. 
Shwezin shared her story of arriving in the UK at the impressionable age of seven, navigating the UK school system and the impact that has had on her in her later career. We explored some of the experiences parents are facing in the workplace and the importance of remembering that parenting is not one dimensional and linear in experience. Shwezin was the chair of the parents network in her previous employer so knows first hand the two worlds of being a parent and an employee can collide with a bang!
If you want to find out more about Shwezin's work you can head over to her website or find her on LinkedIn.