The Data-Proven Value of Working Mothers: How Hiring Moms Gives Companies a Competitive Advantage - with Maria Sweeney of The Mom Project

Leanna Laskey McGrath  0:08  

Welcome to the Executive Coach For Moms podcast where we support women who are attempting to find balance and joy while simultaneously leading people at work and at home. I'm your host, Leanna Laskey McGrath, former tech exec turned full time mom, recovering perfectionist and workaholic, and certified executive coach. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  0:27  

Hi everyone. Welcome back to the show. Thank you so much for being here today. I am so excited for the conversation that I'm sharing with you today. I have Maria Sweeney here, who is the fractional Chief Marketing Officer for The Mom Project. And The Mom Project is a company that is very near and dear to my heart. I've been following them for years, and I think many of our community members and listeners can benefit from The Mom Project's work. And so I'm just so appreciative of everything that they're doing, and they recently published a report where they have data showing the benefit of moms in the workplace. And so I know so many of us think only about what feels like the detriment, or how it sometimes feels like it's taking away from our work. And so today we're going to be talking all about how it actually is a benefit to have moms in the workplace, and how the skills that we learn as moms contribute to our success at work. So I am so so excited to introduce Maria. Welcome Maria.

Maria Sweeney  1:35  

Thank you, Leanna, this is excellent. I'm so excited to be here and talk to your audience and talk to you a little bit about what I do and what The Mom Project does, and the value of moms in the workplace and how tremendous that is and the impact that they are having. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  1:48  

Yes, yes. I think whenever we originally talked, we said, let's share a big win, because it's so important for us to understand the impact that we are having, that moms are having in the workplace. So maybe if you could start off and just introduce yourself a little bit, tell us a little bit about you and what you do with The Mom Project. 

Maria Sweeney  2:06  

Great. So my name is Maria Sweeney. I've been in marketing for over 20 years. Have navigated the world of motherhood and, you know, the corporate space and work as a single mom initially, I have a partner now, so I have some support there, but just kind of navigating my way through corporate America into, you know, more of a startup environment. And so I come to The Mom Project as their fractional chief marketing officer, by way of clear edge. So found this opportunity at a critical time for the company, really, when we were wanting to lean very heavily into the value of our moms, what they can bring to the companies that we partner with, and bringing more companies into our business, I should say, as meaningful partners, truly that are aligned to our mission and our goals. So it's been a really exciting journey here. I've been here just under a year. As you had mentioned, you know, really what we do at The Mom Project is it's a talent platform. We're connecting moms to these companies that understand, see their value and really looking to create job opportunities for we have currently a community of 1.8 million moms that continues to grow every day. Really various disciplines, be it marketing, finance, administration, HR, legal, we are not narrowed down to one focus area. We really do have a lot of different disciplines at multiple stages, and, you know, a woman's career, so it really excellent place, like I said, to find opportunities that align with our goals professionally, but also us as moms in the workplace. What we need.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  3:32  

I think one thing as you were talking that I'm really curious about is, how do you find these companies to partner with, and how do you kind of determined that they would be a good fit for moms to work there.

Maria Sweeney  3:43  

You know, interesting. I mean, think we attend a lot of different events. We obviously have a lot of different content we publish and we share on our social platforms. And I think those companies that are drawn to our message and what we are trying to achieve and accomplish naturally are gravitating towards us. And obviously we have a stellar team behind all of this that's really seeking out those companies that are putting, I guess you could say policies and procedures in place that say, Hey, we are going to support not just moms, but caregivers as a whole. And how do we do that collectively? Etsy was a really great example of that. We started with a maternity ship program, and that's just developed as they've developed themselves as sort of a leader in this space of creating ideal work environments for caregivers, right? And having all of that, because they know that when they do that, when you're supporting that community of caregivers within the workplace, you're going to reap those benefits. You're going to reap the benefits in terms of your overall business impact, and then I just think the overall engagement you have within an organization. So generally, you know, it's sometimes it's just, you know, serendipitous in that these companies see us. They say, hey, wow, these they're truly aligned their mission, their brand is truly aligned to what we're trying to accomplish. And then we're also seeking out those industries that truly, maybe not, are not looking at that as closely. And we're saying, Hey, here's an opportunity. Let's, you know, explain to you and share with you, you know, the case studies and the insights that we have around how valuable moms are based on roles you might need to fill, or where your business might be going. And so truly, like I said, we have a phenomenal team that is really looking at that very closely and saying, Hey, we're a great match because we have the same values. But hey, maybe right now you don't see, you know, the world of work the way that we do from a caregiver and a mom perspective. But let's give you some information. Let's share some of that value with you so that you have a true understanding of what that is, and sort of shifting the wind a little bit in terms of what being some preconceived notions are around moms and caregivers in the workplace, and sort of, again, kind of changing that mindset. And we've absolutely been able to accomplish that in industries, you know, some automotive or otherwise that you see, are heavily male influenced. That's a little bit of, I guess, the recipe, to some degree, the recipe of how we find these companies. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  5:49  

Yeah, I love that. And so was this industry report that you did, was it so that you would have some data to go out and reach out to those companies that maybe aren't quite at the point where they're coming and approaching you and seeing your mission as aligned just yet, but you can actually go out and say, hey, now we have some data and research to back this up of why this is so important?

Maria Sweeney  6:13  

100% I think it's twofold. Really, it was the client partners that we're working with just validating what we're doing together currently show, hey, you know, the report was comprised of the two, roughly 235, companies we work with today, and then over 4000 of our moms, right? So it was a really good, great sample set to say, hey, proof is in the pudding. What you're doing in the ways in which we're working together are valuable and they're creating impact with your business. And then, to your point, sharing that more broadly with companies that aren't familiar with it, right? And it's not maybe that they're averse to it, but they don't have the data that says, hey, wow. They really do have a significant impact in terms of, like, percentages of, you know, I think it's roughly 76 72% of the companies that we surveyed see ROI from their mom, talent, huge number. But also, let's go a layer deeper. So not only what are they doing, what are the percentages, but what are the qualities and characteristics that really are moving that needle? I think we're also something that we wanted to uncover. So we know moms, you know, can get it done, but how? Why? What are they doing, and what is that true value? So we can illustrate that more for companies that aren't currently doing business with us. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  7:19  

Yeah, I love that. So let's jump into the report, and we will link the report in the show notes. If anyone would like to read it all in depth, you are welcome to do that. But today we're going to talk about some of the key insights and highlights. So maybe, Maria, could you kind of walk us through some of those for our data and numbers folks who are listening. 

Maria Sweeney  7:41  

I love it. I'm a data and numbers girl, too. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  7:43  

Me, too. 

Maria Sweeney  7:45  

72% of those companies are seeing ROI from their mom talent, seeing an impact on the business, which is phenomenal. And you know, 57% of those companies consider their ability to retain moms their competitive advantage. So like that being a huge win for them, promoting their corporate brands as well, and their moms are top performers. Like 76% of those that we surveyed said our moms are top performers, and they're coming in, as I mentioned before, at different levels within these organizations. Some you know, you know, entry, mid level and or even leadership positions as well. Right now, I think what was kind of profound for us was the disparities between moms and companies, right? So that gap between the perception an employer has and the employees actual experience, and so 90% of our moms said we believe that feeling supported at work is essential to us, but only 60% roughly 60% really felt supported. So there's that opportunity now to say, okay, what are those things that we really do need to put in place as organizations to make sure that moms feel truly supported? And some of the companies that we partner with too, we also partner with their ERG groups, so their employee resource groups to say, how can we collectively work together beyond us just helping to support you by filling open roles, what more can we be doing as a partner to help, you know, really build that up within your organization? So I think that's a really key point for us, is that we're not just placing moms. We're saying, how do we work with our partners to make this a better environment for them as well? So I think pretty critical point for us again, both on those clients that we currently work with and those that we are optimistic about working with in the future.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  9:17  

I just have a couple of things I want to say about the numbers, I think it is phenomenal to see that moms are top performers in 76% of the companies that responded. That's amazing. And then to the point that you said about the gap between employer perceptions and employee perceptions, so kind of that the employers have this perception of how they're supporting these moms at work, and then how the moms are actually feeling, and it seems like there's a pretty big discrepancy there.

Maria Sweeney  9:51  

Yes, absolutely.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  9:52  

Yeah, I can really, really relate to that. When I was a vice president in corporate I think it was kind of similar. I think the company really thought that they were supporting executive moms and moms in the workplace, but I didn't always feel supported, and it was really challenging for me, and actually that's a big reason why I left to start my own company supporting moms. But I think that it's just so interesting to kind of see the difference in the perceptions. And it also makes me think about I wonder what the perceptions are of how the moms believe that the companies see their performance versus how the companies are actually seeing their performance. Right? The 76% of the companies are seeing the moms as top performers. Did you find anything out about are the moms seeing themselves as top performers, or was that not something that you looked at in this particular study? 

Maria Sweeney  10:48  

Not necessarily, no. I think what we paid more attention to was, what are those attributes that do make them feel supported at work, and thus does that translate to optimal performance? So trust and the level of respect, the just general feeling of success, right? I'm, you know, navigating my career, or I have resources to help navigate my career. I think those are really important elements, that feeling of belonging and inclusion, which we hear a lot about in this space, but I think truly feeling like I have a connection point with my peers or other co workers, leaders within the business who truly understand and support me and I think for moms, impacting the business in the ROI is obviously an element. We all want to achieve those goals for the companies that we work for. But there's also that innate feeling of when you're in a professional environment, am I respected, you know, can I sit around the table, you know, with my colleagues still feel like as a parent, as a mom, as a caregiver, who may have to step away quickly for a call from the school, I'm still going to gain that same level of respect when I return back to that table, right? When I'm sitting there having those discussions, do I feel connected to my peers and that they understand there's a balance that I have to strike between being a successful professional and a successful parent, right? And so I think that for us, it was really more focusing on, what are those needs for them? What does that value actually equate to? And I don't know that it's always going to translate to the bottom line, if you would. I think there's a part of it that does, but I think that that feeling of achievement, accomplishment and success in your role in a workplace comes with that overall balance of, hey, there are other aspects to this tangible and intangible that make me feel as if I am truly successful at work, right? And I am actually my value is either seen or I feel valued, and that puts me in a better position as a employee to be top contributor. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  12:40  

Well, I think before we started recording, you had mentioned employee engagement. That's such a huge part of it. I think engagement is a two way street. And if I feel that my company is invested in me and trusts me and respects me, then you know that kind of goes both ways. I feel more engaged. I feel more excited to show up. And I think there's an extra bar for moms where it's like, we are leaving our kids, we're choosing to not spend time with our kids and to focus on work. And so that work better be giving us something that we feel engaged in some way. And when you said about the bottom line. I thought actually, employee engagement has been shown to impact the bottom line. And so if moms are feeling more engaged in their work, then of course, they're going to show up better. They're going to want to give more to the company, and that's going to have a positive impact on everybody around them, too, truly.

Maria Sweeney  13:38  

And retention, right? Moms are going to stay organization that they feel is invested in them, values them.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  13:44  

Yeah.

Maria Sweeney  13:44  

And, you know, the cost to, you know, replace a particular employee, right? I think it's like one times the salary of the existing right, something in that, don't quote me on that one, but being said, there is a significant cost to companies to, you know, replace their talent. And so retention is a really critical piece. And to your point, engagement obviously leads to that those all work together. And so I think, yes, when you feel like, Hey, I'm supported, I'm valued, you are going to be more engaged in the business, I would say even more so as a manager or as a leader within an organization. That trickles down right when you feel that, and it's, you know, given to you, you're more willing to return that back to your own employees. And collectively, everybody's feeling fully supported and fully engaged, and it really does create more of that sense of belonging and being included in part of something larger than yourself, right? As moms, we all fill our own cup, like we are often filling everybody else's cup, and ours ends up, like, pretty drained. And I think there's a piece of us, and I know personally, there's a big part of me, like at work, when I feel that, you know, I'm moving the needle, or we're accomplished a really big project, or completed a large report. You know, it's a big sense of accomplishment for me, and that does help fill my cup. You know, outside of the day to day of being a caregiver, a parent. Just kind of, you know, running a household, right? There's those are the things we know and the things that we do as moms almost automatically, right? It's just part of who we are. But at work, there's just something different there. There's a sense of purpose and a sense of your own self that is unique outside of the home. And so I think that that's a really big part of all this too, is when you feel all those elements that you need to at work and you're able to accomplish and achieve all these great things, your cup starts to fill up, right in a different way? 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  13:44  

Yeah, I agree 100%. So can you tell us about some of the benefits of having moms in the workplace that maybe the employers reported or that you found in working with in conversations or case studies?

Maria Sweeney  15:41  

Yeah, no. And so we talked a little bit about productivity and retention.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  15:45  

Yeah. 

Maria Sweeney  15:45  

And I think that they we have seen, it has been reported back to us that women with mom colleagues, if you would, or managers, report much higher productivity. So 40% more, like, say, their current employer, right? Because, again, they feel that general sense of understanding you get me, you get the balance that I need to strike and still be a performer. Culture, I think we've shown that moms absolutely are enhancing that workplace culture in terms of, like, well being, overall communication, and the experience as a whole. And then I'd say one big piece that we drew on was transferable skills. Right? A lot of the skills that moms we have innately are extremely valuable in the workplace. So you know, 77% of the companies say that those transferable skills are just as important, if not more, so, than your technical skills. So like that being pretty critical. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  16:32  

Yeah.

Maria Sweeney  16:32  

We drew on what are those skills? And we surveyed, and we actually even interviewed some of our companies. Conflict management, that was a big one, right? And I you and I had joked about this before, like anybody raising a teenager is familiar with what conflict management is and how that could translate to a practical setting in the workplace, but I think that was a really critical piece, right? We have lots of differing opinions in any given space and time within your work day that you're going to have to manage conflict or you're going to have to negotiate to get to a common ground, and that can be with, you know, internal employees or external vendors. And so I think moms really excel in that area, and that was a huge value to the companies that we surveyed. Also another was empathy, right? And just managing, managing of emotions, right? We also joked about you might have a toddler, right? So this idea that, you know, not only are we equipped to do that and manage the emotions, but multiple conflicting emotions, right, lots of different feelings, and you know, this is kind of on the heels of conflict management, but differently, in that you might have a team of five or 10 which have extremely different personalities, right, much like we have different children, like they're not all the same. Come from the same place, not the same personality, but how you deal with them, and how you manage them, and how you help them to navigate, right, moreso navigate the best possible place for them, or the best possible outcome for a business is going to be very different. So being able to juggle that, and being able to understand in any environment, what is the temperature in the room? How do you bring that boil down to a simmer? As I've said before, and really, that perspective of what's an emergency, right? As a mom and a caregiver as a whole, right? I don't want to always exclude dads, but truly, as a mom like we know what's urgent and what's not, right. You know, we've got everybody's coming at us with emergencies, and we're like, all right, there's 10 in front of me. Really, truly, if I had to prioritize this, what needs support first? And I think that moms are really good at that, because they do it in the day to day, and they bring that ability into their work and into just kind of overall management skills. So that was another one that boiled up to the top for us. We actually had a quote that said, moms are grounded in perspective as to what's an emergency. They're less tolerant of busy work, things that don't benefit the team as a whole, right? So they kind of have that kind of immediate instinct about them that I think has value.

Maria Sweeney  18:54  

Flexibility. That was another one that rose to the top for both, right? So in terms of businesses, they're saying, hey, time management critical, right? There's only so many hours in a day and so forth. And for moms, it's like, hey, I need a little bit of that flexibility, because I have to balance my work in my home. Now, flexibility didn't mean less hours, and that was something that I the misconception we were able to kind of clear the air on, is to say it's not so much a matter of reduced hours at work. It's more just effective ways to complete tasks, manage your tasks, right? And that might have to be before the nine to five, or, you know, it could be, you know, later hours in the evening, or, you know, just understanding that it really is about trusting her to get that work done and do it completely and do it effectively, and no matter how, when or where she's doing it, that that is what's going to really bring that value forward. Again, feeling supported at work, knowing that, Hey, I can't always box myself into the nine to five grind. I'd have a school pickup or a soccer game I have to get to, but knowing that that balance is actually what's going to fuel her and say, Hey, I'm supported. I'm going to give more of myself and my work to you, because you understand the work that I need to do at home. And so I think that that was another one where you know, you can see the alignment between, hey, we get it. Moms know how to manage their time very effectively more so than other employees, shall we say. And we know you need flexibility, right? So how do these two worlds come together and having that conversation from different perspectives, really like, again, shown a light onto what does flexibility actually mean? Because there is that misconception. So I was really happy to see that come through. So it just talks about what mom's needs are and what company's needs are, and how they come together, how they coalesce together.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  20:36  

Yeah, I love all of these wonderful examples, because I think so often, we don't always look at our home life as a way to benefit our work life. We often look at it as kind of detracting, or that it takes away from it, right, especially when we're comparing ourselves to the former version of ourselves. You know, before we had kids and we could work 80 or 90 hours a week. We could, you know, fly to New York on a moment's notice and be gone, and it's no problem, jump on a call at nine o'clock. No problem, right? Like, we could do all of these things, and maybe we even enjoyed that, that kind of work style, I know that I did as a recovering workaholic. That was how I loved to work, and I love to really dedicate myself to my career and then having a baby, I was like, Well, I can't just fly somewhere in a moment's notice anymore, and if someone needs to do a last minute call in the evening, I might be busy. I might have other things that I can't just drop because I need to feed my child or put them to bed, and I might not be able to work 80 or 90 hours a week anymore, or I might choose not to because I want to spend my time differently now that I have other priorities and a baby that's growing so fast, and then I think we start to question our value at work and wonder, well, if I can't do what I used to do, then am I still bringing value to my workplace? 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  22:11  

And I think what's so important for moms to recognize is that we are able to bring so much value in different ways. It might not be that we can work 80 hours anymore, but we're able to bring these new skill sets that you're talking about, that we're constantly honing at home. We are continuing our professional development after hours as we go home, and we have to practice negotiation and conflict management all night long, and then in the morning, as we're trying to get the kids out the door, we get to practice that even more. And I love the point that you made about what's an emergency, because I think about how I worked before versus how I work now as a mom, and how I worked before required a lot more hours because I looked at more things as high priority, as an emergency. I would try and do everything. And I think that one of the benefits of motherhood for me and for many of the clients that I work with is to recognize the importance of de prioritization, of recognizing that not everything is top level importance, and I think that that is such a benefit to companies, because then we actually get the most important stuff done, and we don't completely drain ourselves of energy and time while we're doing it. 

Maria Sweeney  23:37  

Totally. I always go back to very early in My career. Our chief marketing officer always used to say, focus on your to don't list first. We need to know that there are things that we just can't accomplish in a day, and we really should not let that hold us back, right, like that feeling of, I haven't accomplished anything or everything or all the things that I wanted to, and therefore maybe I wasn't as successful in any given day. That you're able to balance being present, right? Because I think we all talk about, like, the things that need we need to do as a parent, you know, I joked earlier about picking up from soccer practice, but truly, sometimes, you know, it's after six o'clock and before the kids go to bed, it's being present, right. Not necessarily being there with the phone close by, and the email is dinging. And maybe I'll just take a quick glance, like I know with my own children, they recognize that, and I'm on their case for put your phone down. We're at the dinner table and so I think that ability to be present while we have that time that we do with them, because it's short, right? We think of motherhood as, oh, these many years and it flies by. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  24:37  

Yeah.

Maria Sweeney  24:37  

I have a college student, and I feel like I blinked my eyes, and here he is, a sophomore in college, and I'm like, Oh my God, he's going to be leaving me in two years. So I think just the ability to be present, but also knowing yes to your point, like in the report that we put together, there's this word cloud we created, and I loved it, because there were so many characteristics that our company said, Here's what our moms bring to the table, things like this resilience, the ability to be calm, loyalty, to be motivated, dedicated, right? There's all these amazing things, emotional maturity and teamwork and compassion, and as I say all those things, we know that, as a mother, that or as a caregiver, that that is exactly who we are. That's who we have to be every, that's who we strive to be every day as a parent, and that we can then bring that into, because it's part of who we are, bring that into the workplace to create more successful team environments, to create a more engaging workplace, and to, you know, maintain those employees that the moms are supporting or leading, and all of those skills. And, you know, they translate really well in both places. But I think they come from that place to your point, like, suddenly you become a mom and like, oh, wow, all these things that maybe I didn't recognize within myself or had to think about every day, collaborating right, collaboration with, you know, carpools, or what have you, how that was going to come into play in the ways in which we work. And I think it's significant, right, being a mom, I think just opens up a whole other part of us that we're unaware of, and then when we see that show up in the workplace, we know companies value it. We know how critical it is to the success of the day to day. And I think that you know another quote that comes to mind from one of the assistant VPs at a fortune 100 insurance company we work with, said, Every mom knows how to do a bunch of everything. They wear a lot of hats, nurturing, problem solving, etc. As a mom, it's something in the way they're built. Businesses benefit from it. So I think that says it all right. It's just the way we're built or rebuilt when we become a mom, right? We become kind of a new evolution of who we used to be. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  24:37  

Yeah, yeah. I love that, and I think it's so important for us to recognize the value and the benefit of that to a company. I mean, whenever you see the data point that women with mom colleagues and managers report higher productivity, and that they're 40% more likely to stay at their current employer, that is amazing, that a mom's natural skills that probably she doesn't even recognize as special, like you said, because it's just what we do. And I think whenever something comes easily to us, we don't really like see it as a benefit or as unique or as special. But the reality is, is that it is. It is really special. I think especially whenever we're working in male dominated industries, and we bring these skills to the table that we take for granted, because we just think, like, oh, anybody can do this. But I think the reality is, is that we bring such unique skill sets, and we can see the impact in this report. And I just love that, because we can see that actually we are having a positive impact on retention, which directly impacts the company's bottom line.

Maria Sweeney  27:46  

Absolutely, we, as moms, don't give ourselves enough credit for the things that deserve. And like you said, really do move the needle right? And I think that that's really, really important. And you know, it's something that we shouldn't overlook. And as moms, we need to pause for a second and pat ourselves a little bit on the back. Like, oh yeah. I actually this is pretty critical. And when you close out your day, as opposed to checking off your to do list of all the things you accomplished, kind of, I like to think that maybe we should go back and say, Okay, what, what was I managing today? Like, how did I manage that conflict well? Or, how was I able to, you know, really support and be human and show empathy to an employee who's struggling with X, Y or Z, or problem solving, whatever it might be. And I think giving ourselves credit in that way, because to your point, that translates to retention, that translates to the bottom line. So looking at a little bit differently, rather than these hard and fast numbers, just how, if you kind of take that step back to see the forest through the trees, the broader impact that that has on companies, and they're shared it with us, they've showed us, Hey, listen, here is how this has made a significant difference. Like I said, I had mentioned Etsy, and I think, you know, even when you look at their team, and you look at kind of overall the policies and procedures that they've had in place, one thing that is a testament to what they're doing, how they've set up their world of work, is just kind of the overall I think it's now I'm reading a stat here where it is women and non binary individuals comprise over 30% of the engineering team, nearly half of its senior leadership, 44% of its senior leadership positions, right? So if you think about when you put these specific things in place, you're attracting moms and caregivers to your world of your workforce right. Now, we're making even larger strides in, you know, areas like stem it and tech and how those have been really challenging places for women to break into. But when you do and you see the value of a company as substantial as Etsy, like, again, it's a testament, and it's a short case study of the value, right, that moms can bring to your workplace in a much grander scale that sometimes gets overlooked, I think. But yes, they're trying to shed a light onto that and really promote that opportunity for companies to bring in this amazing pool of talent. They're ready and they're ambitious and they're excited, and they're go getters, and that shouldn't be discounted. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  29:59  

Yeah, yeah, one of the things I do in my work, in addition to coaching executive moms, is I work with executive teams that are very male dominated, helping them to see the value and the benefits of recruiting more women and moms, especially into leadership roles, much like The Mom Project is doing with this report. And I think it's always so interesting in those conversations to kind of witness the aha moments where they're like, Wow. I just I never thought about the fact that moms are getting on the job training all the time, that we're literally learning constantly. We don't just go home and veg out every night and stop learning. We're constantly honing our skills. We're constantly learning, and we're able to bring that to the workforce. And I think that whenever, like you said, whenever companies see that and realize the benefits of that and how it is impacting the culture, the engagement, the bottom line, the retention, then it's like, why haven't we been doing this all along? 

Maria Sweeney  31:05  

You know, I think one thing that you you touched on is a growth mindset, right? And that's so critical in in all environments, right? Personal, professional, but I think that as a caregiver, as a mom, you always have to be in that mode for yourself, right? Because you're going to evolve the way your children will evolve. And also you want your children to have that growth mindset, that idea that you want to be a lifelong learner, that you are always going to be improving and changing who you are in terms of being the best version of yourself, because your life experiences help you to develop that. And that skill is critical in any business, you know, be it a startup or an established enterprise size company, you're always evolving. You're always going to be changing, and to have somebody who has a mindset that's open to that, and is able to be that lifelong learner and say, Hey, I'm not this expert who knows it all, but I'm here to say I'm a leader, or I'm a manager, or I'm an individual contributor who knows I don't know it all, and I can add value just because I'm willing to explore more how to do things differently, be it innovate a product, a program, whatever it might be. And I think that that is something that to your point, moms are growing, changing, evolving, learning every day and every year and every season, because their children are. So they're up against new obstacles. I can tell you, you know, it's always kind of the, you know, little kids, little lower problems. Big kids, bigger problems. But through all of that, you're changing, right? You're like, wow, this is a whole new stage and phase for me, and I move at different paces depending upon what stage I'm in with my children. And I think as moms, we never forget any of those, from infancy to toddlers to, you know, grade school, teenagers, you name it, right? We've been through it all, and I think that growth mindset is a critical piece as to why we survive and thrive.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  32:48  

Absolutely. Yes, as a mom with a kindergartner, that phrase somewhat intimidates me and also excites me, because it means I'm going to learn and grow, I'm sure. So one of the things that we talked a little bit about is career pauses and career breaks, right? And I think this is such a normal and natural part of caregiving, of parenthood, I took a two year career pause, and it's something that I advocate for women and men to do, if that is what they want to do, if that's how they want to spend their time. For me, it was I have this, like, little bit of time where she's itty bitty, and I don't want to miss it, and so I want to focus there. But it's not what I want to do for my career. It's not what I want to do, you know, full time, forever. And so I love the idea of going back into the workplace, and that The Mom Project and other companies are kind of helping to normalize this and to help women return to work and get back into it whenever they are ready. So can you talk a little bit more about that? 

Maria Sweeney  33:53  

Definitely, yeah, we absolutely have clients where we have designed return to work programs specifically for this, right? That they're not setbacks, they're comebacks, right? Moms are still learning skills, and they're still growing. There's still some self development that's happening, even though they've taken a step away from, you know, the traditional world of work, right? Their workplace. So we still know that they have tremendous value, they have degrees, they have years of experience. But to your point, they took a pause. Be it for children, a parent, what have you, right? And again, Dad's included in that. There's a variety of reasons we all have to take a step back, right, even some personal, maybe it's a medical reason. And so recognizing that this community still has a tremendous value to the workplace in being able to design programs, again, specifically for companies, are saying we want, we know, we see this population as extremely valuable, and they're ready to get back into it, right? They're very motivated to get back into the workplace. They really want to kind of bring those skills that they have honed in their off time back to work. And so truly have been creating these programs for multiple different companies in multiple different industries too, like, be it, you know, finance or otherwise, that's something that they're really focused on, retail as well, focused on. So I think we've created those and customized those programs, be it for specific job types, right? So the administrative could be marketing, but they are looking for women that have had some even, are saying, hey, we want to make sure they've had at least a two year break. So this is part of a pause for six months or a year. This could be more significant that up to 10 years even. And still the value, right? Because moms are still keeping themselves busy and or caregivers doing consulting or other side work as they're trying to balance and get themselves ready, potentially, to go back to the workforce. So it's not as if they've stepped away and they don't have that experience anymore, or their value isn't still existing. Absolutely, there are companies there, and like I said, really defining, we want to make sure that that has been a true break for them, because we want to give them this opportunity. And so specifically, those moms that have taken that step back is what they're looking for.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  35:47  

That's so interesting, and I think such a positive shift from what it has been of that being kind of a seen as a negative. It sounds like there are companies out there that are actually seeing, Hey, I recognize that this person prioritized and chose to focus on something else for a little while and and we value that.

Maria Sweeney  36:12  

Truly. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  36:12  

I love that, yeah.

Maria Sweeney  36:14  

Even a platform as substantial as LinkedIn, right? You see it a lot on people's profiles, where it's like they kind of have that space in their career, and they're putting it down on their, you know, on their overall profile is like, stepped away, mom, whatever it is, you know, they make it something fun and light hearted, but it is something that the platform even recognizes in that you can find talent. So again, normalizing that, I think that's been a progression over time. And, you know, actually, even, you know, post COVID, I feel like it's become more and more so as time ticks on, it's just part of your resume. Now, honestly, it could be a really engaging conversation when moms are trying to get back to work, why it's part of their story, you know? And there's a lot of different ways to highlight what that means and how that translates. So I think caregivers in general should not shy away from. It is becoming more normalized. And quite frankly, if you've taken that career break and you're going for that opportunity, and it is seen as a negative, that's not where you want to be. Again, back to the values that we have as caregivers and what we need from our companies, and what we want our companies to value as well. Those have to be mutual. And if you're looking into an opportunity that doesn't see that or doesn't understand and respect that, it's probably not the place for you. necessarily.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  37:21  

Yeah, yeah, I 100% agree with that. I my career pause I put Chief Learning and Development Officer for a future CEO was my title. 

Maria Sweeney  37:30  

I absolutely love that. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  37:31  

I'm pretty sure my job responsibilities were way longer than any of my previous executive roles. 

Maria Sweeney  37:38  

That is absolutely amazing. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  37:39  

Yeah, I love that, and I'm just so happy to hear that that's a reality, because I think that that's often people are hesitant to maybe take that break that they, and I hate to even call it a break sometimes, because this doesn't feel like a break. It's just like putting the pause on the career part. It's definitely not like a spa holiday kind of break. But you know, I love hearing more and more about that, because I think people are often hesitant to take that pause, because they feel like I'm not going to be able to get back in. And I think for me, when I left, when I took a pause, I was kind of like, there are always going to be roles out there for me. That was really my belief, and there are always going to be companies that will want to hire me if I want to be hired again. Of course, then I decided to start my own thing. But I really, truly believe that, and I think that whenever we see proof of that, I mean, I've believed it with no data or evidence, and so I love seeing proof of that, so that whenever people are maybe having a little bit more doubt or insecurity about that, but they're really feeling called to take a pause and to focus on caregiving or whatever else is going on in their lives that they, you know, need to step away from their career for a little bit. I just hope that that gives them a little bit of hope and of data to support that that might be available to them when they thought it wasn't.

Maria Sweeney  39:06  

Totally. Even to substantiate that further, like our maternity ship programs, right? When you think about taking that step away from your career because you're having children, right? That's a program that we've built our business, some part of our business, around, because companies are saying, You know what, we want to make sure that moms can have, you know that, I don't know if it's a sense of security in that, Hey, I gotta, I'm taking a step away. I'm, you know, going to grow my family, and I'm not gonna have to worry about this overwhelm at work. You are going to bring in our moms, right? Because we get it. We're moms too, to kind of fill that gap for the company, to keep business moving along, and when you're ready to come back, your role is, too, right? And you're not back to piles of an unanswered work and, you know, stagnant projects, right? That's, again, when you think about it that way, in terms of return to work and maternity ships and us building, you know, again, part of our business around that. Those are very connected, right? And those are companies, again, that see and understand that value, and it's a miss, right? It's not even something that is necessarily thought of or looked at, because it happens every day, right? But sometimes there's just not preparation for that. I know when I took a step away, you know, early on in my career, my daughter was born with a medical condition, so my, you know, eight to 12 week maternity leave was and had to be extended. I had a child that I had to be with, you know, in the ICU, and there was nobody to come in and step in and fill my role and fill those responsibilities. And my, you know, my poor SVP, was, When are you coming back fully supported me 100%, great guy, but certainly that idea, and that was, you know, nearly 16 years ago, but it's a consideration, right? And it's something that companies are going wait a second. We have to think of this differently. And I think being able to say, hey, here's the types of programs we offer as an organization is an eye opener for a lot of companies that say, hmm, I didn't think of that. And we do need to keep business moving along. And it shouldn't stop or stall, because somebody has to take a necessary step away from the business for a period of time, right? And it also allows companies to say, hey, maybe that eight to 12 week maternity leave is going to be six months, eight months versus, you know that short FMLA guaranteed leave that you get, it gives them that period of saying, Hey, we can manage the work. Will you take your time? Right? So I think there's a lot of that that, again, over time, has started to blend together, and it's the reality of the world that we're in today, and that understanding and the empathy that I think companies need to have as much as you know, moms need to show up in the workplace that way, I think companies also need to extend that same empathy.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  41:31  

Yeah. Yeah, and I think that as more and more companies do that, that changes also how women are thinking about it, about taking leave. Because as you were talking about that, I was thinking about one of my clients who is a vice president, and her first leave a few years back, she worked through the entire thing, basically did not take a proper leave. And when we started working together, she just had so many regrets, because when she came back, the company did not hold her position. They demoted her, and so she had done all that work and felt like it was for nothing. And so the second time, she just had her second child, and is at a different company, but she was having so much guilt associated with, oh, I can't leave them hanging for three months. You know, how, how are they going to keep things going without me and and I don't know if I can step away, and she kept, you know, we kept working together because she had decided she wanted to take the leave this time, and that that was part of her vision of how she wanted to transition into a family of four. She kept kind of going back to that, just having a really hard time because she felt this obligation and like I'm letting the team down and and the company won't be able to continue functioning in my absence, so I'll just call into the meeting every week, or I'll just stay on top of these tasks or things like that. She ultimately, you know, we work together a lot on this, and she ultimately ended up taking the leave and being very happy that that she did. But I think it's because in our culture, it's like three months is an eternity, even though it's like a blip, right? It feels like an eternity and six weeks or eight weeks or 12 weeks, it's not that long when we think about our entire career span. But I think especially in the US, the pace of business and the pace of innovation, it feels like a really long time. And when companies aren't intentionally setting it up that it's okay and making it so that business will continue to operate in someone's absence, and also that it's okay that that they take that time and also can't wait for them to come back and welcome them back in and make sure that they're successful and reorienting to the workplace. I think as companies, you know, change that culture, I think it's just, it's a systemic issue that our companies need to change, as well as our policies. And then, you know, we can start to feel less guilty, less obligation, and we can start to feel more empowered to actually take our leaves and spend that critical time with our families, focused on that and not worrying about work.

Maria Sweeney  44:09  

Definitely, you said the perfect word, intentional. And I think companies do have to be intentional about that. And having those programs in place says, Hey, I'm going to show up for you as an employer, even something as simple as, you know, women waiting later in life. And I think you can have children at any point in your life that's appropriate for you. But I wonder how many women are out there saying I'm not going to do that just yet, because I'm I'm not quite where I want to be in my career, and when I get there, which, let's face it, you know, when you get there you want to get to the next spot and the next spot, just never that perfect time, although we always try to plan for that. It does also kind of go back to mom saying, Hey, I'm going to have, I'm going to make the choice for me as to when I want to have children, versus having my career dictate when it's the appropriate time for me to become a mother. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  44:54  

Yes.

Maria Sweeney  44:55  

You know, I think that that's important. I think another piece in in the report that we put together, too, was also, we worked with moms first, and a part of it is, like, childcare, right? That's a huge challenge, right? Childcare crisis that we are faced with, the cost of childcare, I think, also benefits such as that. Because when you're getting ready to be a mom, and you're going to take your leave, and then you are going to come back to work, you're like, that's the first question we all but I feel like my entire maternity leave, I was like, All right, which family member can do which day, and what is the cost of daycare, and is that going to offset x, y and z? And so I think that's another really significant piece of it as well, and that, you know, I think that when you allow for that opportunity, again, it's you're, you're showing up as an intentional employer that says, I support families and caregivers within my organization, and I'm going to do that in a variety of different ways. You know, when you're when you're looking for new opportunities, I think that's a pretty those are pretty critical pieces to consider. You're not just showing up for them, they need to show up for you. And again, it needs to be a mutually beneficial relationship. And those are a lot of different things that I think, you know, I know, personally, early on in my career as a mom, I didn't think about that, right? It was just like, this is a great company, and, oh, wow, how exciting, these brands are so fantastic. Or, oh, I want to work in this area of marketing. And it's like, you lose sight of, actually, wait a second, this has to balance. And I think, to your point, it's evolved so much over time. Now we are taking that perspective, and we're saying, Hey, hang on a second, and let's, let's make sure all of this aligns well on both sides of the equation, so I can show up as my best self, and I can provide the value that I want to and that those companies are attracting those people who are going to do that. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  46:30  

Yes. Yeah, and I also think that a lot of times, like you said, it's like, we get attracted to different companies for different reasons, just in different seasons, that we have different priorities, right? And so maybe in former season, I loved a certain brand, so I wanted to work there, right? Or for me as a startup, I loved startups, and so I, you know, I wanted to work in tech startups. And sometimes, when we get into our mom season, we might just prioritize it differently, right? We might want to go with the company that provides childcare credits or that provides flexibility, or where I can work remotely or less travel, or whatever it is, we might just have different priorities. And I always like to encourage moms that that doesn't mean that that is a forever thing, like that this is always going to be our priorities. It's just in this season, we might just prioritize things a little bit differently than we did in a previous season, and that we will in the future.

Maria Sweeney  47:26  

Totally. I couldn't agree with that more. I think you did. You hit the nail on the head there. And even as you kind of age into your career, like my mom. My mom's a huge support system for us. She still works. She's part time. She travels into the city for work, but she loves that she has a balance, and that it is part time because she can show up for basketball games or be there to help me if I have to travel for work. So like, to your point, there's so many different seasons that we're going to go through as women, as professionals, as caregivers, as a whole, that I think you take into consideration, and like you said, you find the places that fit you given the season you're in.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  47:58  

Yeah. Yes, I love that. Well, I have loved this conversation, and I am so excited for every mom to hear it and to read the report and maybe to hopefully recognize how vital moms are to the workforce and all of the unique skills. We touched on a few of them. I mean, I think there's a whole laundry list of skills that we are learning every day, leadership, efficiency, so many different things, communication, that hopefully maybe this provides a little bit of shift for us to think about, that being a mom is not a detriment to our work. It's actually a benefit.

Maria Sweeney  48:39  

Yeah, and we, like you said, we have the data points that prove that. And I think when you consider things like your conflict management skills, or your empathy, or ability to be empathetic, your time management, your flexibility, that those are all very valuable skills that shouldn't be overlooked. Resiliency, you know, all of the core pieces that you know you can't necessarily quantify, but that are innate to us, have tremendous value, and companies do recognize and see that, and those that may not have the focus on it, to date, we're reaching out to right to give them this data, to give them these insights, and to show them, yes, actually moms do add value, but here's the value that they add. Here's the return on investment that you see when you bring a mom into your organization, and what that truly looks like. And again, in a variety of different industries, in a variety of different skill sets, like I said, legal, marketing, finance, there's this isn't just tailored to, you know, admins or customer service, right? This is a very broad range of very, you know, varying levels of experience, but on the whole, just not to be discounted in something that that is our mission, that is the impact that we want to make, and we'll continue to do so, you know, at a really high level. And I think you know, anybody who is on their journey, and is looking to make either a career shift or change or just looking for a new opportunity, you know, I encourage you to come to The Mom Project, come to our website, themomproject.com, or come to our LinkedIn channel and follow us, and see the types of content that we are publishing just to share some of the successes and the wins that we're having with companies, and the support that we're offering to our mom talent, just to help guide them on their journeys, wherever those journeys might be, a variety of different ways. So you know, really do invite women to come onto the platform and companies that are interested in learning more about the value of moms, both sides of that critically important.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  48:39  

Yeah, well, thank you so much for all the work that The Mom Project is doing. I am such a huge fan, like I said before, and I would encourage everyone to, like Maria said, follow The Mom Project on LinkedIn. I love filling up my feed with companies and people who are speaking highly of the work that I'm doing and of the value that I bring, and of what moms bring to the workforce. And so whenever I looked at the report, I was like, of course, of course, this is true, right? Because my entire feed is is moms first, and The Mom Project and other companies that are speaking about the value of moms in the workplace, and I am just so happy that we have an ecosystem now, a community of companies and people who are doing this work and amplifying moms value and voices to the working community. I just think it's amazing. 

Maria Sweeney  50:23  

Definitely, no, couldn't agree with you more, and there's that shareability of like, pushing that message out even further. You want them to understand that value too. And you know, the proof points are there. So yeah, we encourage everybody to join, and even just sign up on the website, talent or companies or otherwise, to get more of that information. And our newsletters are, like, full of, you know, what's happening? What are those new opportunities? What's what's just happening in the world of work in general? I think are just great resources. So I wish all the women that are listening a tremendous amount of luck. Huge pats on the back to all of them, because we're doing so much just balancing being a working professional and a mom, and we do it really well, even on the days that we don't think that we do, we we absolutely are. So you know, just kind of keep your head high and know that you are making a massive contribution. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  52:02  

Yeah, I love that. Well, thank you so much, Maria, thank you for bringing this data to the world and for sharing it with us on this podcast today. I'm so grateful to you for spending some time with us. 

Maria Sweeney  52:14  

Thank you. It's been an absolute pleasure, pleasure meeting you and pleasure being part of all this. So no thanks necessary. I'm happy to be here. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  52:21  

Wonderful. Thank you so much, Maria, and thank you everyone for listening. I hope that this has given you lots to think about and maybe reconsider how you're thinking about your value in the workplace and thinking about it as very, very important, and all of the work that you're doing outside of work is benefiting you at work. So thank you so much, and we will see you all next week. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  52:50  

If you're loving what you're learning on this podcast, I'd love to invite you to check out The Executive Mom Reset. It's my six month coaching program for ambitious, success driven, career focused women who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving. Together, we'll tackle the stress, guilt and overwhelm that come with being a high achieving executive mom. You'll learn how to set boundaries, prioritize what truly matters, and build the confidence to show up powerfully at work, at home, and for yourself. Head on over to coachleanna.com right now to schedule a free discovery call. We'll spend an hour talking about where you are now, what you want to create, and how I can help you get there, because every woman deserves to live the life of her dreams. Let's create yours together.