This month we are delighted to welcome Louise Dalton to our podcast. Louise has been at CMS for over 14 years and has been a Partner for the last 4 and a half years, focussing on clean energy and leads CMS’s flexibility, energy storage and EV initiatives. Louise has had 2 children who are now 5 years old and 9 months so is very much in the trenches with us. We are really interested to explore her work and life journey, particularly given her promotion to Partner nearly coincided with the birth of her first child. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is a great honour to have with us this month Craig Fazzini-Jones from Aviva. Craig is the Chief Operating Officer at Aviva for UK Investment, Wealth & Retirement. Craig joined Aviva in September 2021 and is on a mission to drive business transformation of the largest life insurance business in the UK with a 23% market share, over £300 billion of assets under management and more than £15 billion of annual sales. Craig is responsible for over 4000 employees that support 11 million customers across 9 major business lines and Craig is directly accountable for £300 million annual operating budget. Before Aviva, Craig was at Canada Life where he was appointed Chief Operating Officer responsible for a business transformation in the UK market.  Alongside these fantastic career achievements, Craig is also a family man and has 3 children (now 18, 16 and 14). We primarily wanted to hear from Craig on this podcast because each of his children have been diagnosed as neurodivergent which has come with its own challenges. All three of his children have been diagnosed with varying degrees of dyslexia and ADHD and two with autism. We wanted to hear about the challenges he has to balance juggling family and work life alongside his wife, and we think it is particularly valuable to hear about that from a male perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joy and Alsi are delighted to return for Season 3. In the first episode of Season 3, Joy and Alsi provide an update on their journeys to date, including another pregnancy announcement! Since last Season, Joy has been a Partner at CMS for over a year and discusses her experience returning to work from her second daughter into a new firm and new role. Joy discusses the benefits of being more senior whilst having young children and some of the practical challenges, including issues around perception and the challenges / benefits of moving jobs during this difficult period. Alsi has seemingly entered into more of a 'steady state' although has still moved house and nursery arrangements with her 2 daughters in the last year!We are really excited to share our experiences of running the mentoring programmes for 2 years now and we give some tips for returning to work from maternity leave that we have learnt along the way.We have some wonderful guests lined up for this Season so watch out for our monthly episodes and please do like, comment and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our final episode of Season 2, Joy Davey and Alexandra Buchan-Heelas are joined by the outstanding engineering entrepreneur, Shirin Dehghan. Shirin moved to the UK from Iran when she was 14, did an engineering degree, developed software during her second maternity leave that led to her leaving her job at Vodafone and founding and running a company as CEO - which she ultimately sold for £85m! Since selling her company, she has extensive experience in raising venture capital and since 2016 she has been a Chairwoman and investor of leading start-ups, medium sized and blue-chip companies. She has been an active angel investor and senior partner of a leading venture capital fund in London. Shirin’s latest venture is a fintech called Oxford Algorithms where she is full time CEO and co-founder. Shirin is incredibly inspiring and has consistently taken brave steps in pursuit of her career whilst juggling motherhood to 2 children. Shirin is also a huge supporter of women and girls doing STEM subjects and is a trustee of a charity, Smallpiece, that aims to do just this. Shirin is a winner of multiple awards including Blackberry Woman in Technology, Best Woman in Mobile, Business Woman of the year 2013, and European Entrepreneur of the year 2013.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have Maxine Nwaneri on our podcast this month which is a great honour. Maxine grew up in Nigeria and has an incredible story from being homeless and helpless to a #1 Amazon Bestselling Author and an Award-winning international speaker and leadership advisor. Maxine’s story is an inspiration and her experiences, including a near death experience after having her second child, have been the catalyst for her success.Her new book is right up our street- The Future is Greater: A Working Mother’s Guide to Finding Balance- so do give it a read: https://bit.ly/Order_The_Future_is_Greater_Book Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Alsi and Joy are joined by Sarah Oluwole, Chief Operating Officer at Lumin Wealth. Sarah was previously the youngest qualified accountant in the UK and since starting her career at Deloitte, has now been at Lumin Wealth for over a decade where she has helped to grow the firm to £1 billion AUM. Sarah has also had two children in that time with her husband who has now runs his own fitness business.This is our most emotional podcast yet and Alsi and Joy both end up in tears listening to Sarah's emotional story about giving birth to her daughter. It is an incredibly moving episode for so many reasons, and the bravery and hope that Sarah and her husband displayed is truly inspirational. Thank you to Sarah for her openness and honesty. We hope you enjoy this as much as we do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we are delighted to have Amy Todd on our podcast. Amy trained as an accountant and is now a Partner at KPMG. Amy also co-founded Ox Box in 2018 which provides boxes of educational fun for children inspired by growing up in South Korea until the age of 13. Amy also has two sons who are 14 and 11.We loved hearing from Amy on her experience of growing up in South Korea and the academic pressure that brings, as well as her move (alone!) to the UK at age 13. We also hear about Amy’s interesting career path that has had its fair share of challenges along the way. Amy talks openly about her experience of burn out and how a coach helped support her through that difficult period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we speak to Jo Farmer who is Joint Managing Partner at law firm Lewis Silkin. Jo has had a phenomenal career as a lawyer and has moved up the ranks to take on the role of Joint Managing Partner 8 months ago following over 15 years as a Partner there. Jo also has twin boys who are now 15 and was promoted to Partnership whilst on maternity leave. Jo had very humble beginnings and we loved talking to Jo about social mobility, what it is like having twins and her thoughts on working 4 days a week. This podcast is filled with practical tips for working parents, including the help she found from a business coach, walking out the front door at pick up time and understanding that careers are not a linear path. Importantly, Jo has demonstrated visible change as a leader and is a huge inspiration to us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we have Her Honour Judge Alison Raeside on our podcast. Alison is a Circuit Judge and was the first sitting Judge in the UK to take maternity leave so has pathed the way for us all. Alison has had four children, with her final son being born when she was 47 (when her eldest was 16). It is such an honour to hear from Alison and her experiences, including how to get on in a male dominated environment with limited support (including no maternity leave policy or pay, and no female loos!). Alison was often the only woman in the room and, as she says, there was more chance of being in the Supreme Court if you were called “David” than if you were a woman. Do listen to hear all of Alison’s practical tips, including her discovery that commuting is a “complete waste of time” and that you should be a “submarine parent”! Alison is passionate about allowing flexibility and working from home, including for court hearings. Alison also touches on how important it is that there are more women Judges to ensure that our law-makers and enforcers reflect society. Alison is hugely inspiring in terms of how she has navigated a successful career alongside parenthood and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are delighted to have Natasa Williams on our podcast. Natasa co-founded the investment management firm, Cadro, and has had a varied career that includes accountancy, investment banking and wealth management. Natasa also has a daughter and juggled parenthood around an incredibly demanding job in investment banking that involved travelling around the world with her daughter. Natasa moved into wealth management as a direct result of becoming a parent to pursue a career without the international travel requirements, although the wealth management industry presented new challenges, particularly from a gender perspective. Natasa helpfully gives her view on which industry she thinks is most supportive for having a family so this is a must listen for anyone who is considering their future career choices. This is a fascinating podcast that we hope you enjoy as much as we did! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is wonderful to hear from another dad, Max Hobbs, on our podcast. Max is a senior associate at Macfarlanes LLP and discusses the cultural challenges of parenthood, his experience of taking paternity leave, his future shared parental leave and his thoughts on the impact on his career. Max feels passionately about the taking of paternity leave and is keen to shout about it to all those future dads who may be considering it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joy and Alsi are delighted to return for Season 2. In the first episode of Season 2, Joy and Alsi explore in candid detail their returns to work following their second maternity leaves. Since the last Season, Joy is also now a Partner in a new firm so tune in to hear all about making that step, interviewing with a 7 week old baby and how it has been going so far. We are excited to share our journeys and the (many!) challenges along the way. We have some amazing guests lined up for this Season so watch out for our monthly episodes and please do like, comment and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Joy Davey and Alexandra Buchan-Heelas are joined by Christina Blacklaws. Christina is the former President of the Law Society of England and Wales and now runs her own consultancy business, Blacklaws Consulting. Christina is also a NED for 3 large law firms and holds a range of public appointments. Christina has juggled her phenomenal career alongside having twins and two step-children.On this podcast, we learn about Christina's path to parenthood whilst being an Equity Partner at her law firm (under the age of 30!) and her thoughts on parental leave and women's progression in the workplace. There are also some important tips for law firms - it is not helpful to try and go back to pre-pandemic ways of working! Christina's knowledge and experience are grounded in her incredible research on women in law that she spear-headed in her role as President.This episode is a must for those looking for tips on a successful career alongside having children. Christina's view is that the more intentional you can be as a mother, the more you will set yourself up for success - we couldn't agree more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Joy Davey and Alexandra Buchan-Heelas are joined by Olivia May. Liv has a son, Dylan, and is pregnant with her second. She is a wonderful inspiration to us for lots of reasons but most recently because she has been promoted to Partner at her consultancy firm, OC&C Strategy Consultants, between her two maternity leaves.On this podcast, we learn about Liv's involvement in navigating her firm's parental strategy and how this has changed over time, her progression to Partnership whilst having children, and why doing a 4 day week rarely adds up financially.We love this episode and we hope you do too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Joy Davey and Alexandra Buchan-Heelas are joined by Ally Vey. Ally has 2 children and works in Private Equity. She is a wonderful inspiration to us and we think is a great example of someone who is balancing motherhood with a demanding career.On this podcast, we learn about Ally's childcare challenges, how she negotiated a better maternity leave policy, some hilarious moments from her two maternity leaves and how she could not do the juggle without her supportive husband, who also works full time. There are loads of parenting and juggling tips in this podcast and we hope you enjoy listening as much as we did recording it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Joy Davey and Alexandra Buchan-Heelas are joined by Dr Sarah Rutherford. Sarah has an academic background in gender and organisational culture and has written a book called Women's Work Men's Cultures. Sarah helps organisations identify barriers to women's progress. Sarah also has two children in their 30s.On this podcast, we explore Sarah's personal experience of the "mommy track", the workplace culture today and how important it is to keep a foot in the door and invest in yourself. We loved hearing from an expert in this area and learning from her journey. To all parents - ultimately, we can do it.. and we must! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Joy Davey and Alexandra Buchan-Heelas are joined by their first male guest, Nick Crasner. Nick is an entrepreneur who has founded Crasner Capital, Crasner Consulting and Crasner Ventures. He is an investment banker, DE&I venture investor and consultant. Most importantly, he is father to two young girls and has had two paternity leaves.On this podcast, Nick discusses the importance of paternity leave, lessons learned and how he currently balances parenthood with his incredibly busy professional life. Nick considers himself to be emulating the amazing women in his life and we hope that his experience can be a blueprint for other men to follow.We are hugely proud of this podcast and cannot thank Nick enough for giving up his time and for his valuable insight from a father’s perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Joy and Alsi are joined by Karina Robinson. Karina is the CEO of Robinson Hambro, which provides Chairman and CEO Advisory services. Karina has a number of other roles, including being a NED on the Board of a fund management firm and is a leading figure in the quantum computing world. She is also a champion of the City of London, with a deep belief in the power of diversity and inclusion. Karina has a son and step-son and is a wonderful inspiration to both them and us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Joy and Alsi catch up after the births of the second daughters. They also discuss the upcoming Mentoring Pilot that WWW is launching in the first quarter of next year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Alsi and Joy are joined by Amanda Floyd, co-founder of Executive Search firm Beaumont Bailey. Amanda shares what drove her to start her own business, in the midst of having children, a time when many women finding themselves turning opportunities down rather than taking them with both hands. We thank Amanda for her amazing candour and hope you enjoy hearing her story as much as we did. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Joy and Alsi are joined by their first guest, Sofia Romero Emberton. Sofia returned to her role in Investment Banking after the birth of her daughter. Here she talks about her experience giving some fantastic practical tips. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.