How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty

When a mother is the primary earner, the assumption that she will automatically be the default parent creates friction at work and at home. But when a partner actively steps up to share the load, systemic workplace cultures often penalise active dads for requesting the exact same flexibility extended to mothers. In this episode, Emma sits down with senior marketing executive Emily Blumenthal to ex...

So many experienced, high-achieving women return from parental leave only to find themselves treated less like a strategic asset and more like a workplace liability. Faced with rigid expectations and zero room for growth, it’s easy to slip into survival mode, take a demotion, or quietly settle for roles that no longer challenge or inspire. In this episode, Emma welcomes Melbourne-based, Kiwi-born...

Despite progress in workplace policy, modern mothers still face a pervasive culture that minimises their professional capabilities, limits career progression, and leaves them carrying the default parenting load. The systemic barriers facing working parents aren't just financial, they're deeply embedded in cultural expectations of who does the caring. In this episode, Emma is joined by former Minis...

The traditional eight-hour workday was built for an industrial era that simply no longer reflects how modern families live or work. While workplaces slowly adapt to hybrid setups, the systemic pressure on working parents. And the long-term financial hit taken by mothers, remains largely unaddressed. In this episode, Emma kicks off a special series bringing political leaders into the conversation t...

Navigating a fast-paced career, higher education, board governance, and ultra-marathon training is a massive feat on its own. Add two young kids into the mix, and keeping a dual-career family on the tracks requires more than just goodwill. It takes real systems, radical transparency, and constantly checking in on intentions. In this episode, Emma sits down with dual-career Auckland couple Jessie (...

When you’re pregnant with your first child, the return-to-work plan feels straightforward. But for so many mothers, the reality of unyielding corporate cultures, zero workplace flexibility, and an unsettled baby closes the doors on that career plan fast. It isn’t a choice. It’s running out of options. In this episode, I’m joined from across the Tasman by writer, content creator, and app founder As...

I'm joined this week by a repeat offender, Tāmati Rimene-Sproat, TV presenter and host of Counting the Beat, who's now 18 months into fatherhood. We first met when Tāmati interviewed me for the show before he'd even had his son, so I wanted him back to talk about what those 18 months have actually been like on the other side. Tāmati is refreshingly honest about the highs and lows: the sleep depriv...

I'm joined this week by Davinnia Tan, an employment relations leader who has served as a member of the Employment Relations Authority, an independent reviewer of ACC decisions, and a peer reviewer for workplace investigations. While serving as a member, Davinnia became only the second person in the ERA's 25-year history to have a baby, and what followed was a front-row education in just how far Ao...

I'm joined this week by Jayne Chater, executive coach, leadership development specialist, and author of A Slight Detour: A Guide to Navigating Family and Career. Jayne has spent decades helping women accelerate their careers at every stage of life, and she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this conversation as a mum of three navigating a blended whānau of nine. We get hone...

I'm delighted to welcome two next-level guests to the podcast: Dr. W. Brad Johnson and Dr. David G. Smith, authors of Fair Share: How Men and Women Can Create a More Equitable Workplace Together. Between them, Brad and David have spent decades researching mentoring, sponsorship and male allyship, and this conversation is a masterclass in why "today's workplace is broken" and what it will actually...

I'm back with the marvellous Stephanie Pow, founder of Crayon and a repeat offender on this podcast. We recorded this the same morning we'd both been doing media commentary on the National Party's newly announced parental leave policy, so this episode is a bit of a riff session: two working parent advocates unpacking what the policy actually says, what it misses, and what we'd both want to see ins...

I'm back, my friends. After six months away writing a book, I'm kicking off this new season of How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty with a solo episode, sharing what I've been up to, checking in on my word of the year and unpacking three big "what remains stuck" ideas. In this episode, I get into why dads are the missing piece of the equity puzzle, why New Zealand still doesn't have a dedicated voi...

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental. In the final episode of the Summer Series, I close the series with a personal book roundup, sharing...

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental. In this episode, I dive into mindset. Why it matters, how it shapes our behaviour, and how we can ta...

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental. The third episode of the Summer Series brings together the themes of the series with a practical, ho...

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental. In this episode, I explore change. Why we crave it, why we resist it, and how meaningful change actu...

Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! Over the next five weeks, I’ll be bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you . These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental. Across the series, I’ll share tools I’ve used for years as an executive coach and...

In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat with Art Green, dad of three, entrepreneur, and one of New Zealand’s most recognisable modern fathers. Art shares his journey from rural small-town kid to The Bachelor NZ, to building businesses, becoming a husband, and now raising three young children with his wife, Matilda. But what makes this chat so powerful is Art’s vulnerability and intention as a...

In this episode, I chat with Georgie Dent, one of Australia’s leading voices on gender equality, parental support, early childhood education, and the motherhood penalty. As CEO of The Parenthood, Georgie has spent years campaigning for a system that recognises, values, and properly supports the work of caregiving. Georgie shares her own lived experience, from her early career as a lawyer and journ...

In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat to Danielle Chew, a senior leader at ANZ and co-chair of the ANZ Whānau Network, an employee-led group transforming the experience of working parents inside one of Aotearoa’s biggest organisations. Danielle shares her personal story of navigating motherhood, senior leadership, part-time work, caring responsibilities, and the very real juggle so many par...

In this episode, I chat with Michelle Allbon and Julia Bower, the powerhouse duo behind The Fractional Directory, a progressive platform redefining what leadership and productivity look like in today’s world of work. Michelle and Julia share the story of how they met as new mums in an antenatal class and went on to build a global business helping leaders and companies embrace fractional work, a mo...

In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat with Roam With Kids founder Renata Wiles to talk about the invisible work of parenting, financial fairness, and the conversations every couple needs to have before, during, and after becoming parents. Renata shares how a lockdown pregnancy, one income, and the realities of raising two young kids inspired her to build Roam With Kids, an app helping paren...

In this episode, I chat with Nicola Raynes-Pene, Partner at KPMG, mother of three, and 2024 Part-Time Power Lister, about what it really takes to build a thriving senior-level career while working four days a week. Nicola shares her story of burning out during the GFC, returning to Aotearoa, and reshaping her life and work rhythm to protect her health and her family. She opens up about how boundar...

In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat with Josie from Play Based Pēpi to talk about the very real journey of parenting, relationships, and rediscovering who you are after kids. Josie unpacks conversations she and her husband have had around parenting their three children and the work that goes on inside and outside of the home. She shares the challenges, the laughter, the love, and the grow...

In this episode, I chat with Jane Sweeney and Carolyn Kerr , co-founders of Anthem, one of New Zealand’s leading communications and marketing agencies. Together, they unpack how they’ve built a purpose-led, family-first workplace that challenges industry norms and how flexible, trust-based leadership can help smash the motherhood penalty for good. Jane and Carolyn share candid stories from their o...