“Oh my God aren’t we desperate! Women are so hard on themselves and way too hard and judgmental of other women too” This week’s interview is with Helen Plass, owner of mumandbaby.ie a website for mothers-to-be and new mothers. She’s a yoga teacher, runs active birth workshops, hosts webinars, and
Why is it that more women than men stay at home with children? In 98% of families with one parent at home, it’s a woman who takes that role. Assuming there isn’t a secret world where stay-at-home mothers get to loll about all day in spas sipping Pinot Grigio, there must be something behind
“Me, who had always had a title – Travel Agent, Teacher, PRO – now found myself with the title of Housewife? And I wasn’t going to call myself that for a minute. Only because it is a very stupid title – I never married a house” Back after the holidays,
Can a working mother be as good at her job after maternity leave? That’s the question – a Telegraph article headline – that caught my eye yesterday. The writer, UK journalist Antonia Hoyle, goes on to say: “Post-children I am distracted, indecisive and less confident. I am more prone to mistakes and often
“I’m a big believer in reinvention and now that my baby-making years are over and the child-rearing stage picks up a pace maybe I’ll completely turn things on their head. Or just win the Lotto and sit around knitting, eating cheese and slugging champagne for evermore” This week’s interview is
“I was just 22 when Claire was born… We had no family in Dublin and crèche facilities were non-existent. I found a nice local woman with kids of her own to mind Claire and I had to return to work full-time the day she was six weeks old. That was
“ if you want to be a head of IT in a big, multi-million corporation, you are going to have to work very different hours than someone teaching a couple of classes in the evening time. I think if that’s your ambition, then finding time for your children will be
A room full of working mothers, hundreds of enthusiastic conversations, two inspirational coaches, sun streaming through the windows, and all the croissants we could eat – the Mumager workshop was starting out well. There’s something very uplifting about spending a day with like-minded people – with women who have similar
“As a coach I act as a mirror to reflect what you are saying to yourself. I am your ally but I am totally independent so I’m not going to tell you what to do the way a friend or family member would. I have no agenda” Sarah Courtney is
“I have guilty moments, I think most mothers do. Fathers tend not to, which is interesting; most men I know are pragmatic about it. Work has to be done, bills have to be paid” This week’s Office Mum interview is with Sinéad Crowley; journalist, RTE Arts and Media correspondent and
Ambition. Motherhood. Not always easy bedfellows. When women become mothers, they often see that career progression is hampered. Sometimes because they want flexibility and are therefore seen as less suitable for promotion. Sometimes even without seeking flexibility, they are put on the mommy-track, on the assumption that they’re less interested in work.
I’m not great at saying no. And I have some colleagues at work who are not great at saying no. And some good friends who don’t say no to their bosses easily. We have something in common – we are all parents – all working mothers. We all work, and are paid
“If the whole world worked part-time – three days a week, or five mornings/ afternoons – we would all be much happier, and less judgemental about each other!” I couldn’t agree more. This week I meet journalist Emily Hourican who is the author of the recently-published How To Really Be
Childcare booked: check. Back to work date set: check. New work clothes (essential!): check. Back to same job: check? Of course you expect to go back to the same job – and your employer knows that demoting you is illegal. Your salary cannot be decreased nor can your title be
“I did start off a level above my husband when we were both working in the same company doing similar jobs. While I started off ahead, he moved much, much faster through the career ladder” In this week’s interview, I meet Laura Kenny, a working mother of two living in
“When asked aged 8 what I wanted to be when I grew up, I answered ‘Prime Minister’! I must have been insufferably precocious….” Back after a St. Patrick’s Day break, the weekly interview series resumes with the writer behind Looking for Blue Sky – she’s a Dublin-based lone parent of
“The oldest story in the world: I followed a boy” This week I meet Maud, who left her native Dublin at the age of 29 and a half to live with her boyfriend in America, just for a few years. Almost eleven years, one wedding, and two children later, she’s
This week’s inspiring interview is with business-owner and mum of one Tina Murphy
“I think that most working mothers do look for a balance with work and raising their children and it baffles me that the corporate world can often look at that as a negative.” This week I meet Jenny Bishop, who is the Marketing Manager of The Marketing Institute and has
“I began a career break so my new job is stay at home mammy and my hours are now 24/7!” This week, I meet Lucy O’Connor, a mother of three who last June went from working full-time to taking a career break. Lucy has swapped HR management for school-runs, and