Want to become a change agent in your organization? Want to create a powerful and impactful Employee Resource Group? Join us as we talk with Meredith and Aprile from Bozzuto's 'Parents and Caregiving Together' (PACT) ERG.
Learn the secrets to their success, from fostering engagement to driving meaningful change within the organization. This episode is packed with practical advice and inspiring stories for anyone looking to chase change and build a strong community at work. Topics include:
The Birth of PACT: A Community for Parents
Defining Success for PACT ERG
Personal Impact of PACT
Strategic Planning for ERG Success
Resources and Support for Caregivers
Becoming Change Agents in Organizations
Want to stay connected? Follow Bozzuto on LinkedIn
Expecting or planning ahead? Learn about your leave benefits at perkyleave.com.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If this episode resonated with you, please rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find us on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Looking for a workplace that truly supports working moms?
In this episode, Samantha dives deep with Alison, a working mom and CFO at Liberty Mutual to explore the amazing initiatives they've implemented to create a positive and inclusive environment. From flexible work arrangements to enhanced benefits like free virtual mental health counseling, Liberty Mutual sets a new standard for working parent support. Get inspired to advocate for positive change in your own workplace and create a culture where working moms can thrive!
Connect with Alison on LinkedIn if you enjoyed this conversation.
Expecting or planning ahead? Learn about your leave benefits at perkyleave.com.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If this episode resonated with you, please rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find us on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Are you a parent or grandparent who wants to learn more about 529s?
529s can be a great way to save for college but can also be confusing. In this episode, we break down everything you need to know about 529s in a way that's easy to understand. We talked to financial advisor Alissa Maizes about everything 529s, including the tax benefits, when to open a 529 account, and how to pick the best option for your family.
Throughout this episode, Samantha and Alissa discuss:
The Importance of Financial Education
Understanding 529s
Tax Benefits of 529s
The Grandparent Loophole
What if scenarios for 529s
Creating a Stable Financial Future for Your Kids
If you enjoyed this conversation, you can connect with Alissa on LinkedIn, follow Amplify My Wealth on Instagram, and learn more on her website.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Tamara, Director of Product at a leading technology company, Harvard MBA, and mother, shares her personal journey navigating the complexities of a demanding career and motherhood.
Tamara offers valuable insights into overcoming fertility challenges, developing a return-to-work strategy, prioritizing personal values, maintaining healthy boundaries, and achieving fulfillment in both professional and personal life. Her experience provides an intuitive playbook for those returning to paid work.
Throughout this episode, Samantha and Tamara discuss:
The Challenges of Balancing Motherhood and a High-Pressure Career
Navigating 2 Different Experiences for Maternity Leave and the Return to Work
The Experience of Postpartum Depression
Highly Intuitive Return to Work Playbook!
Planning for more kids
If their conversation resonated with you, check out our Tamara on LinkedIn, or check out her newsletter on SubStack called the Half Moon Hustle.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
In our special mini-series Chasing Change, host Samantha Saxby unveils what change looks like from the inside. She interviews women who have instigated meaningful change in their workplaces to get the support they and others needed.
In this episode, Samantha Saxby is joined by Kristen Posso, mom of 2 and founder and leader of Informatica’s Parent and Caregivers Connection EIG. Kristen shares her journey of creating a supportive community for working parents and caregivers, from tackling logistical challenges like access to pumping rooms to advocating for policy changes that make a real difference. Discover how Kristen’s personal experiences and dedication to inclusivity are transforming her workplace, providing essential resources, and reshaping how employers view the unique needs and strengths of caregivers.
In their inspirational conversation, Kristen and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Creation of Employee Inclusivity Group
Policy Change Success Story
Advocating for Policy Changes and Benefits
Power of the Pause
Recognizing the Value of Leadership Skills
The Importance of Education and Awareness
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
In this episode, Samantha Saxby is joined by Dr. Anne Welsh, mom of 4, a clinical psychologist and executive coach specializing in supporting women through the transition to parenthood, particularly in STEM, law, and healthcare. They dive deep into the Ambitious Identity Paradox, a concept developed by Dr. Welsh to explore the inner conflict faced by many ambitious moms who struggle to reconcile personal goals with societal expectations. The discussion covers the challenges of balancing family, career, and self, and the emotional toll of attempting to meet external standards of perfection. Dr. Welsh emphasizes the importance of rediscovering personal values and ambitions and navigating motherhood on your own terms. Whether you are managing the logistics of being a working parent or reflecting on your identity, this episode offers valuable insights for ambitious moms everywhere.
In their inspiring conversation, Dr. Anne and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
The Multiple Identity Shifts of Parenthood
The Ambitious Identity Paradox: Pursuing External Standards
Aligning Personal Ambition with Desires and Values
Approaching Financial Goals with a Long-Term Perspective
Resiliency and Adaptability
If their conversation resonated with you, check out our Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn, or check out her website at ambitiousidentityparadox.com
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
In our special mini series Chasing Change, host Samantha Saxby unveils what change looks like from the inside. She interviews women who have instigated meaningful change in their workplaces to get the support they and others needed.
In this episode, Samantha is joined by Lucy Boyd, working mom of an amazing two-year-old boy and Sales Technology Manager and leader of the Parents and Caregivers Business Resource Group at UPS. She discusses the challenges new parents face in the workplace, the power of community, and how she and her team are working to support parents and caregivers through a variety of initiatives. This episode is a deep dive into leadership, empathy, and the process of creating lasting cultural change in large organizations.
In their enlightening conversation, Samantha and Lucy discuss:
The challenges of motherhood and the need for support
Creating a community for parents and caregivers at UPS
Impactful events and virtual meetups
The role of managers in supporting new parents
The power of community
Giving grace to new moms or dads
Advice for making change in organizations
If this episode resonated with you, connect with Lucy on LinkedIn.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Dr. Nikki Pensak is a working mom of 2 and after dedicating her work to supporting the medical field, she turned her interest and research to understanding how to support the caregivers in the room best. To her, mothers are the ultimate caregivers, and this has inspired her most recent book Rattled which breaks down the science of motherhood and matrescence. Dr. Nikki Pensak is a clinical psychologist, researcher specializing in treating postpartum mental health issues, author, and TEDx Speaker.
In their uplifting conversation, Dr. Nikki and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Understanding the Neurocognitive Development of Motherhood
Destigmatizing Mental Health Treatment for Mothers
Challenging the ‘Mommy Brain’ Stigma through science
Understand matescence through science
The Benefits and Skills of Motherhood
Navigating Postpartum Challenges and Emotional Experiences
Managing Mom Guilt, Mom Shame, and Mom Rage
Embracing Postpartum as a Normative Trauma
If their conversation resonated with you, check out our Amazon book list for Dr. Pensak’s book “Rattled” and Instagram to stay up to date. You can also connect with Nikki on LinkedIn.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
In our special mini series Chasing Change, host Samantha Saxby unveils what change looks like from the inside. She interviews women who have instigated meaningful change in their workplaces to get the support they and others needed.
In this episode, Samantha is joined by Allison Ward, working mom of two and Chief People Officer at marketing agency Walker Sands. In her 10+ years with the company, Allison has witnessed growth from a smaller agency to a fully corporate function, including the addition of new family-friendly policies. Thanks to her efforts, Walker Sands now boasts flexibility for its employees with unlimited PTO, parental leave, and other related benefits.
In their eye-opening conversation, Samantha and Allison discuss:
Evolving your career as your life evolves
Defining “family friendly policies” in the workplace
Benefits of hybrid and remote work for working parents
Tips on advocating for organizational change
Business-related benefits of having a paid leave policy
Seeking guidance from your community
If this episode resonated with you, connect with Allison on LinkedIn.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Rachel Rangel is a working mom to a two-year-old son. Through Mother Forward (formerly Campaign for Childcare), she and hundreds of other women, moms, and caregivers advocate for large-scale meaningful change in the childcare system around the country, at all levels. Rachel is passionate about childcare reform, after a particularly heartbreaking experience at their own center motivated her to seek change at a higher level.
In their inspiring conversation, Rachel and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Questioning returning to work after pregnancy
The hidden struggles of childcare centers
Grassroots beginnings of Mother Forward
The pandemic’s effects on childcare centers
The key challenges families face with childcare
Federal, state, and local advocacy for childcare reform
How listeners can get involved and make an impact
If their conversation resonated with you, visit the Mother Forward website and Instagram to stay up to date on their work and mission. You can also connect with Rachel on LinkedIn.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Editor’s Note: Since the date of this recording, Campaign for Childcare has rebranded to Mother Forward. Their mission now encompasses “building a community of motherly support that mobilizes to pass federal and local policies that support families and create economic security”—including childcare reform and paid leave advocacy.
In our special mini series Chasing Change, host Samantha Saxby unveils what change looks like from the inside. She interviews women who have instigated meaningful change in their workplaces and communities to get the support they and others needed.
In this episode, Samantha speaks with Nikki Brooker, who has dedicated her life to supporting mothers in crisis. Nikki is the Founder and CEO of You Are Not Alone (YANA), a nonprofit organization created in the wake of two community tragedies that took the lives of two mothers and their children. YANA offers completely free programs to help support moms in their most difficult and crucial moments, ensuring that all moms feel safe, valued, and accepted.
In their conversation, Samantha and Nikki discuss:
How tragedy inspired Nikki and others to take action
Pivoting YANA’s programs during the pandemic
The mother’s role in their households’ mental health
The importance of community and peer support for moms
Goals for YANA and its growth
If you found this conversation impactful, you can learn more about YANA and their work on their website and their podcast, Let’s Be Real. You can also find more information on volunteer opportunities and making donations on the YANA website.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Melanie Maldonado is a business owner, medical professional, doula, wife, and working mom to four children ages 10 and under. Through her business, Golden Love Birthwork, Melanie provides birthing mothers with prenatal, labor, and postpartum support to create a healthy, positive, empowering birth experience. Each of Melanie’s four pregnancy and birth experiences were different, and in this week’s episode, she shares how each of them impacted her and shaped her into the working mom she is today.
In their inspiring conversation, Melanie and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Learning how to be a first-time mom
Experience of a parent loss between babies
How each baby changes you as a mother
Adapting to new work routines as a mother
Having a baby during the pandemic
If Melanie’s story resonated with you, follow her on Instagram @goldenlovedoula to stay up to date with her doula business. You can also learn more about her business on her website.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Dr. Molly Millwood is a clinical psychologist, author, educator, consultant, wife, and mother of two boys. Her 2019 book, To Have and To Hold: Motherhood, Marriage, and the Modern Dilemma, is inspired by her own experiences as a new mother and navigating the changes it brought to her marriage and life. In it, she explores the complexities of new motherhood, and the emotional, physical, mental, and professional impacts it brings to individuals and their partners. She examines the link between women’s well-being as mothers and the well-being of their relationships, while offering guidance to help overcome guilt and reclaim their identities.
In their eye-opening conversation, Molly and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
How Molly’s personal experiences inspired her book
Emotional, physical, and psychological changes in motherhood
Parenthood’s impact on marriages and relationships
Societal expectations placed on parents
Dealing with shame and guilt in motherhood
Balancing identity and autonomy in motherhood
If this episode resonates with you, you can order Molly’s book on Amazon, in hardcover, Kindle edition, and audiobook. You can also stay up to date with her on Instagram and website.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Rosa Castano is a workplace well-being expert and advocate, business owner, yoga teacher, wife, and working mom of a three-year-old daughter. Through her business, Workplace Stress Solutions, Rosa and her team provide trainings and workshops on wellness, well-being, leadership development, and stress management tools for employers and employees of all levels of influence.
In their inspiring conversation, Rosa and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Transition from career to motherhood during the pandemic
Navigating insurance and short-term disability challenges
Integrating wellbeing into the workplace effectively
Empowering employees to advocate for themselves
Building strong relationships with your HR team
If this episode resonated with you, you can connect with Rosa on LinkedIn and follow her on Instagram @wellbeingwithrosa.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Alexis Adams is a full-time business owner, therapist, coach, wife, and mother of three kids five and younger. Her motherhood journey has been anything but conventional, and she joined the Moms With Benefits Podcast to share her experiences and what she’s learned about motherhood and herself and adds a unique layer of seeing it through a therapist’s perspective.
In their insightful conversation, Alexis and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Different lgoals of maternity leave for each child
Navigating job interviews while pregnant
Identity shifts during motherhood
Leaving the workforce and coming back after children
Mom shame and guilt of choosing career vs. family
If what Alexis shared in this episode resonated with you, you can follow her on Instagram @confidently.therapy.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
In our special mini series Chasing Change, host Samantha Saxby unveils what change looks like from the inside. She interviews women who have instigated meaningful change in their workplaces to get the support they and others needed.
In this episode of Chasing Change, Samantha speaks with Loryn Duke, Communications Director at Steamboat Ski Resort in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Loryn and her colleagues developed and opened the resort’s first-ever employer-based childcare center in 2022, resulting in a 425% return on investment. The opening of Steamboat Child Care Center has had a hugely positive impact not only on fellow resort employees, but the community at large.
In their moving conversation, Loryn and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Finding your advocates in your organization
ROI of employer-based childcare
Impacts on employee recruitment and retention
Effective data collection and employee surveys
The future of Steamboat Child Care Center
If you found this conversation impactful and want to hear more about the childcare center, connect with Loryn on LinkedIn. She’d love to hear from you! You can also learn more about the center on the resort’s website, this Fortune story, and in this story from KUNC.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Alissa Maizes is a financial advisor, attorney, RIA, wife, and mother of two adult children. She’s the Founder of Amplify My Wealth, where it’s her mission to empower women and families with their finances. She provides her clients with financial advice and custom plans to help simplify their finances and equip them with knowledge, education, and guidance to amplify their wealth.
In their conversation, Alissa and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Being financially stressed vs. financially confident
Assessing goals related to paid work vs caretaking
Loud budgeting and financial parenting tips
Aging parent financial challenges
Avoiding financial infidelity in relationships
Women live longer - what does that mean for finances?
Aligning your values and finances
If you enjoyed this conversation, you can connect with Alissa on LinkedIn, follow Amplify My Wealth on Instagram, and learn more on her website.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Linda Alunkal is an entrepreneur, strategic business consultant, COO, founder and CEO, wife, and mother to two boys. In childhood, she and her family came to the United States as Chinese immigrants, and it’s those experiences that shaped her work ethic, outlook, and values. After an impressive corporate career with Johnson & Johnson, Linda pivoted to entrepreneurship after realizing her life’s mission—among other entrepreneurial endeavors. She’s now building bitebrave to help families navigate life-threatening food allergies with knowledge and confidence.
In their inspiring conversation, Linda and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
How your upbringing impacts your parenting style
Parental leave for contract employees vs. full time employees
Battling new mom anxieties
Financial pressures of entrepreneurship
Aligning your work and mission with your values
If you enjoyed this conversation, you can connect with Linda on LinkedIn and follow bitebrave on Instagram.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
Christa Bright is the founder of the Working Mom Conference, an annual two-day event that honors working moms, acknowledges the challenges they face, and helps them achieve success in their professional and personal lives. This year’s conference is August 3-4, 2024, in Philadelphia, PA.
Christa’s background in event planning and entrepreneurship, and ambition to create a supportive community for moms like her, led her to launch the Working Mom Conference in 2022. Its second-year speaker lineup is packed with inspiring women and moms from around the country, each with unique experiences and outlooks to share.
In their inspiring conversation, Christa and host Samantha Saxby discuss:
Challenges of starting a business
How serving in the Army impacted her career
Building your own support system as a mom
Defining work-life balance vs. separation
Learning financial habits in motherhood
If you enjoyed this conversation, you can follow the Working Mom Conference on Instagram and learn more on their website. Registration for this year’s conference in Philadelphia is still open here! Your host Samantha Saxby will be speaking on navigating finances in motherhood.
If you are currently expecting, or planning ahead, check out perkyleave.com to learn about your leave benefits.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
This is the first episode of our podcast miniseries, “Chasing Change.” Host Samantha Saxby unveils what change looks like from the inside. She interviews women who have instigated change in their workplace to get the support they needed. Including how employees have utilized Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and affinity groups, to make an impact in the workplace, especially for working parents.
In this episode, Samantha is joined by Alison Nogueira and Melissa Peikin from Northeastern University. Allison and Melissa co-founded NU Parents, a parent affinity group for working parents at all stages of parenthood. NU Parents provides personal and professional development for working parents and caregivers to create a strong network of fulfilled members. What began as a casual meetup in 2011 to discuss parenthood has now grown into an active community of almost 600 members, and has affected meaningful change across the university.
In their conversation, Samantha, Allison, and Melissa discuss:
How the parent affinity group was born out of a community need
Challenges and successes during COVID-19
Being change agents to improve university culture
Challenges of leading an ERG on top of a full-time job
Providing valuable resources for group members
…and much more!
To learn more about affinity group NU Parents, visit their website. You can also connect with Melissa and Allison on LinkedIn.
Moms With Benefits is chasing financial and emotional stability for motherhood. If you resonated with this episode, we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word. You can also find Moms With Benefits on Instagram @momswithbenefitsorg.
