What if workplaces stopped pretending we do not have children and homes to care about, and actually designed work around real lives?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr Ellen Joan Ford, award winning researcher, military veteran, international speaker, parent and author of #WorkSchoolHours. Together we unpack how leaders can redesign work so people are not forced to choose between a big career and a big life.

Ellen shares what she found in her research with working parents, why so many are pushed out or quietly downgraded in their careers, and how her work school hours principles give leaders a practical blueprint to change that.

We talk about:

• The moment Ellen realised “the world expects us to work as if we do not have children and parent as if we do not have a job”

• How becoming a parent expanded, not reduced, her ambition and what success looks like now

• The three core principles of #WorkSchoolHours and why they are commercial strategies, not perks

• Simple leadership experiments that change everything, like shifting an 8.30 am recurring meeting to 9.15 am or setting true core hours

• How to align projects and quarters to school terms so parents are not punished for 13 weeks of school holidays

• The real commercial upside: retention, productivity, wellbeing and closing the motherhood penalty

• Why fear and “playing not to lose” keep leaders stuck in rigid office mandates

• How to build culture and connection in hybrid teams without relying on mandated desk time

• A step by step way individuals can pitch new work rhythms to their manager as a win win

This conversation is for executives, HR and people leaders, and any ambitious parent or caregiver who refuses to accept that ambition and care are mutually exclusive.

• Your people have a life beyond work, and that is an asset, not a liability.

• Measure outputs, not hours.

• Flexibility is a commercial strategy.

• Do not design for the lowest performers.

• The boldest move is also the simplest. Ask each person: “What would help you thrive here?” Then act on it where you can..

Explore Ellen’s work and resources:

• Website and resources: ellenjoanford.com

• Book: #WorkSchoolHours (paperback, ebook and audio)

• Follow Ellen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ellen-joan-ford-791a2655/

If this episode speaks to your experience as a solo parent, caregiver or leader, follow Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, share this episode with a colleague, and join the movement to build systems where ambition and care can thrive side by side.

Music rights:Track: Brother BrotherArtist: BENSONLicensed by: Soundstripe, Inc.License Type: Master Recording & Synchronization LicenseLicense ID: #22026995Usage Rights: Worldwide, in perpetuity, across web, podcast, and social platforms© BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. — All rights reserved.Used with permission under a perpetual license.ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06TFollow Karis: linkedin.com/in/kdorrigan