There’s a quiet moment after you become a mum where you realise your life will never look the same again and neither will your career. In this Motherkind Moment, Zoe Blaskey is joined by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis, co-founders of Squiggly Careers, bestselling authors, and two of the UK’s leading voices on modern careers, learning and development. Together, they explore the reality so many mothers quietly hold: how becoming a parent doesn’t switch off your drive – but it does force you to make sense of it. They talk about the idea of a squiggly career, and why motherhood often accelerates that squiggle. There’s a clear before and after when you become a mum, and suddenly your life, priorities and decisions can’t look the same as they did before. But that doesn’t mean you stop wanting to grow, achieve, or do meaningful work. This Moment speaks directly to the judgment many working mothers experience – the head tilt, the comments, the unspoken assumptions about what you should want after having children. Zoe, Helen and Sarah talk honestly about returning to work by choice, feeling judged for it, and learning to make intentional decisions that work for you, even when they look different to everyone else’s. At the heart of the conversation is the power of values, not as a buzzword, but as a practical filter for navigating motherhood, work and identity. When you know what truly drives you, you can make choices with more confidence and less guilt, even in a season that’s noisy, exhausting and full of comparison. This Moment is a reminder that there is no one right way to do motherhood or ambition, only what works for you. In this Moment, they explore: Why motherhood often makes careers feel more “squiggly” How ambition can stay alive after becoming a mother Using values to make confident, intentional decisions If you’ve ever felt judged for what you want after having children or are unsure how to honour both your ambition and your family, this Moment is for you. If you liked this moment, listen to the full episode: Success Isn’t Linear: 5 steps to Finally Start Defining Your Own Path with The Squiggly Career Experts Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Feb 23 202611 min