My Journey from Corporate Commercial Negotiator to Return to Work Champion

After 20 years as a corporate negotiator, climbing the retail buying ladder to Head of Trading and Commercial, I never expected that becoming a mother would completely reshape my career path. But that's exactly what happened when I experienced firsthand the challenges of returning to work after maternity leave.

The Reality of Returning to Work After Maternity Leave

Returning to work after maternity leave was overwhelming, it felt lonely, scary, and overwhelming being away from my baby while also feeling like an outsider in a once-familiar team. With little to no support from management, I was thrust straight back into work as if nothing had changed, yet I couldn't have felt more different.

Through my own experience and countless conversations with other mothers, both personally and professionally, I now know it doesn't have to be this way, and it shouldn't be.

Why Working Parents Need Specialised Support

What strikes me most about working with parents preparing for their return to work is their lack of confidence. I am yet to meet a mother who feels confident about their return to work. Some may be excited, some feel apprehensive, but no one has ever said they feel confident, which has always struck me as incredibly sad.

These women haven't decreased their knowledge, experience, or value by having a child. In most cases, they've increased so many facets of what make them incredible employees. So why weren't they feeling it?

This observation became the catalyst for Hi.Ho.Coaching, a specialised service designed to empower working parents with practical strategies for a confident return to work.

More Than Just Coaching: A Practical Approach to Career Transitions

With my background in buying and commercial negotiation, I bring a unique blend of corporate expertise and personal understanding to my return-to-work coaching. My approach isn't just about boosting confidence, it's about equipping working parents with actionable strategies that work in the real corporate world.

That experience - combined with countless conversations with other parents - became the catalyst for creating Hi.Ho.Coaching.

Because the truth is: working parents don’t lack ambition or capability. They lack the right support at the moments it matters most.

The Three Moments That Define a Working Parent’s Career

Through both my personal experience and years working with clients, I’ve found that working parents typically need support at three key stages of their career.

These are the foundations of my work: Return, Navigate, and Accelerate.

RETURN

Supporting a Confident Return to Work

Returning from maternity or parental leave is one of the biggest professional transitions many people experience.

Yet most organisations treat it like a non-event.

Parents are often expected to return at full pace immediately, despite having navigated a major life change. The result is predictable: uncertainty, loss of confidence, and in many cases, talented employees quietly disengaging or leaving altogether.

My work with parents at this stage focuses on giving them practical strategies for navigating the transition, including:

• Planning and maximising KIT (Keeping in Touch) days
• Strategically using accrued annual leave to soften the return
• Preparing for conversations around flexible working requests
• Setting clear professional boundaries
• Rebuilding confidence in their professional identity

This isn’t about motivational coaching.

It’s about practical preparation for real corporate environments.

NAVIGATE

Managing the Complexity of Working Parenthood

Returning to work is only the beginning.

Many parents find the real challenge begins once the initial transition is over - navigating career progression, workload expectations, and family responsibilities at the same time.

This is where many talented professionals begin to question whether they can realistically maintain the career trajectory they once had.

My role is to help clients navigate these pressures strategically, using the same negotiation and commercial thinking I developed during two decades in corporate leadership.

Together we work on:

• Negotiating flexibility and workload expectations
• Managing boundaries without damaging reputation
• Communicating ambition clearly and confidently
• Building sustainable career and family structures

Because the goal isn’t simply to survive working parenthood.

It’s to make it work long term.

ACCELERATE

Ensuring Parenthood Doesn’t Stall Career Progression.

One of the most damaging assumptions in the workplace is that becoming a parent reduces professional ambition.

In reality, the opposite is often true.

Parents become experts in prioritisation, problem solving, resilience, and operating under pressure - the exact leadership capabilities organisations say they want more of.

Yet many parents find their progression quietly stalls after returning to work.

This is where acceleration support becomes critical.

I work with clients to:

• Prepare for promotion and leadership opportunities
• Negotiate salary increases and role progression
• Rebuild professional visibility and confidence
• Position themselves for long-term career growth

Parenthood should not be a career ceiling.

With the right strategy and support, it can be a catalyst for stronger leadership.

Why Businesses Need to Pay Attention

Supporting working parents isn’t just an employee wellbeing initiative.

It’s a talent retention strategy.

When organisations fail to support returning parents, they risk losing experienced employees they’ve already invested years developing.

But when businesses actively support parents during these transitions, the impact is significant:

• Higher retention of experienced talent
• Stronger leadership pipelines
• Greater diversity at senior levels
• Improved employee loyalty and engagement

This is why I work not only with individuals but also directly with organisations to strengthen their maternity and parental return strategies.

Through coaching programmes, workshops, and practical frameworks, I help businesses create environments where working parents can succeed, not quietly disappear.

My Mission

My mission is simple:

I want working parents to feel confident, supported, and ambitious about their careers.

And I want organisations to recognise that supporting working parents isn’t a compromise.

It’s an investment in talent.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you are a working parent preparing to return to work, navigating the demands of career and family life, or ready to accelerate your progression, I can help.

And if you are an organisation looking to better support your employees through maternity, paternity, and parental transitions, I would love to work with you.

Together we can build careers that work for both people and businesses.