There’s a good reason you often hear people say they need a holiday to recover from their family holiday with young children. It’s meant as a joke, but it’s sometimes true…

As we return to work after the summer we tend to feel a range of things - relief mixed with sadness that the children are back in school, overwhelm at the amount of work that’s piled up, and one other thing…

Exhaustion. 

The end of summer is a difficult time of year. We had plans to relax and recharge, but that’s often not the reality. A holiday with kids can be a wonderful and cherished experience creating memories to treasure, but often they are rarely relaxing. 

What is a holiday? 

The definition of a holiday is an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or travelling. 

Unfortunately for working parents in particular, a holiday often means taking time off from just one type of work and not necessarily from the mental load and daily tasks associated with being Mum or Da...

During Men's Health Week (10 – 16 June in the UK), we read many of the excellent articles and personal stories shared by men. In our work at Thriving Talent, we hear daily how stress manifests itself when working fathers are trying to juggle personal and professional lives.

Working fathers often cite feelings of overwhelm, guilt, failure at work and at home and working 4 shifts: shift 1 being the morning pre-creche/school, shift 2 being at the office, shift 3 being back at home hopefully in time for children’s bedtime and shift 4 logging back on. None of which tends to leave space for taking care of oneself. Every time we run “New Fathers” workshops, men exchange on the challenges they face and how sports/friends/health/fun becomes a distant memory. As we remind them, if they don’t take care of themselves and have a ‘full battery’, they are unlikely to be the father/partner/professional they want to be.

Organisations are starting to recognise that to attract, retain and engage father...

As the festive season is soon upon us, I am “walking the talk”. How, you may ask? Well, I am doing what we encourage others to do all the time - I am taking a moment to press “pause”.

When I think about the conversations over this festive, sociable period, family, friends and colleagues often ask how the year has been and they are curious to know what your New Year’s Resolutions are for 2019.

Some people reflect on their year with great energy and joy; others will shy away from answering or not want to give it much thought, as sometimes it reminds us of the low points. Some will talk about their 2019 goals with fervor and passion, whilst others say “I do not believe in making resolutions”.

So, where do you start, when thinking about these big questions? For me, I need to break it down and reflect over several days. My approach is to use ‘smaller questions’.

• What lessons did I learn in 2018?

• What am I proud of in 2018?

• What am I grateful for?

• What did I learn about ...

If you are one of those lucky people who never needed shopping lists or deadline alerts before you had a baby, lucky you! The chances are that post-baby, however, things are very different.

I think the majority of adults struggle with juggling personal and work related tasks after becoming a parent - the mental and logistical load is much heavier than ever before and with the likelihood of sleep deprivation you’re memory doesn’t seem quite as sharp as it used to. You think to yourself "I'll easily remember that" and then your tiny little person flashes you a beautiful smile and you forget everything else.  


With that in mind, you can relax somewhat in the knowledge that there is an abundance of handy, practical tools to help you out. Some of these tools you can use for both personal and work tasks, allowing you to more easily manage those two parts of your life together at once. I am strong proponent for work-life integration because in order to thrive in both worlds you need to con...

Nothing can prepare you for the realities of parenthood. In the early days, it’s crucial that you look after yourself and lean on those closest to you for support.

You have probably spent the last 40 weeks preparing for the birth, acquiring all the baby paraphernalia, and organising your maternity and paternity leave. Most people are not prepared for what has been termed “The Fourth Trimester” and even if you know what’s coming, it can still be a shock.

Your baby will not want to be put down. He or she will be waking regularly during the night and feeding constantly around the clock. Everyday tasks will become almost impossible. You will be worrying about whether your baby is putting on enough weight, or getting enough skin-to-skin, and even checking they are still breathing at regular intervals! On top of all that, friends and family will be wanting to come and meet your new bundle of joy.

Particularly for new mothers, it may be difficult to accept help at first. Try to remember th...

Hopefully, as you read this, you are experiencing a healthy and happy pregnancy, having had the necessary conversations at work and organised yourself so that you are both energised and engaged professionally and personally.

Now fast forward to the time when you will be with your new baby, during your parental leave. This is a unique and special time which we want you to thrive in and not be worrying about “what’s next”. So, to help you maximise this period, it is worth planning ahead now. Let me share my own personal experience to demonstrate the importance of this.

I was working as a Project Manager at IBM, managing a remote team, when I fell pregnant with my first child, Olivia. It was a period when I worked on client sites, often away from home Monday to Thursday, working long hours and at times, under a lot of pressure! My team also worked on client sites, on similar change projects and I needed to be available to support them.

I realised that I would need to make some changes ...

Juggling work and family life is often exhausting and for many working parents, it is hard to find the extra time or energy to do much else. However, it is widely recognised that a regular sporting activity boosts your resilience and reduces stress.

As a busy mum of 2, striving to reach my professional aspirations and keep my family happy, I used to think that sport would be a selfish indulgence and one that would eat into the time that I had away for work and family.  

However after biting the bullet and signing up to my local gym, I soon realised that an hour’s fitness training twice a week boosted my performance at work and made me more effective at home. It also helped to reduce the tensions and worries that I was dealing with on a daily basis. My tiredness diminished as I started to sleep better and, of course, my self -confidence started to rise.

Researchers at « Harvard Business Review» surveyed a population of working adults to gather input regarding work and other demands. ...

The lead up to maternity really does feel like a rollercoaster for many women: excited and energised one moment, sick or tired and fearful of the future the next, coupled with a changing body shape and swirling emotions.

It’s no surprise that it is a somewhat confusing period in our lives ….(imagine how it is for partners watching on!).

There are many factors that you will not be able to directly control; so focus on what you can control and influence; starting with a positive perspective and taking ownership. Here are a few pointers:

#1: Talk to others

If you haven’t already, understand the internal HR policies around maternity and talk to others you know, who have already been through this transition.

They may have some ideas and advice that may not be obvious to you – both what to do and what not to do!

#2: Challenge your assumptions

It is very personal as to when you advise your manager of your pregnancy and the relationship you have will of course influence your decision. ...

This is such a personal journey that there is no script to follow. There is no right or wrong way of balancing parenthood and professional life. Each person has their unique way of balancing the two, based on their own value system, needs, motivations and aspirations. The only criteria here is that you find your way, you understand your own value system, needs, motivations and aspirations; so that you design the best balance for yourself; so that you can thrive at home and at work!

Here are some tips to help you best navigate these new waters, where you become the queen of juggling and sharing yourself with many! Depending on how soon you return to work, also be aware that typically it takes 9 months for your body to return to normal, hormonally and physiologically.

As the Professional woman:

• More than likely, your role was performed by one or many people in your absence. You wouldn’t be alone if you felt awkward taking back the controls. Start with speaking to those who stepped i...

Is this known as “having it all”? Can you even have a career and family without the burden of guilt, overwhelm and fatigue? There isn’t a text book standard response to this. Why? Because everyone’s definition of “having it all” is unique and it’s based on your own exclusive value system and aspirations.

Step 1: Self-awareness

The first step therefore when considering how to navigate career and family is to have a very good understanding of what is important to you, as a parent and as a professional.

As a parent – if someone asked your child 10 years from now to describe you as a Mum or Dad over the last 10 years, what do you want them to say? Who inspires you as a role model as a parent and why? What do you want to copy from your own parents? What do you not want to copy from your own parents? If you take time to consider these questions over a short period, coming back to them several times, you will soon have a sound awareness of your values as a parent. Now, take these values an...