#10 "Motherhood is a leadership development program" Alexa Starks

Working Out Loud as a Single Mum: Flexibility, Outcomes, and Redesigning Work Deborah Graham speaks with Karis Dorrigan, a head of product, coach, and solo parent of two, about what actually happens when motherhood meets corporate work. The conversation focuses on the gap between policy and lived reality, why outcomes matter more than hours, and how flexible work needs to be designed for everyone, not just parents. Key topics Karis shares her path to motherhood and how both returns from parental leave were disrupted by restructuring and redundancy. She explains how becoming a solo parent made the limits of traditional work design impossible to ignore. The episode explores why women and parents are often conditioned to feel grateful for flexibility, even when they are delivering strong outcomes. Deborah and Karis discuss the shift from presenteeism to outcomes, including the evidence around four-day work week trials. Karis argues that flexible work should be normalised for all workers, including non-parents, carers, and people who work better at different times. They talk about the language around work patterns, including why calling a four-day week "part-time" is misleading and loaded. Karis outlines the importance of boundaries, self-prioritisation, and small pockets of time for exercise, walking, and rest. The conversation highlights the practical strain of solo parenting, including commuting, bedtime, cooking, and the lack of downtime. Karis describes her podcast, Ambition and Life, which features women and leaders doing work differently and rethinking what success looks like. Both speakers reflect on the need for more women and mums in senior leadership to shift workplace culture from the top.

India Sutherland shares her raw experience on navigating career through early parenthood and what she sees as the systemic changes which need to be made for the next generation of mums.

Eleni Dracakis shares her journey to motherhood, the concept of matrescence, and how it influences her approach to work and life. We explore the impact of motherhood on leadership, workplace flexibility, and supporting women in their careers.

Chelsea Solorzano, a licensed marriage and family therapist and maternal coach, shares her personal journey through motherhood, mental health, and the importance of self-care. This episode explores the emotional landscape of new motherhood, the impact of the pandemic, and practical approaches like internal family systems to support mums.

Whitney joins Deborah Graham to talk through a motherhood journey that began as a surprise and became a profound identity shift. They explore what it feels like to move from uncertainty and grief around fertility into a new sense of self, and how parenting reshaped Whitney’s confidence, priorities, and daily life.In this conversation, Whitney also shares the practical realities of early motherhood, from sleep and feeding to the huge difference family support and flexible routines can make.