Be Bold About What You Need: Lessons from 2 Moms Leading in Consulting

Front Burner, Back Burner: A Consulting Leader’s Approach to Career and Family

In this episode of The Consulting Moms Table, Karin sits down with Suniti Kanodia, Principal at PwC, to explore a 25-year journey across technology, consulting, and leadership while raising a family. Suniti shares how she navigated a career that spanned hardware, software, and consulting, ultimately rising to partner level in a highly demanding field. She reflects on the realities of building a career in tech while raising two daughters, including returning to work quickly after maternity leave and managing the constant tension between professional ambition and personal priorities. A central theme throughout the conversation is how she integrates, rather than separates, the different parts of her life. Rather than striving for perfect balance, Suniti describes how she “meshes” work and family in a way that evolves over time. She brings this to life through her front burner and back burner analogy, explaining how priorities shift across seasons. At times, career moves to the front burner, while at others, family takes that place, without losing sight of what continues to simmer in the background. She also shares a simple but powerful example from her own life. While preparing for a client meeting, she involved her daughters in thinking through the approach. It became quality time together, strengthened her pitch with fresh perspective, and gave her daughters real exposure to strategic thinking. It is a clear example of how integration can create value across both work and home, rather than forcing a trade-off between the two. The conversation goes beyond career milestones and into the real decisions behind them. Suniti opens up about trade-offs, support systems, and how her definition of success has evolved over time. She also discusses the growing role of AI in consulting and how she is helping clients and teams make it practical and usable. This episode offers an honest, grounded look at what it takes to build a long-term career in consulting while staying connected to what matters most at home. If you are navigating leadership, motherhood, or both, this conversation will give you a realistic perspective on what it actually takes and how to make it work in your own way. Need help navigating your career as a mom in consulting? Email me at karin@kemleadershipcoaching.com [karin@kemleadershipcoaching.com] to start a discussion or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinemayer/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinemayer/]

Bringing Your Baby to a Partner Meeting: Making Motherhood Visible From Day One

Jay Sukumaran did something unusual three months after becoming a mom. She brought her infant son Max to a partner meeting at Deloitte, unannounced. The partners didn't know how to react. She did it anyway because she wanted them to see that motherhood was now part of her professional identity, not something to compartmentalize or hide. This decision set the tone for a 20-year career spanning Deloitte, AlixPartners, and Korn Ferry, where Jay rose to partner while raising her son. But her path wasn't about "having it all" through sheer willpower. It was about brutal self-awareness and conscious choices. Growing up as a girl in India, Jay faced cultural pressures to stay quiet, not share opinions, and accept fewer opportunities than her brother. Those early experiences shaped her drive to work and prove herself. But becoming a mother forced a reckoning: she had to get honest about what she actually wanted, not just what she was supposed to want. Jay openly admits she wouldn't have been a great stay-at-home mom. She visualized it, honestly assessed her strengths, and realized that keeping her talent "on hold" would make her unhappy, which would make her family unhappy. This clarity gave her permission to stay in consulting, even during the intense early years of motherhood. Her advice to her younger self? Not to work harder or sacrifice more. Instead: take more pauses, stop chasing perfection in every role, and be truly present wherever you are. Whether that's a few hours at home or leading a client engagement. For young moms considering consulting careers, Jay's message is clear: give yourself permission to ask for what you need. When she was building her family, senior partners at Deloitte offered her the opportunity to step into internal roles for periods of time. But you have to ask. The answer might be yes. This conversation challenges the assumption that successful working mothers succeed by hiding their motherhood or by being superhuman. Jay succeeded by making motherhood visible, being honest about her limits, and building in reflection points to consciously choose her path. Need help navigating your career as a mom in consulting? Email me at karin@kemleadershipcoaching.com to start a discussion.

Industry & Consulting: What I Learned as a Mom in Both Worlds

We talk a lot about “finding balance” as a working mom. We compare industries, job types, companies, and roles — trying to figure out what the mythical optimal path looks like. But the truth is far more personal, and often far more surprising. That’s why this episode is such an important one. In my latest episode of The Consulting Leadership Mom's Table, Michelle Drew Rodriguez ( [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-drew-rodriguez/]former Partner at Roland Berger, current Board Chair of IMEC) shares how she navigated her motherhood journey across both industry and consulting — and what she learned from each chapter. What makes her story particularly valuable: she's lived it all. A “double boomerang” – she has spent nearly half her career in industry and half in consulting, having a child in each. She’s been a single mom traveling with drop-in daycare. Blended family with two solid careers. Having kids 10 years apart, sharing how dual-career norms have evolved over the years. Her journey spans engineering to consulting to C-suite and ultimately to the boardroom. Her advice to her younger self? Trust yourself. Stop creating self-doubt about how motherhood will be perceived. Decide what YOU want, then structure everything around that instead of letting your career and life happen to you. Her advice to women in the thick of it right now? Reflect deeply.  Get clarity within.   Give yourself grace. This conversation will challenge some assumptions about what makes working motherhood "easier." It might also give you permission to make moves you've been hesitating on. Her advice? Stop waiting for permission. Decide what YOU want, then structure your life and career around that instead of letting things happen to you. Trust yourself instead of creating self-doubt about how motherhood will be perceived. And when things go sideways (because they will), give yourself grace. Michelle's strategy for staying healthy while being pulled in multiple directions? Treat your priorities like client meetings. Block out workout time, your kid's 3 p.m. game, nursing breaks. Box out non-travel days when your partner is traveling. Develop a mini project plan for your family schedule the same way you would for client work. This episode will challenge your assumptions about where working motherhood is "easier." It might also give you permission to stop chasing the mythical perfect setup and start building the one that actually works for you. Key Takeaways: * Creative childcare strategies that made consulting travel workable as a single mom * How dual-career partnerships evolved over 10 years * Treating personal priorities like client meetings to protect what matters * The power of year-end reflection with your partner to strategically plan support systems * Why agility and resiliency matter more than finding the "right" path Need help navigating your career as a mom in consulting? Email me at karin@kemleadershipcoaching.com to start a discussion.

Be Bold About What You Need: Lessons from 2 Moms Leading in Consulting

In this episode of The Consulting Moms Table, host Karin Mayer sits down with Paula Walworth and Sunita Das, both Technology Partners at AlixPartners, to talk about what it really takes to thrive in consulting while raising a family. From childcare struggles to partner support, hybrid work, and bold career pivots, they share honest stories about the decisions that shaped their journeys. You’ll hear why being bold about what you need isn’t just good advice; it’s essential for building a sustainable and fulfilling career. Whether you are a new mom in consulting or a seasoned leader juggling competing demands, this conversation will remind you that success looks different for everyone and that you have more options than you think.

Betting on Yourself: Balancing the Fab 5 and a Consulting Career

Emily Vose, technology executive and IBM Consulting Partner, takes us through her remarkable career journey from fine arts to consulting, showing how her early skills in visualization aligned perfectly with her passion for emerging technologies, data, and AI. She reflects on how her career initially felt accidental but became far more intentional in her 30s, once she realized she had more control than she thought. Betting on herself and learning from others became central themes in her success as a woman in consulting. Emily opens up about the realities of balancing an ambitious career with family life, especially during a period when she had four young children, high daycare costs, and constant travel demands. She shares a pivotal moment when she and her partner decided to relocate to a more affordable area and sell their home, a move that felt risky but ultimately aligned with her long-term goals. For Emily, the key was sticking to her decisions until new information made change necessary which was a mindset she applied both professionally and personally. Throughout her career, Emily navigated seasons of significant travel, including stretches when she was pregnant and away from home for long periods. She credits understanding colleagues and a flexible work schedule for helping her manage those challenges. Over time, she shifted toward shorter-term or local assignments, with most of her work focused in the public sector or federal space. These decisions allowed her to prioritize family without sacrificing career growth. One of Emily’s most personal reflections came when she attended her youngest child’s kindergarten sing-along (after missing the previous four older children's) and saw another child looking for their parents and wondered if her older children cried that day. This moment reinforced the importance of predictability and consistency in showing up for her children and work commitments. She acknowledged that it’s impossible to be everywhere at once, but being dependable in the moments that matter builds grace and understanding with both family and colleagues. Karin and Emily also explored how mom guilt persists long after the early childhood years and how finding balance remains an ongoing process. Emily also stressed the value of creating your own flow rather than following others. She urged listeners to set trends, speak up in meetings, and define their own measures of success instead of relying on external definitions. Her approach to leadership is grounded in authenticity, self-direction, and inclusivity and particularly her mission to democratize consulting language so that boardrooms become more welcoming and accessible to all. Through candid stories, hard-won lessons, and practical advice, Emily offers a blueprint for anyone seeking to thrive in a demanding career while honoring personal priorities. Her insights remind us that success is not one-size-fits-all; it’s about making deliberate choices, trusting yourself, and leading with clarity and purpose. 💬 If you're navigating the challenge of building a full career and a fulfilling family life, connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinmayer/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinmayer/] You can also ⁠join my mailing list⁠ [https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1424673/161899650268267568/share] for additional tips and insights about having a full career and family life and also be notified of new episodes when they drop. You don’t have to figure this out alone. I’m so glad you pulled up a seat at the table with us today.