Motherhood Advantage

Mothers and the Ambition Penalty with Stefanie O'Connell

Most women are told that if they work hard enough, speak confidently enough, and lean in strategically enough, success will follow. But what if the barriers women face—especially Mothers—aren’t personal obstacles to overcome, but systemic penalties deeply embedded in our workplaces and culture? Stefanie O'Connell, author of The Ambition Penalty, unpacks the hidden costs women continue to pay for ambition. Together, we explore how cultural narratives around Motherhood, caregiving, leadership, and success shape everything from pay equity to promotion opportunities—and why progress for women and Mothers remains frustratingly slow despite decades of advancement. Stefanie shares insights from her own experience navigating postpartum life while launching a major book during a period of increasing societal backlash toward women’s ambition. We discuss the persistent gender pay gap, the Motherhood penalty, and the double standards that reward ambition in men while often punishing it in women. From leadership perceptions to caregiving expectations, this conversation reveals how bias becomes normalized in both subtle and structural ways. Grounded in research, storytelling, and practical insight, this episode examines: * Why women remain underrepresented in leadership and overrepresented in unpaid caregiving * How assumptions about Motherhood continue to shape workplace inequities * The cultural narratives that frame women’s ambition as threatening rather than valuable * Why individual resilience alone cannot solve systemic inequality * What collective, structural change could actually look like This powerful conversation is both validating and galvanizing—a reminder that women are not failing the system; the system is failing women. It’s an invitation to rethink how we define ambition, leadership, and success, and to imagine workplaces and communities that genuinely support both caregiving and achievement. Whether you are a Mother, leader, advocate, employer, or someone navigating your own ambitions, this episode offers powerful language, research, and perspective for understanding the forces shaping women’s experiences today—and how we can begin changing them together. -- Learn more about Stefanie O'Connell at Too Ambitious [https://tooambitious.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Follow Stefanie on Instagram: @stefanieoconnell [https://www.instagram.com/stefanieoconnell/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Continue the conversation:   Learn more about Motherhood Advantage, recommend a future Mother-leader guest, or explore the podcast at Motherhood Advantage [https://www.motherhoodadvantage.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Follow along on Instagram: @motherhoodadvantage [https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodadvantage/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] For the complete Intuitionship research results and a free copy of the report, visit Intuitionship Research [https://intuitionship.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] You can also connect with Dr. Laura Marie on LinkedIn for research updates, podcast conversations, and reflections on Motherhood and leadership. https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-marie-rivera-intuitionship/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-marie-rivera-intuitionship/]

Why Motherhood Belongs in Leadership Theory with Dr. Carolyn Burroughs

Motherhood is one of the most powerful and underrecognized leadership experiences on the planet—where resilience, intuition, and strategy are practiced daily in real time, often without ever being named. In this opening episode of Season 2, we continue our conversation with Dr. Carolyn Burroughs and go deeper into the emerging Intuitionship research, revealing how the lived experience of Motherhood develops powerful, often overlooked leadership capabilities. Together, we explore how managing the complexity of home life mirrors leading an organization—demanding resilience, emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and rapid problem-solving. From reading nonverbal cues with children to thinking three steps ahead in constantly shifting environments, Mothers are practicing leadership in real time, every day. Drawing on research with nearly 1,000 Mothers across the globe, Carolyn shares key insights into the leadership traits most commonly developed through motherhood—empathy, adaptability, conflict navigation, and systems-level thinking. Yet these competencies remain largely absent from traditional leadership frameworks, which have historically excluded the maternal experience from definitions of “effective leadership.” This episode challenges that gap head-on. It invites HR leaders, career Mothers, and anyone interested in leadership development to reconsider where leadership actually begins—and what we lose when we overlook caregiving as a training ground for high-impact skills. Links and References: https://intuitionship.com/ [https://intuitionship.com/] Find Dr. Carolyn Burroughs at LinkedIn Carolyn Burrough [https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-burroughs-70220218/] Find Dr. Laura Marie Rivera at LinkedIn Laura Marie Rivera [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-marie-rivera-intuitionship/] Download the full dissertation for FREE from ScholarWorks: Exploring Leadership Capabilities Developed as a Mother: Toward a New Theory of Mother-Leader Intuitionship [https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/eoll-dissertations/22/] Connect with us on social media Motherhood Advantage Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodadvantage/]

Code Mom: Lessons in Leadership with ER Nurse Carol Crosta

In this deeply personal season finale, Dr Laura Marie Rivera returns to where Motherhood Advantage first began—with the very first interview she ever recorded: a conversation with her own Mother, Carol Crosta. Carol is a mother of five, retired emergency room nurse, master problem-solver, and the embodiment of capable, compassionate leadership. Long before the research, podcast, and movement took shape, Carol’s willingness to say “yes” gave Laura Marie the courage to begin. This special Mother’s Day episode reflects on the roots of Motherhood Advantage, exploring how Motherhood cultivates resilience, adaptability, crisis management, and leadership in ways society often overlooks. Through Carol’s story, listeners are reminded that some of the most powerful leaders may never hold formal titles—but they shape generations through care, strength, and unwavering presence. TAKEAWAYS * Motherhood often develops extraordinary leadership skills long before they are formally recognized. * Caregiving, crisis management, and adaptability are foundational forms of leadership. * The origins of powerful movements often begin with small acts of trust and support. * Family stories can illuminate broader social truths about women’s invisible labor. This episode honors not only Laura Marie’s Mother, but all Mothers whose unseen leadership has shaped families, communities, and futures—often without recognition. It is a tribute to where this movement began, and a reminder of why it matters. Find Dr. Laura Marie Rivera at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-marie-rivera-intuitionship/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-marie-rivera-intuitionship/] Download the full dissertation for FREE from ScholarWorks: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/eoll-dissertations/22/ [https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/eoll-dissertations/22/] Connect with us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodadvantage/ [https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodadvantage/]

Motherhood Is Leadership: Eve Rodsky on Fair Play, Power, and Parenting

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Laura Marie Rivera sits down with Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and Unicorn Space, to explore the hidden systems shaping Motherhood, labor, and leadership. Together, they unpack: * Why Motherhood is one of the most overlooked leadership training grounds * How invisible labor impacts power at home and in the paid workplace * The organizational systems behind Fair Play * Why flexibility, equity, and recognition matter for Mothers * How Mothers can reclaim power, identity, and ambition beyond burnout From the “blueberries” breaking point to global policy change, this episode challenges outdated narratives around caregiving and offers a bold reframe: Motherhood is not a career disruption—it is leadership experience. Links and References For information on Eve Rodsky's New York Times best-selling books FAIR PLAY and FIND YOUR UNICORN SPACE, visit https://www.fairplaylife.com/ [https://www.fairplaylife.com/] Eve Rodsky's Fair Play Policy Institute https://www.fairplaylife.com/ [https://www.fairplaylife.com/] Reese Witherspoon's HELLO SUNSHINE https://hello-sunshine.com/ [https://hello-sunshine.com/] In 1943, Congress allocated $20 million to create the nation’s first and only universal childcare program. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/childcare-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm [https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/childcare-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm] in 2022, 4 women set world record rowing across Pacific Ocean. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/four-women-set-world-record-rowing-across-pacific-ocean#:~:text=In%20June%202022%2C%20four%20women%20rowed%20across,*%20Lifting%20*%20Cross%2Dtraining%20*%20Life%2Dpreservation%20exercises [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/four-women-set-world-record-rowing-across-pacific-ocean#:~:text=In%20June%202022%2C%20four%20women%20rowed%20across,*%20Lifting%20*%20Cross%2Dtraining%20*%20Life%2Dpreservation%20exercises] Find Dr. Laura Marie Rivera at LinkedIn Laura Marie Rivera [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-marie-rivera-intuitionship/] Download the full dissertation for FREE from ScholarWorks: Exploring Leadership Capabilities Developed as a Mother: Toward a New Theory of Mother-Leader Intuitionship [https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/eoll-dissertations/22/] Connect with us on social media Motherhood Advantage Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodadvantage/]

Good Is Amazing: Rethinking the Value of Motherhood with Heather A. Campbell

In this episode, Heather A. Campbell—CEO, author of Good Is Amazing, and primary caregiver—explores a powerful idea: if we don’t have the language to name the work of Motherhood, we can’t fully value it. Drawing from her experience leading both at home and in the workplace, Heather reframes Motherhood as high-level management—requiring decision-making under pressure, emotional intelligence, and constant adaptation. The conversation moves from leadership and career transitions to caregiving, community, and the often invisible skills Mothers develop every day. Together, we explore how language shapes what we recognize as “real work”—and what becomes overlooked. Because when we start naming Motherhood differently, we start valuing it differently. TAKEAWAYS: * If we don’t name Motherhood as leadership, we don’t value it * Language shapes recognition—and recognition shapes opportunity * Motherhood develops real, transferable leadership skills * Emotional and financial “runway” matters for growth * The work Mothers do is already complex, strategic, and impactful -- Find Heather A Campbell: https://www.heatheracampbell.com/book [https://www.heatheracampbell.com/book] https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-a-campbell/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-a-campbell/] For more information or to recommend a Mother, please visit us at motherhoodadvantage.com [http://motherhoodadvantage.com] Find Dr. Laura Marie Rivera at LinkedIn Laura Marie Rivera [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-marie-rivera-intuitionship/] Download the full dissertation for FREE from ScholarWorks: Exploring Leadership Capabilities Developed as a Mother: Toward a New Theory of Mother-Leader Intuitionship [https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/eoll-dissertations/22/] Connect with us on social media Motherhood Advantage Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodadvantage/]