Ep. 73 - Returning to Work After Parental Leave with Helen Harmetz

Episode 73 – Coming Back to Work After Parental Leave with Helen Hermes

Returning to work after parental leave is one of the most emotional and complex transitions a parent can experience.

In this episode, Hannah welcomes back executive coach Helen Hermes to talk about how to approach the return to work with intention. Drawing from her own experience coming back twice to a demanding tech role, Helen shares practical mindset shifts and boundary-setting strategies that can make this season more manageable.

Whether you're preparing to return from leave or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers clarity, reassurance, and a reminder that working parenthood is a marathon — not a sprint.

If you’ve ever struggled with guilt, overwhelm, shifting priorities, or figuring out what this new chapter should look like, this episode is for you.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Decide whether your job still fits this new chapter — or needs to evolve
• Some parents crave new challenges; others want comfort and familiarity
• Boundaries often become clearer after parental leave
• Productivity increases when time becomes limited and intentional
• Communicating needs directly builds respect at work
• Routines will evolve — what works at 3 months won’t work at 9 months
• Working parenthood is a marathon, not a sprint

💬 Quotes from Helen Hermes

• “When you want to come back to what you're doing, it’s easier to come back.”
• “There’s nobody more productive than a mom who has to leave daycare by 5:30.”
• “It’s not trust without verification. It’s trust before verification.”
• “Life as a working parent is a marathon — not a sprint.”
• “Give yourself grace. What you need today is not what you’ll need in three months.”

📚 Resources Mentioned

• Helen Harmetz ⁠: Executive coach for working parents and tech professionals. Connect with Helen on ⁠Instagram⁠ @mindthebeet.
• Heron House Management⁠⁠ – Virtual house management for busy families

📝 Full transcript available on our website:
www.heronhousemanagement.com/podcast/episode-73

📅 New episodes every Tuesday

💛 Sponsored by Heron House Management