
The "Prove Yourself" Trap After Maternity Leave - with Rachel Debeck
From Working Mumma by Carina O’Brien
March 3, 2026 · 44 min · Episode 182
About this episode
Rachel Debeck discusses the challenges of balancing a career and motherhood after maternity leave.
Former lawyer turned tech CEO Rachel Debeck shares what it really takes to build a meaningful career while raising three kids—return-to-work pressure, daycare sickness season, the invisible mental load of school life, and the truth that changes everything: you can have it all, just not all at once.
People in this episode
Host: Carina O’Brien
Guest: Rachel Debeck
Topics covered
- maternity leave
- career development
- parenting challenges
- work-life balance
- return-to-work pressure
Keywords
- maternity leave
- career
- parenting
- work-life balance
- return-to-work
- mental load
- daycare sickness
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