Mentoring & Manager Training for Returning Mums

Retain Top Talent. Support Working Parents. Build a Better Business.

Welcome

Returning from parental leave can be a make-or-break career moment for many employees. As an employer, if you get it wrong, you risk losing valuable talent. Get it right, and you foster loyalty, boost productivity, and build a more inclusive, resilient workforce.

As a Return-to-Work Mentor and Coach specialising in supporting working mothers, I partner with employers to support their staff and leadership during this period of transition, helping you retain great people and build a workplace where parents can thrive.

Why investing in return-to-work support matters

Turnover post-parental leave is high. In fact, attrition can spike up to 33% among returning employees, significantly higher than average staff turnover (Circle In, 2021). In Australia, only 77% of mothers will return to the same job post-leave (WGEA, 2021).

Each departure is costly to your bottom line, with the Australian HR Institute estimating that the true cost of replacing an employee is up to 1.5 times their annual salary.

Working parents face discrimination – and it’s driving women out. Nearly 1 in 2 Australian mothers report facing workplace discrimination related to pregnancy or parental leave (AHRC, 2014). Of those, 32% searched for new work or resigned – yet 91% never made a formal complaint.

The business impact is clear: reduced engagement, lost trust, and avoidable turnover.

The identity shift of motherhood is real, and rarely acknowledged at work. For a working mother, returning to work isn’t just logistical – it’s deeply personal. Motherhood reshapes how women see themselves and their careers. When workplaces ignore this shift, return experiences often feel disorienting and unsupported.

Coaching and mentoring through this transition can help women reconnect to their strengths and reimagine their working identity.

Support pays off – for everyone. Organisations that offer specialised return-to-work support, such as coaching, were found by a 2021 US study to see:

5.5x higher revenue growth, driven by increased innovation
92% of working parents recommending their company as a great place to work
89% of working parents staying long-term, reducing costly turnover
92% of parents willing to go the extra mile, boosting engagement and productivity

Flexible, family-friendly workplaces also see improved morale and performance: 80%+ of Australian employers reported that paid parental leave policies boosted staff morale and productivity (KPMG, 2020).

You've seen the stats. But behind every number is a human experience:

Emma was a valued team member — reliable, driven, well-liked. After 11 months of parental leave, she returned to work excited to reconnect with her career, but carrying a mix of self-doubt, exhaustion, and a mental load no one at work could see.

Her return plan covered the logistics — start date, flex days, handover documents
- but skipped the most important piece: her.

Motherhood had changed how she saw herself, what she needed, and how she defined success. But no one asked. And no one helped her reframe what leadership, ambition, or even confidence looked like now.

Her manager meant well but wasn’t equipped to support the transition. He avoided the hard conversations and assumed silence meant “she’s fine.” Emma smiled and pushed through. But inside, she felt like she was failing everywhere.

Three months later, she resigned. She didn’t say it was because of the return-to-work experience - most mums don’t - but the message was clear. The company lost a smart, capable woman who was ready to stay, if only she’d felt seen and supported.

Imagine if Emma had access to coaching. Imagine if her manager had been trained to truly support her return. Instead of leaving, she could have come back with:

Renewed confidence!

Clearer priorities.

A plan to thrive - in work and in life.

My Return to Work Mentoring service includes:

1:1 Return-to-Work Coaching for Your Employees

Tailored coaching and mentoring support for women returning from parental leave, delivered over 4 sessions:

Two sessions before their return
Two sessions once they return.

This coaching helps returning parents:

Rebuild confidence and reconnect with their professional identity so they can hit the ground running.
Navigate logistical and emotional challenges that inevitably rear their head.
Communicate boundaries and negotiate flexibly so things don't go unsaid.
Develop a personal return-to-work plan aligned with your workplace policies so it's a success for both your business and for parents.

Training for Managers of Returning Parents

People leaders play a key role in an employee’s return-to-work success. I offer a 60–90 minute training session to help managers:

Understand the psychological and logistical challenges returning parents face
Communicate with empathy, clarity and consistency reflecting a culture that values the contribution returning parents make to work, whilst juggling extra (and often unexpected) demands.
Support flexible arrangements and transition plans effectively to ensure that business goals are achieved and the individual is thriving.
Reduce bias and assumptions around working parents so that any toxic culture is shifted - permanently. Making yours a workplace of choice.

Managers walk away with increased confidence, tools, and language to support their teams – and ensure your policies are lived, not just written.

The transformation your employees -and your business - will notice.

Why me?

I'm a certified workplace coach accredited with the International Coaching Federation, who specialises in supporting working mums. I am also a mum and government professional who navigated my own complex return to work. I understand firsthand the identity shift that happens after having a child, and the internal and external pressures that come with returning to work as a parent.

I've also worked in organisations where managers wanted to do better, but didn’t know how. That’s where I come in.

Drawing from coaching psychology, lived experience, and proven frameworks I bring a strengths-based and values-aligned approach to supporting working mums – and the workplaces they return to.

Working with Lisa helped me get out of my own head. She didn’t tell me what to do, but guided me to figure out what I needed. Through our work together, I realised that I really loved the career I had worked hard for and that I still had the skills, experience, and passion to make it work for me. Lisa’s support helped me rebuild my confidence. She really listened, acknowledging how hard things had been without trying to fix or minimise them, and that gave me the space to move forward. Lisa’s coaching is gentle and directive, not forceful or aggressive. She helps you find the strength you already have and supports you to use it to move through the challenges.

Corrin

Next steps

Isn’t it time to make your workplace one where working parents thrive – not just survive?

Spots are limited each quarter – let’s make your workplace ready for your next parental leave returner.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call to:

Talk through your organisation’s current approach
Identify gaps and opportunities for impact
Explore a tailored support plan that fits your team’s needs

Book a Discovery Call

The cost of doing nothing?
A disengaged employee, a quiet resignation, and a replacement bill up to 1.5x their salary.

References

Circle In (2021). Parental Leave Outcomes White Paper.
Workplace Gender Equality Agency (2021). Gendered impact of parenthood.
Reported in - University of Melbourne (2023) Safeguarding your organisation: employee retention strategies for future success.
Australian Human Rights Commission (2014). Supporting Working Parents: Pregnancy and Return to Work National Review.
Maven Clinic (2021) Great Place to Work Study
KPMG (2020). The Child Care Subsidy: Options for increasing support for parents balancing work and care.