Erica Rooney

I met up this week with a former coaching client I hadn’t seen in almost three years, and I left that conversation feeling deeply reminded of why this work matters. When I first started working with Sarah* (names have been changed!) she was freshly divorced and standing at a major crossroads in her life and career. She was smart, experienced, and capable, but she was also tired in the specific way that comes from carrying too much for too long without enough support. Her confidence had taken...

With Guest Blogger: Rachel Erasmus Summary  Working mothers continue to fall behind because of two overlapping barriers: the “broken rung” —the missed first step up to manager—and the motherhood penalty , a measurable drop in pay and promotion rates after childbirth. In 2024, women (especially women of color) were still promoted less often at this first stage (1). UK mothers lose an estimated £65,618 in earnings  within five years of their first child (2)(3). The UK provides 52 weeks of...

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about creating the kind of trust and connection that makes people want to find the answers with you.