The Re•turn®
Leadership After Motherhood
Not just a return. A re-turn.
What it is
The Re-Turn® is a unique, guided 1:1 leadership space for women navigating leadership after motherhood.
It is less about the logistical return and more about the re-turn inward, the inner journey required to lead sustainably when identity, responsibility, and lived reality have shifted.
Guided & Personal
Meets each woman where she is, without forcing predefined answers or timelines. It offers direction without rigidity, and support with thoughtful challenge.
Confidential
A safe and protected environment for deep personal and professional exploration, especially where leadership can feel isolating and unsupported.
Deeply Human
Leadership development that honours the whole woman and her unique journey.
It is not therapy. It is not generic coaching. It is a form of leadership development rarely offered, at the moment it is needed most.
What we will explore
The Re-Turn® creates a space for challenges to be named, understood, and held, rather than absorbed in silence.
Name the Reality
Acknowledging, without judgement, all that you are carrying: the guilt, self-doubt, and constant mental juggling that often go unspoken, and the loneliness that often comes with holding it alone
Distinguish Pressure
Untangling what is systemic expectation from what is genuinely personal responsibility.
Integrate Identity
Bringing motherhood and leadership into relationship, rather than holding them as competing parts.
Ground Yourself
Reconnecting with values, energy, and inner steadiness - so leadership becomes sustainable rather than depleting.
What is named can be understood. What is understood can be navigated. What is navigated becomes sustainable.
Why this moment matters
Leadership after motherhood is more than a logistical adjustment. This transition is internal, emotional, relational, and systemic.
And yet women are expected to carry on as before, and navigate it alone, exactly when everything has changed.
Capacity
Care responsibilities stack alongside leadership responsibilities, expanding the mental and emotional load and reducing bandwidth, rest, and recovery time.
Perception
Motherhood changes how availability, boundaries, ambition, and authority are interpreted, and they become more closely scrutinised.
Support
This transition is rarely acknowledged or shared. Without space or language, women are left to carry it alone, adding a deeper layer to the inherent loneliness of leadership.
What data tells us
Motherhood Penalty
After the birth of a first child, women experience a significant long-lasting earnings and progression penalty.
> On average, mothers’ earnings drop by around 30%, with effects persisting for over a decade. These penalties are compounded by assumptions about commitment and availability.
Representation Gap
Women’s progression into senior leadership slows early and compounds over time.
> Women make up 50% of the population, but remain underrepresented in positions of influence, with only 20-25% of senior leadership roles globally and around 10% at the very top. Authority bias influences who is trusted to lead.
Care Load
Women continue to carry the majority of unpaid care and domestic work globally.
> Women perform approximately 75% of unpaid care work worldwide. This unequal load often intersects with bias about reliability and leadership capacity.
Unsustainable Leadership
Leadership models built on constant availability and the denial of care are proving unsustainable.
> Women leaders consistently report higher burnout rates than men in comparable roles. The need to continually prove credibility and manage perceptions intensifies this strain.
Data drawn from UN Women, OECD, International Labour Organization (ILO), World Economic Forum, McKinsey & Lean In, LinkedIn Economic Graph, and Mary
– Ann Sieghart’s The Authority Gap (202332025).
What we will explore
The Re-Turn® supports women navigating leadership after motherhood, including those who are:
Returning To Leadership
After time away following maternity or parental leave.
Stepping Into Leadership
Taking on greater responsibility while navigating early motherhood.
Currently In Leadership
Navigating leadership and early motherhood without support
and who want to…
> Integrate identity and leadership authentically
> Navigate guilt, doubt, and mental and emotional load
> Rebuild clarity and confidence
> Stay and thrive in leadership, not step back
What’s included
The Re-Turn® blends the best of coaching with the structure of a leadership programme.
The programme is delivered over the course of 6 months and is designed to meet women navigating leadership and motherhood where they are: in their personal lives, professional roles, and the systems that shape their experience.
8× 1-hour
Sessions
1:1 virtual sessions
Guided Reflection
Structured practices for insight
Leadership Frameworks
Practical models
for leaders
Access to a Community
For further resources and connection
The Business Case for Organisations
Retain women in leadership
Support experienced talent at a critical transition point.
Increase clarity and confidence
Enable leaders to show up with greater presence and purpose.
Reduce burnout and attrition
Address the conditions that often lead to disengagement and quiet exit.
Strengthen culture
Create positive ripple effects across teams and leadership systems.
Supporting women at this moment strengthens leadership and culture.
What Women Say
We know the profound impact dedicated 1:1 support has for women navigating key leadership moments. Here's what women from our flagship coaching programme at a Big 4 firm shared about having this kind of space.
“The program had a huge personal impact on me, it helped me reflect on my values, how they align to the firm and what I will prioritise”
“I don’t think I would have survived the first 6 months of my role without this coaching programme”
“The programme has had a huge impact on me as a whole person 3 I have had the opportunity to truly reflect on what is important to me, and what I want my legacy on the planet to be which in turn has helped me give myself the freedom to let go of the perceived success around ‘what should I be doing’ and step into the leader I truly want to be.”
“Personally, I feel that I have grown and discovered new ways to lead myself and others”
“This programme has made me feel that I am a valued leader in the firm, and I can use this opportunity to improve my leadership which will support my career development but also will support others”
About Us
The Re-Turn® is one of the signature programmes designed and run by Verónica Linares, executive coach, leadership consultant, and founder of Values Leadership Consulting.
Verónica brings nearly three decades of experience across global organisations, including PwC, Cadbury/Mondelez, and Coty, spanning Finance, Transformation, and HR. Over this time, she has held senior leadership roles, leading teams through complexity, change, and growth, while navigating motherhood to three sons. Alongside her corporate career, she has spent years coaching leaders at pivotal moments, creating spaces for reflection, clarity, and intentional leadership.
Values Leadership Consulting exists to evolve leadership for a better world, leadership that is human, values-led, and sustainable.
We partner with leaders, teams, and organisations at turning points, navigating complexity, change, and uncertainty, supporting them to respond to today9s adaptive challenges and shape cultures where people, planet, and performance thrive.
We don’t teach. We cultivate leadership as a practice, creating the space and conditions for leaders to grow in awareness, deepen connection, and act with courage and intention, in alignment with who they are and the systems they lead.
Our Associate Coaches
Global Reach
Our network of coaches is available across multiple locations and languages, providing accessible and culturally aware support wherever you are.
Lived Experience
The coaches for this programme are mothers themselves, offering firsthand understanding and empathy for the unique challenges and transitions women face.
Deep Expertise
Each coach possesses outstanding credentials with systemic awareness and advanced training in psychology, psychotherapy, or related fields.
Ready for The Re-Turn®?
If you're navigating leadership after motherhood, or supporting women who are, an exploratory conversation can help clarify whether The Re-Turn® is the right fit.
Book a confidential exploratory conversation
Learn more about joining or bringing The Re-Turn® into your organisation
