Who we are
Hi, I'm Zoe
I'm the founder and CEO of My Maternity Coach, and I'm a mum of two.
I set this business up because I went through maternity leave twice and both times I felt like I was kind of figuring it out on my own. I don't want other women to feel like that. I also don't want organisations to keep losing good people at a point where a bit of the right support could make such a difference.
The Journey
How it started
Before My Maternity Coach I spent over ten years in learning and development, people development and coaching, a lot of that inside corporate HR teams. So I've seen maternity from the organisation's side. I know how much work goes into the policies, the handovers, the keeping in touch days, all of it.
Then I had my first baby, and I saw it from the other side.
The practical bits were covered. What I wasn't ready for was how different I'd feel. I remember sitting at my desk on my first day back feeling like I'd forgotten how to do a job I'd been doing for years. My confidence had taken a knock, my head was half at home, and I was tired in a way I'd never been tired before. I didn't really know who to talk to about it. Everyone kept telling me it was normal, and it is normal. So many women go through it. But just because something is common does not mean it is easy.
Second time round, I knew what was coming and it still wasn't easy.
Why I did something about it
I started noticing the same thing happening to other women around me. Really capable, experienced women would come back to work and quietly struggle. They'd stop putting themselves forward. Some of them left. Their managers usually wanted to help but didn't know what to say, or were worried about saying the wrong thing. And HR teams, who were already stretched, would end up picking things up once they'd got difficult.
Every time a woman steps back or leaves after maternity leave, the business loses someone it's spent years investing in. And the gender pay gap gets that little bit wider. That really bothers me, and it's a big part of why I do this.
So I started building My Maternity Coach alongside my day job. I did that for four years, evenings and weekends, and in January 2026 I went full time.
What I've learned along the way
The women I work with are capable. They were capable before they went on leave and they're capable now. What's changed is their capacity. Their time, their energy, their priorities, what their week actually looks like. Most of the time what's getting in the way is confidence, and confidence can come back with the right support.
Managers need support too. Nearly every manager I speak to wants to get this right. They've just never really been shown how.
How we work with you
We work alongside your HR and People team, so everything fits around what you've already got in place. That might be one to one coaching for someone before, during or after their leave. It might be practical training for the managers welcoming people back. It could be my Working Parents Drop In Clinic, where any working parent in your team can book a confidential chat with me. Or it could be looking at your whole maternity journey with you and working out where things could feel better for people.
What we are aiming for every time is a woman who comes back feeling like herself again, a manager who feels confident having the conversation, and an HR team with a bit more time back.
A bit more about me
I'm a Certified Professional Coach (Core Practitioner) with Coach Masters Academy. I grew up in Cornwall in a surfing family and I'm now based near Bristol, working with organisations across the South West and further afield. If you work with me, you'll find I'm warm, honest and I'll always make time for you.
Let's have a chat
If you'd like to talk about how your organisation supports women through maternity leave and coming back to work, I'd love to hear from you.