bump & glide

🗓️ Plans for 2025? If you’re reading this and you’re a business, what plans do have for 2025? Have you finalised budgets, forecasts, promotions, recruitment needs etc? Have you also pulled a plan together for employee wellbeing and more specifically, a plan for those heading off on maternity/parental leave and returning from leave? Over the past several years, I have spoken with hundreds of individuals, parents and businesses on this topic and while every single person I've spoken with agrees that it's an area that desperately needs additional support and planning, budgets don't always seem to align to the needs. Why, as a society, are we not awarding the same importance to our people that we do to our brands and products? Businesses often say: ‘Our people are our business’ but how is this carried out in practice? I have worked for and with a number of people during my working life, from family members to young managers and more experienced ones too. However, where did I thrive most, where was I most productive and creative...? When I felt respected, valued and considered as an individual, not solely a number. A vast number of women build up a stellar career, sometimes over a decade or more, however when they have children, their importance and value isn't viewed in the same way and their career dwindles along with their confidence, motivation and self-esteem. With increased knowledge, awareness and education about this time in a woman's life, we can encourage, support and cheer her on to continue to thrive during this time of monumental transition, which has now been named as ‘Matrescence’. If you would like me to come by and deliver a talk in your business, please reach out. It won’t take a lot of your time, or a lot of your budget, but the impact it will have on your teams will be far-reaching and will help them both professionally and personally to continue to climb. #humanresources #employeewellbeing #matrescence #maternitymentoring #maternityleave

🤍 This week marks Baby Loss Awareness Week. I am here for anyone who needs to talk, be sat with, listened to, or held. I’m currently supporting a friend through a loss and while every loss is explained with one word, there are no words to explain how it truly feels to each and every person who goes through it. Finding the right support, at the right time can make all the difference. Please reach out to a friend, family member or someone from Tommy's or Sands - baby loss charity if you’re struggling at any point, there is always someone there for you. Thinking of anyone who baby loss has affected, now and always. #blaw2024 #compassion #kindness #awareness #mentalhealth

Have you ever written and posted a post like this for a member of your team heading off on maternity leave?! Absolutely brilliant Chris Sheard 👏🏻 Wishing you all the very best Alicia Teagle! #maternityleave #communicationskills #whatasendoff

💡 REFLECTION 🤔 Throughout our lives, we experience different challenges, new situations, change and a whole host of emotions. Sometimes, at a given time we can’t make sense of what’s going on, we can feel overwhelmed and overcome with emotions that we can’t always make sense of. Reflection helps us take the time to consider where we are and where we’ve come from and in doing so, it helps provide more clarity for where we’re going. In this first session of the bump & glide group maternity mentoring programme, on the theme of ‘Reflection’, you will be encouraged to reflect on your experience on Motherhood so far, your feelings, actions, decisions and other key areas in a safe space with other like-minded mothers. If this is something you’d enjoy, you can find out more at: www.bumpandglide.com and sign up by emailing me, Serena at [email protected] I will then send you all the information you need for the bump & glide maternity mentoring programme! See you soon, Serena #mentoring #maternityleave #pregnancy #maternitymentoring

🙍♀️ Community 🙍♀️ One main driver for bump & glide is supporting women around pregnancy, birth and beyond as well as supporting businesses to support their female staff. I think, if you've been following bump & glide for a while, you probably already know this. However, another key aspect is supporting the community in which bump & glide works in and on September 14th from 10am-3pm, that's exactly what I'll be doing in Hythe, Hampshire. The 'Hythe of Activity' event has been organised by the wonderful Emily Black and the team at Hythe and Dibden Parish Council. In addition to stalls, including one from The Honeypot Children's Charity, there will be a Community Spirit Award ceremony, the Waterside Christmas Fire Engine and rangers from the New Forest National Park Authority will also be there! There will be music, there will be dancing... and hopefully more sunshine than there is today too!!! Come along to say hi, to hear about the wonderful things people are doing to support others in this caring community and to enjoy a fun day out! #community #supportinglocal #newforestbusiness #newforest #womeninbusiness

💡 What can employers do? 💡 The wonderful Kirsty Gray shared the below article with me recently and I wanted to share my thoughts... During the maternity mentoring sessions I provide with bump & glide, conversations with my mentees always include the subject of work at some point - in addition to the vast array of other topics and challenges on their minds! Whether these women are about to go on maternity leave, are wondering what happens once they head back to work, or have recently returned and need to offload their thoughts and emotions about how their return has been managed, work is, more often than not, front of mind for these mothers. So what are employers doing to support the wellbeing, or I would say the emotional wellbeing of their teams? A number of employers are doing a fair bit in different areas, but from the conversations I'm having, sadly the emotional wellbeing element isn't being fully taken into account. People take leave from work for a whole host of reasons of course, however the 'maternity leave' type of leave has it's very own set of challenges, which differ to other types of leave. Specific support is needed to carry people through this period of huge adjustment and change on so many levels. Mothers I speak with want to go back to work, want to feel valued, engaged and motivated. Communication and understanding is crucial, if employers are to retain these hard-working, ambitious and talented individuals after they've had children. Women's brains change after having a baby but their brains don't wither... they grow, adapt and are just simply incredible! (Take a look at the review over on the bumpandglide.com website for the review of the book 'Mother Brain' to read more on this topic!) From the conversations I have with mothers, they are often MORE motivated, MORE focused, MORE organised, MORE ambitious after having children yet often, when faced with a lack of structure and awareness about motherhood once they return to work, they lose momentum, they feel let down and they... LEAVE. So, employers, please, if you want to be ahead of the curve, retain your top talent, attract more key performers and remain competitive in your market, think about what you're doing in this space before you lose too many talented and dedicated people who you have spent time, and money, investing in. #humanresources #talentmanagement #maternityleave #maternitymentoring #workingparents #mothersinbusiness #mentoringmatters | Ian Talbot | Kirsty Gray | Chelsea Conaboy | https://lnkd.in/eCNp2aQn

💫 Q4 - 2024 💫 It's been a busy summer, something I'm sure every parent on here will attest to! Work and the school holidays always need to find their own routine of sorts - or juggle 🤹♀️ - to ensure everyone is happy while everything getting done! This is just a fact of life for thousands of parents everywhere, I definitely know I'm not alone in this! I try to spend as little time on my phone as I can in front of my children, hence not being very active on here recently. However, this does mean that I have SO much I would like to update you on, starting with... 🎉 The bump & glide group maternity mentoring programme 🎉 will be starting later this month! This online group programme has been created to support expectant mothers and mothers at any stage on their journey of motherhood, on an emotional wellbeing level. We are all unique individuals, but our experiences of motherhood can have very similar challenges, which, unless discussed openly in a safe space, can overshadow the very joys that motherhood also brings. Previous and existing mentees say that they feel ‘lucky’ to have had maternity mentoring support and how good it feels to feel heard, their thoughts and fears validated and to be able to offload in a safe environment. These are some things I have received feedback on: 💫 Mentees express how much more in control they feel. 💫 Mentees have more confidence and self-esteem. 💫 Mentees feel more confident to put boundaries in place which benefit them both personally and professionally. 💫 Mentees feel fully capable of applying for a work promotion. The programme consists of four sessions over the course of four months and provides mothers with knowledge, conversations, a safe space to offload and open up and feeling less like they ‘must be the only one’ whilst providing them with activities and strategies to work on in their own time too. Please share this with any mother you know who may benefit from this type of support. Dates and session themes will be shared over the coming days... #maternityleave #motherhood #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealth #workingmothers #humanresources

✨Nothing can begin without something else ending… Over the past few days, there have been ongoing reminders about endings, the end of the school term, the end of the school year, the end of nursery, the end of a specific year at school... 'the end of an era’. This got me thinking that endings, of any kind, can be emotional for those experiencing those endings, but equally for those on the periphery, watching on and realising how fast life flashes by. For those who have children of school age, when we think back to days when things seemed never-ending, all of a sudden the years flash by, in a blink of an eye… Big milestones, Sports Days, Home Clothes Days, Treat Days, End of Year get togethers, all are events that mean so much to so many, in so many different ways. However, always one to find the light and the positive in change, it’s good to remind ourselves sometimes that nothing can begin, without another thing ending. And so, while you may be saying goodbye to a chapter, of any kind, know that the next one has even more to give, so many memories waiting to be made and so much joy to be enjoyed too. Give yourself a smile, a well done and feel free to shed a tear or two, if the emotions are really big for you, then grab the next chapter with both hands and let’s make more memories that we’ll be equally proud of when the next chapter comes around 😊! #change #motherhood #matrescence #schoolsoutforsummer  #worklifejuggle #positivechange #movingforward #growthroughchange #maternityleave #returntowork #worklifebalance

💫 The virtual bump & glide Maternity Mentoring Programme is launching in September 2024!!! ❤️ Do you sometimes feel bone tired? ❤️ Struggle with how you feel about motherhood and feel like you must be the only one? ❤️ Feel isolated from friends and social circles? ❤️ Feel pressure to return to work as quickly as possible? ❤️ Feel like becoming a parent has impacted your relationships? ❤️ Struggle with how your body looks and feels postnatally? If you feel any of these... then… The bump & glide Maternity Mentoring Programme is the ideal space for you to express how you feel and feel less alone. Each online session will provide a safe space with other like-minded mothers who also need to feel heard, seen, validated and valued. Existing bump & glide mentees describe how much much better they feel after every session, how they look forward to being able to talk openly, freely and in a non-judgemental space, how they apply the knowledge they acquire and how it helps as they navigate their own motherhood journey... Every session will focus on a particular aspect of motherhood, while leaving room to explore other aspects that are top of mind to every mother on the session. Spaces will be limited to ensure they feel safe, special and welcoming. DM me if you would like to be amongst the first to know the dates of the four separate sessions which will take place in September, October, November and December 2024! #maternitymentoring #maternityleave #motherhood #matrescence #identityshift #positivemindset #maternalmentalhealth #mentalhealth #emotionalsupport #wellbeingsupport #humanresources

🎾 Wimbledon!! Wimbledon starts today and we can’t let it start without mentioning women players who have become mothers in recent years! Caroline W. Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka to name a few! 🎾 In an article for Eurosport a couple of weeks ago, it stated that Caroline Wozniacki believes tennis can do more to support female players returning from maternity leave, but admits she felt respected after her comeback. It’s wonderful that Caroline felt respected, which surely has to be a minimum for every player returning from any type of leave, but I’m choosing to focus on the part when she mentions: "tennis can do more to support female players returning from maternity leave." ⛵ On the same topic but in a different sport, in March 2023, bump & glide contributed to the World Sailing Trust’s 'Project Juno'. The project was an initial set of recommendations and considerations to support better maternity policies in sailing. What was obvious was that a lot more can be done for women who become mothers, in sailing but also in all sports. But where should federations and organisations begin? ⭐ Education? ⭐ Knowledge? ⭐ More leave? ⭐ More pay? ⭐ Maternity Mentoring? ⭐ All of the above? There are of course a whole host of areas that could, and should be addressed, but a key consideration from the onset has to be open and clear communication with each and every individual, in order to understand where they’re at, what they need and how, together we can make change happen for the better, because... 💡 It’s about having the choice to continue to thrive. 💡 It’s about respect. Respecting needs and respecting boundaries. 💡 It’s about not writing women off as 'less competent’ or ‘less focused' once they add ‘Mother’ to their CV. 💡 It’s about considering the different types of support women need, at different stages of their journey, to remain at the highest level of their sport/role. 💡 It’s about women feeling valued, heard and seen after having children - chances are, they are often even more ambitious and competitive too! So when you’re watching sport, whether it’s Wimbledon, the Euros, The Olympics or any other sporting event, please consider what mothers need to continue to thrive and speak up louder for those you can't use their voice. It’s often not that complicated. Structured and targeted support simply needs to be put in place as 'standard', not a 'nice-to-have'. If we make these changes now, hopefully our daughters won’t be having these same discussions, when they become mothers themselves... 2024 marks 140 years of women playing at Wimbledon and 17 years of equal prize money between female and male players, so... Let’s keep moving forward, making positive strides forward and shaping the future of women in sport. #womeninsport #wimbledon #inclusivesport