Tamara Hinckley, at the time of recording Director of Product at Pinterest and now Founder of Momentum Rising, mom of two girls, and author of a newsletter that inspires thousands of mothers, joins Katya for a conversation about the moments motherhood teaches you that nothing is fully in your control.

Tamara shares her path from Wall Street to tech leadership, her fertility struggles and postpartum depression, and how writing about the hardest parts of her life in the most professional of places became a turning point. They dig into the motherhood penalty and why maternity leave sits at the heart of it, how to think in impact rather than hours, the reputation you build as a working mom, and why Tamara decided to leave Pinterest after nine years to build something new for mothers returning to work. Recorded right at the moment of her big leap, this one is full of fear, conviction, and everything in between.

Tamara's book recommendations (not to miss!): The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest, the one page a day that got her to peace with the big jump.

A little note before you press play: this episode was recorded over a year ago. Life got in the way, namely my second pregnancy. Between intense work and toddler time, my superpower of pulling long hours suddenly left me, and the podcast had to wait. Funnily enough, my producer Vlada was pregnant at exactly the same time, which seems to be the effect Rocking Cribs and Careers has on us! I'm really happy this conversation is finally seeing the light of day, for two reasons. First, Tamara's insights feel more relevant than ever, with so many people asking big questions about their corporate careers. And second, we caught Tamara right at the moment of her leap, so you now get a rare bonus: check out her profile and see how everything she talks about here has actually unfolded.

Find Tamara on LinkedIn (she replies to every message, so do write her a note): https://www.linkedin.com/in/tvhinckley

Her newsletter Half Moon Hustle: https://halfmoonhustle.substack.com

And what her leap became, Momentum Rising: https://www.momentumrising.com

April Preston, at the time of recording Global Product Director at Holland & Barrett and now SVP of Own Brand Product and Innovation at Loblaw in Canada, mom of three, and the product leader behind legendary food launches at Marks & Spencer and Harrods, joins me in this episode to talk about:

• Being the breadwinner mum, and the family setup that made an all-in career possible

• Motherhood guilt and the antidote to it

• The benefits of having a working mum that nobody ever talks about

• The family brainstorm that ended up on M&S shelves (if you know Percy Pig, that should give you a clue)

• Never toning down who you are in corporate rooms

By the end you'll want April as your mentor, your dinner host, or both. Enjoy!

Release note from Katya before you press play: this conversation was recorded in spring 2025. What happened in between? A big day job, a toddler, a second pregnancy and then a newborn. My superpower of getting things done late at night temporarily left me. I'm so happy the moment for this episode to see the light of day has finally come. April's honesty about motherhood guilt, and her case for the benefits of being a working mum, are timeless. I've come back to this conversation in my head many times over the past year. And there's a bonus in releasing late: since we spoke, April has made a big leap of her own, moving from Holland & Barrett to Canada to lead own brand product and innovation at Loblaw as Senior Vice President. Her words about thriving on transformation and never having a career plan hit differently when you know what came next. Check out her profile and see for yourself.

Find April on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-preston-9a93802b And her never-the-same-meal-twice food world on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilprestonandco

Tanya Liberman— founder & owner of ADDA gems, a very successful jewellery brand based in Israel, mom of 5, and content creator with over 160K followers.

Here are just a few standout moments from our conversation that really stuck with me:

• Having postpartum euphoria instead of depression — how you can actually enjoy caring for a baby all on your own and harness that energy;
• Never taking maternity leave — and how to make that work as the founder of your own business;
• Changing a country and a husband between your third and fourth baby — and how not to be afraid of bold choices in general;
• Dividing limited time and attention between five kids — and how to make it work.

Diving into Tanya’s journey — full of bold choices, unexpected turns, and unconventional truths that worked for her — was super fun and genuinely inspiring for me. This conversation left me feeling empowered - it’s a must-have reminder that you can (and should) go after the life you want. We really hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed creating it.

As always, let us know how we did — just reach out here or email us at denikekate@gmail.com with "RCC" in the subject line.

To support the podcast, please spread the word by sharing this episode with anyone who might find it interesting — we’d truly appreciate it.

In this pre-episode, I talk to someone very special—someone without whom Rocking Cribs and Careers Season 1 wouldn’t exist: prominent math educator, mom of two, and producer of the show, Vlada Kazantseva.

We chat about how this adventure began, what Season 1 has taught us, and how it’s shaped our perspectives on motherhood and our own journeys. Plus, we share a few exciting thoughts about what’s in store for Season 2!

To support our podcast, please spread the word and share this episode with those who might find it interesting - we're truly grateful for every advocate for the show. As a new podcast host, your feedback is a gift to me. To help me so to get better and to know what resonates with you - please reach out here or via LinkedIn!

In the season finale, we delve into the heartwarming and inspiring story of Sathya Nandakumar, Chief Technology Officer at Holland and Barrett, one of Europe’s largest health and wellness retailers.

Sathya’s journey is notably different from the patterns we've seen in earlier episodes. With no opportunity to hire a nanny and without a strong support network, she chose to take two maternity leaves of over a year each, facing significant career setbacks upon her return each time. Despite these challenges, she ascended to become a successful CTO, managing hundreds of engineers across various countries and backgrounds—an inspiring story that I was eager to explore.

In this final episode of the season, we also turn the tables and explore Sathya’s perspective on providing support during someone else's maternity leave - mine! We uncover unexpected insights, share our learnings, and offer key advice for leaders planning their maternity leave with the aim of ensuring a smooth transition back to work.

Key stories we discuss in this episode:

• Sathya’s statistically unlikely rise to CTO after two extended maternity leaves;
• Essential advice for those looking to advance their careers while managing a busy family life;
• Sathya’s mantra for maintaining a guilt-free approach as a working parent;
• Her experiences and insights from supporting my maternity leave;
• Strategic tips for preparing a successful maternity leave, especially for leaders in the workplace.

I've been lucky to work with Sathya closely for the last 3 years, and not only she's been my best partner in crime through all the work adventures; she's also always been there for me as a friend through life’s varied challenges of the last 3 years. Recording this episode was a joy for both of us, and we hope you find the same joy in listening.

Thanks

To support our podcast, please spread the word and share this episode with those who might find it interesting - we would greatly appreciate it. As a new podcast host, your feedback is a gift to me. To help me so to get better and to know what resonates with you - please reach out here or via email denikekate@gmail.com with "RCC" as a subject.

Irina Iozefson-Shneider is a Partner at a Private Equity Fund, a Non-Executive Board Member, and an inspiring and energetic self-made leader. In this episode, we:

• Explore Irina's journey to motherhood and her story of not crumbling under social pressure, waiting for the right moment to have a child;
• Discuss Irina's lifelong passion for her work, and how her motherhood journey fits into her life as a workaholic;
• Celebrate how Irina’s career journey has reached new heights after she had a baby, making her a notable exception from the overwhelming statistics;
• Discuss the challenges that come with pursuing both personal fulfillment and professional success without compromise.

Irina also shares a couple of heartwarming stories about her motherhood journey, including a jaw-dropping story about managing her pregnancy and childbirth while maintaining her work commitments—but I won’t spoil it for you ;)

We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it!

To support our podcast, please spread the word and share this episode with those who might find it interesting - we would greatly appreciate it. As a new podcast host, your feedback is a gift to me. To help me so to get better and to know what resonates with you - please reach out here or via email denikekate@gmail.com with "RCC" as a subject.

Emily Ellis is the founder of WorkBabyLife, a company with the mission to revolutionise the way businesses support their invaluable employees as they transition into parenthood. In our podcast, she shared a lot of valuable insights, from her personal and work experience, including:

• Top strategies of a smooth transition back to work post-maternity leave;
• Effective techniques to overcome motherhood guilt and leverage it as a source of strength;
• The importance of parenting out loud (and can there be too much of it?);
• And (my personal favourite!) practical advice for a high achieving people pleasers.

We also talked about empathy and entitlement, identity change, fair play and so much more.

Emily has recommended a book to our listeners, that can be found via link: https://www.fairplaylife.com/the-book

To support our podcast, please spread the word and share this episode with those who might find it interesting - I would greatly appreciate it. As a new podcast host, your feedback is invaluable to me for improvement and to know what resonates with you, feel free to reach out here or via email denikekate@gmail.com with "RCC" as a subject.