Louise East Coaching and Consulting
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One of the biggest worries I hear from women prepa One of the biggest worries I hear from women preparing to return to work is: How am I actually going to manage all of this? Because going back to work doesn’t make everything you’ve been doing at home disappear. Now there’s childcare drop-off and pick-up to fit around the working day. A baby who might have been awake half the night. Dinner still needs to happen. And there’s the very real possibility that childcare will call tomorrow and someone will need to leave work. If you were someone who used to stay late, take the last-minute meeting or be available when something needed to get done, you might also be wondering whether you can still do your job the way you used to. It can feel like you need to somehow find a way to fit your old working life back into a life that now looks very different. But that’s part of what deserves some thought before you return. What’s realistic now? What support do you need at home? What needs to change at work? And which expectations are you carrying that may no longer work for you? You don’t need to have every possible scenario solved before your first day back. If you’re preparing to return to work after maternity leave, I’m running Returning to Work with Confidence and Clarity at Parents Hub Lilydale on Sunday 13 September. We’ll talk about what’s changed, what you need now, and how to make your return work for you and your family. Info and bookings via the link in my bio. #ReturningToWork #WorkingMums #MaternityLeave #MothersAtWork #WorkingMotherhood #maroondahmums #yarrarangesmums #mumsofthehills #melbournemums
Some of the most effective leadership qualities ar Some of the most effective leadership qualities are still dismissed as “soft skills.” Empathy. Relationship-building. Listening. Understanding what people need to do their best work. Creating psychological safety. This is something I often talk about with the women in leadership in my workshops. For years, many of these "soft skills" have been treated as secondary to decisiveness, authority and technical expertise. Yet research continues to tell a different story. A 2022 study found that leaders who displayed traits traditionally described as feminine were more likely to be perceived as transformational leaders, and their teams demonstrated higher levels of contextual performance — the behaviours that help teams collaborate, support one another and perform effectively. What struck me wasn’t the finding itself. It was the reminder that many of the qualities organisations say they want are often the same qualities people have historically been encouraged to see as less valuable. Particularly women. Many women spend years developing the ability to read a room, navigate competing needs, build relationships, anticipate issues, support others and create connection. Then they enter workplaces that reward outcomes while overlooking the skills that helped create them. Of course, empathy alone doesn’t make someone a great leader. Neither does being female. Leadership requires judgement, courage, accountability and decision-making. But perhaps we’ve spent too long treating relational intelligence as a nice extra rather than a core leadership capability. Because when people feel seen, understood and supported, they tend to contribute more, collaborate better and bring more of themselves to their work. That doesn’t sound soft to me. It sounds strategic. Have you worked with a leader whose impact came from how they made people feel, not just what they achieved? #WomenInLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipSkills #PsychologicalSafety
No wonder so many mothers feel like they’re failin No wonder so many mothers feel like they’re failing. We’re trying to live up to two impossible standards at the same time. At work, we’re expected to be endlessly available, focused and committed, as though our family responsibilities don’t exist. At home, we’re expected to be present, patient and emotionally available, as though work doesn't take any of our time, energy or attention. It's impossible. A recent Pew Research study found that 70% of full-time working parents are juggling parenting tasks while they’re at work, and 59% are doing work tasks while they’re with their children. Paid work and family aren’t just blurred - they overlap. And mothers are carrying more of the mental load that comes with trying to make both worlds work. These two roles were never designed to fit together this way. Next time you find yourself pushing harder or doing even more to meet impossible expectations, remember it's not your work ethic, productivity or organisation that needs to be questioned, it's the expectations themselves. #WorkingMums #MotherhoodAndCareer #MentalLoad #WorkLifeBalance #MatrescenceMatters
Have you spent more time preparing your baby for c Have you spent more time preparing your baby for childcare than you’ve spent preparing yourself to return to work? So many mothers do. We organise childcare, buy work clothes, think about routines and feeding, but very little prepares us for what it feels like to step back into work as someone who has changed. You might be wondering: • Will I still be good at my job? • Why do I feel so guilty? • Can I still be ambitious? • How will I fit everything in? • Why does this feel so much harder than I expected? If you’ve had any of those thoughts, you’re not doing anything wrong. Returning to work isn’t just a logistical transition. It’s an emotional and identity transition too. That’s why I’ve created Returning to Work with Confidence & Clarity. In this practical and supportive workshop, we’ll explore the changes that often come with matrescence, rebuild confidence in the strengths you’ve developed through motherhood, unpack the guilt and invisible load that so many women carry, and help you create a sustainable and realistic return to work that reflects what matters most to you. You’ll also have plenty of opportunity to ask questions, connect with other mothers, and realise you’re not the only one feeling this way. 📅 Sunday 13 September 🕰️ 10.00am – 12.00pm 📍 The Parents Hub, Lilydale Studio Morning tea, a practical workbook and a Sarina Russo goodie bag are all included. Places are limited to keep the workshop personal and allow plenty of discussion. I’d love to support you through this next chapter. Book via the link in my bio. #WorkingMums #ReturningToWork #Matrescence #MotherhoodAndCareer #WorkingParents
Sometimes pressure is disguised as responsibility. Sometimes pressure is disguised as responsibility. I remember catching myself late one night, feeling guilty about not baking more lunchbox snacks. My child wasn’t going to go hungry, but I had absorbed the idea that being a good mother meant making homemade, varied, healthy lunches… with baked goods. It’s not just responsibilities that are exhausting, but the expectations around them. Yes, I had to pack a lunchbox (well, actually, I could have submitted a lunch order 😉), but the pressure regarding what I put in it was based on social expectations. Sometimes everything starts to feel like a non-negotiable. Working mothers are carrying not only the practical responsibilities of life, but the invisible pressure of expectations layered on top. Feed your children, but make it homemade, healthy and fun to look at. Spend quality time with your children, but make it meaningful, memorable and enriching. Exercise for your wellbeing, but do it consistently, properly and make visible progress. Work to support your family, but don’t ever prioritise your children over your career. And after a while, it becomes hard to distinguish between what genuinely matters and what is pressure we’ve slowly normalised. When everything feels equally important, the nervous system never really gets to soften. One way to think about this is to separate things into: ✅ Have to ✅ Should ✅ Want to Because some things genuinely are necessary, but some things are pressure disguised as responsibility. And recognising the difference can make life feel a little lighter and more intentional. I wrote more about this in my latest blog post. LINK IN BIO https://louiseeast.com.au/2026/07/02/overwhelmed-working-mother/ #workingmothers #matrescence #mentalload #motherhoodandcareer #honestmotherhood
Clients often come to me wanting to improve their Clients often come to me wanting to improve their organisation, manage their time better or figure out how to get more done in a day. Those aren’t bad goals, but they’re rarely the real issue. The women I work with are incredibly capable. They’re carrying an immense load and working hard both in their careers and at home. Their employers expect a lot of them. Or they’re running businesses. They’re raising children. They’re managing households, relationships, appointments, birthdays, school notes, emotional labour and all the invisible work that keeps life moving. Of course, it feels overwhelming. Yes, we can look at priorities. We can simplify where possible. We can make better decisions about where their time goes. But we can’t optimise our way out of an impossible set of demands. You can’t rearrange an unrealistic workload and make it realistic. This isn't a capacity or a productivity issue. It’s a demand issue. It's a workload and expectations issue. So, instead of asking "How can I fit more in?" we can start asking "What needs to change here?" or "How do I make my workload more sustainable and manageable?" #WorkingMums #MentalLoad #SustainableSuccess #WorkLifeBalance #MatrescenceMatters
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The information provided by Louise East Coaching and Consulting is for educational purposes only. It is general in nature and is not based on a complete assessment of your personal situation and requirements. The information should not be used as a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your health care provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

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