Motherhood Advantage

Explore how the concepts of Motherhood and Leadership intersect with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera. What if Motherhood is one of the most powerful leadership trainings in the world? We’ve heard about the Motherhood penalty, but what about the Motherhood Advantage ? This podcast explores the powerful connection between Motherhood and leadership. Hosted by Dr. Laura Marie Rivera, the podcast grew out of Intuitionship , a groundbreaking research study with nearly 1,000 Mothers examining how the lived experience of Motherhood shapes the way women lead, solve problems, and navigate complexity. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with remarkable Mothers—from bestselling authors and public leaders to entrepreneurs, creators, and Mothers just beginning their journeys. Together, they explore how Motherhood cultivates skills like adaptability, empathy, resilience, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead through uncertainty. Part research, part storytelling, and part collective exploration, Motherhood Advantage invites us to reconsider a powerful idea: the experiences that prepare Mothers to nurture, guide, and protect the next generation also prepare them to lead in policy decisions and the paid workplace. For more information or to recommend an amazing Mother-leader, please join us @motherhoodadvantage .

Motherhood Advantage is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 26 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Motherhood Advantage, a business show with 26 episodes published.

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  Episode #4

  NASA, Motherhood, and Mystery Novels: The Art of the Pivot with Nina Simon

  Aug 17, 202639 minS3

  What if quitting isn’t failure—but a creative act? Nina Simon has reinvented her career more than once, moving from NASA engineer to museum leader to bestselling mystery author. In this episode, she shares what those pivots taught her about ambition, identity, and knowing when it’s time to let something go. Nina defines Motherhood as fierce care expressed through action —not biology, constant presence, or self-sacrifice. She also offers a provocative distinction between Motherhood and leadership: leadership organizes people around a shared goal, while Motherhood centers the relationship itself. Together, we explore the realities of power and choice for working Mothers, why workplace accommodations matter, and how boundaries—even strategic absence—can be part of healthy Mothering. Nina’s story is a conversation about creativity, flexibility, honesty, and the intentional tradeoffs that shape both our work and our lives. Quitting the wrong thing can open the door to a more meaningful thing. Leadership and Motherhood call for different kinds of presence, responsibility, and attention. Workplace accommodations should expand parents’ choices, not prescribe how they use them. Strong families are often built through seasons of intentional tradeoffs, not perfect balance. Nina’s bestselling mystery novels emerged from the intersection of caregiving, creativity, and the need to make meaning during a difficult season. Strong women are a recurring theme in her life and her writing. Learn more about Nina Simon at https://ninaksimon.com/ Preorder for My Sister is Going to Kill Me: https://bookshopsantacruz.com/preorder-nina-simon At The Motherhood Advantage , we explore the research, stories, and leadership lessons that emerge when we recognize Motherhood not as a detour from leadership—but as one of its greatest teachers. If you'd like to learn more about the research or recommend a Mother, please visit us at MotherhoodAdvantage.com @MotherhoodAdvantage with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera

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  Episode #3

  The Radical Idea That Mothering Is for Everyone with Dr. Amber Johnson

  Aug 10, 202629 minS3

  What if Motherhood isn't defined by biology, but by the radical practice of nurturing growth, telling the truth, and helping others become more fully themselves? In this episode of The Motherhood Advantage , Dr. Laura Marie Rivera sits down with Dr. Amber Johnson —educator, artist, writer, and leader at UC Berkeley—to explore how Motherhood, leadership, justice, and healing intersect. This conversation challenges traditional ideas about caregiving and leadership, arguing that both require deep listening and a commitment to creating spaces where people can thrive. Drawing from their work in higher education, community healing projects, and life as a parent, Dr. Johnson shares how Motherhood has reshaped the way they lead and imagine a more compassionate future. Together, Laura Marie and Amber explore what happens when we stop viewing Motherhood as a private responsibility and begin recognizing it as a profound source of leadership and social change. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Mothering is about nurturing, creating, and caring—not simply biology. How leadership and parenting both depend on empathy, curiosity, accountability, and deep listening. Why healing should be communal, accessible, and rooted in connection rather than isolation. How forgiveness and accountability can coexist without minimizing harm. How academic institutions—and workplaces more broadly—continue to undervalue the leadership developed through Motherhood and caregiving. This episode invites us to rethink what leadership looks like and challenges us to recognize the wisdom, resilience, and transformational capacity that Motherhood cultivates. Whether you're raising children, leading a team, mentoring others, or building community, this conversation offers a powerful reminder that the skills we often associate with caregiving may also be the skills our paid workplaces—and our world—need most. -- Links and more information: The Justice League: https://thejusticefleet.org/ Dr. Amber Johnson's LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/dramberjohnson At The Motherhood Advantage , we explore the research, stories, and leadership lessons that emerge when we recognize Motherhood not as a detour from leadership—but as one of its greatest teachers. If you'd like to learn more about the research or recommend a Mother, please visit us at MotherhoodAdvantage.com @MotherhoodAdvantage with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera

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  Episode #2

  Innovation Begins at Home with Dr. Nia Ruth: Family Health Organization through Tech

  Aug 3, 202632 minS3

  What happens when the everyday challenges of Motherhood become the catalyst for innovation? In this episode of Motherhood Advantage , Dr. Laura Marie Rivera sits down with researcher, entrepreneur, and mother Dr. Nia Ruth to explore how the invisible labor of managing a family's health inspired an entirely new way of thinking about caregiving, leadership, and problem-solving. Drawing on her background in UX research, Nia shares how becoming a Mother sharpened her ability to identify unmet needs, design practical solutions, and navigate the uncertainty that comes with building something new—all while raising a young family. Together, they explore why Mothers are uniquely equipped to lead through complexity, how technology can reduce cognitive load for families, and why the everyday work of caregiving deserves far more recognition in conversations about innovation and leadership. Whether you're a parent, entrepreneur, or leader, this episode offers a fresh perspective on the skills Motherhood cultivates—and how those skills can transform our workplaces, communities, and families. Key Takeaways: Why Motherhood often reveals problems hiding in plain sight—and inspires innovative solutions. The invisible mental load of managing a family's health and why it matters. How research, curiosity, and lived experience can fuel entrepreneurship. The leadership skills Mothers develop every day, from adaptability and resilience to systems thinking. Why empowering children to make decisions and solve problems begins earlier than we think. How workplaces and technology can better support working families. Motherhood doesn't just change how we care for others—it changes how we lead, create, and imagine what's possible. -- Connect with Dr. Nia Ruth on LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nia-gordon-ruth/ https://everahealth.co/ At The Motherhood Advantage , we explore the research, stories, and leadership lessons that emerge when we recognize Motherhood not as a detour from leadership—but as one of its greatest teachers. If you'd like to learn more about the research or recommend a Mother, please visit us at MotherhoodAdvantage.com @MotherhoodAdvantage with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera

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  Episode #1

  Motherhood and the Art of Divorce with Olivia Howell

  Jul 27, 202630 minS3

  What if divorce support looked less like crisis management — and more like community, strategy, and care? In this episode of Motherhood Advantage , Dr. Laura Marie Rivera talks with Olivia Howell , divorce coach and founder of a first-of-its-kind divorce registry platform, about what women really need when they are moving through one of life’s most destabilizing transitions. Olivia shares how her own experience with divorce, Motherhood, and raising two boys shaped her work supporting women through separation, co-parenting, rebuilding, and starting over. She explains how divorce coaching can serve as a crucial bridge between therapy and legal counsel — helping women save time, money, and emotional energy while making clearer decisions during a high-stress chapter. This conversation explores the support gap around divorce, the importance of asking for help, and why rebuilding your life is not a failure of leadership — it is leadership. Olivia also shares how women can create stronger support systems, communicate honestly at home and at work, set boundaries, and invest in their own healing without apology. At its heart, this episode is about more than divorce. It is about reinvention, resilience, and the leadership required to begin again. For any Mother navigating transition — or supporting someone who is — Olivia’s story is a reminder that starting over can be an act of courage, clarity, and power. Starting over is not a failure. Sometimes, it is the bravest form of leadership. Connect with Olivia Howell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviadreizenhowell Fresh Starts Registry Learn more about Motherhood Advantage Follow along on Instagram: @motherhoodadvantage For the complete Intuitionship research results and a free copy of the report, visit https://intuitionship.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Connect with Dr. Laura Marie on LinkedIn for research updates, podcast conversations, and reflections on Motherhood and leadership. https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-marie-rivera-intuitionship/

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  Motherhood Advantage

  Season Two Recap: Motherhood, Ambition, Care, and Power

  Jul 20, 202633 min

  In Season Two of Motherhood Advantage , Dr. Laura Marie Rivera continues the conversation at the heart of her research and her book, Beyond the Pipeline : what changes when we recognize Motherhood not as an obstacle to leadership, but as one of the places leadership is formed? This season brings together an extraordinary group of Mother-leaders, researchers, advocates, authors, executives, educators, and changemakers to explore ambition, caregiving, identity, maternal health, storytelling, justice, support, and the systems that shape women’s lives. The season opens with researcher Dr. Carolyn Burroughs , whose partnership in the original Motherhood-and-leadership research helps ground the conversation in evidence: Mothers develop many of the skills organizations say they value most, from strategic thinking and crisis management to advocacy, communication, and adaptability. From there, Stefanie O’Connell , author of The Ambition Penalty , challenges the myth that women lack ambition, naming how systems too often punish women — especially Mothers — for wanting and pursuing power. Rebecca Hogan and Dr. Anne Welsh bring coaching and leadership insight to the emotional complexity of ambition, identity, guilt, purpose, and building a life that honors both meaningful work and family reality. This season also deepens the storytelling lens. Laura Nespoli explores the power of narrative, voice, and embodied truth, while Catherine Temkin reflects on the foundational, often invisible work of caregiving and how the quiet lessons of Motherhood transfer into leadership, mentoring, and professional life. The maternal health and caregiving conversations are especially powerful. Ana Rodney , doula and maternal health advocate, speaks to postpartum care, birth justice, and the need to surround Mothers with real support. Rayna Tabanera-Geras brings an early childhood and advocacy lens, reminding us that care, education, and community systems are inseparable from the lives of Mothers and children. Season Two also highlights Mothers leading in business, law, and public life. Ambika Singh , founder of Armoire, talks about entrepreneurship, identity, and what it means to build differently as a Mother. Judge Sharonda Amamilo reflects on justice, trauma-informed leadership, and the ways Motherhood can deepen empathy, accountability, and public service. And Tiffany Dufu , president of the Tory Burch Foundation and author of Drop the Ball , offers a powerful conversation about support, failure, repair, rhythm, and why women cannot — and should not — lead or Mother alone. Together, these conversations ask us to move beyond the Motherhood penalty as the only story. Yes, Mothers face bias, exclusion, impossible expectations, and structural barriers. But Mothers also develop profound leadership capacities through caregiving — capacities that workplaces, institutions, and public narratives too often fail to recognize because they were honed outside the paid workforce. Season Two is a reminder that Motherhood and leadership are not separate identities. They are deeply connected — in the home, at work, in communities, in courtrooms, in classrooms, in companies, and in movements. Featured guests include: Dr. Carolyn Burroughs Stefanie O’Connell Rebecca Hogan Laura Nespoli Ana Rodney Ambika Singh Rayna Tabanera-Geras Catherine Temkin Judge Sharonda Amamilo Dr. Anne Welsh Tiffany Dufu Logo Art by Erin Swanson McGoldrick Learn more about the research behind the podcast in Beyond the Pipeline .

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