Mainstream media does a fine job of telling the horror stories of being a working parent. The last thing you need is another mommy blog amplifying “daycare guilt” this, or “no sleep for a week”. Throw a stressful parental leave experience in the mix, and people wonder why we’re doing this in the first place.  

But this isn't the whole story. In companies from startups to global enterprises, parents are not only making it work—they’re thriving

The missing narrative? You can be a great parent and a great employee. We hear time and time again that having kids is what made career-minded people successful today. 

These people have a newfound respect for time, energy, and coworkers which makes them even better employees. And they still spend quality time with their families, get job promotions, and find meaning in their work.

Successful working parents are everywhere, but you never hear about them.

We want to change this. We're sharing profiles of parents who have welcomed their children and enjoyed career successes along the way.

“During my first pregnancy, I was desperate to find role models—someone I could relate to who was a parent thriving at work and home. All I heard were the doomsday stories. I realized later how damaging this was, and my confidence took a hit just as I welcomed my first child. It turns out there are so many women and men owning their success at work and at home.”
 
- Allison Whalen, Co-founder & CEO, Parentaly
Parent-Profile-Emmett-Brizendine-1

EMMETT BRIZENDINE

Clinical Manager @ MedVet

On becoming a first-time dad & co-leading his company's LGBTQ+ ERG

Read More
Parent-Profile-Mansi-Kothari

MANSI KOTHARI

VP, Product & Ops @ Parentaly

Seeing the big picture as a new parent in product management

Read More
Parent-Profile-Katie-Cacchiani

KATIE CACCHIANI

Head of Patient Acquisition @ Illume Fertility

On her infertility journey as an employee, patient and now mom-of-2

Read More
Parent-Profile-Jim-Puccetti

JIM PUCCETTI

Customer Success @ Knowing Technologies

On becoming a dad & the importance of surrogacy benefits

Read More
Parent-Profile-Kelly-Schieb

KELLY SCHEIB

Chief People Officer @ Crunchbase

Mom-of-5 and HR leader who meets employees where they are

Read More
Parent-Profile-Danielle-Gallon

DANIELLE GALLON

Senior HR Manager @ PepsiCo

On balancing her career as a single mom and excelling as an HR leader

Read More
Parent-Profile-Dave-Eitler

DAVE EITLER

Director, Sales @ Forrester

Why taking three parental leaves as a sales director made him a stronger leader

Read More
Parent-Profile-Erin-Steven

ERIN STEVEN

Founder @ Curious 7

On the best ways companies can support adoptive parents

Read More
Parent-Profile-Shannan-Farmer-1

SHANNAN FARMER

Recruiter @ Calendly

On getting through pregnancy loss, infertility and IVF with her employer's full support

Read More
Parent-Profile-Tim-Gray

TIM GRAY

Strategic AE @ Zapproved

How an unexpected cancer diagnosis changed one dad's parental leave experience

Read More
Parent-Profile-Christina-Ironside

CHRISTINA IRONSIDE

Global Portfolio Manager @ 3M

On pregnancies, losses and ending the miscarriage stigma

Read More
Parent-Profile-Megan-Taylor

MEGAN TAYLOR

Sr. Enterprise Sales @ #samsales 

How this military spouse & mom found her dream job at a female-only sales firm

Read More
Parent-Profile-Virgilia-Pruthi

VIRGILIA PRUTHI

Principal PM Manager @ Microsoft

On managing a tech career and children while prioritizing creating impact

Read More
Parent-Profile-Desirr

ANDREW SMOLENSKI

VP, Business Operations & Strategy @ Willow 

On paternity leave stigma and why he took his full leave -- twice

Read More
Parent-Profile-Jillian-Kaplan

JILLIAN KAPLAN

Telecom Thought Leadership @ Dell 

Leading charge in an industry where only 7% of executives are women

Read More
Parent-Profile-Erez-Levin

EREZ LEVIN

Product Specialist @ Google

Google’s “Paternity Leave Dadvocate” on teaching fathers to own working parenthood 

Read More
Profile-Jordan-Arogeti

JORDAN AROGETI

Partner @ Arogeti Endeavors

How being the "first" led to defining parental leave at her organization

Read More
Profile-Paloma-Thombley

PALOMA THOMBLEY

VP of People @ Handshake

What happens when a people operations leader takes parental leave

Read More
Profile-Jeff-Delaney

JEFF DELANEY

Strategic Partner Lead @ Google

Why a 12-week paid parental leave energized this working father

Read More
Profile-Lindsay-Fitzgerald

LINDSAY FITZGERALD

Founding Partner @ Company Capital

Using your parental leave to get a promotion and re-envision VC for women

Read More
Profile-Emily-Calandrelli

EMILY CALANDRELLI

"The Space Gal" @ Emily's Wonder Lab

On filming her Netflix show while 36 weeks pregnant & taking a short parental leave

Read More
Profile-Sherrie-Nguyen

SHERRIE NGUYEN

Product Marketing @ Indeed

On launching Indeed's Parents and Caregivers IRG during the pandemic

Read More
Parent-Profile-Mike-Fogarty

MIKE FOGARTY

Customer Success Manager @ LinkedIn

On setting boundaries and prioritizing mental health while excelling at work

Read More
Profile-Stephanie-Miller

STEPHANIE MILLER

Head of Social & Emerging Media @ Verizon

How to claim your space while starting a new leadership role six months pregnant

Read More
Profile-Sonha-Breidenbach

SONHA BREIDENBACH

Strategy @ DoorDash

How switching jobs while pregnant (twice!) supercharged her career

Read More
Parent-Profile-Sean-Glavin

SEAN GLAVIN

EVP @ Lockton Companies

On appreciating the true value of his time after becoming a dad

Read More
Parent-Profile-Mark-Vermeersch

MARK VERMEERSCH

Chief Platform Of @ Treasury Prime

Navigating working parenthood as a product management leader at an early-stage startup

Read More
Profile-Christine-Michel-Carter

CHRISTINE MICHEL CARTER

Marketing at Minority Women Marketing

A global voice for working moms on balancing work, parenting and advocacy

Read More
Profile-Allison-Whalen

ALLISON WHALEN

Co-founder & CEO @ Parentaly

How taking parental leave as an entrepreneur and sales leader can result in business growth

Read More

Be the first to read more stories like this.

Looking for motivation and ideas for how to think about your parental leave? 

We've got you covered. 

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive profiles of inspiring working parents in your inbox each month.