Career Mama newsletter

Hi Career Mamas,

April focused on working smarter, using AI to reduce mental load, speed up execution, and make everyday tasks easier. In May, we shift from efficiency to composure under pressure.

May: Steady Under Pressure

This month is about how you show up when things feel high-stakes or unpredictable.
Not avoiding pressure, but responding to it with clarity and control.

We’ll focus on:

Staying composed when you’re challenged or put on the spot
Responding without over-explaining or second-guessing
Holding your ground in high-pressure conversations
Building reflexes you can rely on in real time

Up next: May events, calendar challenge and new Slack channels.

🗣️ Events

Under Pressure: How to Respond When You're Challenged, Caught Off Guard, or Cornered Workshop: 5/5, 11am-12pm PT
Coaching Call: 5/13, 9:30-10:30am PT
Circles (Connect + Support): 5/21, 12-1pm PT or 5/22, 11am-12pm PT

🆕 New Slack channels

We’ve added a few new channels to make it easier to connect, share, and get support:

#ai - Share learnings, questions, use cases, and prompts to help you use AI at work and in your personal life
#wins - Celebrate together. No win is too small, from work progress to more presence at home, rest, or setting boundaries
#promos-referrals - Share what you’re working on or ask for referrals and intros for work-related opportunities
#own-gig-business - Connect with mamas building side gigs or businesses, or learn if you’re curious
#job-search - Ask recruiting questions, share learnings, and get support during your job search

💬 Monthly Slack roundup

Toxic coworker - navigating undermining behavior: Deiva R. sought advice on how to professionally handle a colleague who is undermining her work, taking credit, and creating tension with stakeholders while taking control of the narrative.
Advice on framing parental leave + transition planning: Heather Y. asked for advice on how to frame an upcoming international trip followed by parental leave, while handling knowledge transfer, team changes, and a potential promotion conversation.
Navigating recruiter conversations after a job transition: Flavia V. asked for advice on how to approach an upcoming recruiter interview after a recent job transition and wanted to learn how others have navigated similar situations.
Outsourcing home support: Katie N. asked for recommendations and experiences with hiring an organizer, house manager, or mother’s helper as she transitions into a new role.
Child behavior changes - de-escalation tips: Lisa W. asked for advice and resources to navigate her 7-year-old’s recent shift to frequent anger and silent treatment, and how to de-escalate these moments.

More threads from this month…

Family & community moments

Product & Resource Recommendations

🎯 Slack Calendar Challenge

Each week you're going to drop or protect something to reclaim time for what matters — catching up, thinking big, resting, or simply breathing room in your day. We're going to start with weekly changes and move into daily shifts:

📆 Week 1 Challenge (May 4th week): Win back 15 minutes just once this week
📆 Week 2 Challenge (May 11th week): Win back 30 minutes just once this week
📆 Week 3 Challenge (May 18th week): Win back 15 minutes a day
📆 Week 4 Challenge (May 25th week): Win back 30 minutes a day

🔍 How to Participate (optional):

Each week: Pick one thing to drop or say “no” to (Examples: A meeting you don’t need, a low-impact task, a chore you can skip or delegate, stop scrolling on IG) OR Pick one thing to protect or say “yes” to (Examples: A quiet focus block, your lunch break, a walk, uninterrupted time with your kids, a nightly unwind routine)
Put your reclaimed time on your calendar
Put in Slack on Fridays with how much time you saved (or more productively used the time) and summary of how you did it

Look out for MJ’s Slack on Monday (5/4) to kick off our challenge but start thinking about how you can save 15 minutes next week. ⏰

✍️ Circle: Connect + Support

Same flexible format as last month, no prep needed.

Choose the breakout that feels good in that moment:

Work challenge: Bring something you’re navigating
Mom life: Talk through what’s coming up at home
Coffee chat (just connect!): Low-key conversation, no agenda

Come as you are. If you need to leave in the first 40 minutes, please refrain from joining to not interrupt the breakout room conversations.

🌟 Member Spotlight

Kisha V. recently wrapped her role with a strong, thoughtful offboarding across many stakeholders and projects. Using the message prep worksheet, she created clear transition docs so nothing fell through the cracks. Her team shared how much they appreciated how organized and proactive it felt.

She shared she’s grateful for the tools and support in this community, and that this experience reminded her that her work mattered.

We’re proud of you, Kisha, and excited for what’s next 💛

Excited to see how this shows up in your real conversations, especially in the moments that feel most high-stakes.

Cheers,
Shivani & team

P.S. Let’s welcome our newest Career Mama members! Check out their intros in #intros and say 'hi'!

Career Mama newsletter - April 2026