Hi Career Mamas,
Happy New Year! Coming into 2026, we’re focusing on how you can control your reputation and ensure your impact is recognized by stakeholders. This month, we worked on controlling your narrative in performance reviews. In February, we’ll focus on getting visibility with decision-makers.
Thank you so much for the helpful feedback! We’ve used it to make several updates so you can get the exact support you need based on the season you’re in. Changes include we’ll offer more expert-led workshops, Circles will be optional (like all the other sessions, see below for details), we’ll continue our monthly coaching calls with me and Connection calls, and focus more on AI trainings (stay tuned for March topic 😉).
📣 Invite a Friend to Our Workshop
I’m hosting a free workshop on Feb 4th and 5th:
From Overlooked to Top Performer: Your 3-Step System to Move Up & Be Present With Kids
Since Career Mama is about lifting up other women, who is a mama friend you think would benefit? Please share with them :) Here are a couple draft messages that several Career Mamas have already used to invite their friends and share with their women ERGs.
Big thank you for helping us bring Career Mama’s mission to more brilliant moms. 💜
💬 Monthly Slack roundup
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AI recommendations for performance reviews: Liz W. shared an AI recommendation from Madelyn M., who hyped up Glean as a way to pull together feedback, comms, and wins. Liz also mentioned Perplexity’s Assistant and Claude’s Cowork as helpful tools for organizing notes and shaping a performance narrative.
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Staying connected during a long leave: Ramya G. asked for advice on staying in touch with work during an extended maternity leave, sharing that she’s been mostly unplugged but wants to set herself up for a smooth return amid organizational change.
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Holding the weight together: Karina B. shared how heavy it’s been to show up as a mom right now and named the emotional toll she’s carrying. The community responded with deep care and solidarity, reminding one another that it’s okay to feel both sadness and joy, and offering comfort, connection, and steady support during a difficult moment.
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Planning Career Mama programming around your needs: Shivani B. asked members to share the top work challenge on their mind to help guide upcoming programming, including advocacy, visibility, recognition, promotion, and navigating unwritten rules.
More threads from this month…
Seeking support around childhood tics
Nanny phone boundaries
Navigating bedtime routines with toddlers
Indoor activities for toddlers - tips and recommendations
Car seat recommendations for an 18-month-old
Navigating screen time with young kids
February Theme: Get in the Room
You’re already doing exceptional work. The problem is structural: you don’t always know who the real decision-makers are, you can’t always access them, and even when you do, they don’t always have the bandwidth to absorb your message. This month is about fixing the system around your work, not asking you to work harder.
Learn to identify the real decision-makers, get your ideas in front of them in the right format, and build the advocates who amplify your work when you're not there—so your impact travels beyond your immediate team.
🎥 Resources
How to Build Visibility with Decision-Makers - A short video lesson in Career Mama Platform to help you be top of mind with the right people.
🗣️ Events
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Coaching Call: 2/11, 11am–12pm PT
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New Member Kick Off Call: 2/13, 9-10am PT (Connect with new and existing Career Mamas. Optional, but we encourage you to join!)
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Circle: 2/19 & 2/20
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Connection Call: 2/26, 9:30-10am PT
🎯 Challenge for February: Get in the Room
5 minutes per week. No busywork. All leverage.
📆 Week 1 Challenge (February 2nd week): Map the Power
📆 Week 2 Challenge (February 9th week): Translate your Format so Decision-Makers Understand
📆 Week 3 Challenge (February 16th week): Recruit One Sponsor
📆 Week 4 Challenge (February 23rd week): Secure Your Airtime
Look out for MJ’s Slack on February 2nd to kick off our challenge.
✍️ Circle prompt for February
Prompt: Think about a recent piece of work you're proud of that didn't get the recognition or traction it deserved. Where did it get stuck?
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Did the right people not know about it? Or did they know, but not understand its significance?
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What’s one thing you could have done to make your work get the visibility you would have liked?
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What’s an action you’re going to take on a current project to get the needed visibility by the right decision makers?
Note: While Circles is optional, this structure remains the same. It’s an intimate, vulnerable support on your challenges and a way to hold yourself accountable as life gets busy.
🕒 Please reflect for at least 10 minutes on the prompt before joining.
🌟 Member Spotlight
Shoutout to Karina E. for a powerful example of what preparation and support can unlock.
Ahead of an important meeting, Karina shared that after our Coaching Call, she felt genuinely ready to prepare and walk in with confidence. After the meeting, she reflected that it went really well and had superior clarity on what’s expected of her and how her role connects to her next 1 to 3 year horizon.
This is exactly the kind of clarity that creates momentum. Well done, Karina 👏
As we wrap up the first month of the year, this is a good moment to reflect on what you’ve set in motion. You’re already doing the work, February is about making sure it’s seen, understood, and carried into the rooms where decisions are made.
We’re excited for the year ahead and grateful to be doing this work alongside you.
Cheers,
Shivani & team
