The Parental Leave Playbook

Introduction

Congratulations! You are about to enter one of the most transformational periods of your life. By picking up this book, you are acknowledging the joy and challenges that lie ahead of you. Parenting is incredibly rewarding and extremely difficult. Habit experts will tell you that big life transitions (graduating, moving, getting married) provide opportunities to reshuffle your routines and establish new norms. Becoming a parent is the fast track to personal growth, a chance to rewrite your entire life. (If you don't want to hear that right now, don't worry; it's not a strict requirement.)

Like most of my clients, you are probably excited and a bit anxious. You can't wait to welcome your child and you want to be thoughtful about what this means for your working life. Whether you always knew you'd be a parent or you aren't quite sure how you got here, you are at a crossroads moment, and the way you move forward will have lasting implications for your career and your personal life. I will help you transition between, and then integrate, two potentially opposing sides of yourself—your familiar, more career or work-identified self and the other more family-identified self that will be growing with you—so that you can move forward with confidence and clarity to create the next phase of your life, while deepening your commitment to yourself and your career goals.

First, as your coach, I need to level with you.

The culture concerning parental leave in the United States ...