The discussion was led by several CrossBoundary team members who shared their first-hand experiences, challenges, and strategies for juggling motherhood alongside professional responsibilities. We discussed how contemporary moms are defining success, from adjusting to flexible work schedules to acknowledging the special skills parenting cultivates.  

At CrossBoundary, we know the significant impact motherhood has on the lives and careers of our employees, and we celebrate the synergy of being both a committed parent and a driven professional.  

Debrah Kiwara, People Operations Manager, kickstarted the conversation by highlighting some of CrossBoundary’s policies for empowering women and moms and supporting our team members at different stages of their parenting journey. The policies highlighted include a 16-week parental leave, a phased approach to returning to work, fertility benefits, and accommodations for nursing mothers.  

When sharing her decision to grow her family while ascending to partner at CrossBoundary Advisory, Nneka Chime recounted how she chose to examine the decision logically:

When asked about the perfect seniority level for timing motherhood, Nneka re-emphasized how unique the experience is from woman to woman and what worked for her:  

“I think being more senior in my career was ideal for me because I don’t mind having somewhat blurred lines between work and life; for example, I don’t mind trying to squeeze in work a bit later at night after I’ve put my children to bed or when I might have 10-15 minutes here and there. I’m OK with that. It is a delicate balance, and it means that work is always on my mind somewhat because I’m always thinking of how to achieve XY or Z, and for me, there’s not a clean-cut ‘closing time,” she said.  

“Thinking back to my experience as a junior member of a team, you can work very intensely for a certain period, but then you can likely switch off after hours because you know that the overall accountability doesn’t fall on you beyond your immediate work stream,” Nneka continued. 

Catalina Posada, Head of Andean Region Advisory, echoed similar sentiments about the reality of making tradeoffs:

“Since we work in the professional services sector, there’s a typical career track to follow with a clear path and an average progression timing. You realize the tradeoffs, as Nneka mentioned, are necessary and important when juggling different areas of life—we also end up making tradeoffs with our families,” Catalina said.  

Sara Yaacoub, Head of Lebanon Advisory, shared how becoming a mother empowered her and strengthened her capacity to handle stress:

“Not saying that it’s easy, but I didn’t expect the positive impact that it would have on how I see myself, my perspective, and my approach to life or priorities. When I returned to work, I noticed that I felt more empowered and capable,” Sara explained.

Our team members also shared candid thoughts on managing “mom guilt.” Sara recounted her first business trip after giving birth to her son and how she chose to focus on embracing and coping with the unavoidable feeling: “It’s a normal part of the journey; it will likely always be there. I don’t think there is a time I won’t have second thoughts. But I think we can be at peace with the fact that this is life, and we must make these choices—how to prioritize and make it work. What matters is you are there for your child and your family when they need you.”  

Diana shared how she balances spending time with her daughter and finding personal time to rejuvenate from a demanding work week: “I remind myself that I can be more present, more energetic, and a more joyful mom when I have taken time to recharge.” 

By acknowledging and addressing mom guilt and making self-care a non-negotiable part of your routine, the panelists agreed that working moms can not only prioritize their own mental and physical health but also set a positive example for their children and colleagues.  

Flora Oloo, ESG Manager at CrossBoundary Access, emphasized the vital importance of calendarizing time for activities

Whether it’s regular exercise, enjoying a hobby, or simply taking a moment to connect with family and friends – Flora‘s main strategy is communicating with everyone involved, planning and scheduling my calendar, asking for help, and having a support system.

All our mothers emphasized the crucial role of prioritization, recognizing that some tasks must take precedence over others to maintain balance. Delegating effectively was another key theme, highlighting the importance of trusting team members and leveraging their strengths. 

“I have three main strategies for trying to keep my productivity as high as possible while being a working mom, strategies which evolved after I had kids. The first thing is selecting well—I’ve become really good about choosing the right things to engage in and where I spend my time,” said Nneka. “Then the second is to increase my efficiency by leaning into tools that can help, like AI, as well as improving my own skills and learning from all levels of my team.”

The third strategy Nneka cited was delegation, highlighting how, while on maternity leave, she empowered her team members: 

“Given that I can’t do everything, I leverage and build my team’s skills. I look for opportunities to delegate that will stretch their skills, including high-visibility projects to push their growth. Returning from maternity leave and seeing how my team can function in my absence—and function very well—was encouraging and confidence-building.”

“One thing about CrossBoundary’s work culture is we are trying to assess performance from outputs and outcomes as opposed to inputs, like time,” Nneka said. 

“I have achieved some success within the firm because of the emphasis on outcomes,” she said. “In our industry, things like creativity, efficiency, the skills to design and pioneer new mandates, find new opportunities, and launch new initiatives are more important than time spent in the office. At CrossBoundary, it is a bit more possible [for moms to succeed] than at other firms where there is more emphasis on face time and inputs.”

“I want to emphasize that I have found it possible to [balance motherhood] at CrossBoundary. I was able to focus on my maternity leave and being a mother while also progressing and achieving my aspirations at the firm,” said Sara. “As our team grows, the number of moms at CrossBoundary is growing, and these topics are becoming increasingly important. This is a learning process, and we as a team can play a role in helping push for policies and empowering our colleagues in parallel.” 

As the chat wound down, the CrossBoundary participants coalesced on the importance of further strengthening the CB Women’s affinity group as a vehicle for presenting policy and culture changes to the firm’s leadership.   

Our discussion highlighted unanimous appreciation for the supportive (and growing!) community of mothers at CrossBoundary. Our panelist’s voices remind us of the strength found in unity and the power of sharing knowledge and experiences within our workplace. 

Interested in joining our team? Our team members come from diverse backgrounds but share several qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action. If that sounds like you, explore our vacancies.