S2 EP20 | Partner Dynamics & Why They're Important

Psychologist and Phoenix Health founder Dr. Emily Guarnotta knows postpartum depression from both sides of the couch. After developing PPD right away following her first baby, she found that her clinical training made it harder, not easier, to recognize what was happening. In this episode, Emily shares how that experience reshaped her career and led her to specialize in perinatal mental health. She talks about the symptoms that don’t look like textbook depression, including irritability, rage, intrusive thoughts, and high functioning that masks struggle, and why parents often wait too long to get help. Emily also discusses her return to work at five weeks postpartum and full-time by twelve weeks, the people-pleasing and overcommitment that came with it, and the nearly year-long search for a therapist that inspired her to build Phoenix Health’s telehealth practice. She offers practical guidance for new parents and their support people: ask for specific help, plan a gradual return where possible, and give yourself permission to change the plan. If you’re feeling overwhelmed after having a baby, or you’re supporting someone who is, Emily’s message is clear: the heaviness you feel is about the load, not a failure on your part.Connect with Dr. Emily here:IG - @dremilyguarnotta and @joinphoenixhealthLinkedIn - Emily Guarnotta and Phoenix HealthWebsite - Phoenix HealthConnect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

Esther Grubbs spent eight years teaching elementary school, first grade and then fifth, before a math problem changed her career. After her third child, childcare cost more than she was earning, and she left the classroom. A few months later she became a doula, then a childbirth educator, and eventually co-founded Birth Connection, a business she never planned to own. In this episode, Esther talks candidly about the financial conversations with her husband that made leaving teaching possible, the cultural assumption that only women’s salaries should be scrutinized when childcare costs are weighed, and the ethical concerns that pushed her to co-found her own company. She shares what she’s learned about building connections and patience as a new entrepreneur, how her classroom experience shapes the way she teaches birth, and why she believes parenthood often forces us to rethink the lives we planned. If you’ve ever run the childcare numbers and felt stuck, or wondered whether a career pivot after kids is possible, Esther’s story offers both practical perspective and encouragement.Connect with Esther here:IG - @birthconnectionazWebsite -Birth Connection AZConnect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

Lindsey Suriani spent nearly 14 years at a global chemical company in operations and customer-facing roles before she became a mom. Ten years ago, she helped build an employee resource group alongside other working mothers, and it grew into a community that welcomed all types of working parents.Through “parenting out loud,” they set out to normalize the experiences parents often feel pressured to hide, and they won real change together. In this episode, Lindsey shares what it took to build that grassroots movement, from advocating for pumping and parental leave policies to the emotional complexity of returning to work after childbirth. She talks candidly about nursing twins, which she calls a huge accomplishment, and about pregnancy loss and how it shaped her advocacy for others. Lindsey also reflects on the importance of reconnecting with hobbies as a parent and the value of authenticity at work.Her message is clear: silence perpetuates the problems we’re trying to solve. If you’re a working parent who has felt like you had to hide part of your life to succeed, or you want to start a movement in your own workplace, this conversation offers both encouragement and a practical blueprint.Connect with Lindsey here:LinkedIn -LIndsey SurianiIG - @sewmamalovesyouConnect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

Beth Wanner spent 15 years climbing the tech marketing ladder, until infertility, IVF, and pregnancy discrimination derailed her trajectory. After spending years keeping her fertility struggles private (terrified it would cost her her job), she finally got pregnant through IVF. Two days after finding out, she was laid off. She immediately began job searching while pregnant, keeping her pregnancy hidden from potential employers. She landed a new role, disclosed her pregnancy, and was let go again at eight months pregnant. In this episode, Beth shares the raw reality of navigating infertility while working, the discrimination pregnant job seekers face, and what finally made her decide to go public with her story on LinkedIn. Hundreds of people reached out with their own stories - and a pattern emerged: companies had great parental leave policies, but the operational reality was chaos. Teams were left without coverage, employees felt pressure to stay "connected," and the promise of leave became a broken one. So Beth founded Mother Cover: an agency that provides interim and fractional leadership during parental leaves, ensuring business continuity while giving employees the space to actually be fully present during leave. In this conversation, Beth explores the gap between what companies say and what they do, why interim leadership is a game-changer, and what the business case for supporting parents actually looks like. If you've experienced workplace discrimination around pregnancy or parenthood, felt unsupported during leave, or wondered how companies could actually do this better, Beth's story and solution offer both validation and hope.Connect with Beth here:LinkedIn - Beth Wanner and Mother CoverWebsite - Mother CoverIG - @mothercoveragencyConnect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

After 10+ years in corporate communications and customer experience, Krislyn Powell made a radical choice: she left. Not because she had to, but because she wanted to enjoy her life. In this deeply personal episode, Krislyn shares her journey from climbing the corporate ladder to stepping away to build a business aligned with her values - all while navigating motherhood and postpartum on her own terms. She talks about the moment she knew it was time to move on, what "radical responsibility" actually means (owning your time and choices, fully), and why the traditional postpartum recovery timeline doesn't work for ambitious mothers who want both career fulfillment and presence with their kids. Krislyn reflects on the challenges and joys of building Find Flow Birth Co. and the Birth at Work podcast while raising two young children, the importance of community support, and what it costs to stay in spaces that don't align with who you are. This episode is for anyone questioning whether the corporate path is really theirs, wondering if it's possible to have both meaningful work and a life you actually enjoy, or feeling trapped by the expectation that postpartum looks a certain way. Krislyn's answer: it doesn't. You get one life. This is how she's living hers.Connect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

In this personal, vulnerable episode, Krislyn Powell goes solo to talk about the conversations that don't happen enough: partner dynamics and how they shape everything about being a working parent. She shares her own journey navigating traditional and non-traditional roles with her husband, the hard conversations that had to happen, and what she's learned about the mental load, communication, and advocacy within a relationship. Krislyn is honest about the fact that no relationship dynamic is perfect, but that growth and understanding are always possible when both partners are willing to show up. Whether you're in a traditional partnership, co-parenting solo, or navigating something in between, this episode explores the real work of partnership: shifting responsibilities as families grow, understanding each other's needs, and supporting one another as both parents and professionals. If you've ever felt unsupported by your partner, struggled to divide labor equitably, or wondered how to advocate for what you need, this conversation offers both validation and a path forward.Connect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

Clara Kuo spent 15 years in high-tech UX research in Silicon Valley, climbing the ladder while raising two daughters. But there's one thing she regrets: sometimes, she was so focused on survival that she missed the joy.Early on, the right thing felt like: working, providing, being ambitious. Then, 13 years later, after being RIF'd from her job, Clara finally had the space to ask: "What if I had treated each phase as a season instead of something to get through?" In this raw and honest conversation, Clara reflects on the identity shifts of motherhood, the toll of trying to do it all in a male-dominated tech industry, and what it means to reclaim presence and creativity now that her daughters are older and can walk themselves to school.She's pivoting from corporate to solarpreneurship, - helping professional women unlock personal creativity through nature-based practices - and she's learned that the joy wasn't something to rush past. It was always there, waiting. If you've ever felt like you were missing your own life while living it, or wondered if it's too late to show up differently for your kids, this episode offers both the honest reckoning and the beautiful redemption.Connect with Clara here:LinkedIn - Clara KuoWebsite - Love Notes to NatureIG - clarakoala.sketcherConnect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

Jessica Butkus is a digital marketing and operations leader who became a Certified Lactation Counselor while working full-time - and through that journey - she discovered something critical: employer policies for breastfeeding support mean nothing without the culture to back them up. After being laid off at eight months pregnant, taking only four weeks of maternity leave while doing contract work, and then being reprimanded for babywearing her newborn on video calls, Jessica learned that even mission-driven organizations focused on women and families can fail working mothers. She's now at a company that actually walks the talk, and she's passionate about helping other working parents understand what real support looks like.In this episode, Jessica breaks down the gap between what companies claim to value and what they actually implement, and what it took to find an employer who didn't just have a pumping room - but a culture of genuine flexibility, dignity, and respect. If you've felt unsupported despite working for "values-aligned" organizations, or wondered what actual meaningful support for breastfeeding employees looks like, this conversation reveals what needs to change.Connect with Jessica here:LinkedIn - Jessica ButkusIG - Rolling Creations Photo BoxConnect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

In S2 EP17, we sit down with Rachel Cottam, who transitioned from teaching (a female-majority profession) to being the only woman in a Utah tech office while raising young children - and she quickly realized that supporting working parents requires more than just women supporting women. It requires allies. Drawing from her own experience navigating pregnancy, pumping at work, childcare logistics, and the impossible pressure to "do it all," Rachel created the "Allies at Work" podcast and playbook to shift the conversation from "how do women manage?" to "how do we actually change this?" She's a working mom who knows firsthand what it costs when colleagues don't understand the realities of postpartum recovery, school pickups, sick days, and the mental load - and she's spent her career asking: what if men were part of the solution? Recently completing her Master's degree at Cambridge while working full-time and parenting, Rachel practices what she preaches about integration over balance. In this episode, she shares what she's learned about managing guilt and expectations, why partner dynamics matter, and what real support from allies actually looks like. If you've felt unsupported or wondered how to advocate for change, this conversation offers both permission and a path forward.Connect with Rachel here:LinkedIn - Rachel Cottam and Allies at WorkPodcast - Allies at WorkWeb - Rachel CottamIG - Allies at WorkConnect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work

In S2 EP16, we sit down with Dr. Frederica, a Certified Acupuncturist and herbal medicine practitioner who knows firsthand the power of listening to your body. After six years without a menstrual cycle - a journey through fertility challenges that conventional medicine couldn't solve - she restored her health through acupuncture, herbs, and diet. She went on to conceive, have an unmedicated birth with acupuncture support, and now helps other women navigate fertility and postpartum wellness. In this episode, she shares how working through pregnancy challenges while building her practice taught her that symptoms aren't life sentences - they're invitations to get back in balance. If you've ever felt unheard by the medical system or wondered what holistic approaches might offer, this conversation will change how you think about your body's wisdom.Connect with Dr. Frederica here:IG - @dr.fredericaWeb - Mount SunnyConnect with Krislyn here:IG - @birthatwork @findflowbirthcoLinkedIn - Krislyn Powell and Birth at Work