Working and having a family is hard. But what is really fatiguing is that it is only mothers that pay a penalty when they become parents. It is only mothers that pay an up to 60% salary penalty over the first five years of establishing their family. Only mothers that see their retirement savings penalised because of the caregiving requirements they are fulfilling. And only mothers that get sidelined in their careers because of the lack of quality part time roles. In this podcast we are going to get curious about the system that creates the motherhood penalty and curious about...
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Sep 28, 2026 · 38:45
Despite progress in workplace policy, modern mothers still face a pervasive culture that minimises their professional capabilities, limits career progression, and leaves them…
Sep 21, 2026 · 30:24
The traditional eight-hour workday was built for an industrial era that simply no longer reflects how modern families live or work. While workplaces slowly adapt to hybrid…
Sep 14, 2026 · 42:46
Navigating a fast-paced career, higher education, board governance, and ultra-marathon training is a massive feat on its own. Add two young kids into the mix, and keeping a…
Sep 7, 2026 · 50:51
When you’re pregnant with your first child, the return-to-work plan feels straightforward. But for so many mothers, the reality of unyielding corporate cultures, zero workplace…
Aug 31, 2026 · 35:11
I'm joined this week by a repeat offender, Tāmati Rimene-Sproat, TV presenter and host of Counting the Beat, who's now 18 months into fatherhood. We first met when Tāmati…
Aug 24, 2026 · 33:28
I'm joined this week by Davinnia Tan, an employment relations leader who has served as a member of the Employment Relations Authority, an independent reviewer of ACC decisions,…
Aug 17, 2026 · 42:56
I'm joined this week by Jayne Chater, executive coach, leadership development specialist, and author of A Slight Detour: A Guide to Navigating Family and Career. Jayne has spent…
Aug 10, 2026 · 47:00
I'm delighted to welcome two next-level guests to the podcast: Dr. W. Brad Johnson and Dr. David G. Smith, authors of Fair Share: How Men and Women Can Create a More Equitable…
Aug 3, 2026 · 27:03
I'm back with the marvellous Stephanie Pow, founder of Crayon and a repeat offender on this podcast. We recorded this the same morning we'd both been doing media commentary on…
Jul 27, 2026 · 29:43
I'm back, my friends. After six months away writing a book, I'm kicking off this new season of How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty with a solo episode, sharing what I've been up…
Jan 26, 2026 · 20:25
Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These…
Jan 19, 2026 · 23:03
Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These…
Jan 12, 2026 · 20:36
Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These…
Jan 5, 2026 · 23:09
Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! This summer, I’m bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These…
Dec 29, 2025 · 29:34
Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! Over the next five weeks, I’ll be bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect…
Dec 3, 2025 · 38:13
In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat with Art Green, dad of three, entrepreneur, and one of New Zealand’s most recognisable modern fathers. Art shares his journey from…
Nov 27, 2025 · 47:22
In this episode, I chat with Georgie Dent, one of Australia’s leading voices on gender equality, parental support, early childhood education, and the motherhood penalty. As CEO…
Nov 19, 2025 · 33:29
In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat to Danielle Chew, a senior leader at ANZ and co-chair of the ANZ Whānau Network, an employee-led group transforming the experience of…
Nov 12, 2025 · 44:38
In this episode, I chat with Michelle Allbon and Julia Bower, the powerhouse duo behind The Fractional Directory, a progressive platform redefining what leadership and…
Nov 5, 2025 · 52:02
In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat with Roam With Kids founder Renata Wiles to talk about the invisible work of parenting, financial fairness, and the conversations…
Oct 29, 2025 · 44:05
In this episode, I chat with Nicola Raynes-Pene, Partner at KPMG, mother of three, and 2024 Part-Time Power Lister, about what it really takes to build a thriving senior-level…
Oct 22, 2025 · 37:06
In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat with Josie from Play Based Pēpi to talk about the very real journey of parenting, relationships, and rediscovering who you are after…
Oct 15, 2025 · 47:09
In this episode, I chat with Jane Sweeney and Carolyn Kerr , co-founders of Anthem, one of New Zealand’s leading communications and marketing agencies. Together, they unpack how…
Oct 13, 2025 · 25:34
Welcome to this bonus and unique episode where as part of the TVNZ documentary “The Motherhood Penalty TBC”, I interview Tāmati Rimene-Sproat. Well, in fact, Tāmati actually…
Oct 8, 2025 · 51:16
In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat with Sophie Moskowitz, founder of Imperfect Parents, to unpack what it really means to parent in today’s world, without the pressure…
Oct 1, 2025 · 33:01
In this episode, I chat with Jane Wrightson, New Zealand’s Retirement Commissioner, to unpack how motherhood impacts women’s long-term financial security. Jane shares her…
Sep 24, 2025 · 48:46
In this episode of It’s Good To Talk, I chat with Emily Parks, marketing manager at the Dr. Libby Group and host of the Have It All podcast, about the realities of working…
Sep 17, 2025 · 42:29
In this episode, I chat with Stephanie Pow, founder of Crayon, a startup on a mission to reduce financial stress in the moments that matter most. Crayon is best known for…
Sep 10, 2025 · 38:46
How often do dads get real about what’s going on in their heads? In this episode, I sit down with Aidan Kyrke-Smith, founder of Dadventure, to unpack the often-unspoken world of…
Sep 3, 2025 · 54:05
What would our workplaces and homes look like if caregiving was truly valued, shared, and supported? In this thought-provoking episode, I sit down with Joe Consedine and Jess…
Aug 27, 2025 · 42:32
What are the conversations that truly make a difference for working parents? In this episode of It’s Good to Talk, I turn the tables on Anna Johnstone, executive coach, founder…
Aug 27, 2025 · 2:41
Welcome to. It's Good to Talk. The podcast that equips working parents with the conversations they need to be having. My name's Emma McClain. I'm an executive coach and I work…
Aug 20, 2025 · 45:40
In this episode, I talk to Victoria Crockford, Project Director of the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness, to shine a light on an issue too often hidden from view: the growing…
Aug 13, 2025 · 40:49
In this episode, I talk to Dr. Amanda Sterling, Principal Director, award-winning consultant, and proud mum, to unpack her groundbreaking PhD research to help organisations…
Aug 6, 2025 · 40:50
In this episode, Emma sits down with two of New Zealand’s 2024 Part-Time Power Listers: Emma Thompson and Liz Blythe. Emma is a partner in PWC’s private business team and a…
Jul 30, 2025 · 49:27
In this powerful conversation, I talk to Dr Ellen Joan Ford, who is terrifyingly ambitious about improving the working world for people and for organisations. As a leader,…
Jul 23, 2025 · 31:10
In this powerful conversation, I am joined by Kimberlee Sweeney , certified divorce and co-parenting coach and founder of Degrees of Separation , to unpack how separation and…
Jul 16, 2025 · 44:34
In this insightful conversation, I am joined by the brilliant Nicole Retter, founder of PAM, Personal Admin Manager, an app built to ease the mental load for overwhelmed parents.…
Jul 9, 2025 · 30:19
In this powerful conversation, I am joined by the brilliant Rachel Carrell, CEO and Founder of Koru Kids, an innovative childcare provider operating in 10 cities in the UK.…
Jun 18, 2025 · 40:33
We love talking to people who are trying to smash the system and Haylee Killip is one of these people. A business that was born out of the struggle of a corporate career and the…
Jun 11, 2025 · 1:01:11
In this special episode we talk to Katherine Cornish and Vanessa Simons (both from Fisher Funds) about their experiences as single parents. To share their reflections on the…
Jun 4, 2025 · 47:58
It is not often that you get to talk to an international author and accomplished practitioner in tackling harmful gender norms and promoting positive social change. But in this…
May 28, 2025 · 49:41
This is a unique episode where we take a little pulse check on where we are with The Motherhood Penalty with Prue Tyler and Tania Domett. I started this podcast in September 2023…
May 22, 2025 · 39:27
I dedicated my entire second season to Dads as they are a key part of the puzzle when it comes to gender equity. So when I came across some research on Dads that was entitled:…
May 14, 2025 · 45:05
This conversation is so good on so many levels. I knew that I had to invite Rachel Paris onto the podcast for several reasons. Firstly because she has recently published her…
Dec 19, 2024 · 43:02
In this last episode of season two, we interview Maddock Price. Maddock is a proud dad to two energetic boys with a third child on the way next year. He lives in Avondale,…
Dec 17, 2024 · 32:07
In this episode, we interview Shea Bentley, a father of three children under five. Along with his wife they have leaned into conversations with their employers to ensure they can…
Dec 15, 2024 · 44:57
In this episode, we interview Joe Consedine. Joe is a former Director of Champions for Change with Global Women where he worked with New Zealand’s leading 80 Chief Executives and…
Dec 12, 2024 · 39:50
In this episode, we interview Sam Cunnington Waugh. Sam is a father to an almost 5 month old boy Felix, and a 5 year old daughter Rhea, who has recently started school. He is a…
Dec 10, 2024 · 37:09
In this episode, we interview Sean Keaney. Sean, CEO of FCB Wellington, isn't your average ad exec. He's a seasoned veteran, having cut his teeth in the good old days of direct…
Dec 2, 2024 · 49:21
In this episode, we interview Callum Williamson. Callum is a working father and General Manager at Conductive Education Taranaki who recently took time off to care for his…
Dec 2, 2024 · 48:20
In this episode, we interview Scott La Franchie. Scott is a proud Husband and father of two young daughters, aged 4 and 6, and a senior leader and marketing strategist with…
Dec 2, 2024 · 50:50
In this episode, we interview Paul Taylor. You may remember him and his wife Bec from Season One. Well – he is back! We are super lucky to hear from him again. Paul and Bec met…
Dec 2, 2024 · 46:21
In this episode, we interview Steve Jurkovich, dad to two daughters and Chief Executive of Kiwibank. You’ll need to pull up a chair for our conversation as it is a fire side chat…
Dec 2, 2024 · 12:23
Kia ora koutou, welcome back to Season Two of How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty. In this season we are turning the spotlight onto Working Fathers. Even though they may not…
Oct 30, 2023 · 21:57
As this is the final episode of the first season of “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty”, I wanted to reflect on what I have learnt from taking the leap and making this series.…
Oct 23, 2023 · 29:56
In this episode we talk with Michelle Russell, General Manager, Talent and Culture, for ANZ NZ and the Pacific. It was a special conversation recorded in the recent school…
Oct 15, 2023 · 38:55
This week, our guest is Charlotte Ward, the Chief People Officer for Kiwibank. I reached out to Charlotte when I saw that they had created a part time role for one of their…
Oct 9, 2023 · 29:14
How good is it to spend time with someone who has found her sweet spot and loves her work. This person is indeed, Dellwyn Stuart. Dellwyn is a mother of three and the Chief…
Oct 2, 2023 · 37:57
This episode is one that I dared to dream about. Through my coaching with working parents, I have had a window on the world of families that others may not have. I have listened…
Sep 25, 2023 · 40:09
If you have ever wished for a role that has hours that suit the caregiving responsibilities you have, then this episode is for you. We interview mother, social entrepreneur and…
Sep 18, 2023 · 30:29
When we become mothers, we can often be surprised at the changes that it creates in our lives and this episode is a great reminder of that. Tania Domett is an all-round legend…
Sep 11, 2023 · 46:47
Haylee Putaranui (Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Pahauwera) is Fonterra’s Pouhere, Director Māori Strategy . Prior to this she was the Global Lead for Diversity and…
Sep 4, 2023 · 31:50
In this episode, we interview Priscilla Chand, the founder of HIRE HER, a transformative digital talent and jobs platform for women. With over 250 successful job placements in 2…
Sep 3, 2023 · 15:21
We need to talk about the Motherhood Penalty. A penalty that only mothers pay when they become parents. A penalty that can last a lifetime when it comes to salary, career, and…
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