Dana Reyes
came back from leave, kept the career, and stopped apologizing for both
$42/hour , set by Dana Reyes.
I went back to work when my son was 14 weeks old and spent the first month pumping in a supply closet next to the printer paper. That was 2021. I'm still at the same company, promoted twice since, and my kid knows my face.
Here's the humbling part: I came back trying to prove I hadn't changed, took on two extra projects, and by month five I was crying in my car in the parking garage on a Tuesday for no specific reason. What actually saved my career was doing less, visibly and on purpose. I renegotiated my scope, put a hard stop at 4:45, and got ruthless about which meetings mattered.
Sessions with me are working sessions. Bring your calendar and your actual situation. We'll find the one conversation you're avoiding with your manager or your partner, script it, and you'll have it before we meet again.
More background
I know cold: return-from-leave logistics, pumping at work, negotiating flexible schedules without torching your reputation, the promotion conversation when you've been part-time-visible, dividing the mental load with a partner who 'helps.' Best for parents in the first two years back, or pregnant and planning the return. Also useful for managers who don't want to lose their new-parent employees. Not for: parenting advice (sleep training, feeding debates, no thank you, ask your pediatrician) or stay-at-home-versus-work arguments, I have no dog in that fight. I'm not a therapist, and postpartum mental health is way above my pay grade; I will always say so and point you toward real help. Logistics: I book sessions 12:00 to 1:00 or after 8:30pm Central, because, well, obviously. I cancel maybe twice a year for a sick kid and always rebook within the week. Between sessions I'm asynchronous by voice memo and I answer during nap-adjacent hours.