Empowered Prioritization During Life's Many Seasons - with Elaine Benfield

Leanna Laskey McGrath  0:08  

Welcome to the executive coach for moms podcast where we support women who are attempting to find balance and joy while simultaneously leading people at work and at home. I'm your host Leanna Laskey McGrath, former tech exec turned full time mom, recovering perfectionist and workaholic, and certified executive coach. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  0:30  

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the show. Thanks so much for being here today. I'm so excited to share this guest with you. Her name is Elaine Benfield, and she has worked in the software tech space for 25 years. And she also is a mom. And so I'd like to talk with her and learn a little bit about her journey and what she's learned along the way in terms of work life balance and integration and things like that. So thanks so much for being here. Elaine. Welcome.

Elaine Benfield  1:02  

Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to our conversation.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  1:05  

Yeah, yeah, me too. So maybe if you could start off and just tell us a little bit about yourself. 

Elaine Benfield  1:11  

Sure. So as you said, I've been in high tech many, many, many years. I'm like was 25 Right? It could be a little bit more give or take. But I grew up in Pennsylvania, I had a German mother and American father, you know, great childhood ended up going to University of Delaware was such an advocate for consumer protection that I went to college and got a degree Bachelor of Science in consumer economics, ended up working in a lobbying firm NFIB National Federation of Independent Business for two years out of college, and then was on that path of life where, okay, do I want to get my law degree? Do I want to become a lobbyist? Or do I want to get my MBA, and I have an older sister who got her international business MBA, and my dad was like, you have to have higher education. That is a must for a woman. He just was so into women's rights and equality. And so I'd had that turning point where I started taking, studying for the LSAT and then just kind of did a pivot going, you know, I don't picture myself as a lobbyist. Just didn't have that demeanor, whatnot. So I ended up moving to Europe. I took the GMAT, I lived in Europe, backpacked around Europe for about nine months, and then moved to Boston to get my MBA.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  2:26  

Okay. 

Elaine Benfield  2:26  

And I had at the time, a professor came up to me and said, Hey, you are so outgoing, but you also understand the concepts of technology. And he said, You really should be a tech, high tech PR. And I was like, What on earth is that, like, I've never heard of, I knew tech companies but didn't understand really what that end. So I got a great opportunity ended up doing an internship and which led me to work for IBM, I ended up being part of a branding team for some, you know, different areas. And it kind of led me down this path of I love strategy. I love to pack. And I ended up getting my husband in Boston, and I moved to Atlanta. We ended up getting married, and I got pregnant right away. And I stepped on her was to when I met her, but I at that time, just went back to corporate. I ended up doing consulting, I ended up getting a package from a company and it let me have the opportunity to move to Atlanta where my husband was from. And I ended up realizing when I got pregnant that the company I work for would not accept any flexibility. They said to me, I was like really nervous. I literally started and within a month I found out I was pregnant, like one of those. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  3:39  

Yeah. 

Elaine Benfield  3:40  

And it was amazing. But the male executives at the time were awful. You know, first of all, it was hard to be pregnant. I'm sure other women relate. When it's a drinking environment and you're in you're at an event and everyone's like, why are you not having a cocktail and it was like, I kept pretending it was like soda water. Like I had soda water pretending it was like, whatever cocktail with vodka or whatever. And I remember how I felt because this was you know, I had a stepdaughter, but I was I wanted to be a mom as a little kid. But I loved having a very, you know, kind of important career to me. I built and worked really hard for all those years, you know, 8, 10 years, 12 years, that I really wanted to find a balance. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  4:22  

Yeah. 

Elaine Benfield  4:22  

And so I started, my first child was born and in November, and I knew they were going to make me come in the office within after six weeks full time, no flexibility. So I start my own consulting business.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  4:36  

Wow. 

Elaine Benfield  4:36  

So I did my last part of my pregnancy. And I know you can understand like, I started in August, and I built my own business while I was working full time, basically to give me the flexibility. I knew I needed 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  4:49  

Yeah. 

Elaine Benfield  4:50  

And then I had my baby and said, I'm not coming back. If you give me flexibility, I'll come back and they were like No. And so I end up leaving the company and started for when my kids were really little. And then I had when my youngest, or My middle child was six months old, I got pregnant with my second. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  5:06  

Oh, wow. 

Elaine Benfield  5:07  

So my kids are 15 months apart. And it was the best decision to have that, you know, I kept my foot in the tech world, I ended up doing consulting, I ended up kind of having a good balance, ended up having a nanny in the house. So then, because I got pregnant so quickly between, I was like, well just stay on board, and then you're gonna get two kids. But I would we would every week go, Okay, well, when do you have your meetings? I try to do all my meetings in the morning. Because I wanted every afternoon to be at playdates and at the zoo. And you know, Atlanta has a great a lot of things for little kids. And I wanted the afternoons to be with my kids. Yeah. So I was lucky that I had that. I think I really set myself up. And I'm sure you understand that. I have a lot of friends that ended up giving up their career or shifting the way they did or taking a step back. I just didn't have that in me. I felt like I worked so hard to get to where I was, especially with the networking piece that I didn't even envision, and my husband at the time was executive. And it was that decision of like, well, how do we do this? We have two executives in the home. What do we do? We both traveled and that was really tough. You know, it's a lot of combinations to you know, master and figure out.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  6:24  

Yeah, yeah. So how did you do that? You started your company while you were pregnant, while working full time. I remember in my third trimester, I think I just wanted to sleep most of the time that I wasn't working. How did you manage that?

Elaine Benfield  6:42  

I laugh, because you know, we do. I think that's something that women and I always say this no offense to men, but we're incredible humans. My goal was to be with my baby. And I'm a first time I love my stepdaughter. But it was the first time I was having an infant. I didn't know I had my nieces and my sister's alittle older. But to me, I just knew that I had to get through this period, to be home more with my child, and to be around and work from home and do that. Because I was working from home many years before. I was virtual. My team was global. And so agents hired me and I would do work I do. It was so wonderful that I had that. But I knew I had to get through those months of the nausea and the tiredness and the I mean, I remember even traveling for clients when I was pretty pregnant. But I knew that was then I knew I'd get to the end goal of having a balance. And it was the right I luckily created my path for that to find that balance.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  7:43  

Yeah. Yeah, and it sounds like you just kind of power through like, Do you have any suggestions? Let's say someone's at this point right now, where they're like, I'm working in a company, where I have a non supportive environment, culture, right, that's not going to allow me the flexibility, which, in 2024, blows my mind that any company would like, rather give up talent than to provide some flexibility for this time, you know, this season of one's life. And I think that that's changed a bit, hopefully, for a lot of companies. But I know it's still the case for plenty of them. And that was how long ago?

Elaine Benfield  8:23  

My middle child was born in 2004. And then I have a 2006, baby. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  8:30  

Okay.

Elaine Benfield  8:31  

So but it was interesting, I came to a turning point where market everyone would might remember anyone you noticed certain age around like 2005 2006, we were having a market struggle. So I started struggling with clients. And it was becoming more more difficult. And I remember I started playing tennis, got in the best shape and was like on these leagues and had the nanny and the two kids. And I remember one day, I'll never forget this. My husband looked across the table, and I literally talked about like, peeing pooping and tennis, and I saw a glaze over his eyes. And I was like, time to go back to work full time. It was a turning point for me, because I don't want to say he lost respect. But he fell in love with someone who was climbing the corporate ladder. And that was the image he had for me and I had for myself. I love that women can do that. I could not. And that's a hard turning point. But as I as you were asking, I got into an amazing software company. And the difference was I had a female boss. And at that time, you know, she had young kids, all of us had kids kind of similar in age. Because of her and I will give a shout out to Karen Master, one of my still really close girlfriends. She made it okay for us to raise our kids together. There was never a question. She knew I was still pulling 60 hours work week. But there was a chunk that was after my kids went to bed. There's a chunk that when they wake me up in the morning and And I think it's really hard when you have a manager, and I had them through my career, you know, after I worked with her for 10 years, which I was so lucky, but then I had a manager who didn't give, she could care less, and she had children. So it's, I think you have to be lucky. I think when you look for a job, a manager can change and make or break a company. And as you, as you heard, I had to start a business because I had a male boss, that was going to be awful when I was sick. I couldn't imagine my kid being sick and him being like, you're not going to go take them to the doctor. That's literally what I kept my fear. 

Elaine Benfield  10:35  

Because I'm a mom, first. To the end of the day, I always say I'm a mama bear, like I was made to have children, and my stepdaughter is included in that. And I think you have to be lucky. But you also have to look for that manager that is going to give you that flexibility. And I think any company that doesn't provide that, you in the end, they're not going to be successful. Because now I think this generation, and I'm, you know, older, I'm 51. People are saying I don't want to do that, I wouldn't want to work for big brother and this corporate, I don't want to, you know, they want to work to live, they don't want to live to work.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  11:12  

Right. 

Elaine Benfield  11:12  

And I think as a mom, you have to find that balance, or create that balance. I think that's super important. If you have a boss, that's not nice, and you're really having a hard time. Can you pivot? Can you find another opportunity? And I think that's, you know, our kids are young for such a short period of time. My youngest is about to graduate from high school, I now get to launch whatever career I want and get to do, you know, I almost feel like it those years. I don't regret I was at every single valentine's day, I was at every single Halloween. I was class mom, I was this that. And I don't regret a single decision because I was able to be there for them.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  11:49  

Yeah. So I spent two years as an executive, the first two years, those first two years of my daughter's life, and then decided to step away. And she's five now. And so it's been three years started restarted my business about a year and a half ago. And so I get that that was what I felt like she's got this one and only precious childhood and like, I just hate to miss it. And I was fortunate I worked remotely and I had a very flexible situation and environment. And I traveled and she traveled with me everywhere. She and her and her nanny, nanny. Yeah, she had a passport when she was a little baby passport. 

Elaine Benfield  12:30  

Same with my, same with my kids, that they were just they were traveling at six weeks. I was like you're doing what I did. You're going everywhere with me. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  12:37  

Yeah. 

Elaine Benfield  12:37  

So I totally get. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  12:38  

Yeah. But I think it's so important. To me, it's that piece of what am I going to regret the most, right? No matter what I think at the end of our lives, we always say we want to have no regrets. I think the reality is, is that we're going to probably have some regrets. It's like, which ones do we are we okay with and for me, I was okay, missing a bit of career time, but I'm not okay, I would regret more missing that time with my daughter.

Elaine Benfield  13:05  

And I do think it's what I think I struggle with is women that make the choice to whatever they want for their own choice for work. When you're done, and your children are at a good age, I really cannot believe in America, it's hard to get back into into the workforce. You probably know people like me that are amazing. They were top of their game. But you know, they made the decision with their spouse or significant other to you know, either not continue in a corporate world or whatever environment. And then I saw them reemerging into the market. And there are all these low leveling and like these are people that were by far at my level, but now I'm so much higher. And I they're just as capable as they were before. Yes, technology is changing everything. But it's that's also really difficult that I still can't believe in other foreign countries, that is not the case. You can come back, take a year off or whatever the situation is, and your job name is still there. And we just we don't have that infrastructure in the US. And I think moms should have the option to stay home. 

Elaine Benfield  14:11  

It's hard having a baby. It's hard having a C section. It's hard with postpartum. It's hard nursing. I remember my first one of my business trips or something I ended up traveling, and I went to Vegas, mind you, and I had my pump and they pulled me out of TSA. And were like, what is this? And mortified me and I'm like, it's for nursing like nowadays. Trust me if anyone had babies in this time, you'd be like, oh, yeah, it was this huge bag. It made a lot of noise. Now, it's like there's all these wonderful new things and I'm like, I wish I had that. But you were almost shamed to want to because I was still nursing that I didn't have my kid with me. But I'm like, okay, but I need to do this. And it was amazing how people were staring at me and I'm like, I think today it's a little more accepting. But those are the hurdles that I just remember being like, why is it so hard for women? Why is it? You know, thank God, we're having babies, thank God we're like, you know, contributing to society. And we're also smart enough to have careers if we want them.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  15:12  

Yeah. 

Elaine Benfield  15:12  

Um, so it is that balance.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  15:14  

Yeah. Well, I think it's really interesting. And as obviously, it's Women's History Month. And I so I think about, you know, women who have done the things that we're doing now, but in past times, and so back in 2004 2005 2006, it doesn't seem like that long ago. But I mean, 20 years ago, it's crazy to think about, and I think, you know, I love hearing your story. And also recognizing that there has been progress made, right? At this point, that it's probably much less likely that a woman will be pulled out of TSA PreCheck, about a pump.

Elaine Benfield  15:54  

That would never I really don't think that would happen again today. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  15:56  

Yeah. 

Elaine Benfield  15:56  

I think people are really understanding. But at the time, I was like, Why is this so uncommon? Made no sense to me what women never travel when they're when they're breastfeeding? I didn't understand that at all. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  16:07  

Yeah, well, and I think it's such a testament to you that you continued on, even in spite of those challenges, because I think that that is, you know, that might kind of be an indicator to someone to say, Okay, I shouldn't be doing this. I don't, it's too much. I don't want to do this, you know, and decide to take a different path. And it sounds like you kind of continued on and said, like, No, this is what I'm doing. And this is what I need to do in order to meet major needs of mine of, you know, spending time with my kids, and also staying engaged and connected to my career.

Elaine Benfield  16:41  

You know, I look, what I see to me is, you know, my kids are now you know, 24, 19, and almost just turned 18. And they respect that I did it. They say all the time, man, you never missed a Valentine's Day party, you never missed a Halloween party, you're in charge of all these things with a career and the door was always open in your bedroom, you were always there for us. And it's amazing to see that, that I did it right. That they respect me for, you know, I can provide for all of them I'm paying for everything right now in the situation I'm in. And they're like, Wow, you really are an incredible mom, but also this woman who's fierce. In the end, I have, I'm happy when they launch, I still have a great career. You know, and I'm happy and anyone that gave up their career, there's still so much out there for you. My identity is a mom, but I'm also I'm Elaine. I'm also this, you know, I love tech. I love what I do. I love I'm in a great current role I've been in for a while. And I think women deserve to find what that balance is. And if you are happy volunteering or doing I'm so supportive of whatever a woman's path is. And every one every path has challenges. And it's finding the one and the people that will support you along the way. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  18:01  

Yeah, well, I think it's encouraging to hear from older kids. Because I know a lot of listeners have younger kids. And they're wondering, like, Am I doing this right? I think as parents, we're always afraid of this, like, am I going to mess up my kids somehow? And the answer is always yes, somehow, probably.

Elaine Benfield  18:23  

Absolutely. Absolutely. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  18:25  

But I think it's you know, it's also encouraging to hear the fact that they recognize it, because probably, they're not going to recognize it when they're younger. Right? 

Elaine Benfield  18:34  

No, they don't see it in the moment. But then to have I mean, I truly and I have a lot of friends that kids don't recognize that. And maybe it's a situation I'm in in life, and I'm divorced now. And but I do think that boy full circle, like one example is, I broke my ankle in October. I had to have surgery was out for 10 weeks just started walking. It's April, um March. And I just started walking a month ago. So like, it's been a long, but my kids were the ones I was able to take short term medical leave, but my kids for 10 weeks were every food every meal, every laundry, and that's a sign that whatever I did, I did something right. I did a lot wrong. I hear from them all the time. But the fact that they kept me I want to say alive, because they fed me three, I couldn't go downstairs, I was stuck upstairs. And I just am so appreciative that and they say you know, you took care of us all those years. It's our turn. It's a few weeks, it's our turn. And that was so amazing that I could just sit back and heal and get through it and figure it out. To have these amazing humans that are adults and are like wow, and then it was funny the things they learned and the things that it was good that I had to take a backseat because I'm definitely I don't want to say a helicopter mom, but I'm like, very engaged. And so it was nice to kind of see to see that.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  19:57  

Yeah, I'm sure that was really heartwarming. and rewarding

Elaine Benfield  20:01  

I know, right?

Leanna Laskey McGrath  20:02  

to have the table's turned. Yeah. If you were to go back and do anything differently, would you do anything differently?

Elaine Benfield  20:09  

You know, I don't think I would. I really don't I feel, you know, in life, you always regress. I regret I think things through all the time of like, what if, what ifs. I do What Ifs a lot in my mind, but then I wouldn't have my kids, I wouldn't have my social network, I wouldn't have my work and the career. I think if you're unhappy, you have to find a way to get out of that situation, especially as a mom, you have enough pressure. And I really want to go back to if you don't have the right job that gives you that balance you want, really reevaluate. I know the market's hard, I'm not discrediting that, but leverage your network, find something. There's a lot of companies out there that are flexible and are good, and you don't want to be miserable during the most amazing time with your kids. So I don't regret I think everything led to me to be today, I definitely think there's pieces where I shouldn't have worked for a bad manager for a while, or someone who's toxic in the environment, there's a couple I would have pivoted a little bit more. But I think in the end, it's where I kind of was meant to be, you know, this is the path I had to take somehow.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  21:16  

Yeah, well, and I think it's interesting, the only change you would make would be like to basically make that decision sooner to get out of a situation that wasn't working for you. And I think that anyone who is listening who's maybe in a situation that that isn't working for them, maybe just something to consider that that might be the thing, too, that, you know, someone might look back on and, and wish that they had done differently. I know that, you know, I, I stayed at my company for a bit longer than I probably needed to or really wanted to. And of course, you know, it all worked out. And I feel good about it. But I think that a lot of times we because we tend to kind of second guess ourselves or we tend to, you know, worry so much about everything. We don't make that decision that we know we need to make, we kind of put it off for a while. And so yeah, I think it's interesting to hear from you that that's like, of everything, that's really the only thing that you might do differently. 

Elaine Benfield  22:17  

Yeah, and change is hard. I mean, but I also think it can be so rewarding. I also want to highlight something that I think really helped me as I had mentors, I want to reiterate for, you know, anyone listening, find your network, find your people, I mentor to people that are in their, actually three people that are in their in their, one's in their early 30's, and two are in their 20's. Two of them have babies, and they call me very often to say, how'd you do it? Like, you know, my child's sick, and how do you juggle and when they call and say or text and say you know what, my daughter is sick, there isn't a second where I'm like, I got it, whatever you push things to me for the day. Because I had that. And I feel that, find those mentors, find people that are a little bit older, that survived and got through it and thrived. And I will always be these three fabulous women, I remember what it was like. And so when they you know, or like heard them cry I've heard them laugh I've seen I've seen all the videos of their like we do that all week long. I want to be there to help them because I was so lucky to have that inner circle with work that let me juggle life. And I'm will always repay back to you know, I want to say the younger generation that's going through what I went through 20 years ago, so.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  23:33  

Yeah, well, I love that idea of kind of paying it forward. And having experienced it ourselves. I think sometimes there's maybe the opposite end of that, where we experience such a hard time of transition with our children. And then you know, later we get into a leadership position, we have the opportunity to either rewrite that for, you know, for the up and coming people who are going through that, or we can recreate it, which I think you know, unfortunately happens too often where it's like, well that I had to get through it. And that's how you know, like I had to survive it. So I'm going to continue that, that pattern and I love it whenever people break that pattern and decide to do something differently. Because I think it breeds more of it. Like you're saying, you know, it's like I had that experience. And so therefore I want to give back. And I mean that just helps our society so much because like you said, like we're doing this work. We're raising these humans to be contributing members of society; that is really important, really important to our society.

Elaine Benfield  24:45  

Really important. And you know, it's interesting, I'm very often interview people for different positions, and I'm always part of that, you know, I never look at a resume and go, huh, so why did this woman not be there for 10 years? Like what was she doing it. It's like, I don't care. Like she was raising a, a village. And I hope other women look at it and go, Oh, it's not a gap. They were, you know, I have a colleague who took off, I want to say 10, eight to 10 years. And someone gave her a chance to get into high tech, all she needed was a chance. And she's been a leader. She's MVP like, she has a great career. But you know, she took that time off. And someone gave her an opportunity to prove herself that just because she had babies, and chose to took some time off. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  25:31  

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think that that's something that is, again, shifting more. But of course, there are still a lot of these beliefs. And, frankly, I have done both. I've been a full time executive and a full time mom and a full time working mom executive. And the hardest, for me, at least, was being a full time mom, honestly, like, and I learned so much as a parent. And I've grown, I think more in the last five years than in any five year period previously. And so I also look at, you know, an 8 to 10 year gap. It's not like someone's like sitting at home watching, you know, cartoons and eating bonbons. Like they're, they're working very hard and growing and learning. 

Elaine Benfield  26:19  

Yeah, and I truly believe hardest job in the world is being a mom. And I couldn't do it 100%. I was better at juggling the career but I do think I was a better mom knowing that. You know, I mean, I always think of, if you've ever seen the Sex in the City movie, where Charlotte literally shots the you know, she has to hide herself in a pantry because she's losing it with a you know, she has two kids, and she has help. I never want to be that moment where I'd had to shut myself into a closet to be like, I remember once I did, it was like, I just need help. And I I was a better mom, because I had I was able to keep my mind stimulated with this juggling. And I look forward to every moment I had with the kids, or not every because we all know, but most of them. I think it's the hardest job. Did you ever hear, what is it, they say if you're a stay at home mom, your salary's like $175,000 a year, because you're cooking, you're cleaning you're grocery shopping you're a nanny you're- And I remember like, yeah, that it might be more. That think of all the roles and that, you know, being a working mom to those roles don't go away. You know, of course, you have to do that and figure out there's not enough time in the day. But a stay at home mom, to me, it's like, wow, you're doing everything. You're a nurse, you're a doctor, the teacher, you're- and that's to me, you know, in other countries, they do get, you know, they have better benefits, you know, to pay for mothers to be home and to take care of them. And once again, you know, I think we struggle with that here when it's like, we're trying to create, as you said, these wonderful humans that can be, you know, productive and healthy and in society. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  27:53  

Yeah. 

Elaine Benfield  27:53  

But it is whatever that number is. I want to say it's $175,000. I was like, Yep, it should be more.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  28:00  

Yeah, yeah. And I also, I think so many listeners can also relate to the idea of kind of feeling like I'm a better human whenever I have something outside of the home to do as well, to keep my mind engaged and kind of, you know, my, my career trajectory. I think that that is obviously not true for everybody. But that's true for a lot of people. And I think our society has a tendency to kind of make women feel guilty no matter what they choose, right, like guilty and selfish.

Elaine Benfield  28:31  

We're never right. Yeah, we never win. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  28:33  

Yeah. And so, you know, I think that some women probably feel guilty about that, that they should be able to feel fulfilled just by their children. But I think the reality is, is thatt's just different for everybody and at different ages and stages of us as people, as you know, adults and also different ages and stages of our children. Now tell me more about Herstories, the podcast that you have. 

Elaine Benfield  28:58  

Yeah, so I came up with the idea maybe five, six years ago that, you know, because I'm in corporate, I'm in tech, I talk to women all the time that I'm like, I used to say, like, I got off the phone going, Wow, she was the first supply chain technology analysts that came out of Michigan State, like no other women ever finished the program. No one was ever accepted number one finish the program. That's like an example. But I get off the phone and talk to these or meet people in real life. And I'm like, Wow, there's so inspiring. But I always felt it's always about history, not herstory. And that always bothered me that women, I don't think we even think of ourselves as inspiring. Just don't I think we just are like, oh, yeah, sure. And every time I tell a woman Wow, you really have an amazing story. They're always almost shy about it. So when it came up the concept, I was like, Okay, it's gotta be Herstories, because in the end, you know, it is her story. And so last I was getting divorced. My ex husband moved out and I just said, You know what, it's the time, I've waited somehow, you know, I had him, you really focused on him and the family. And I just said, You know what this, I want to do this for me. And so I started it last March, in international women's month, last March, and just love it. I have a podcast, I have podcasts plus video on YouTube, and I'm on Spotify and pot and Apple podcasts. And you know, right sometimes blogs, and I joke, it's my second job, because obviously, I have a full time job. But I love just talking and meeting women that just, you know, you learn from courage and survival and heartache and change. And it's, there's a common theme between all of us. And I just, I'm so happy to have a voice for them. And I'm really enjoying just getting to know more women that are just, women are incredible. Not, I love men, but I love highlighting these incredible women's stories. So that's what I'm working on.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  30:54  

Awesome. Well, Elaine, thank you so much for joining me and for sharing your story. I love sharing, also, women's stories, we share that, that goal. Because it's so inspiring to hear about how you made conscious decisions, to spend your time in a way that aligns with what's important to you and your values. Right that you said, I don't want to miss anything it and so therefore I'm going to make a change in my career. I'm gonna work really, really hard at the end of my pregnancy here to set myself up for this. And you know, just make sure that I am living the life and being the kind of mom and being the kind of career woman that I want to be. And I think that that's so inspiring for so many of us to hear. So thank you so much for sharing your story today. And for everybody, go check out Herstories on all the podcasting platforms. And you can hear more from Elaine.

Elaine Benfield  31:53  

Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

Leanna Laskey McGrath  31:55  

Absolutely. Well, thank you so much, everybody, and we'll see you next week. 

Leanna Laskey McGrath  32:04  

Thanks so much for tuning in to the executive coach for moms podcast. Please like subscribe or follow the show so you'll be notified when the next episode is available. I hope you'll join me again next time. Take care.