Six Weeks After Returning from Maternity Leave, I Quit My Job
This piece comes from the end of 2024, after I returned from my second maternity leave and made the difficult decision to leave my job. I'm sharing it here because it captures an important turning point in building Branch and in understanding just how difficult the return to work can be.
When I started building Branch, I set out with a simple mantra: move slow and fix things. So when my second maternity leave ended, it made sense to return to my day job. Branch was still early. I told myself I could build it gradually alongside everything else.
But six weeks later, I fell apart.
At the time, I was on the verge of accepting a promotion. But a lack of support, combined with crippling imposter syndrome, made the whole situation feel impossible. The experience reminded me — very viscerally — why this work matters so much.
So I resigned.
I spent the end of 2024 collecting my thoughts and, if I’m honest, questioning whether Branch would be successful at all. The landscape felt uncertain: DEI backlash, tightening budgets, and organisations becoming more cautious about investing in people initiatives.
But two years of moving slowly had also given me something important: evidence.
There were three things that made me confident this was still worth building.
1. This is a “hair on fire” problem for women
Years ago at Entrepreneur First, I learned about the idea of “hair-on-fire” problems — problems so urgent that people are desperate for a solution. Returning to work after having children is one of those problems. Many women find themselves navigating an incredibly vulnerable professional moment. Confidence has shifted. Workplaces have moved on without them. Expectations feel unclear. And too often, women quietly step back, sacrificing earning potential and hard-earned roles.
We built Branch to give women tools, support and connections to work through this transition. And what reassured me most was this: if there is a real problem, people will pay to solve it. We encourage women to ask their employers to fund the programme. But when organisations don’t offer support — or when women feel unable to ask — we see women self-fund to get the help they need. That has been one of the clearest signals that this work matters.
2. The majority of businesses offer no support
During onboarding, we ask every woman who joins Branch a simple question: Does your employer offer support for returning to work after maternity leave? Nine times out of ten, the answer is no. One global oil and gas company I pitched to told us we were “too expensive.” Too expensive for a company with billions in annual profits — but not too expensive for a woman who has spent the best part of a year living on maternity allowance.
But the picture isn’t entirely bleak. For every three companies doing nothing, there is one quietly trying to do better. These organisations understand that supporting women through this transition helps them attract and retain valuable talent. We’ve been encouraged by the companies that have supported women to join Branch so far.
3. Supporting women is only half the battle
Like most thorny social problems, this one is multilayered. Over the past few years, we’ve developed ways to support women directly as they return to work. But there is also important work to do inside organisations.
We are working with businesses to redesign the return journey so women feel included, connected and welcomed. We are training people managers to have the empathy and practical skills to support returning mothers. And we are exploring ways to accelerate talent, helping bridge the gap created by a career break.
Looking back, moving slowly has been one of the best decisions I made. It gave us time to listen, test ideas, and understand the true shape of the problem we’re trying to solve.
I’m excited about what comes next.
