Growing Pains | Where Business Owners Come to Plan Maternity Leave
You’re running a business and dreaming of growing your family, but when you search for how to take maternity leave as a self-employed mom, the answers just don’t exist.
You’ve pieced together advice from HR blogs, asked your friends, downloaded generic templates, and tried to “figure it out later.” Meanwhile, you’re left wondering: Can I really step away from my business without losing momentum...or my mind?
Here’s the truth: You can. And Growing Pains is here to show you how. Hosted by maternity leave strategist and business operations expert Alyson Caffrey, this podcast helps self-employed moms plan for maternity leave during the trying to conceive, pregnancy, and postpartum seasons—without burning out or ghosting their business.
Each week, you’ll hear honest solo episodes, expert interviews, and real-life maternity leave stories from moms who are building legacies and raising babies. No fluff. No one-size-fits-all advice. Just grounded guidance to help you navigate life and business on your terms.
Alyson has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs streamline their operations and take actual time off for maternity leave, while returning to businesses that thrive.
Ready to take maternity leave like a CEO? Follow Growing Pains and let’s build a business that supports your motherhood journey.
Growing Pains | Where Business Owners Come to Plan Maternity Leave
What if Motherhood Didn’t Require You to Suffer? with Heather Chauvin
There was a moment in this conversation with Heather Chauvin that stopped me in my tracks. She said, “If you’re not going to create space for how you want to feel, you’re going to have a lot of space for how you don’t want to feel.” And I felt that in my body. Because so many of us, especially in early motherhood, are taught that struggle is part of the deal. That exhaustion, resentment, and self-sacrifice just come with the territory.
But what if that’s not actually true?
Heather is a leadership coach, former social worker, and mom of three who rebuilt her life after a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Her work is all about helping women stop abandoning themselves in the name of being a “good” mother, partner, or business owner. This conversation is honest, clarifying, and filled with the kind of perspective shift I wish I had when I was newly postpartum.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- What Heather means when she says “a well-resourced woman is the secret”
- Why labeling our struggles (like “imposter syndrome”) often blocks true healing
- The one journal prompt that changed how she showed up in motherhood and business
- How Heather rebuilt her life from a hospital bed—without financial privilege or backup
- What to do when your body reacts before your brain can explain why
- Why “wouldn’t it be nice if…” might be the most powerful question you ask all week
Mentioned in the episode:
Time Rich Reset http://heatherchauvin.com/alyson
Connect with Heather:
Website: heatherchauvin.com
Emotionally Uncomfortable Podcast: heatherchauvin.com/podcast
Instagram: instagram.com/heatherchauvin_
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You don't have to choose between growing your business and your family.
Grab the Maternity Leave Roadmap for $29: www.mastermaternityleave.com/roadmap
Send in your maternity leave questions! connect@mastermaternityleave.com
xx Aly
www.instagram.com/alycaffrey
www.mastermaternityleave.com