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.
Episodes
142 episodes
You Never Really Come Back From Maternity Leave
Over the years of supporting hundreds of business-owning moms, I’ve noticed a truth no one wants to say out loud: the version of you that existed before maternity leave isn’t the one who returns. You don’t bounce back. You bounce forward. And t...
Motherhood Isn’t a Side Note with The Millionaire Mother, Cait Scudder
We’re told not to make any big business decisions postpartum. But what if that’s actually when everything becomes the most clear?In today’s conversation with Cait Scudder, business mentor, TEDx speaker, and founder of The Millionaire Mot...
How to Take a Second Maternity Leave in Your Business
Planning a second maternity leave isn’t just a repeat. It’s a whole new equation.You’re already a mom. You’re already running a business. And when you’re preparing for another baby, the bandwidth just isn’t the same. In this episo...
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 ...
How Didiana De La Osa Took a Real Maternity Leave Without Pausing Her Mission
When Didiana De La Osa joined my maternity leave program, she was pregnant, growing a mission-driven business, and determined to take real time off after her son was born. Just a few months later, she’s wrapping up her first maternity leave, an...
$10K Weeks, Two Kids, and No Childcare with Leah Gervais
Leah Gervais makes $10,000 a week, and she does it while staying home full-time with her two boys in New York City. In this conversation, she shares what it looked like to let go of childcare, simplify her business, and step fully into a versio...
What No One Tells You About Postpartum Mental Health with Dr. Emily Guarnotta
Some moms know they’re struggling postpartum. Others just feel “off” but don’t know why.I brought on Dr. Emily Guarnotta, a licensed clinical psychologist and certified perinatal mental health provider, to talk about the signs of postpar...
How Janea Kannett Launched a Diaper Bag Brand in the Middle of Postpartum and Toddler Chaos
When Janea Kannett couldn’t find a diaper bag that actually worked for her, she designed one herself. She was in the thick of postpartum anxiety, with a baby on her hip and zero business background. Less than a year later, she’s shipping hundre...
Healing Your Gut for a Stronger Pregnancy, Postpartum, and CEO Life with Bridgitte Mallinson, MS RDN
When I first met Bridgitte Mallinson, MS, RDN, I knew I needed to bring her voice to Growing Pains. Bridgitte is the founder and CEO of GutPersonal, a female‑founded supplement company that helps women heal gut issues with personalized testing ...
How Deborah Collazo Planned Maternity Leave Across Two Businesses
When Deborah Collazo first started planning her self-employed maternity leave, she was overwhelmed. She was convinced she’d either have to shut down her business completely or skip taking time off altogether. But after joining my maternity leav...
Taking the Shame Out of Your Finances with Tiffany Vogel
What if getting a handle on your business finances didn’t have to feel so heavy?In this episode, I’m joined by financial coach Tiffany Vogel, who has made it her mission to simplify the money side of entrepreneurship, especially for moms...
Let This Be the Beginning – Maternity Leave Roadmap #30
If you’ve made it here, you’ve done something powerful. You’ve committed to rethinking what maternity leave can look like as a business owner.In this final episode of the series, I’m reflecting on what we’ve covered, what it really means...
Flexibility Is the Plan – Maternity Leave Roadmap #29
When you're building a plan for maternity leave, it’s easy to assume that once it’s in place, it’s set in stone. But the truth is, your needs, your baby’s rhythms, and your business might ask for something different. That’s not a sign you did i...
Protect Your Energy While Prepping for Leave – Maternity Leave Roadmap #28
What if growth didn’t have to be loud, measurable, or tied to a to-do list?In this reflective episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m sharing what early postpartum really felt like and how disorienting it was to go from clear,...
Choose Your Anchor Activity – Maternity Leave Roadmap #27
When your whole life is shifting, you need something that keeps you grounded. That’s what an anchor activity is for.In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m introducing one of the very first things we build inside The B...
Working on Maternity Leave – Maternity Leave Roadmap #26
Some people want to fully unplug during maternity leave. Others feel pulled to work, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, we’re talking about how to think through working during y...
Train People How to Treat You – Maternity Leave Roadmap #25
Boundaries aren't just about protecting your time. They are about teaching others what to expect from you.In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m sharing what it really looks like to create boundaries that stick. I wal...
5 Boundaries to Set Before Baby Comes – Maternity Leave Roadmap #24
The closer you get to maternity leave, the more valuable your time and energy become. And the only way to protect both is with boundaries.In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m walking you through five boundaries that...
The Power of Community and Intuition – Maternity Leave Roadmap #23
It’s easy to feel like you should have a village around you during motherhood and business. But what happens when that village doesn’t show up?In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m talking about the two forms of supp...
The Identity Shift of Motherhood and Business – Maternity Leave Roadmap #22
The biggest shift in your maternity leave plan isn’t logistical. It’s personal.In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m sharing what that identity shift looked like for me, how it caught me off guard, and why it ultimat...
The Frontload Fallacy – Maternity Leave Roadmap #21
You’ve probably heard it before: just get everything done before baby comes. But what if trying to frontload your entire business is actually setting you up to fail?In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m breaking down...
Block a Day to Implement – Maternity Leave Roadmap #20
You’ve done the planning. Now it’s time to actually start building.In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, we’re entering the implementation phase. I’m sharing one of the most effective tools I’ve used (and that we use ins...
The Only 3 Problems in Your Business – Maternity Leave Roadmap #19
By now, you’ve probably uncovered a few areas in your business that need support. But what if diagnosing the real problem was simpler than you think?In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m sharing what I’ve learned fro...
Audit Your Finances Before Leave – Maternity Leave Roadmap #18
You don’t need to sell more to afford your leave. You need to start with the money you already have.In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m walking you through a step-by-step financial audit that helped me return from ...
Should I Get Insurance? – Maternity Leave Roadmap #17
Most business owners wait until something goes wrong before they think about insurance. But when you’re planning maternity leave, thinking ahead is a gift to your future self.In this episode of the Maternity Leave Roadmap series, I’m bre...