You Before Baby and You After Baby Are Not the Same Person ft. Ben Fox
Yes, it's a guy talking about maternity leave. Danna said it before Megan could. But here's the thing — Ben Fox spent five years coaching women through one of the most professionally precarious moments of their lives, and he's genuinely good at it. This episode is for anyone who's pregnant, thinking about getting pregnant, or just came back from leave wondering why nothing feels the same anymore. Spoiler: you're not the same person. That's not a bug.
About Ben Fox: Ben is a career coach who helps burnt-out and misaligned leaders in tech quit toxic jobs and figure out what's next. He spent five years on the Maven Clinic platform coaching women through maternity leave — before, during, and after. He's also appeared on Back After Burnout (SwissCast Network), which Megan enthusiastically recommends.
What You'll Learn:
1. Why the person you are before your first baby and the person after are genuinely two different humans
2. When and how to tell your boss you're pregnant — and why timing and seniority actually matter
3. The fear of not being "good enough" when you return — and the better question to ask instead
4. How maternity leave laws vary wildly (US vs Switzerland vs Germany) and why you need to know yours
5. The "quit date" strategy for women who know they're done before they even go back
6. Why planning your exit around a baby might actually be the smartest career move you make
Real Talk Moments: Megan shares that a colleague once told her every woman who'd had a baby had eventually left their company — and she'd never even noticed. Danna's take: she was already self-employed by the time her kids arrived, so maternity leave wasn't really a thing — she was just pregnant while hustling. Both admit they'd never really thought about any of this until now, which is probably why they made the episode.
Ben's Parting Wisdom: "There's this you right now, and then there's this you after you have your first child. They're two completely different people. Trust her."
Connect with Ben Fox: Find Ben online and listen to his episode on Back After Burnout (https://www.swisscastnetwork.ch/show/back-after-burnout/14-setting-your-quit-date-ben-fox/) on the SwissCast Network.
Ben's Website - https://benfoxcoaching.com (https://benfoxcoaching.com/)
And let's not forget his LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benfoxcoaching/
Get in touch!
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K, love you, byeeeee
Chapters:
00:00 Pregnancy Stories and Reality
02:44 Why Maternity Leave Matters
08:30 Ben’s Coaching Playbook
15:09 Pregnancy Changes Plans
16:25 Leave Laws And Timing
21:50 Returning To Work Wisdom
Mentioned in this episode:
So Frickin' Healthy is a proud member of and produced by the SwissCast Network
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