Becoming a Mother After 20 Years of Career: Alia's Story

Guest: Alia, Senior Manager of Business Development in the energy industry, Vice Chair of Canadian Women in Energy (Edmonton Chapter)

Episode Summary

Alia spent two decades building a career grounded in effort, feedback, and forward motion. Then she became a first time mother at 40, and none of the old rules applied.

In this episode, she opens up about the identity evolution that comes with early motherhood... the brain fog, the body that doesn't feel like home anymore, and the strange grief of realizing that what got you this far won't get you through this. Kinia and Alia talk through what it actually means to rebuild, slowly, into someone bigger.

What We Cover

The identity shift Alia describes feeling like being "the most junior administrator surrounded by CEOs," despite 20 years of leadership experience. Why competence in one arena doesn't transfer to a newborn. Why there's no dashboard, no instruction manual, and no amount of preparation that makes it click.

Redefining success: Success isn't performance anymore. It's getting through the fog. It's still having ambition underneath the exhaustion. Alia reframes "making it through" as its own form of strength, one that deserves to be acknowledged out loud.

The body keeps score: Hormonal crashes, chronic pain, the physical toll of pregnancy and breastfeeding that often goes unaddressed by conventional medical advice. Alia's path to a naturopath, vitamin support, and starting to feel like herself again.

Be kind to yourself, because you're changing: A conversation about grief, self-compassion, and the pressure to be the same person who walked into the delivery room. Alia's advice to other women: slow down, embrace the not-pretty parts, and let the phase be a phase.

Time as the ultimate commodity: How motherhood reorders what's worth your time, personally and professionally. The shift from "I can do it all" to "is this actually worth it?"

What's possible from here: Why postpartum and the return to high-performing work deserve real conversation, not platitudes. Alia's reflection on coming out the other side as an even better version of who she was.

Quotable Moments

"Success looks like you made it through."
"Be kind to yourself, because you're changing."
"I want to be an even better version of what I was before."

Connect & Next Steps

If you're navigating a maternity leave plan, a return-to-work transition, or just want support figuring out your next chapter, reach out for an assessment session. We'll map what's working, where the gaps are, and how it fits into your one-year and 25-year vision.

Join us: Enrollment for the September cohort of Care with C.O.R.E. is open now. Choose MoMBA (12-month mindset program) or the Quantum program, including the option to join us in Mexico this September for our retreat.

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