In Season Two of Motherhood Advantage, Dr. Laura Marie Rivera continues the conversation at the heart of her research and her book, Beyond the Pipeline: what changes when we recognize Motherhood not as an obstacle to leadership, but as one of the places leadership is formed? This season brings together an extraordinary group of Mother-leaders, researchers, advocates, authors, executives, educators, and changemakers to explore ambition, caregiving, identity, maternal health, storytelling, justice, support, and the systems that shape women’s lives. The season opens with researcher Dr. Carolyn Burroughs, whose partnership in the original Motherhood-and-leadership research helps ground the conversation in evidence: Mothers develop many of the skills organizations say they value most, from strategic thinking and crisis management to advocacy, communication, and adaptability. From there, Stefanie O’Connell, author of The Ambition Penalty, challenges the myth that women lack ambition, naming how systems too often punish women — especially Mothers — for wanting and pursuing power. Rebecca Hogan and Dr. Anne Welsh bring coaching and leadership insight to the emotional complexity of ambition, identity, guilt, purpose, and building a life that honors both meaningful work and family reality. This season also deepens the storytelling lens. Laura Nespoli explores the power of narrative, voice, and embodied truth, while Catherine Temkin reflects on the foundational, often invisible work of caregiving and how the quiet lessons of Motherhood transfer into leadership, mentoring, and professional life. The maternal health and caregiving conversations are especially powerful. Ana Rodney, doula and maternal health advocate, speaks to postpartum care, birth justice, and the need to surround Mothers with real support. Rayna Tabanera-Geras brings an early childhood and advocacy lens, reminding us that care, education, and community systems are inseparable from the lives of Mothers and children. Season Two also highlights Mothers leading in business, law, and public life. Ambika Singh, founder of Armoire, talks about entrepreneurship, identity, and what it means to build differently as a Mother. Judge Sharonda Amamilo reflects on justice, trauma-informed leadership, and the ways Motherhood can deepen empathy, accountability, and public service. And Tiffany Dufu, president of the Tory Burch Foundation and author of Drop the Ball, offers a powerful conversation about support, failure, repair, rhythm, and why women cannot — and should not — lead or Mother alone. Together, these conversations ask us to move beyond the Motherhood penalty as the only story. Yes, Mothers face bias, exclusion, impossible expectations, and structural barriers. But Mothers also develop profound leadership capacities through caregiving — capacities that workplaces, institutions, and public narratives too often fail to recognize because they were honed outside the paid workforce. Season Two is a reminder that Motherhood and leadership are not separate identities. They are deeply connected — in the home, at work, in communities, in courtrooms, in classrooms, in companies, and in movements. Featured guests include: Dr. Carolyn Burroughs Stefanie O’Connell Rebecca Hogan Laura Nespoli Ana Rodney Ambika Singh Rayna Tabanera-Geras Catherine Temkin Judge Sharonda Amamilo Dr. Anne Welsh Tiffany Dufu Logo Art by Erin Swanson McGoldrick Learn more about the research behind the podcast in Beyond the Pipeline.
