Leadership & Motherhood

In this episode, executive coach Leanna Laskey McGrath sits down with mindset and meditation coach Nemisha Patel Owen to explore what it really means to live an aligned life. After 18 years climbing the corporate ladder in a highly male-dominated engineering environment at NATS, the UK’s air traffic control provider, Nemisha appeared successful by every traditional measure: an MBA, promotions, and leadership roles in a prestigious field. But internally, something felt off. When a major health crisis forced her to slow down, Nemisha began questioning the path she had worked so hard to build. That moment of disruption became the catalyst for redefining success, ambition, and what it means to truly live in alignment for her. In this conversation, we discuss cultural expectations, identity, motherhood as a catalyst for change, and the quiet inner voice many high-achieving women experience when their external success no longer matches their internal truth. If you’ve ever felt successful on paper but unsettled inside, this episode offers a powerful reminder that alignment—not approval—is the foundation of a fulfilling life and career. Connect with Nemisha on Instagram and other socials as nemisha.patelowen, practice YogaLife with Nemisha on YouTube, listen to her podcast, Live Your True Self, and join her free Introduction to Meditation: 6-week Course to Inner Calm. Connect with Leanna To learn more about Leadership & Motherhood and join the initiative, visit leadershipandmotherhood.info and sign up to receive updates.

In this special episode of Leadership and Motherhood honoring Women’s History Month, Leanna sits down with executive leadership coach Loretta Stagnitto and her daughter, fractional marketing executive Annie Ricci, for a powerful cross-generational conversation about ambition, identity, and defining success on your own terms. Loretta shares her journey from corporate VP in Silicon Valley to building her own executive coaching business after burnout and motherhood reshaped her priorities. Annie reflects on growing up watching her mother lead, and how that example shaped her own path from corporate marketing to launching a fractional consulting business. Together, they explore: How our identities get wrapped up in corporate titles What happens when our ambition doesn’t align with the corporate ladder The grief and growth that come with career transitions The subtle expectations firstborn daughters carry How the example we set quietly shapes our children’s beliefs about work and possibility This is a conversation about generational evolution, how each woman learns from the one before her, keeps what resonates, and consciously chooses her own version of success. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re setting the “right” example for your children, this episode will remind you: they are always watching and they are learning from the example we set. Connect with Loretta Connect with Annie Connect with Leanna To learn more about Leadership & Motherhood and join the initiative, visit leadershipandmotherhood.info and sign up to receive updates.

In this first interview on Leadership and Motherhood, executive coach Leanna Laskey McGrath sits down with top-performing NYC real estate leader Rebecca Blacker to explore the real challenges high-achieving executive women and mothers face. From people pleasing and mom guilt to delegation struggles and confidence at work, this conversation dives deep into the tension between building a successful career and being the present, engaged mom you want to be. Rebecca shares how becoming a mother became the catalyst for a major career transition when she chose not to step back, but instead, to lean into more aligned, fulfilling leadership and work. If you’re an executive woman navigating work-life balance, managing a team, building confidence, and raising a family, this episode offers honest insight, practical reflection, and reassurance that you’re not alone. Connect with Rebecca Connect with Leanna  Let us know what you think about the new show! Click the microphone on the bottom right to record a voice message. We want to hear from you!

Welcome to the very first episode of Leadership and Motherhood! After 2.5 years and 153 episodes, The Executive Coach for Moms Podcast has evolved into something bigger. In this episode, Leanna Laskey McGrath, Executive Coach for Moms, shares why she made the intentional decision to end her previous show. It was not because she stopped loving podcasting, but because she felt called to create something more aligned, more expansive, and more impactful. Leadership and Motherhood is not just a podcast. It’s a movement. Launched intentionally on March 1st to kick off Women’s History Month, this new initiative exists to: Elevate women’s voices Redefine motherhood as a leadership advantage Inspire women to create lives and careers they truly desire If you’ve ever felt disoriented after becoming a mom…If you’ve questioned your value at work…If you’ve wondered whether it’s possible to feel fulfilled in both career and motherhood… You are in the right place. This podcast will bring you real conversations, mindset shifts, leadership tools, and inspiring stories from women who are navigating both worlds… not perfectly, but intentionally. Because you have one precious life. And you deserve to build it on purpose. You deserve to love it. Subscribe, connect with Leanna on LinkedIn , and join the Leadership and Motherhood movement. Let’s change the conversation. Together.

You are listening to the final episode of The Executive Coach for Moms Podcast as we know it. It’s the end of an era! A huge thank you to everyone who has made this podcast such a huge success and this journey so much fun. Listen to hear a little bit about what’s next, and in the meantime, here are three things you can do right now: Follow the show to receive future updates. Rate and review the show on Apple and Spotify, or wherever you get your Podcasts, to help others gain access. Go back and listen to some old episodes, either to revisit or to hear what you’ve missed. Rather than an ending, this episode marks an evolution, an acknowledgment of growth, change, and the need to create something even more aligned with the work ahead. Thank you for being a part of the journey! Sign up to hear more about the new show. https://www.coachleanna.com/connect Full transcript available here. Connect with Leanna here.

This episode is a grounding conversation for high-achieving women who want to stay ambitious without becoming emotionally hijacked by everything happening in the world. Leanna explores how to remain informed without burning out your nervous system, why timing and intentionality matter when consuming news, and how external chaos can quietly pull you off track from goals that deeply matter to you. She introduces the mindset shift of who before how, inviting you to stop asking how to reach your goals and instead focus on who you need to become to create them in order to create clarity, momentum, and resilience, even in imperfect circumstances. This episode encourages you to start embodying your next evolution today; imperfectly, intentionally, and in the midst of real life challenges, so you can continue building momentum toward the life and leadership you truly want. Full transcript available here. Connect with Leanna here. Join Leanna for the third annual January Reset for high achieving women, where you’ll learn new strategies and be supported in achieving your 2026 goals, no matter the circumstances of the world and our lives this year.

When life gets busy, even the most successful executive moms can find themselves quietly drifting away from their goals, not because they don’t care, but because the strategies they’ve been taught are missing some important mindset components. In this episode, executive coach Leanna breaks down why motivation fades when life gets full, what’s actually happening beneath the surface, and what truly helps you stay connected to your goals without relying on perfection or burnout. If you want sustainable progress that works with your life rather than not against it, this episode is for you. Join Leanna for the January Reset, where you’ll learn new strategies and be supported in achieving your 2026 goals.

In this behind-the-scenes New Year episode, executive coach Leanna McGrath shares the goal setting process she uses every year—and how it’s helped her build a life and career in alignment with her values and vision. Designed for executive moms, working mothers, and high-achieving women, this episode explores why reflection matters, how consistency beats intensity, and what actually keeps ambitious women following through on their goals. If you’re ready for a more sustainable approach to the New Year—without burnout—this episode will help you approach 2026 differently. Ready to make 2026 the year you achieve your goals? Join the 2026 January Reset for High Achieving Women!

Merry Christmas! In this heartfelt episode, Leanna opens up about a deeply personal season of rest, recovery, and reflection. She talks candidly about undergoing surgery after six years of unanswered pain and what it taught her about advocating for herself in a healthcare system that often minimizes women’s pain. Beyond the medical journey, this episode explores something many high-achieving women will recognize: the realization that she felt she needed a “valid” reason to stop producing and let others take care of her. From unexpected lessons in rest and leadership to an opportunity to reconsider how and when we allow ourselves to be cared for, this episode is a reminder that you don’t need a crisis to deserve rest, and that listening to your body and your needs is a powerful act of leadership. Full transcript available here. Check out Leanna’s Holiday Tips Series by connecting with her on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn. Sign up for Leanna’s email list at coachleanna.com/connect for the latest information on her third annual January Reset for High Achieving Women!

I created the Holiday Tips series for ambitious high achieving women trying to juggle everything this holiday season -- closing out the fiscal year at work, coordinating holiday events, hosting, cooking, cleaning, communicating, shopping, wrapping. The mental load is extra heavy this time of year, and I'm hopeful these holiday tips will help make things a little lighter for you. Connect with me on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn to tune into the full series.

I created the Holiday Tips series for ambitious high achieving women trying to juggle everything this holiday season -- closing out the fiscal year at work, coordinating holiday events, hosting, cooking, cleaning, communicating, shopping, wrapping. The mental load is extra heavy this time of year, and I'm hopeful these holiday tips will help make things a little lighter for you. Connect with me on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn to tune into the full series.

I created the Holiday Tips series for ambitious high achieving women trying to juggle everything this holiday season -- closing out the fiscal year at work, coordinating holiday events, hosting, cooking, cleaning, communicating, shopping, wrapping. The mental load is extra heavy this time of year, and I'm hopeful these holiday tips will help make things a little lighter for you. Connect with me on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn to tune into the full series.

As the holiday season ramps up and time and energy feel especially scarce, this episode dives into one of the biggest hidden drains for high-achieving moms: negative thought spirals. Building on last week’s conversation about mom guilt, Leanna breaks down how these spirals form, why executive brains are particularly prone to them, and how quickly a single moment of disappointment, overwhelm, or uncertainty can turn into shame, self-doubt, and paralysis. She shares practical, compassionate tools to help you interrupt spirals, regain a sense of control, and redirect your thinking without forcing toxic positivity. This episode is a reminder that your thoughts are optional, progress matters more than perfection, and with a little practice, you can reclaim precious time and energy during the holidays and beyond. Full transcript available here. Re-visit last week’s episode, Holiday Mom Guilt for High Achievers. Check out Leanna’s Holiday Tips Series by connecting with her on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn. Sign up for Leanna’s email list at coachleanna.com/connect for the latest information on her third annual January Reset for High Achieving Women!

I created the Holiday Tips series for ambitious high achieving women trying to juggle everything this holiday season -- closing out the fiscal year at work, coordinating holiday events, hosting, cooking, cleaning, communicating, shopping, wrapping. The mental load is extra heavy this time of year, and I'm hopeful these holiday tips will help make things a little lighter for you. Connect with me on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn to tune into the full series.

I created the Holiday Tips series for ambitious high achieving women trying to juggle everything this holiday season -- closing out the fiscal year at work, coordinating holiday events, hosting, cooking, cleaning, communicating, shopping, wrapping. The mental load is extra heavy this time of year, and I'm hopeful these holiday tips will help make things a little lighter for you. Connect with me on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn to tune into the full series.

I created the Holiday Tips series for ambitious high achieving women trying to juggle everything this holiday season -- closing out the fiscal year at work, coordinating holiday events, hosting, cooking, cleaning, communicating, shopping, wrapping. The mental load is extra heavy this time of year, and I'm hopeful these holiday tips will help make things a little lighter for you. Connect with me on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn to tune into the full series and join us for the Seasonal Support Sessions.

In this episode, Leanna dives into one of the most persistent and painful emotions ambitious moms face this time of year: holiday mom guilt. Whether you’re listening while wrapping gifts or squeezing this in between meetings, you’ll learn why guilt tends to spike during the holidays and the three core places it comes from: unrealistic expectations, comparison overload, and the pressure to show up “perfectly” in both quantity and quality with your kids. Leanna offers practical tools to bring you back to presence when your mind is trying to distract you. If you’ve ever felt torn between being the leader your team needs and the mom you want to be, this episode will remind you that what you’re doing is not just enough but also deeply impactful. Join Leanna’s free Seasonal Support Session this Friday, December 12, at 2 PM ET to recharge, connect with other high-achieving moms, and enter the holidays feeling supported instead of stretched thin. REGISTER NOW! Full transcript available here. Connect with Leanna here. Sign up for Leanna’s email list at coachleanna.com/connect for the latest information on her third annual January Reset for High Achieving Women!

I created the Holiday Tips series for ambitious high achieving women trying to juggle everything this holiday season -- closing out the fiscal year at work, coordinating holiday events, hosting, cooking, cleaning, communicating, shopping, wrapping. The mental load is extra heavy this time of year, and I'm hopeful these holiday tips will help make things a little lighter for you. Connect with me on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn to tune into the full series and join us for the Seasonal Support Sessions.

I created the Holiday Tips series for ambitious high achieving women trying to juggle everything this holiday season -- closing out the fiscal year at work, coordinating holiday events, hosting, cooking, cleaning, communicating, shopping, wrapping. The mental load is extra heavy this time of year, and I'm hopeful these holiday tips will help make things a little lighter for you. Connect with me on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn to tune into the full series and join us for the Seasonal Support Sessions.