Motherhood Advantage

About Motherhood Advantage

Explore how the concepts of Motherhood and Leadership intersect with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera. What if Motherhood is one of the most powerful leadership trainings in the world? We’ve heard about the Motherhood penalty, but what about the Motherhood Advantage? This podcast explores the powerful connection between Motherhood and leadership. Hosted by Dr. Laura Marie Rivera, the podcast grew out of Intuitionship, a groundbreaking research study with nearly 1,000 Mothers examining how the lived experience of Motherhood shapes the way women lead, solve problems, and navigate complexity. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with remarkable Mothers—from bestselling authors and public leaders to entrepreneurs, creators, and Mothers just beginning their journeys. Together, they explore how Motherhood cultivates skills like adaptability, empathy, resilience, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead through uncertainty. Part research, part storytelling, and part collective exploration, Motherhood Advantage invites us to reconsider a powerful idea: the experiences that prepare Mothers to nurture, guide, and protect the next generation also prepare them to lead in policy decisions and the paid workplace. For more information or to recommend an amazing Mother-leader, please join us @motherhoodadvantage (https://www.instagram.com/motherhoodadvantage/).

Publisher

Dr. Laura Marie Rivera

Category

business · kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Mar 2026

Latest episode

19 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

36 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Oct 2026

   The Power of a Mother's Story with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera

   MOTHERHOOD ADVANTAGE | Season Three Recap Every Mother has a story. No two are exactly alike. And yet, in sharing them, we discover just how much connects us. As MOTHERHOOD ADVANTAGE wraps up its third season, host Dr. Laura Marie Rivera revisits some of the most memorable moments from conversations with Mothers who are changing how we think about leadership, identity, ambition, and caregiving. From the halls of government to hospital boardrooms, Broadway stages, and kitchen tables, these Mothers reveal the extraordinary range of experiences that shape who we are—and how we lead. Hear from Liuba Grechen Shirley on Mothers as the ultimate multitaskers, Dr. Patricia Gabow and Dr. Lois Frankel on women's leadership strengths, Georgia Stitt on collaboration, and Senator Manka Dhingra on the skills Mothers bring to the workplace and the importance of representation in government. We also revisit deeply personal conversations: Denise Lieu Kakimoto on IVF, raising triplets, and the determination to keep going; Nina Simon on knowing when to quit and the example set by her own Mother; Olivia Howell on divorce, starting over, and learning to be gentle with herself; and Dr. Amber Johnson on listening, learning, and letting go of the expectation that Mothers always know best. Plus, insights on entrepreneurship and single Motherhood from Lauren James, a reminder to support Mother-authors from Elsa Sjunnesson, and a moving reflection from Dr. Nia Ruth on how Motherhood has profoundly changed her life. Also including author advice from Cassie Leonard, Dr Keeonna Harris, Ruschelle Khanna, Ann Priftis, Sharmin Banu, and Angela Bourassa. Together, their stories raise a bigger question: Whose stories get told, whose experiences are valued, and whose leadership gets recognized? Drawing on her doctoral research with nearly 1,000 Mothers, Dr. Rivera connects these conversations to a central idea behind MOTHERHOOD ADVANTAGE: Motherhood develops and strengthens many of the competencies we value in leaders, yet caregiving itself rarely receives professional recognition. It's a celebration of the power of storytelling, the importance of representation, and the wisdom we discover when Mothers have the microphone. Because every Mother's story is uniquely her own—and somehow, part of a much bigger story that we share. Explore all three seasons and support the podcast at MotherhoodAdvantage.com. Topics: Motherhood and leadership, women's leadership, caregiving skills, working Mothers, political representation, entrepreneurship, IVF and infertility, divorce, parenting, resilience, collaboration, Mother-authors, and the Motherhood Advantage.

2. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Motherhood is Political with Liuba Grechen Shirley

   What happens when the people making decisions about childcare, paid leave, and family policy have little firsthand experience navigating those systems as Mothers? When Liuba Grechen Shirley ran for Congress while raising two toddlers, she discovered just how poorly American politics accommodates Motherhood. Rather than accepting those barriers, she set out to change the system. In this episode of MOTHERHOOD ADVANTAGE, Dr. Laura Marie Rivera sits down with Liuba, founder and CEO of Vote Mama, to explore why Mothers remain underrepresented in political leadership, what their absence means for public policy, and how caregiving can make stronger leaders. From the financial realities of running for office to the economic importance of affordable childcare and paid family leave, Liuba challenges the idea that these are simply "women's issues." They're workforce issues, economic issues, and issues that affect everyone. She also shares how Vote Mama is putting family-friendly leadership into practice within its own organization—and why electing more Mothers is only part of the goal. The real victory? Making it completely ordinary for a Mother to run for office, win, and lead. In this conversation: Why political systems make it harder for Mothers to run for office How lived experience shapes legislation and public policy Why childcare and paid family leave are economic necessities The leadership skills and perspectives developed through Motherhood How Vote Mama is modeling family-friendly workplace policies Practical ways to support candidates and help change political representation Motherhood doesn't disqualify us from leadership. It helps prepare us for it. So why are so many of our political institutions still structured as though caregiving and leadership don't belong together? Learn more about Vote Mama: https://www.votemama.org (https://www.votemama.org/) Learn more about MOTHERHOOD ADVANTAGE and Intuitionship: https://motherhoodadvantage.com (https://motherhoodadvantage.com/)

3. 

   5 Oct 2026

   ON THE RECORD: Seven Mother-Authors Discuss Voice, Visibility & Authority

   What happens when Mothers tell their own stories—not as a niche, but as authors, experts, artists, and culture-makers? In this special Motherhood Advantage episode, Dr. Laura Marie Rivera welcomes seven Mother-authors whose work spans memoir, fiction, disability, career, leadership, STEM, and mythology. Dr. Keeonna Harris writes from lived experience about Motherhood, incarceration, survival, stigma, and the systems families are forced to navigate. Elsa Sjunneson challenges assumptions about disability, identity, parenting, and whose experiences are represented in our stories. Angela Bourassa talks about women’s stories, creative ambition, and making space for women to “do all the things.” Cassie Leonard examines the experiences of Mothers building careers in fields that were rarely designed around caregiving. Sharmin Banu brings a systems-thinking lens to career growth, leadership, and the complex calculus Mothers make every day. Ruschelle Khanna and Ann Priftis look to mythology and the rise of the matriarch to ask what becomes possible when women reclaim their voices and power. Together, their stories raise questions much bigger than publishing: Who gets to be considered an expert? Whose stories are treated as universal? What labor do we value? And what changes when Mothers are the ones holding the pen? Because Mother-author is not a genre. Motherhood is a point of view—and one that belongs everywhere. ------------------------------------------------------------- Cassie Leonard Beyond The Pipeline and STEM Moms https://www.elmmcoaching.com/press/#ourbooks (https://www.elmmcoaching.com/press/#ourbooks) Elsa Sjunneson Dear Blind Lady and Being Seen https://www.snarkbat.com/ (https://www.snarkbat.com/) Dr. Keeonna Harris Mainline Mama https://www.keeonnaharris.com/writings (https://www.keeonnaharris.com/writings) Sharmin Banu Mid-Career Momentum https://greenleafcoach.com/ (https://greenleafcoach.com/) Ruschelle Khanna and Ann Priftis From Echo to Athena https://www.fromechotoathena.com/ (https://www.fromechotoathena.com/) Angela Bourassa's Never Lasting https://angelabourassa.com/ (https://angelabourassa.com/) About Motherhood Advantage At The Motherhood Advantage, we explore the research, stories, and leadership lessons that emerge when we recognize Motherhood not as a detour from leadership—but as one of its greatest teachers. If you'd like to learn more about the research or recommend a Mother, please visit us at MotherhoodAdvantage.com (http://motherhoodadvantage.com/) @MotherhoodAdvantage with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera

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Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

9 ratings

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