Off balance

About Off balance

Maternity is, thus, at the cross roads of many challenges we are facing in society and for the economy. Recalibrating government policies to facilitate this magical time is not just imperative from a social angle, in my view, it is the right strategic choice from an economic aspect too. Off balance – turning the maternity penalty into a career dividend started as a series of podcasts about some of the key choices and experiences I had in the first years of my motherhood experience. These are candid conversations with people I respect and care for deeply, and I am grateful for all their help.

Publisher

Raffaella Tenconi

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Nov 2021

Latest episode

15 Jul 2022

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Jul 2022

   Barbara Stewart tells us more about business models and a little more about younger women inspired to invest

   During the second episode, we talk about Barbara’s findings and tips about investment. Her report comes out on Women’s Day every year. This episode also reveals what Barbara has been struggling with until quite recently. Barbara also let us see into events hosted by Danske Bank and Nasdaq for mothers and daughters. As ADA Economics is a research company, we also like to look at many different topics, and we asked, cheekily (!), Barbara to do some research on a topic close to our heart. Can you guess which topic was it? Barbara is a CFA Charterholder, with over 30 years’ experience in portfolio management, and over a decade of working as a researcher. Her annual Rich Thinking® white papers have been released every International Women’s Day since 2010, and have changed the global conversation around women and finance. Barbara is a columnist for the CFA Institute’s Enterprising Investor (https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/author/barbarastewart/), Golden Girl Finance (http://www.goldengirlfinance.com/), and Canadian MoneySaver (https://www.canadianmoneysaver.ca/) magazine. She is regularly consulted by print and broadcast media worldwide. Barbara is on the Advisory Board for Kensington Capital Partners Limited (http://www.kcpl.ca/kensington-welcomes-barbara-stewart-advisory-board/) in Toronto. Previously, Barbara spent five years as a currency trader and 20 years as a portfolio manager for high-net-worth investors. She lives in Toronto with her husband Duncan Stewart, CFA. Barbara also shared some statistics about business models. Do you think traditional business models still have a future? Let us know in the comments section.

2. 

   15 Jul 2022

   Interviewing Barbara Stewart about risk and her journey

   During our short conversation with Barbara Stewart, we find out why she started Rich Thinking Research. During the financial crises in 2008, Barbara started to read about two things: women and money. During this episode, she gives us a little of the back story about why. As ADA Economics delivers effective analysis to manage financial risk, Raffaella’s first question for Barbara was related to women and the pattern of taking risk. Barbara is a CFA Charterholder, with over 30 years’ experience in portfolio management, and over a decade of working as a researcher. Her annual Rich Thinking® white papers have been released every International Women’s Day since 2010, and have changed the global conversation around women and finance. Barbara is a columnist for the CFA Institute’s Enterprising Investor (https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/author/barbarastewart/), Golden Girl Finance (http://www.goldengirlfinance.com/), and Canadian MoneySaver (https://www.canadianmoneysaver.ca/) magazine. She is regularly consulted by print and broadcast media worldwide. Barbara is on the Advisory Board for Kensington Capital Partners Limited (http://www.kcpl.ca/kensington-welcomes-barbara-stewart-advisory-board/) in Toronto. Previously, Barbara spent five years as a currency trader and 20 years as a portfolio manager for high-net-worth investors. She lives in Toronto with her husband Duncan Stewart, CFA. Barbara told us all about why women are judged negatively when it comes to risk. Before you listen to this episode, let us know what you think is behind the negative judgement?

3. 

   15 Jul 2022

   Barbara Stewart and Raffaella Tenconi discuss failure with all cost

   This episode gives a small introduction to ADA Economics, and discusses women preferences when it comes to investing. There is something behind all successful women’s journeys, and that is failure. But what about failure? When it comes to failure, it is hard to talk about it, and there are many ways to define it. Raffaella and Barbara discuss how the downtimes inspire. Barbara is a CFA Charterholder, with over 30 years’ experience in portfolio management, and over a decade of working as a researcher. Her annual Rich Thinking® white papers have been released every International Women’s Day since 2010, and have changed the global conversation around women and finance. Barbara is a columnist for the CFA Institute’s Enterprising Investor (https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/author/barbarastewart/), Golden Girl Finance (http://www.goldengirlfinance.com/), and Canadian MoneySaver (https://www.canadianmoneysaver.ca/) magazine. She is regularly consulted by print and broadcast media worldwide. Barbara is on the Advisory Board for Kensington Capital Partners Limited (http://www.kcpl.ca/kensington-welcomes-barbara-stewart-advisory-board/) in Toronto. Previously, Barbara spent five years as a currency trader and 20 years as a portfolio manager for high-net-worth investors. She lives in Toronto with her husband Duncan Stewart, CFA. Raffaella shares her inspiration for choosing economics, and talks about how important a plan is. Do you have a plan that lets you sleep at night in any situation?

4. 

   3 Feb 2022

   Interview with Roman Chulpaty, who has a unique, but rather exemplary view on maternity

   What about the man side of maternity? Being a dad is not the easiest job as Roman Chulpaty mentioned during our conversation, but being a working dad with two children seems like an even harder task. Roman is the founder of Alternative Perspectives, a consulting company that looks at global trends and their effects on business and economy, and related platform Alter Eko, which has since 2011 been bringing together leading economists, business people, academics, and politicians to discuss these issues. in this episode we share the results of our latest maternity survey with Roman, who’s not surprised by some of our findings and stresses the importance of employers’ and job market flexibility. As his jobs and contracts always offered him high flexibility, so to the question of "Do you think you could earn more if you had a reliable and affordable childcare solution, 24/7? “ he mainly focused on the advantages and disadvantages of the freelancer lifestyle. 70% of parents genuinely feel fatigued and feeling emotionally drained, as the survey shows. Roman just confirmed that, even with the advantage tool of flexibility, being well-rested and not feeling tired is a constant struggle for parents. The flexibility allows you to work at any time, however, if you spend time with your kids and work at night the biggest question is: “When are you going to sleep?” What about paternity leave, or, as they say in Czech Republic, the “paternity holiday"? Roman did not take any paternity leave, but what happened when their second child arrived? So, the question is: is this our new normal? Or is the new normal abnormal? Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

5. 

   9 Dec 2021

   Conversation with Nikita Phadnavise and Patricia Brenner about the importance of stability as a mother, partner and an entrepreneur

   The last part of the webinar opened up certain topics that I have experienced personally during my career as an economist and as a mother. My conversation with Nikita Phadnavis and Patricia Brenner taught me more about emotional intelligence and the importance of physical wellbeing. Nikita is an Early Years Professional, with expertise in the EYFS curriculum, Froebel, and Montessori Philosophy. She has trained as a Special Educational Needs Coordinator, Safeguarding Office and First Aider, while Patricia Brenner is an all-around, enthusiastic, mind & body coach. Over the course of 11 years, she has become a qualified Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, Pilates Teacher, Life Coach, and Meditation Teacher, and then started her own business. During our conversation, we were talking about the importance of building an effective network, or safety net, for our children, to maintain our careers. From Nikita’s story, we learned how she did it, and how it saved her from depression. Patricia not only asked the best questions, but also told us that, without self-care practices, we will face difficulties, such as burnouts or even high blood pressure. Focusing on yourself, just for a second, will not take anything away from your life; more likely, it will add a little more to it and also improve your mood. Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

6. 

   2 Dec 2021

   Interview with Maria Lombardo, who taught me being brave is halfway to success

   During the Off Balance webinar, my second guest was Maria Lombardo, an inspirational young woman. Her resilience has always amazed me and her parenting techniques are an example for all. Maria Lombardo has consolidated her experience in building and managing teams through major transitions in the financial and investment industry. She specialises in Sustainable and ESG investing, in particular, Climate Change and Transition Strategy and Reporting, ESG Strategic and Product Development, and ESG Client Solutions. My relationship with Maria started on a busy trading floor and it became a friendship, hopefully one that lasts forever. She taught all of us how important it is to listen to your inner voice in every situation. Being brave and strong should be part of your image, as she said; and, even if you do not know what to do, you should look at a task with determination, the sky is your limit. Focusing on diversity and women, Maria told us how important data are, and that we should all research how women in business are considered, as it has evolved a lot, but it is not where it should be. Starting from the percentage of women on boards, to women in business, we can see many limitations, but all these measures can lead to improvements – it all depends on the point of view. Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

7. 

   25 Nov 2021

   Interview with Borbala Czako, who knows how to balance back from any situation

   When I was thinking about who should be my first guest during the Off Balance webinar, I immediately thought about Borbala. I met Borbala when she was the Ambassador for Hungary in London, and what always struck me about her was how she was always able to handle an amazing career and nourish a happy family at the same time. She is the one I turned to for wisdom when I became pregnant with my second child, and who I went back to recently with the even more complex question of how to support school-age children in their educational development – when the digitalisation of education is creating so many new challenges for parents. Borbala shares with us her career – from the very beginning, as a mechanical engineer, to the corporate world, as the leader of Ernst & Young, moving on to being an ambassador and, more recently, on the boards of different companies and as the leader of many institutions that nourish leadership and gender equality. She shares her perspective on equal rights in the workplace. Working in a company that aims to respect equal rights is not as easy as one might first think; women still need to fight. But where would we be all without pushing our limits to achieve what we desire? Courage is her recommendation for all women. As one of the 50 most successful people in Hungary, she will give us some advice on how to find and keep that balance in life. Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

8. 

   11 Nov 2021

   Interview with Maia Chiara Rossi, who thought entrepreneurship and motherhood sounds like the best mixture

   What is better than having one baby? Two babies? No, I am not talking about twins, it is all about the journey of my dear friend, Maia Chiara Rossi, who chose the same path I did and decided to spice up her restaurant opening with a newborn baby. Maia is a sustainability professional with extensive technical expertise, a wide experience, and a focus on climate change, biodiversity, and climate finance. You may or may not know but being an entrepreneur is not the easiest task in life and the journey can get lonely. You also feel very tired as you constantly juggling work and family time and even with a full-time nanny you feel something is not right. You love your business, are passionate about what you are doing and you have a goal, but at the same time there is a small question in your head that keeps sneaking back; ‘Am I missing out on something?’ As an entrepreneur, you learn time is a key and you know your ambitions will thrive you to your goal and believe your child is the lucky ‘unicorn’ that will make it to the growth stage instead of the decline period. During this time you learn a lot, and you learn how to be organized, never give up and just see your way through things without going a bit crazy from tiredness. These also apply to motherhood. Maia and I could agree on one thing straight away, the length of maternity and paternity leave is not enough long and it does not allow you to spend enough time with your children. You know you are fighting for both of your children but sometimes you just sit on the bathroom floor and start wondering, is it worth it? If you know what I am talking about or if you don’t but you want to know more about how to keep going when you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel don’t hesitate to reach out. Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

9. 

   9 Nov 2021

   Interview with Patricia Benner, the women who taught me how to change my life

   Patricia Brenner is an all-round, enthusiastic mind & body coach. Over the course of 11 years, she has become a qualified personal trainer, a nutritionist, a pilates teacher, a life coach and a meditation teacher. After losing my second baby, I felt that, without someone holding my hand, it would have been a hell of a journey, and not in a good way. 10 years before this experience, I would have laughed if someone had suggested life coaching, but I pulled up my sleeves this time and put my heart into the process. I needed a “second voice in my head” and, as Patricia really knows her stuff when it comes to mind and body, I felt I had found the ONE. I always knew physical coaching is important but, if you include mental coaching, you get the opportunity to grow and face your struggles, as most problems have deeper roots than it might appear. Pregnancy opens up a lot of doors that we have kept closed for years, and even the most resistant of women become emotional and revisit their blockages. The daily stress does not help either and, when I met with Patricia, I felt my life change. The life coaching sessions progressed a little better than the physical training. I had this voice that kept reminding me to exercise, but there were times when that voice had to be silenced and I missed a workout (but don’t tell Patricia!). The most important thing I learnt was: “one step at a time”. No-one has climbed Mont Blanc in a day and taking small steps towards your goals pays off much better than rushing into changes that you can’t keep up. Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

10. 

    4 Nov 2021

    Interview with my midwife Rene Bozier about the before, during and the after pregnancy period

    “Labour isn’t the scary bit. The postnatal period and being a mother is the scary time, because labour finishes and it can only last so long. The postnatal period never ever finishes, and that is the scary bit.” This episode brings back a lot of happy memories, as I am talking with the person who was my number one during pregnancy and giving birth, my midwife Rene Bozier, who is an experienced Private Midwife and Homeopath, specialising in women’s health and family wellness. Some women look at this experience as “let’s just get this baby out of me”, but others want it to be meaningful. Many women think about hiring a midwife, to have someone there for them. And, as Rene has mentioned, these women have that secret seventh sense, which tells them what the other person needs exactly, even if it is just a cold cloth, or a hand on their shoulder. There is an option that seems easier: a C-section. This, obviously, has some disadvantages, but many women feel that it is not as scary as natural birth. However – a bit of a spoiler alert – I wasn’t one of them. Then there is another question: to give birth at home, or in a disinfectant-smelling hospital? They both have advantages and disadvantages, but giving birth at home brings a relaxed environment. However, this requires a very important person – a midwife who is experienced and actually knows what is happening, especially for your first child. Rene was there for me and for more than 200 women, to talk them through what could happen, answer all their questions, and make sure their fears did not overwhelm the joy of having a little heart beating under their breast. She chose to become an Independent Midwife because she loved the individualised care she could give to women and their families this way. She is a fully-insured Private Midwife, specialising in home births, and she takes so much joy in looking after women throughout their childbearing years. She provides the full continuity of care during this time, which research has proved, many times, gives better outcomes for both mother and baby. Rene’s statistics show a high level of normality even for those who are not necessarily low-risk women. The care includes regular antenatal appointments in your own home, early labour support, birth support and four-to-six weeks of postnatal care. Along the way, she has acquired many extra skills to aid the care she gives. She is also able to complete the Newborn Exam (NIPE),required within 72 hours of birth. Rene is also a fully-insured, licenced homeopath; she uses this alongside her midwifery, but also for the rest of the family – it can be really useful for children and fathers too. She also offers flower remedies, as required. Rene has four children, three stepchildren, 13 grandchildren and one great grandchild! Oh, and two dogs. She has also just written a chapter in a book that covers her journey to where she is now. It is called “When the Goddess Calls”, Volume 2. If she hadn’t been there for me, my journey of becoming a mother twice would not have been as easy as it has been, that is for sure. If you liked this episode, or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via the comment section. Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

11. 

    2 Nov 2021

    My maternity experience - interview with Joanna Kalmer

    “The most important statistics I want everybody to know is that less than 1/3 of first-time mothers return to full-time employment, and less than 1/5 will leave their jobs completely by the 5th year. I've learnt to respect statistics if something is repeated with such a strong pattern – there is something magical about it – and, as I am in my 5th year, I understand this magic myself.” In this episode, my dear friend Joanna Kalmer, investment adviser and an entrepreneur specialising in digital finance, took on the role of reporter and asked me the hard questions about maternity and motherhood. We are talking about patterns and statistics, and don’t forget the sleepless nights either! The mental and physical exhaustion of motherhood is real, do not underestimate it. As an economist, anytime I have had to write a report about motherhood, I felt sort of “punished”, as the topic wasn’t exactly the one I was the most interested in; however, my world turned upside down when my little creature arrived. You know those books about sleep training? Forget about them, not only about the books, but also about sleep overall. There is one thing that raises both my temper and my heartbeat: when you get pregnant, you are happy, but your life continues, as it should – the “only” addition is a little heart beating under yours – but people see things differently. As soon as they find out about your blessing, they put you in a box, write “fragile” on it, and treat you like the most expensive Michelangelo statue. This box also has a warning message: only talk to her about pregnancy and kids. Like your own existence is boxed away in storage, and the only things you should talk about are kids, nappies and baby carriage brands. However, we women are much more, before, during and after pregnancy, even if our hair is in a messy bun and we don’t look like we walked out of a fashion magazine, while our little sleepless monster is hanging onto us; however, we are still interested in the wider world, which might not involve stories for two-year-olds. When I was talking about this with Joanna, one key point came up: organisation. How do you organise your life after a baby? I will tell you the tactics that saved me from going “crazy”, but what did you do to save yourself? Let me know in the comments section, and stayed tuned. Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

12. 

    2 Nov 2021

    Introducing the Off Balance Podcast!

    My name is Raffaella Tenconi, I am the founder and head of research of ADA Economics – or as I prefer to say: Analyse. Debate. Act. The first 15 years of my professional life were spent as a sell side economist for various investment banks. My passion is to try to understand the future, what makes countries thrive and fail and forecasting the financial valuations of that process. In 2015, my life changed significantly. It was partly a conscious choice and partly it was not. At the same time that I decided to create ADA, I fell pregnant with my first child and so that was the beginning of a magical, but also very chaotic phase. Maternity and entrepreneurship have been incredible eye opening experiences for my professional life as an economist. Both in my view are significantly more complex than what is said openly in the public discourse. In September 2021, I asked my good friend Joanna Kalmer, to record a podcast with me about the lessons I picked up in my journey as a mother and entrepreneur. The exercise was partly selfish and partly not. For the first time it felt right to draw some conclusions about the first five years of my journey and my hope is that my reflections will prove helpful to others that are in a similar situation or are thinking about going down that path. We live in a peculiar historical time. For the first time, there are more women graduates than men in Europe, even in “ hard sciences” where women historically were perceived to be weaker. Yet, the career of women remains shorter and profoundly influenced by maternity – and not in a good way. Child poverty rates show virtually no improvement in the last decade and the statistics clearly say that families (whether of single parents or with two parents) face significantly greater risk of poverty than any other parts of society. Today’s common answer to this seemingly unfixable equilibrium is that women and families choose to have fewer children or no children at all. So how does this link to maternity? Consciously or not, mothers (together with fathers, partners and other family & friends) are the primary teachers of information management so to speak for newborns and children. And not just that, they teach their children another very important skill – but somewhat underappreciated in society – emotional intelligence. Maternity is thus at the cross roads of many challenges we are facing in society and for the economy. Recalibrating government policies to facilitate this magical time is not just imperative from a social angle in my view, it is the right strategic choice from an economic aspect too. Off balance – turning the maternity penalty into a career divided (I thank for this awesome title Joanna and Viola) started as a series of podcasts about some of the key choices and experiences I had in the first years of my motherhood experience. It is a candid conversations with people I deeply respect and care for and I am grateful to their help to me. We are now adding a second layer by organising a virtual conference on the 16 of November that would like to expand on some of these themes. The plan is as follows Before we begin, please hit SUBSCRIBE to the podcast to be inspired and know you are NOT alone! I would also love to hear from you so please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Please enjoy! Connect with us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ada_economics), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffaella-tenconi-23514812/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ada_economics/)

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