The Crossroads: When Loyalty Wasn’t Enough
For over four years, Rachel worked her way up to VP at a small marketing company. She had built a strong reputation, put in long hours, and thought she was valued by her boss.
✔ Her boss—a man with two estranged adult children—seemed supportive of her pregnancy.
✔ He gave her 12 weeks of paid leave, even though the company wasn’t required to offer it.
✔ She felt grateful to be in a workplace that seemed to accommodate working mothers.
But shortly after returning to work, another co-worker announced she was pregnant.
Rachel was thrilled—finally, another mom in the office!
Her boss, however, was not.
✔ Her co-worker was denied paid leave.
✔ She was removed from company health insurance during her time off.
✔ She was given only 12 weeks of unpaid leave.
"I was torn. My boss had treated me well during my pregnancy—but now he was punishing someone else for making the same choice. I couldn't ignore the double standard."
Rachel spoke up for her co-worker—first to her boss, then to HR, then to one of the company’s investors.
Instead of listening, her boss retaliated:
✔ He demoted her.
✔ He barely spoke to her for weeks.
✔ Finally, he fired her—with a severance package, after she consulted a lawyer.
"I walked away with financial security for a while, but it still didn’t feel like a win. My co-worker is still there, and I can’t imagine what she deals with every day."
The Challenges: Financial & Emotional Aftermath
- Going from Full-Time to Part-Time Pay
"We had already committed to paying for my son’s daycare for the full year. Suddenly, I was basically working just to cover childcare." - The Emotional Toll of Speaking Up
"I questioned my decision almost daily. I was in shock—how could a company I had given five years of my life to treat me like this?" - Feeling Like No One Really Won
"I wanted to believe that standing up for my co-worker would change things, but it didn’t. She’s still there. Nothing really changed." - Losing the Community of Work & Feeling Isolated
"I had no other working parents in my office. No one else understood what it was like to rush in five minutes late after daycare drop-off or to skip happy hours because I had a baby at home."
What Worked (and What She’d Do Differently)
✔ Seeking External Support
"Starting Prospera helped because it gave me someone to talk to outside of my family. Retelling the story to someone objective helped me process what happened."
✔ Giving Herself Time to Heal
"I was angry, hurt, and confused. But over time, I started to see that leaving was the best thing for me."
✔ Embracing a New Normal—Even If It Wasn’t What She Planned
"I never imagined working part-time, but now I get to spend so much more time with my son. That’s something I wouldn’t trade."
What she’d do differently?
✔ Find a Community of Other Working Parents Sooner
"Having just one or two other parents at work would have helped so much. I felt like I was navigating this completely alone."
✔ Trust Herself More
"Even though I still struggle with how everything went down, I know I did the right thing by speaking up. I just wish I could have believed in myself more during the process."
What Would Have Been Helpful?
📌 More Working Parents in the Office – She had no peers who understood the challenges of balancing work and motherhood.
📌 A Stronger Support System – Having more people to lean on through the transition would have helped.
📌 Better Workplace Policies for Parents – Companies shouldn’t get to pick and choose which moms get support and which don’t.
"I wish I had someone—anyone—at work who understood what I was going through."
Rachel’s Advice: Speak Up, But Protect Yourself
✔ Know Your Rights Before You Need Them
"If you’re pregnant or planning to be, research your state’s maternity leave laws and company policies before you announce it. You need to know what you’re entitled to."
✔ Find Your People—You Will Need Them
"Whether it’s co-workers, a mentor, a career coach, or an online community, having support is key."
✔ If You Speak Up, Document Everything
"If you ever need to advocate for yourself or someone else, write everything down—conversations, emails, policies. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have been able to negotiate my severance."
✔ Leaving Can Be a Blessing, Even If It Doesn’t Feel Like It Right Away
"I was devastated when I lost my job. But looking back, I see that it forced me to step into a new, more fulfilling chapter."
Rachel’s Both& Moment: The Complexity of Doing What’s Right
Rachel’s story isn’t a simple one. There was no clear “win.”
✔ She felt both proud of standing up for her co-worker and frustrated that it didn’t create change.
✔ She was both grateful for the severance and hurt by how she was treated.
✔ She learned she could both grieve the career she lost and embrace the time she gained with her son.
This wasn’t about justice—it was about surviving, learning, and moving forward.
