Dr Ellen Joan Ford: The overt and covert penalties of motherhood

In this powerful conversation, I talk to Dr Ellen Joan Ford, who is terrifyingly ambitious about improving the working world for people and for organisations.

As a leader, researcher, military veteran, international speaker, TEDx speaker, facilitator, consultant and parent, Ellen draws on her research and practical experiences to drive organisational outcomes by enhancing inclusive leadership capabilities and workplace culture.

Ellen shares what she learned about leadership, identity and inclusion over more than a decade in the New Zealand Army, including the double standards mothers face, how bias shows up in both obvious and subtle ways, and why we need to rethink “professionalism” in the workplace.

This conversation is practical, honest and deeply empowering, especially if you’re navigating leadership, parenthood, or workplaces that weren’t designed with mothers in mind.

Ellen was awarded the Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the Year - Local Hero for her efforts supporting the evacuation of 563 from Afghanistan, is Person of the Year - Manawatu Standard and the prestigious Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award. She is the author of #WorkSchoolHours and her leadership model is Belonging, Autonomy and Purpose.


We speak about:
· Why “business as usual” doesn’t work for working parents
· What true leadership and inclusion really look like
· How unconscious bias shows up in work and parenting
· Ellen’s experience with reintegration after parental leave
· Why the personal is professional… and always has been
· How leaders and organisations can better support parents

Resources Discussed

· Enter the code EMMA at checkout to get a free copy of Dr Ellen Joan Ford’s e-book: #WorkSchoolHours – buy it here: www.ellenjoanford.com · Connect with Dr Ellen Joan Ford on LinkedIn:   / dr-ellen-joan-ford-791a2655  


Connect with Emma
This podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.

Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes,

executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family.

As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping." To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nz   / worksforeveryone     / emma-mclean-9176217