Our mission:
We believe parenthood should not mean the end of career ambition, progression or opportunity. Our mission is to help organisations and working parents create the conditions for career continuity through one of life’s most significant transitions, so parents can continue building meaningful and sustainable careers long after parental leave ends.
Why work with The Maternity Coach?
Three quarters of the average working mother’s career happens after maternity leave.
Yet many organisations focus their support on helping employees return to work rather than helping them continue to build meaningful and sustainable careers afterwards.
We believe supporting working parents is not simply a wellbeing issue. It is a retention, engagement and leadership issue. When organisations create the conditions for career continuity, working parents are more likely to remain engaged, progress in their careers and continue making their contribution long after parental leave ends.
At The Maternity Coach, our team brings a wealth and depth of experience and skills to their coaching, which means you or your colleagues have a brilliant selection of coaches to choose from. They love what they do, and are all parents themselves.
Our qualifications
Coaches at The Maternity Coach have all completed coach training that is accredited by either the Association for Coaching, the International Coaching Federation, the Institute of Leadership and Management or the Chartered Management Institute. They are registered with the relevant agency, and working in line with their professional body’s Code of Ethics. They all trained as Maternity Coaches at The Maternity Coach, and are able to conduct both our 1:1 coaching and group coaching courses.
Our experience
Founded by career development specialist Frances Cushway in 2019, The Maternity Coach supports working parents, managers, coaches and organisations through the opportunities and challenges that come with parenthood and career progression.
We recognise that there is no single path to parenthood and support individuals and families whatever their journey, whether through pregnancy, adoption, surrogacy, fertility treatment or other routes to becoming a parent.
Today, we work with organisations across sectors including healthcare, finance, professional services, property, education, energy, manufacturing and the charity sector. Through specialist coaching, training and practical resources, we help organisations improve the experience of parental leave, strengthen manager capability, support career continuity and retain employees long after they return to work.
Alongside our work with organisations, we continue to support individual parents, helping them navigate key career decisions, maintain career momentum and build meaningful and sustainable careers alongside family life.
Our approach
Our approach combines expertise in career development, psychology and the transition to parenthood to support both individuals and organisations through one of life’s most significant changes.
We recognise that challenges experienced during and after parental leave are rarely just practical. They are often shaped by changes in identity, confidence, priorities, relationships, organisational culture and career aspirations. This is why our work goes beyond helping employees return to work. We help them continue to build meaningful and sustainable careers alongside family life.
We offer a bespoke service, tailoring our support to the needs of each individual and organisation. Once we understand your goals, culture and challenges, we recommend a programme of coaching, training and practical support designed to help working parents navigate change with confidence while supporting organisations to improve retention, strengthen leadership pipelines and create the conditions for career continuity.
Our coaching is person-centred and solution-focused, drawing on positive psychology, career development theory and an understanding of matrescence and patrescence to help individuals find clarity, build confidence and move towards their goals.
Our results
For our 1:1 coaching services:
- 74% of our coachees Strongly Agreed or Agreed that their maternity coaching sessions supported them in achieving their objectives/goals.
- 100% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that they valued their Maternity Coaching sessions
- 95% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that their Maternity Coaching had a positive impact on their return to work experience
- 100% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that their Maternity Coaching was a positive experience
Net promoter score for our 1:1 coaching = 86 (World Class)
For our group coaching courses:
- 95% of our coachees feel more confident in managing unhelpful thoughts after maternity leave
- 92% of our coachees feel more supported to make the transition back to work after maternity leave
- 94% of our coachees feel better equipped to manage dips in confidence while on maternity leave
- 94% of our coachees feel better equipped in balancing things at home
- 97% of our coachees feel better equipped to manage work-life balance after maternity leave
- 94% of our coachees feel clearer on how to look after their own needs
Net promoter score for our group coaching courses = 67 (excellent)
(data last updated 22/06/2026)
Our values
Listen first
to our colleagues, coachees and clients
Individuality
being our true selves means we can have the biggest impact
Integrity
do the right thing not the easiest thing
Respect
for you, your choices, your time
Keep learning
there's always more to learn
Read our blog about the benefits maternity coaching brings to both individuals and organisations
The Maternity Coach Founder
Frances Cushway has coached mothers since 2006, supporting them through the different career transitions they experience in their working lives. She founded The Maternity Coach in 2019 after recognising that many of the career challenges women faced years later could be traced back to decisions made during maternity leave and the transition back to work.
Prior to setting up her own consultancy Frances worked for PwC running assessments for recruitment, development and career coaching, and the BBC where she coached individuals leaving the organisation and facilitated workshops alongside her role as Producer in BBC Weather.
In addition to hands-on experience, Frances is a licensed and accredited Career Coach with Career Counselling Services and has a Postgraduate Certificate in Career and Talent Management. She is on the UK Register of Career Development Professionals with the Career Development Institute and commits to carry out ongoing professional development. With a BSc in Psychology, she is also a member of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Coaching Psychology. Frances continued following her passion for Psychology in 2022 when she completed a BPS accredited Neuroscience Professional Development Programme.
Frances has two daughters and knows how hard the daily juggle is – balancing work and family life. She understands the feelings of motherhood ambivalence – feeling pulled between enjoying spending time with her daughters while also wanting time to follow her own interests and passions.
Frances was shortlisted for the CDI Career Development Awards Career Coach of the Year 2018, 2021 and 2022 for her work coaching mothers on maternity leave.
Some organisations we work with...
