Tamara Hinckley, at the time of recording Director of Product at Pinterest and now Founder of Momentum Rising, mom of two girls, and author of a newsletter that inspires thousands of mothers, joins Katya for a conversation about the moments motherhood teaches you that nothing is fully in your control.

Tamara shares her path from Wall Street to tech leadership, her fertility struggles and postpartum depression, and how writing about the hardest parts of her life in the most professional of places became a turning point. They dig into the motherhood penalty and why maternity leave sits at the heart of it, how to think in impact rather than hours, the reputation you build as a working mom, and why Tamara decided to leave Pinterest after nine years to build something new for mothers returning to work. Recorded right at the moment of her big leap, this one is full of fear, conviction, and everything in between.

Tamara's book recommendations (not to miss!): The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest, the one page a day that got her to peace with the big jump.

A little note before you press play: this episode was recorded over a year ago. Life got in the way, namely my second pregnancy. Between intense work and toddler time, my superpower of pulling long hours suddenly left me, and the podcast had to wait. Funnily enough, my producer Vlada was pregnant at exactly the same time, which seems to be the effect Rocking Cribs and Careers has on us! I'm really happy this conversation is finally seeing the light of day, for two reasons. First, Tamara's insights feel more relevant than ever, with so many people asking big questions about their corporate careers. And second, we caught Tamara right at the moment of her leap, so you now get a rare bonus: check out her profile and see how everything she talks about here has actually unfolded.

Find Tamara on LinkedIn (she replies to every message, so do write her a note): https://www.linkedin.com/in/tvhinckley

Her newsletter Half Moon Hustle: https://halfmoonhustle.substack.com

And what her leap became, Momentum Rising: https://www.momentumrising.com

April Preston, at the time of recording Global Product Director at Holland & Barrett and now SVP of Own Brand Product and Innovation at Loblaw in Canada, mom of three, and the product leader behind legendary food launches at Marks & Spencer and Harrods, joins me in this episode to talk about:

• Being the breadwinner mum, and the family setup that made an all-in career possible

• Motherhood guilt and the antidote to it

• The benefits of having a working mum that nobody ever talks about

• The family brainstorm that ended up on M&S shelves (if you know Percy Pig, that should give you a clue)

• Never toning down who you are in corporate rooms

By the end you'll want April as your mentor, your dinner host, or both. Enjoy!

Release note from Katya before you press play: this conversation was recorded in spring 2025. What happened in between? A big day job, a toddler, a second pregnancy and then a newborn. My superpower of getting things done late at night temporarily left me. I'm so happy the moment for this episode to see the light of day has finally come. April's honesty about motherhood guilt, and her case for the benefits of being a working mum, are timeless. I've come back to this conversation in my head many times over the past year. And there's a bonus in releasing late: since we spoke, April has made a big leap of her own, moving from Holland & Barrett to Canada to lead own brand product and innovation at Loblaw as Senior Vice President. Her words about thriving on transformation and never having a career plan hit differently when you know what came next. Check out her profile and see for yourself.

Find April on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-preston-9a93802b And her never-the-same-meal-twice food world on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilprestonandco

Tanya Liberman— founder & owner of ADDA gems, a very successful jewellery brand based in Israel, mom of 5, and content creator with over 160K followers.

Here are just a few standout moments from our conversation that really stuck with me:

• Having postpartum euphoria instead of depression — how you can actually enjoy caring for a baby all on your own and harness that energy;
• Never taking maternity leave — and how to make that work as the founder of your own business;
• Changing a country and a husband between your third and fourth baby — and how not to be afraid of bold choices in general;
• Dividing limited time and attention between five kids — and how to make it work.

Diving into Tanya’s journey — full of bold choices, unexpected turns, and unconventional truths that worked for her — was super fun and genuinely inspiring for me. This conversation left me feeling empowered - it’s a must-have reminder that you can (and should) go after the life you want. We really hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed creating it.

As always, let us know how we did — just reach out here or email us at denikekate@gmail.com with "RCC" in the subject line.

To support the podcast, please spread the word by sharing this episode with anyone who might find it interesting — we’d truly appreciate it.