Balancing a career in tech with motherhood requires more than time management. It requires rewriting the rules.

Margaret Kelsey shares what it really looks like to build a high-impact career while navigating motherhood, divorce, and a beautifully complex blended family. From getting hired eight months pregnant to redesigning her career through fractional work, Margaret breaks down the real decisions behind making work and life actually work without pretending it’s easy or perfectly balanced.

The conversation goes into the hidden dynamics that shape working moms’ careers, including why so many women feel forced to choose, how outdated workplace expectations persist today, and what it takes to rewrite the rules in your own life.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you can have both a meaningful career and a full life outside of work, this episode offers an honest, nuanced look at what’s possible and what it actually takes.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet Margaret Kelsey

(00:45) Navigating a nontraditional family structure

(02:47) Moving between full-time and fractional work

(05:07) Getting hired while pregnant

(07:10) Returning to work after maternity leave

(08:23) Building a flexible advising career

(11:16) The importance of role models for working moms

(14:534) Navigating pregnancy and job changes

(19:23) The realities behind workplace bias

(21:54) How "Primary Parent Days" changed everything

(32:38) Rethinking parenting roles and responsibilities

(36:54) Save of the week: Surviving & Thriving

Connect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/

Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/

Connect with Margaret Kelsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-kelsey-104abba/

Check out Kodaris – The Supply Chain Platform: https://www.kodaris.com/

Try Riverside Pro free for a month with code fullstackmoms at https://creators.riverside.com/FullStackMoms

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com