Changing the system: supporting new parents

The other week I had the pleasure of interviewing Manisha Sheth, founder of Nurturing Mama, about her work with mums and their families. Her work and her reasons for why she does what she does, are a great example of what our mission is all about: building a system in which everyone is empowered to thrive.

Plus the conversation couldn’t have been more timely. As a mother myself with a 9 month old and a 3 year old at home during lockdown the pressure is immense. Manisha not only shared what she’s doing to change how we support parents in our society but she also created space for me to reflect on my own needs and health.

A lot of what we discussed is relevant to all people - not just those who are parents or carers. We know through working with Balance the Load, a new app helping you to distribute tasks fairly in interpersonal relationships, that Manisha’s advice on being really clear about your needs, values and expectations is vital in all kinds of relationships. In fact it’s often the place we start from when we work with teams.

In this interview Manisha talks about the following topics:

  • Manisha's own experiences with pregnancy and post-natal health

  • The rise in postnatal depression (5:35)

  • The pressures parents face in the choices they make(10:03)

  • The challenges of being a parent in lockdown (19:18)

  • The opportunities for change that the current climate creates for families(26:06)

Find our more about Manisha and her work at nurturingmama.co.uk.

If you’d like to contribute to our series about changing the system you can read more here. Big or small we want to discuss and celebrate the work people are doing to make positive changes in themselves, in others, or in society more generally.


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By experimenting with new, more inclusive ways of working together we support people to challenge the status quo of work and build more meaningful connections with themselves, their teams and the work they do.