Andrea Barr wears many hats: teacher, cheerleader, entrepreneur, career coach for parents, podcaster and mom.
With all these skills under her belt, it hasn’t always been easy trying to navigate the balance of being a parent and working.
Barr saw the struggles that came with these tasks and decided to help other moms and working parents who feel this way. She took matters into her own hands seven years ago and launched a business that offers career coaching for parents.
“It’s so important to have career coaching for parents because parents need an outlet that is not their partner, that’s not their kids and that’s not their therapist,” Barr said.
Barr is just one of the many parents across the North Shore who have made the jump to create businesses and projects to help other moms both locally and across the globe.
Through one-on-one coaching, she helps mothers and working parents navigating many challenges such as career or job changes, preparing for job interviews, working through terminations and layoffs, parental leaves, maintaining a work-life balance and long-term career planning.
“It was important for me to create the services that I provide as a career coach for parents because … I noticed the need for myself,” she said.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Barr worked in the corporate world for more than decade. She felt everything was going right – a wonderful job, team and manager. But when she returned after maternity leave, something didn’t feel the same. She realized it was herself that had changed, having different ambitions, eventually leading the launch of her business.
But the parent coaching doesn’t just stop for Barr there. Nearly three years ago, she started the All Figured Out podcast, sharing support with those trying to "figure out" how to navigate life as a working parent.
Barr said she shares practical tips and stories of how people can find work-life balance while also bringing in experts on topics she’s unfamiliar with and sharing their personal stories.
“It’s always a winding story and journey, which I think really inspires other parents to see that just because you become a parent doesn’t mean that whatever career you [had when you] became a parent is where you’re stuck for life,” she said.
Changing the narrative and support systems around maternity leave
When Sonja Baikogli Foley was navigating the process of maternity leave, she felt struck by the lack of support around returning to work.
Foley used her experience in non-profit, public and private organizations to co-found Maturn, an organization that supports and empowers working mothers.
“Maturn is really an effort to address and challenge systemic barriers that prevent women’s full participation in the workforce,” Foley said. “I wanted to create the gap that was missing.”
The Vancouver-based company offers programs to help coach mothers through maternity leave while growing their careers and families. They have expanded since the organization began in 2021, also helping women navigate fertility, peripause and menopause.
Foley said there are several challenges and barriers women face around maternity leave in Canada.
A 2024 report, a collaboration between Maturn and The Brand is Female, surveyed more than 1,000 employed mothers across Canada and found a gap in maternity leave financial support, with many saying they didn’t have additional financial support beyond basic Employment Insurance.
In Canada, maternity leave pay is 55 per cent of the person who gave birth’s earnings for a maximum of up to 15 weeks, up to a maximum of $695 weekly. Those benefits can be followed by up to 40 weeks of shared parental benefits at the same rates.
The report also found 39 per cent did not receive employer financial top-up, and 59 per cent of those who did were not offered other benefits like coaching programs, counselling or childcare assistance.
“It’s time to change that narrative on how women are supported in the workplace, regardless of the transition that you’re going through in life – whether that’s fertility, maternity leave, where you’re raising kids or caregiving for parents … or you’re going through perimenopause," Foley said.
“If we can support women during these pivotal life transitions, we’ll have a much better shot at seeing a more inclusive and diverse workforce.”
Self-care is vital for mothers but often on the backburner, founder says
Gillian Behnke found herself stressed both at work and home. The duties of an event planner for a large company and balancing taking care of her two kids were a challenge at times.
As she was heading to work driving over Lions Gate Bridge in June 2018, she caught herself on the verge of burnout, desperate to get away for a weekend.
The getaway she pictured was camping – a cabin in the woods, enjoying some food and wine while immersing herself in personal development.
That very moment sparked Mom Camp, a weekend retreat giving mothers the space and support to rediscover themselves through speakers, food and drinks shared around a campfire, and other outdoor activities in Squamish.
“I knew if I needed this camp, that other moms would see the need too and would just feel the same magic that I felt,” Behkne said.
The annual weekend getaway is at the Cheakamus Centre in Squamish, and typically held in the fall. The Cheakamus Centre is owned by the North Vancouver School District and school groups often make use of the space for retreats and outdoor learning.
But Behnke created Mom Camp for another reason – to remind mothers to prioritize self-care.
“When a mom takes care of herself and does things that fill her own bucket and reignites that spark and brings herself joy, she is going to have more capacity, more energy and just more life ready to give to those around her,” she said. “It does so much more for those around you, when you are showing up the way you want to.”
On top of the annual trip, Behnke helps moms year-round with a 90-day planner to help keep life organized and a podcast of mothers sharing inspirational stories and self-care.
“Mothers are the superheroes of society,” Behnke added. “It’s all about helping moms put themselves on their own priority list, and finding ways to connect with other moms so they know they’re not alone on this wild ride called motherhood.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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