How do you prepare for maternity leave when you’re leading a commercial organization - and make sure your team, business, and career continue to thrive while you’re away?In this episode of the Kundra Podcast, Theresa sits down with Maria, VP of Revenue Operations at Welcome to the Jungle, who shares how she approached two very different maternity leaves - one at a large, established company, and one inside a fast-scaling startup.Inside this conversation, you’ll discover:Continuity by Design: How Maria built clear handover plans, ownership structures, and expectations that kept performance steady.Coverage Decisions: The trade-offs between redistributing responsibilities internally vs. hiring an interim contractor - and how to evaluate what’s right for your team.Team Empowerment: Why maternity leave can become a leadership accelerator when managed intentionally.Performance & Progress: How Maria aligned objectives, success markers, and performance reviews to protect career growth during leave.Return & Reflection: What “reboarding” looks like in practice - and how stepping away reshaped her leadership clarity and purpose.Whether you’re a working parent, HR leader, or manager, this episode is a blueprint for designing continuity, protecting performance, and turning maternity leave into a moment of organizational and personal growth.In this episode we cover:00:00 Introduction & Maria’s Background03:03 Setting the Scene - Two Very Different Maternity Leaves04:56 Designing Coverage - Splitting the Team and Empowering Others07:58 The Decision Framework - Objectives, Cost & Continuity13:07 Hiring a Contractor - How to Make It Work23:14 Lessons for Managers - When You Can’t Hire Externally27:28 Preparing for Return - Disconnecting, Reboarding & ReframingAbout KundraKundra is building the future of parental leave.We believe ambition and parenthood can thrive together — and that companies embedding equity into their culture today will lead tomorrow.This podcast is part of that journey: conversations with working parents, business leaders, and HR innovators to uncover the truths of career and parenthood, and the structures that make it work.We’re now opening pilot programs for companies ready to rethink parental leave.To learn more or see how Kundra can support your teams, email [email protected] for a demo.Want more from each episode?→ Subscribe to Kundra Notes for insights, recaps, and HR toolkits→ Follow Kundra on LinkedIn for product updates and thought leadership→ Follow Kundra on Instagram for stories, quotes, and behind-the-scenes

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