Calling engineer and STEM mothers
If you’re a highly educated woman whose identity was defined by her career in STEM or corporate up until you had kids
... and you don’t want to be an exhausted, burnt-out motherhood penalty and million dollar wealth gap statistic (while watching new fathers experience a “fatherhood premium” through increased wages and promotions), then this course series is for you.
Let’s create your ultimate working mom from "survive to thrive" guide so that you overcome the crushing overwhelm of figuring out “having it all” on your own!
In a world of leadership programs, Pros&Babes focuses on how we bring our professional and personal worlds together.
It allows women with caregiving duties to reach their leadership potential. This is a priority because we have unique perspectives and skills as a result of being caregivers. The return on investment is most apparent in a
female leader's ability to lead and grow individuals on their teams, which in turn grows an organization.
- Amanda M. P.Eng. M.Sc., Manager Regulatory Compliance, Pros&Babes training participant
Who is this for?
This course series is for pregnant women, moms on maternity leave, and working moms (with older kids, too) in STEM/STEAM, corporate, and competitive fields, and who are leaders or on a leadership track. It's also for people of all genders who are family planning or want to support working parents.
Join us if you want to:
Leave behind the feeling you should be working as if you didn't have children, and raise your children like you didn't have a career.
Understand the seasons of your life and "fair play" systems so that schedule changes (like when kids' get sick!) don't get you completely off track your productive and mental health flow.
Design your vision of happiness and success
Registration is free for a limited time.
Make it come alive.
DATES AND TOPICS
February 1, noon MT, 14:00 ET: The career management and sanity-preserving strategies that will get you from feeling like you never have enough time in a day to having a schedule that allows for family fun AND a stimulating career (instead of constantly arguing with your partner about the chores)
March 3, noon MT, 14:00 ET: How do you tap into the hidden job market through networking (even if your hands are full as a busy mom! (Hosted by Kirsten Eeuwes, P.Eng.)
*** March 9, 10 AM MT, noon ET: "What I wish I knew about mindset, personal branding, and career/family life integration before I became a working mother with an engineering career" with Giulia Brutesco, P.Eng.
April 5, noon MT, 14:00 ET: Preparing for a maternity leave and leaving a great impression with your colleagues and boss, with Teresa Storch, P.Eng.
May 3, noon MT, 14:00 ET: Communicating your value and getting a raise as a mother, with Nicole Rosin, P.Eng.
“Being in a male-dominated field, I didn’t know many other women who were starting careers and families. I have wonderful friends and family, but nothing replaces the tribe that I found at Pros&Babes... It’s different than other moms’ groups because if focuses on careers as well.”
Amanda R., Professional Engineer
May 25, 10 AM MT, noon ET: The critical questions to answer as you plan your return to work from maternity leave or are navigating a career change so that you feel calmer, confident, and organized (while impressing your boss and colleagues), supported by a community of women who understand exactly what you’re going through, with Giulia Brutesco, P.Eng., and Nicole Rosin, P.Eng.
June 7, noon MT, 14:00 ET: Balancing fatherhood and engineering, with Dustin Stewart, P.Eng.
July 12 noon MT, 14:00 ET: Energy management techniques for busy caregivers and parents, with Sarah Hrynew, P.Eng.
Sept 6, noon MT, 14:00 ET: Your ultimate sick days plan as a working parent, with Kirsten Eeuwes, P.Eng.
SPECIAL 3-PART SERIES IN OCTOBER
Oct 3 noon MT, 14:00 ET: The one thing this STEM mom plans to do for the rest of her life to be fulfilled, with Megan Sutton, P.Eng.
Oct 4, noon MT, 14:00 ET: Developing your vision of success as a working mother, with Melissa Kober Meier, P.Eng.
Oct 5, noon MT, 14:00 ET: Long-term wealth planning fundamentals for working moms, with Wealthverse
Nov 1, noon MT, 14:00 ET: Navigating anxiety as a working mother, with Sarah Hrynew, P.Eng.
What mothers with engineering careers are saying about Pros&Babes training
Melissa, P. Engineer
"Even with the pandemic on, 2020 was the first year I had fulfilled PD hours requirements since starting my family in 2017. Pros&Babes was a huge part of that. Thank you!"
Sarah, P. Engineer
“Before joining Pros&Babes, I was spending a lot of time online, comparing myself to others, bringing a lot of anxiety and negativity into my life. I've completely cut that out. I'm now a lot more intentional with my time. Through the program, I’m investing in my personal growth while creating a road map for me and my family towards our vision.”
Nicole, P. Engineer
"The mindset work alone has been absolutely life-changing for our whole family. And it has allowed us to be more intentional, more positive in times when we really weren't. And, amidst the struggles of the day-to-day, more focused on the big picture, which makes it a lot easier to get through those things."”
Melissa, P. Engineer
Brittany Sutherland, P. Engineer
“I feel like my maternity leave has been spent a lot more productively. Through the Pros&Babes training, I’ve been able to be in control of my emotions, my time and the whole mat leave transition instead of just reacting to the whims of my child. It has been really freeing and empowering.”
Kirsten, P. Engineer
“Ever since my first clarity session with Kinia, I’ve gained tons of confidence about my leadership skills. And confidence is what got me to seek and earn a promotion right after my mat leave. I am so grateful to this community for helping me plant the seeds of my success.”
2023 sessions have ended.
Join our mailing list for the next series.
Do I have to attend all live sessions? No, you can attend the ones you are interested in.
Additional registration required for OSPE sessions (March 9 and May 25): https://ospe.on.ca/
Attendance to all live-only sessions is free to make it accessible professionals with less than five years of working experience, on maternity leave, new to Canada, or with an unemployed spouse.
VIP: A paid option to obtain access to recordings and peer mentorship will be released in 2023.
Certificates of Completion: you will be able to get certificates of completion for CPD hours. Administrative fees apply. CPD hour eligibility varies depending on your location and regulatory body. You are responsible for ensuring you comply with your regulatory body's requirements and procedures.
Funmi, Engineer, M. Eng.
"This has been the best thing for my professional development in this time. And actually, the best thing for my family too, because it is something we can all learn from."
Megan, P. Engineer
“I didn’t want to just exist. I wanted to thrive. I wanted to have a great family life and a successful career, even though everyone says you can’t do well at both. So I said ‘yes’ to myself and registered. You can have it all. You just have to start by shifting your mindset, and that’s when the magic happens.”
About your presenters
Kinia Romanowska, BA, MA, is a well-traveled award-winning journalist turned entrepreneur, maternity leave strategist, and working parent whisperer. A wife and mom of two passionate about making sure the next generation doesn’t experience the “motherhood penalty,” she is the founder and CEO of Pros&Babes and creator of the MoMBA (Mom MBA), the pioneering 360-leadership and personal development program for the busy, ambitious mom in Canada. She is the host of the “Engineer Your Success, Leadership, and Life Harmony #likeamother” podcast."
When founding Pros&Babes in 2017, she was one of the first thought leaders in Canada to bring national awareness to the gap in resources for managing maternity leave transitions, and leveraging this period of life for career growth. Individuals can now access corporate and grant funding for their MoMBA tuition.
Kinia helps highly educated moms who have careers in male-dominated, demanding, STEM, or competitive fields redefine their career-minded mom identity, design a strategic personal brand and back-to-work/career plan after kids, create work-life balance, and up level their working mom mindset so that they have more time for themselves and their family – all while getting that next promotion. Kinia and her team also support participants’ employers.
As Manager, Integrated Planning & Analytics at EPCOR, Kirsten helps the business gain visibility of the planned capital and maintenance work for Edmonton’s electric transmission system over the next 10+ years. The utility space is rapidly changing due to the development of new technologies and the impacts of climate change and Kirsten’s team develops a holistic plan to ensure reliable electric service for the years to come.
Kirsten is a mom of two and a champion of equity, diversity and inclusion in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). She is a long-time member of the Pros&Babes community and a graduate of the MoMBA™ (Mom MBA) program.
Kirsten Eeuwes, P.Eng.
As Partner and Strategic Policy Pathfinder at Stratesco group, Giulia help clients find their way through their toughest policy challenges using science-based solutions that are simple and motivating, leveraging more than 15 years of experience in various engineering and regulatory roles, including in senior leadership.
Giulia is a mom of two, a ringette player and coach, and a graduate of the MoMBA™ (Mom MBA) program.
Giulia Brutesco, P.Eng.
About Pros&Babes
For more information, visit prosandbabes.com
Apply for the MoMBA leadership program for mothers: momba.prosandbabes.com
Here’s what APEGA (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta) workshop participants said about the Pros&Babes training.
"I think this topic needs more attention than ever. Women/parents are still struggling in the workplace and will continue to until there is some true equality. Some company are making big strides with encouraging paternity leave for everyone."
"The workbook was really great. I wish more seminars offered them, so we can continue to learn after the event is over."
"Thank you very much for putting together this inclusive topic to demonstrate that this is something of interest to APEGA."
"Should be offered minimum yearly with Kinia.“
Why should you participate?
43% of women and 23% of men leave full-time STEM employment after having kids, often citing a work culture hostile to family life.
Only 20% of mothers feel confident returning to work after mat leave, and 40% of them feel so unsupported they think of quitting. With every child a woman has, a wage gap is created and widens. Mothers are rated as less hireable, less suitable for promotion and management training, and deserving of lower salaries because they are believed to be less competent and less committed to paid work.
Thankfully, competence and commitment can partially help tackle this problem. Pros&Babes provides a solid foundation for moms to start mitigating the “motherhood penalty” through unique, professional and personal development programs for moms on maternity leave and working moms, so they can feel less alone, more prepared to go back to work, negotiate, protect their careers, build their networks, and succeed instead of being stifled. Moms finish the courses feeling so much more confident about integrating their family and professional lives.
Motherhood Impacts
Women’s Careers:
Pros&Babes has helped mothers
and their leaders in the following organizations:
As seen on
On average, the earnings of women with children
are 12% less than those of women without children,
& this gap increases
with the number of children: with one child, the gap found was 9%; with two children, it was 12%; and with three or more children, 20%.” The earnings gap is on the higher end for highly educated mothers.
Statistics Canada, 2009
If you're ready for an elite community, professional mentorship, and a guided space for growth and change...
... apply for our advanced leadership program for mothers.
When women have children,
as mothers, they are rated
as less hireable, less suitable
for promotion & management
training and deserving of lower
salaries because, they are believed
to be less competent and less
committed to paid work.
American Journal of Sociology, 2007
While it seems obvious that this massive exit of women from the STEM workforce coincides with the time when they’re starting a family,
motherhood is rarely at the center of discussions or initiatives to close the gender gap in STEM.
Motherhood has always been the elephant in the room, until now; COVID-19 has laid bare the many inequalities that silently push women away from their career track.
Scientific American
“I do wish the scientific community ... was more supportive
of mothers and parents in general.
If organizations provided more flexibility and accommodations for mothers, it would definitely make a difference and prevent so many mothers from leaving STEM. Having role models who are also mothers can make all the difference in helping women stay in STEM.“
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