It's 6am, the baby has a fever, and you and your partner both have big meetings today. You're in the right place.
Going back to work after baby is hard. Start with a plan.
You might be dreading it. You might be a little excited, and feeling guilty about that. Probably both. Nobody handed you a map, so I wrote one. Empower Your Return is a field guide you write in, so that by day one, childcare is covered, the backup plan is set, your partner knows which half of the load is theirs, and you've already decided where you'll go if you need to cry.
First print run: 100 copies. Launch price $39. The price rises to $49 once they are gone. Printed and shipped within a week, free in the US. Prefer the digital course, or want company for this part? See all three options.
It makes sense that this feels like so much.
- You're rehearsing the conversation with your manager in the shower.
- You're the one who knows the pediatrician's number, the daycare pickup rules, and what's in the diaper bag, and nobody ever decided that was your job.
- You're excited to be a person with a job again, and you're heartbroken to leave your baby, and you can't say either one out loud without the other.
- You don't know what you'll do when daycare calls at 2pm and you're about to walk into a meeting.
Nothing is wrong with you. This is one of the biggest identity shifts of your life, and almost no one is set up to make it easy. You don't have to figure it out by yourself at 11pm. Start here.
I went back at twelve weeks with a plan I made up.
My company didn't have a return-to-work plan, so I wrote one myself while I was still pregnant: two weeks of half days, easing back in.
That plan covered my schedule. It didn't cover pumping in a meeting that ran long, while my boss told everyone on the call I could step out if I was in pain. It didn't cover the parenting class I'd taken the day off for, and then skipped, because he'd sent a snippy email about the day off and I didn't have it in me to push.
Nobody had told me to plan for any of that, or that I'd be the one making it up as I went. So I wrote down what I'd had to work out the hard way. Empower Your Return is the guide I wish someone had put in my hands before I walked back in.
Coral Edwards, ICF-certified coach and mother of two
Five sections. One page at a time.
You don't have to do it all in one sitting, and you don't have to do it in order. Start with whatever is keeping you up. The pages will be here when your season changes, and it will.
Where you're starting
Before you plan anything, you get to say how you're actually doing. The Wheel of Life and the Focus Finder show where you're running on empty across self, home, and work, so you know what to tend first.
Preparing at home
A childcare plan. An "if this, then that" plan for the 6am sick-baby morning. A household plan that says who owns what, so you're not the default for all of it. Boundaries at home, and the small systems, like a packed pump bag, that keep a hard week from falling apart.
Reframing your return
A transition plan and a conversation planner for your manager. Work boundaries you can say out loud. A pumping prep planner. And a page for where you'll go when you need to cry at work, because you might, and that's okay.
Know your rights
FMLA, the PUMP Act, and your employer's own policy in plain language, with links to look up your state's laws. You shouldn't have to decode this at midnight.
Your plan
A 30-60-90 day plan. The boundaries you're committing to. A support team you name on purpose. And check-in dates, so you can ask yourself honestly whether it's working and change it if it isn't.
Here's what the pages look like.
These are real pages from the guide. There's room to write, and most pages end with a few questions that help you notice what's going on underneath, not just what's on the to-do list.
How it sounds.
The invisible labor and mental load don't redistribute automatically just because your employment changes. Think of this as your home's operating system: who owns what, agreed in advance, not negotiated mid-Tuesday.
When the unexpected happens, and it will, a plan turns chaos into inconvenience. Map your go-to responses now, so nobody is asking "I don't know, what do you think?" at 6am with a feverish baby.
You are allowed to change the plan after week one. A plan is a starting point, not a contract with your former self.
From mothers who've used it.
"This is everything I wish I had had when I transitioned back to work after my first kid. Thank gosh I have it now for my second!"
"I don't know what I would have done without this guide. It helped me become aware of so many future complications (what happens if my kid is sick? what happens if my husband wants to work late every night? what happens if I have a business trip but I'm exclusively breastfeeding? will I ever want to cuddle my husband again? etc. etc. etc.), so my husband and I could go through the reflections, have thoughtful and productive conversations, and make an equitable plan together. So great."
Three ways to do this.
Same lessons in each. The difference is paper or screen, and whether you want someone in the room with you.
The digital course
- The same lessons, filled in on screen
- Export your answers any time
- Lifetime access, at your own pace
- 14-day refund if you've done 3 lessons or fewer
The field guide
- The full guide to write in, printed and bound
- Ships within 1 business week
- A good gift for a friend who's about to go back
Return-to-Work Circle
- The printed guide, shipped free in the US
- The digital course
- Six months of member-only access
- Live Zoom office hours with me: 1st Tuesday 10am to 12pm ET, 3rd Friday 12pm to 2pm ET
Full refund on the digital course within 14 days if you've completed 3 lessons or fewer. The printed guide is refundable only if it arrives damaged or defective.
You shouldn't have to do this part alone.
Some of this you can plan on paper. Some of it you just need to say out loud to someone who gets it. The Circle is the guide, the course, and a standing place to bring what you've written, or what's stuck, to me and a small group of mothers who are going back to work or already back. The introductory price of $89 rises to $128 once the first print run is gone.
The printed field guide
The workbook you write in, shipped within 1 business week. Childcare and backup plans, the household split, work boundaries, pumping, your rights, and your 30-60-90.
The digital course
The same lessons online, on the member site. Fill them in on screen, export your answers, and keep access.
Six months of member-only access
The member site has the course now. I'm adding private posts and other content for members as I go. You have access for six months from the day you join.
Drop-in office hours
Live on Zoom, twice a month: the first Tuesday, 10am to 12pm ET, and the third Friday, 12pm to 2pm ET. Around six people per session, so there's room to actually be heard. Bring a question, a draft of the conversation you're dreading with your manager, or the thing that went sideways this week. You reserve a seat for each session, and you can join any time. Your access runs for six months.
That's $18 more than the guide and course on their own. Office hours are scheduled sessions. I'm not on call between them, and they aren't crisis support. If you're in crisis, please reach out to a mental health professional or call or text 988.
You check out. Your printed guide ships within 1 business week.
I email you your member site invitation and how to reserve your seats within one business day.
You fill in the guide at your own pace, and bring what you've written, or what's stuck, to office hours. Come with the messy version. That's what they're for.
Is this you?
It's for you if
- You're going back to work after leave, or you're a few months in and still not sure how anyone does this.
- You love your baby, and part of you is excited to go back, and part of you is dreading it, and you feel guilty about both.
- You're tired of being the one who remembers everything, and you want it written down where your partner can see it.
- You want a place to be honest about how you're doing, and a real plan alongside it.
- You'd rather write on a page than read one more article about balance.
It isn't for you if
- You want a way to "bounce back." Nobody bounces back, and you shouldn't have to.
- You want someone to tell you there's one right way to do this. There isn't.
- You're looking for therapy, or medical or legal advice. The guide is none of those, and it says so.
Hi, I'm Coral.
I'm an ICF-certified coach and a mother of two. I built IMHMO because I know what it's like to look fine on the outside while you're coming apart quietly, and because I couldn't find the support I needed when I went back to work.
I don't think you need to become someone new to get through this season. I think you need to come back to who you already are, and have a plan that fits your real life. My coaching draws on ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), somatic work, values clarification, and behavioral science, applied to an actual job, an actual kid, and an actual partnership.
"I was at a crossroads with career, motherhood, and my identity. I found real clarity in my professional desires. My biggest takeaway was affirming that there is power in my story."Gwendolyn, educator and mom
"I ended up with the courage to go after the goals I had in my mind, and strategies to deal with all the concerns that were stopping me before."Bo, founder, Wharton MBA and mom
These two quotes are from my 1:1 coaching clients.
Start with the free checklist.
The Invisible Labor Checklist is one page and takes about a minute. It shows you which parts of the load are yours right now. I'll send a few emails after you download it, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
Before you buy.
What's the difference between the guide and the course?
The guide is the printed workbook. The course is the same lessons online, where you fill in the exercises on the page and export your answers. Pick whichever you'll actually use. The Circle includes both.
How long does it take?
Most people work through it over 2 to 4 weeks, but nothing has a deadline. Come back to a page whenever your situation changes.
When will the printed guide arrive?
It ships within 1 business week of your order, whether you buy it alone or in the Circle. Digital course access comes by email within one business day.
What are office hours?
Live Zoom sessions with me and a small group, twice a month: the first Tuesday, 10am to 12pm ET, and the third Friday, 12pm to 2pm ET. Around six people per session. Bring a question, a draft of the conversation you're dreading with your manager, or whatever went sideways this week. You reserve a seat for each one. They aren't on-call or crisis support.
Do I have to come to every session?
No. Come when you have something to work on, and skip the ones you don't. You can't fall behind.
Is the Circle group coaching?
It's office hours: a small group, a live conversation, and me working through what you bring. It isn't 1:1 coaching. If you want that, the free chemistry call is the way to find out whether it's a fit.
Can my employer cover the Circle?
Many do. Email coral@coraledwards.com and I'll send an invoice or a short description for HR.
Can I use this if I'm already back at work?
Yes. The guide is built to be used before, during, and after your return. The household split, work boundaries, pumping plan, and 30-60-90 plan are just as useful in month two as in week one.
I'm parenting solo. Does it still work?
It does. The household plan has a version for you: instead of asking who owns a task with you, you ask who or what can own it instead of just you. That could be hired help, a family member, a friend on rotation, a paid service, or a task that isn't happening this season.
Do I need to do it with my partner?
No. A few exercises work best shared, like the household plan and the boundary blueprints, but you can fill in every page on your own and bring the finished pages to the conversation.
Is the rights section legal advice?
No. It summarizes FMLA, the PUMP Act, and your employer's own policies in plain language and points you to state-by-state resources, since laws vary a lot. It's meant to help you ask the right questions at HR. Confirm the details that apply to you with HR or a qualified advisor.
Can I buy it as a gift?
Yes. Enter her address at checkout. If you want it to arrive by a certain date, email coral@coraledwards.com and I'll do my best.
Do you offer this for companies?
Yes. I work with HR teams and benefits leaders on bulk licenses and printed copies. Email coral@coraledwards.com and I'll send options.
What's your refund policy?
Digital course: email me within 14 days of purchase for a full refund, as long as you've completed 3 lessons or fewer. After that I can't refund it, but write to me anyway and we'll talk it through. Printed guide: non-refundable once shipped, unless it arrives damaged or defective. If that happens, email me within 14 days of delivery and I'll make it right.
You've been holding all of it. Put some of it on paper.
Start with page 4. Give it twenty quiet minutes if you have them. Five honest minutes beats a perfect hour you never get.
Questions? Email coral@coraledwards.com