Women At Work

Laura Stewart had a big career. Then she had a baby. She went back to work, and it was a disaster – sidelined, treated differently, and a toxic workplace. So, like the rest of the 30% of women who leave their jobs within a year of having a baby, Laura left. But also like the rest of that 30%, she didn’t leave the workforce, she just left a job that wasn’t compatible with also having a family. She started up a consulting practice called Unravel – helping organisations Unravel complex challenges, and then at the beginning of 2025 joined forces with Vanessa Pilla and co-founded PathMaker – a female-led social enterprise helping organisations drive social value and impact This path, from big corporate to self-employed, is one that more and more women are taking. The number of female-founded small businesses has grown 77% since 1991, and the most-commonly cited reason is balance and flexibility. But it also comes with its challenges! Now, Laura’s son is 2 and a half, her business is growing rapidly, and in this ep