Here's the Plan.: Your Practical, Tactical Guide to Advancing Your Career During Pregnancy and Parenthood - Softcover

"Allyson Downey has written the definitive playbook for ambitious women with children. It isn't easy, but it can be done, and this must-read guide will teach you how to do it." --Laura Vanderkam, bestselling author of I Know How She Does It "Lean In meets What to Expect--hands-on, spot-on power strategies for working mothers." --Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, co-founder and CEO of GLAMSQUAD and co-founder of Gilt "Working motherhood can be so isolating, but Allyson Downey makes sure we don't have to go it alone. She is forthright and honest, funny and practical, and always real. This book is a seriously needed tool for the arsenals of new mothers who intend to keep shaking up--and changing--the world. --Jessica Shortall, author of Work. Pump. Repeat. "Here's the Plan is essential reading not just for parents but for managers, HR executives, and CEOs. From understanding pregnancy discrimination and how unconscious bias can stack the deck against new mothers in particular, to surprising scientific research that busts old mythologies like "mommy brain," Allyson Downey has put together a comprehensive, helpful, and at times utterly riveting guide to one of the most exhausting, confusing, and joyful times of life. This is the book I wish I had had when I came home from the hospital when my children were newborns." --Brigid Schulte, author of the New York Times bestselling Overwhelmed: Work, Love & Play When No One Has the Time "Informed and visionary, Here's the Plan maps out best-practices for taking down institutional bias against women and creating a new Corporate America--one that allows women to thrive in the workplace, even during the child-raising years." --Carley Roney, co-founder of The Knot, The Nest, and The Bump "A woman's choose-your-own-adventure guide to surviving motherhood with career on track ... Highly useful." --Booklist "This book is a game changer, ladies. It answers the who, what, where, when, and how's of everything parental leave, balancing your nights and weekends, finding childcare--and beyond." --Motherly

For many women in their 20's and 30's, the greatest professional hurdle they'll need to overcome has little to do with their work life. The most focused, confident, and ambitious women can find themselves derailed by a tiny little thing: a new baby. While more workplaces are espousing family-friendly cultures, women are still subject to a "parenting penalty" and high-profile conflicts between parenting and the workplace are all over the news: from the controversy over companies covering the costs of egg-freezing to the debate over parental leave and childcare inspired by Marissa Mayer's policies at Yahoo. Here's the Plan offers an inventive and inspiring roadmap for working mothers steering their careers through the parenting years. Author Allyson Downey,founder of weeSpring, the Yelp for baby products," and mother of two young children,advises readers on all practical aspects of ladder-climbing while parenting, such as negotiating leave, flex time, and promotions. In the style of #GIRLBOSS or Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Here's the Plan is the definitive guide for ambitious mothers, written by one working mother to another.