A Day in the Life of....

My first day of ‘in the life of…’. was one I was really looking forward to, not only is this person a good friend of mine but someone I have always been inspired by. 

Introducing; Lauren-Faye Millingham , founder of The Sanctuary Tribe; dedicated to personalised coaching and development to support each and every individuals needs. 

A core focus of Sanctuary Tribe is providing tailored one to one support for new parents transitioning back to work. The aim isn’t just to help parents manage reduced hours but to empower both employees and employers to embrace the deeper changes required to ensure a smooth and fulfilling return to work.

I had the pleasure of spending a full day and night with Lauren and gorgeous one-year-old Millie. The experience gave me a firsthand look at the delicate balance between parenting full-time and running a business.

I arrived in Rugby for 2pm, just as Millie settled in for her afternoon nap. During this time, Lauren and I outlined our plan for the day and identified three key areas to explore:

1. The unique challenges parents face returning to work

2. Effective ways employers can create a supportive environment

3. How coaching can empower individuals during this life transition

By 3pm, Millie was up and ready for lunch and quite frankly, so were we. 

I am not around children much, however, I can whole heartedly say Millie is a dream. That said, dining out with a one-year old is no walk in the park. Every item on the table becomes a potential hazard and and entertaining and feeding a child while trying to eat yourself is a challenge in itself.

After lunch, we walked back to Lauren’s house and settled in to focus on our key objectives. Lauren shared firsthand experiences of her challenges as a new mum and how those experiences led her to build her own business during maternity leave.

We discussed the common support measures companies provide for new parents and how these have evolved over time. However, Lauren highlighted an important gap: while HR often sets the framework, the real responsibility for supporting parents lies with leaders and managers who are directly involved in their day-to-day transition.

Lauren explained how coaching can empower parents returning to the workplace, giving them confidence and helping them navigate this significant life change.

"The mum guilt I felt when I first started working again was unreal, and it really took me by surprise. I've always been driven and that hasn't changed, but all of a sudden you have this little person in your life who you adore, so trying to juggle both and be present for both is a challenge. Coaching allows space for new parents to think clearly (which doesn't happen often) and work through the feelings that so many people feel - guilt, imposter syndrome, lack of confidence, to name a few. "

Reflections as a Leader

This conversation led me to reflect on my experience as a manager supporting new parents in the workplace.

In the spa industry, we naturally cater to expectant mums with beautiful treatments designed to alleviate stress and tension during pregnancy. But once that journey is over, what are we doing to support both our customers and staff as they navigate the next chapter of parenthood?

As a manager I always strived to do everything within my power to support new mums and dads returning back into the workplace. However, my efforts often focused on the basics within my immediate control, such as:

• Offering reduced or flexible hours
• Allowing phones to be accessible during shifts
• Showing empathy and understanding during challenges
• Regular one to one check ins 
• Refresher training and procedure guidance

My time with Lauren revealed that there’s so much more we can do to help parents re-enter the workplace with confidence and enjoyment. Here are my key takeaways:

1. Managerial Training and Empathy: Managers play a critical role in this transition. Equipping them with the skills to have open, compassionate conversations and empowering them to advocate for their team members is essential.
2. Communication: Touch base with new parents whilst they're on leave. Employers often don't make contact throughout parental leave, as they may think this is what the employee wants. But being a new parent can be lonely, and hearing from your colleagues and about business updates can be a nice distraction and keeps them connected to the business. 

3.  Plan for the return. "I hear so many mums say that they went into the office for a KIT day or on their first day back and no one knew they were coming and nothing was planned for them". Six months to a year is a long time to be off work; treat the return to work as you would a new starter into the business.

Being a woman who has no children of her own, I can only imagine the challenges new parents face as they juggle career and home life. However, this experience has opened my eyes to the importance of creating meaningful, lasting support for parents in the workplace.

This experience has shown me supporting parents goes far beyond operational adjustments. It’s about creating a culture that values parents as whole individuals. 

The Sanctuary Tribe is a testament to how much potential lies in empowering both parents and employers to work together toward positive change. Thank you Lauren for allowing me to shadow you for the day, you have inspired me to reflect on how I can continue to grow as a leader and advocate for this kind of meaningful support.