49: Moms in Consulting

Parents At Work

Lori Mihalich-Levin and Jason Levin are excited to be back after several months of hiatus! They kick things off again by focusing on moms and dads in the consulting world.

In this episode of Parents at Work, Lori and Jason talk to two fantastic consulting moms, Elizabeth Lapetina and Brooke Weddle.

Liz Lapetina is a Managing Director with Deloitte Consulting, focused on healthcare operations and business transformation. She has experience working with PBMs and health plans on new business model launches, business transformations, consumer experience and strategy, and performance improvement initiatives. She is also involved in Deloitte’s well-being initiatives, leading the adoption of well-being strategies at one of the firm’s largest accounts. Liz lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband, James, her two daughters, aged seven and five, and her dog. She enjoys reading, riding her Peloton bike, and serving as the Cookie Manager for her daughters’ girl scout troops in her spare time.

Brooke Weddle is a partner at McKinsey & Company. As a leader in the firm’s people and organizational performance practice, Brooke helps organizations across the world achieve sustained performance through transformation. Globally, she leads the Change Leaders Forum, an executive capability-building series on transformational change and McKinsey’s organizational work in advanced industries, aerospace and defense, automotive, and electronics. In addition, she leads the firm’s culture and change management work in North America. Brooke lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, Miguel, and her two children, who are eight and ten.

Brooke is also an appreciator of network theory. She wrote a wonderful article on social capital: Building Back Better Relationships at Work.

Stay tuned to hear what Liz and Brooke have to say about their lives as parents working in the consulting world!

Show highlights:

• Liz shares her working parent story. (5:28)
• Liz took five months off for maternity leave for both of her children. That made a huge difference! (7:07)
• The importance of having mentors and sponsors. (7:31)
• How Liz and her husband approach their careers and family decisions intentionally since becoming parents. (9:49)
• Brooke’s working parent story started in Seoul, South Korea. (10:45)
• Brooke explains why she returned to work shortly after having her second child. (12:51)
• Brooke explains how she and her husband approach their work and parental responsibilities. (13:25)
• Liz and Brooke explain what it’s like to be a parent in management consulting and share their top working parent travel-related tips. (15:27) (18:53)
• The workplace supports that were helpful for Brooke and Liz when they became working parents. (23:51) (28:18)
• Why it’s essential to speak up, say what you need and ask for support from your workplace when necessary. (31:44)
• How parenthood helped Liz gain more empathy for others and become smarter with her time. (38:59)
• How having young kids helped Brooke calm down and become a better listener. (41:15)

Mentioned in this episode:

Provide an Employee Benefit for Moms Returning After Maternity Leave

Join over 75 companies who currently provide an employee benefit course to new Moms. Mindful Return is a 4 week course that will help your employee retention at this critical time in your employee's life.

Mindful Return Course Ad