Carina O’Brien
speaker
1,722 appearances
9 recordings
1 series
first heard May 2026
last heard 4 Aug
Carina O’Brien’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 9 in all, peaking in Jun 2026 with 4.
Appearances
But remember, this is paid parental leave at the minimum wage.
So you're not going to be making a huge amount of money as well.
They can't stop you questioning whether you're still good at your job.
Policies can't tell you how to navigate that feeling like you don't quite belong at work anymore, but also don't quite feel like the version of yourself that stayed at home either.
Because returning to work isn't simply returning to work.
It's rebuilding an identity.
And they are two very different things.
I remember thinking before I returned back to work, okay, once I get back, I'm going to fill up myself again.
I'm going to be really excited to even just go to the toilet on my own and have a hot coffee.
And maybe you've also thought that too, that somehow putting your workloads back on, but that can also be a struggle because at times our bodies have also changed.
Having adult conversations will magically switch your brain back into career mode.
That's not what happened for me.
Instead, I remember constantly feeling split between the two.
I'd be in a meeting thinking, when do I need to pump yet next?
Thinking about the day care pickup, playing with my son whilst mentally also writing tomorrow's presentation.
I'd be leaving work feeling guilty I hadn't done enough, but then I'd also be at home feeling guilty that I hadn't been present enough for my son.
And I kept wondering, when does this get easier?
And looking back now, I realize I wasn't failing.
Instead, I was transitioning.
And I wish someone had told me that because transition feels messy.
Showing 141–160 of 1,722 · page 8 of 87
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