*Guest blog by Lori K. Mihalich-Levin, JD, founder of Mindful Return and creator of the Mindful Return E-Course. 

If you’re anything like me, the prospect of planning for and heading back to work after maternity leave came with a jumble of emotions, spanning the gamut from terror, to uncertainty, to fear, to excitement.  But when I had my two little redheads (now ages 3 and 5), there were strikingly few resources out there to help with this transition.  Courses on how to give birth, breastfeed, massage your baby, and puree baby food?  Sure.  But an educational program that teaches you how to go back to work without losing your mind (or at least to reassure you that all mamas are struggling too)?  Zip.  Zero.  Zilch.

Through Mindful Return, I set out to start filling this void of information.  And to create a community of amazing working mamas who are all going through this transition at the same time.  You can check out my blog here.  And consider joining one of the upcoming sessions of the Mindful Return E-Course for the following 4 reasons:

1. Get Your Head in a Better Place:  Rather than drowning in uncertainty, overwhelm, dread, or whatever other icky feeling you’re having about this transition, learn some really effective techniques for getting yourself to a calmer place.  As one of the mamas who took the course said, ” In the end, I had gotten to a mental space of calm empowerment as I prepared myself and my family for my return to work.”

2. Figure Out All Those Worrisome Logistics:  Not sure how to negotiate a flexible schedule?  How you’ll deal with kiddo sick days?  Or how to do the transition to childcare?  We tackle all of these issues head on in the course and leave you feeling much more confident and prepared.  As one mama put it, “Shortly after participating in the course, I requested and was approved to work a flexible schedule upon my return to work, and, as a result, I felt calm and prepared to return to work. This was invaluable to me, as I was able to spend the remainder of my maternity leave focusing on my son and feeling positive about returning to work.”

3. Think of Yourself as a Leader at Work:  In the course, we look hard at those thought patterns that make us feel “less than” or “not good enough” or, so often, “guilty.”  And we challenge ourselves to focus on the skills we gain through motherhood that make us even better leaders.  “I most appreciated hearing and thinking about ways that my motherhood makes me a STRONGER team member at work, rather than a liability,” said one course alum.

4. Avoid Going Through This Alone:  It’s so easy to get isolated in new motherhood, and especially in new working motherhood.  Although plenty of women in my office had gone through this transition, no one seemed to be talking about it.  Joining this community will connect you with awesome mamas from all over the globe who are facing the same challenges and fears that you are.  There is amazing power in that feeling of “me too.”

To read more about what other mamas have said about the Mindful Return E-Course, click here.

Congratulations on the birth of your little one, and I hope to “see” you in a future session!

Lori K. Mihalich-Levin, JD, is the founder of Mindful Return and creator of the Mindful Return E-Course.  A health care partner at Dentons, she also is mama to two beautiful red-headed boys (ages 3 and 5). Lori holds a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and completed her undergraduate studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.