Alexandra Gannon, Managing Director, is responsible for the strategy and direction of her organization’s next growth phase. This role keeps her busy and demands organization and focus. Away from work, she’s the parent of a one-year-old and juggling all the responsibilities of being a leader, mother and partner. Alex credits sticking to a routine and setting up a personal return-to-work plan as key to adjusting to her new role as ‘working parent’. She shares some of these gems with us.
Can you tell us about your career journey to date and your current role and responsibilities?
I’m a managing director within a media agency network. I’ve been with them for over 13 years, starting in 2010 as a junior account manager and moving through six roles.
I’m responsible for the strategy and direction of our next growth phase and work with our senior leadership team to execute our company vision.
We’d love to hear more about your family…
My husband Ben and I welcomed our first human child, Adelaide (Ada), in July 2022. She joins her fur brother Rollo, a 4-year-old Jack Russell.
How did you feel about returning to work?
I returned to work in February 2023 when Ada was six months old. At first, I was unsure of how I would adjust. I’d really settled into the day-to-day of parenting at that stage, but overall, I felt ready for a new challenge that didn’t include panicking about wake windows.
It took me a few months to get used to the new routine, but then I began to enjoy having an outlet outside of the house. Grabbing a coffee solo was a bonus!
If you could go back and change anything about how you managed your career through parental leave, what would it be?
If I could change one thing, it would be wrapping up work a month or two earlier. Toward the end of my pregnancy, I was really struggling physically, and I think, in hindsight, it would have been better and more relaxing to take my leave earlier and put my puffy feet up. I definitely underestimated the strain my body would be under in those final months.
Can you tell us about the planning that went into your return to work?
I didn’t have too much of a plan except to show up, which was slightly hindered by daycare sickness in those first few weeks.
Once back in the office, I spent some time planning and putting together a return-to-work 6-month roadmap. I had set some clear outcomes for myself at three and six months to work toward, which provided me with smaller and more manageable goals. Doing this helped me feel like I was making meaningful progress in my first few months.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in the first few weeks of returning to work?
Daycare sickness was brutal! Managing a sick baby, husband and myself while trying to get back into the swing of things meant a few false starts.
How do you share/manage the juggle of parenthood and work? What are your time management tips?
Our approach has been to split the daily parenting duties. Ben does the ‘morning shift’, and I do the pick-up and bedtime routines. This has been a great way to ease the mental load and allows me to shoot off to work early and wrap up earlier. It also means there is no rush to pick Ada up in the evenings.
We also have a shared family Google Calendar, so we can see in advance when someone has commitments and can work around things. I also have Fridays off, which allows an extra day to do life jobs, which has helped with the juggle of parenthood.
Routine and consistency are a must for our family dynamic!
Do you ever feel guilty, and if yes, how do you manage the guilt?
Within the first six months when I was the primary caregiver, I felt guilty occasionally, but now that Ada is one, not so much.
We are very fortunate that Ada loves daycare and gets excited to go, so we haven’t experienced too much guilt. She is having a great time!
What advice would you give others about to return to work?
On returning to work, lower your expectations in the first few weeks and be kind to yourself. Know that the adjustment will take time. I’d also suggest you start taking your vitamins early to get ahead of any bugs!
What is your approach to health and wellbeing? What does ‘me time’ look like for you?
I try to make time for at least two pilates sessions a week. I find this is a great way to reset, and a solo coffee on Saturday mornings gives me a much-needed time out.
My favourite time of the day is… when Ada greets me in the morning with her crazy bed hair and is immediately ready to party.
I’m inspired by… parents. All of them!
I’m happiest when… I take a sunny Friday morning walk to the cafe with Ada in the pram and Rollo trotting next to us!
I’m addicted to… coffee and trashy reality television.
Working parents are… warriors.
