In this episode of the Thryving Mother Podcast, Maturn Founders, Jen Murtagh and Sonja Baikogli Foley share their mission to eliminate the ‘motherhood penalty’ with Canada’s first official maternity leave program. Maturn is a comprehensive program focused solely on the crucial transition to and from maternity leave. Both founders are Vancouver-based former C-Suite level executives and each Mom to two in addition to impressive backgrounds and career accomplishments. Their own lived maternity and career experiences led to the creation of this national program and a passion to address the inequality and lack of guidance women experience when taking maternity leave. Maturn’s comprehensive program will be the first to provide support and tools to working mothers as well as organizations to successfully navigate the maternity process without enduring systemic penalties or sacrificing career goals. Their aim is to modernize the way Canadian women take maternity leave and eliminate the "motherhood penalty" so many women experience.

Show Notes:

In this episode of the Thryving Mother Podcast, we discuss,

What inspired Jen and Sonja to start Maturn.
Modernizing the way Canadian women take maternity leave and eliminate the "motherhood penalty" so many women experience.
How Maturn provides support and tools to working mothers as well as organizations to successfully navigate the maternity process without enduring systemic penalties or sacrificing career goals.
Why it's essential that mat leave planning goes beyond time taken and salary top ups and becomes about career trajectory and building confidence for Moms returning to work.

About Jenn and Sonja

Jen Murtagh, Co-Founder With over two decades of experience spanning both corporate and non-profit, heart-centred leadership has been the guiding star of Jen Murtagh’s career. An award-winning and values-based C-Suite leader, Jen has successfully led and raised millions for national campaigns on anti-bullying, vulnerable youth, and advanced gender equity through her work with a variety of women’s organizations. As an ICF accredited leadership coach, Jen supports women to live and lead bravely through her 1:1 coaching, workshops, speaking and signature Brave Leadership for Women program. Jen is a Business in Vancouver ‘Forty Under 40’ Award Winner and Greater Vancouver Board of Trade ‘Women of Promise’. Jen is a community champion, who has volunteered thousands of hours for countless charities and in 2017 fulfilled a lifelong dream by travelling to Africa to lead mentoring + goal-setting workshops with non-profit One Girl Can. Jen is a mother and stepmother to four children who was inspired to co-create Maturn to serve mothers in a deep and meaningful way while advancing gender equity.

Sonja Baikogli Foley, Co-Founder Sonja holds 15+ years of diverse experience in non-profit, public and private organizations and has always been drawn towards impact-driven work that genuinely makes a difference in the lives of others. Born to Iranian refugee-status parents in Sweden, she experienced her life from the eyes of displaced parents. These early experiences and hardships shaped Sonja’s foundation and made her the person she is today. Educated in Sweden, Canada and Spain, Sonja began her career in media working in radio and continued to create change through her career — from participating in the United Nations, to serving as a board of director on the YWCA Canada Board for five years, to being appointed to the West Vancouver Police Board by the Province of BC in 2020, and most recently led the Intergovernmental Relations & Strategic Partnerships team at the City of Vancouver. Sonja co-founded Maturn out of a desire to support women and turn maternity leave into an intentional year. She’s a proud mother of two who is driven to build a more equitable, compassionate and inclusive world for future generations.

Learn more on Jen, Sonja and Maturn at www.maturn.com/meet-the-founders/

@maturncanada @jenmurtaghcoaching @sonjabfoley