We recently connected with Akiko Thayer and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Akiko, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

As a Certified Leave Management Specialist and parental leave expert, I help mothers maximize their maternity leave. Recently, I worked with a client who managed to take 10 months of job-protected leave.

Understanding pregnancy and parental leave rights is extremely confusing. Navigating maternity leave comes with having to learn the complex interaction between federal (FMLA) and state leave laws. Surprisingly, employers are not obligated to educate employees on these rights, leaving the burden on the employee to understand, request, and utilize them.

Due to this information gap, it’s not uncommon for U.S. mothers to return to work just six weeks after giving birth. At six weeks postpartum, our bodies are still healing, babies are not sleeping through the night, and our mental health is in a vulnerable state. This is far from an ideal time to return to work. There are a variety of reasons why mothers feel the need to return to work early, but an overwhelming reason is that they simply don’t realize they can be out longer. That was the case for this mother.

I helped this California-based mother maximize her leave under California leave laws, specifically Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), providing her with 7 months of job-protected leave. However, she still needed more recovery time due to a post-birth complication.

What many mothers don’t realize is that leave entitlements don’t abruptly end when federal or state leave rights are exhausted. If you’re still disabled by a pregnancy or childbirth-related condition, you can request additional disability leave as a reasonable accommodation under the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).

In my client’s case, her doctor certified she needed an additional 3 months of leave for recovery. Thankfully, under the PWFA, employers are required to provide the accommodation unless doing so would create an undue hardship for the employer.

It was extremely rewarding to see my client not only extend her leave to fully recover from childbirth, but also make her own decision about when to return to work. Spreading awareness around successfully maximizing maternity leave is important. We need to normalize that it can take months—not weeks—for a body to heal and recover from childbirth. Mothers should feel empowered to take full advantage of their leave rights without hesitation, and brave mothers like my client are paving the way for others.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the founder of Maternity Leave 411, a parental leave consulting company dedicated to helping pregnant mothers and expectant parents understand and maximize their maternity and parental leave rights and benefits.

My journey into maternity and parental leave advocacy began with my own challenging experience. My employer significantly reduced my leave duration due to a misunderstanding of federal and California leave laws. As I fought for the maternity leave I deserved, I realized just how hard it was to find clear, accessible information on these complicated laws. I saw that I wasn’t the only one feeling overwhelmed and misguided by employer-provided information. It became clear that there was a real need for support in helping parents understand their leave rights.

I am passionate about protecting the time mothers have with their babies before returning to work. It’s important to me to give my clients the gift of time, especially when it is medically necessary. Maternity laws and rights are designed to protect employees, but many mothers don’t know how to leverage these laws effectively. That’s where I come in.

My service simplifies the maternity and parental leave planning process. As a parental leave expert who’s been through the struggles of navigating leave myself, I’ve learned how to explain complex leave laws in a way that’s easy to understand. When I work with clients, they walk away with a solid understanding of their leave rights and paid leave options, empowering them to have informed, productive conversations with their employers. Knowledge is power, and it’s crucial not to rely solely on employers to provide information about leave rights. It’s better to enter a conversation armed with what you know you’re entitled to rather than asking for it.

In our society, opportunities for extended leave are rare—maternity leave is one of those unique chances. Maximizing this time to be with your baby can have profoundly positive effects on all parties involved: the mother, the non-birthing parent, the child, and even the employer. Research shows that extended leave can lead to lower rates of postpartum depression, improved parent-child bonding, and even higher employee retention.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Becoming an expert in parental leave has been a journey that naturally unfolded over time. It’s been a slow, step-by-step progression where I’ve been able to learn and grow from each milestone. This evolution of my expertise and steady presence in parental leave advocacy has set me apart and helped me build a solid reputation.

My entry into this space began when I faced my own maternity leave challenges in 2014. I dove deep into research and even consulted an attorney to make sure I had everything right. Realizing how hard it was to find clear, simple explanations of these complicated leave laws online, I decided to start a blog to fill that gap. I initially thought I’d write a blog to pass the time during my newborn’s nap times, so I was really surprised when it received significant traffic. People started asking me questions about their leave in the comments section and by email, and I just couldn’t keep up. That’s when I moved on to my next milestone: Facebook.

To reach a wider audience more effectively, I started a California Maternity Leave support group on Facebook in 2015. This was another unexpected success—the group became a trusted and well-known resource, growing to over 5,000 members. Members would post their questions, and I’d meticulously answer each one. For those with more unique situations, I’d take it offline and provide individualized support. From 2015 to 2018, I helped parents navigate their leave rights and paid benefits as a pro bono service.

The scale of the group and the responsibility I felt to provide accurate information pushed me to take things to the next level. I decided to dedicate myself full-time to this mission and start a business. While my experience in consulting individuals and my knowledge of leave rights were solid, I wanted to further validate myself as a subject matter expert before charging customers. I completed coursework and received my certification as a Leave Management Specialist, and in 2018, I officially launched Maternity Leave 411.

I’ve continued to build my reputation by consistently uncovering weeks of job-protected leave and thousands of dollars in Calfornia paid benefits that clients would’ve otherwise left on the table. One of my most noteworthy moments of validation was during the COVID pandemic when several Congressional Representatives shared my contact information with their communities, recognizing me as a go-to expert in California paid benefits. My reputation has grown thanks to the thousands of people I’ve helped through my blog, the Facebook group, and relentless word of mouth.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is an area where I really need help! Managing an Instagram account—let alone all other social media channels—while keeping up with the daily grind is incredibly challenging. I marvel at how some people juggle both so effectively. If any social media consultants passionate about parental leave are reading this, please reach out!

While my social media presence isn’t large, I’m proud of how engaged my followers are. I believe having a smaller, deeply engaged audience is more valuable than just a high follower count. To that end, I focus more on educational content rather than content around my consulting services. Initially, I struggled with my content strategy, worried it was too dense or “boring” for the typical on-the-go Instagram user. However, I aim for my Instagram account to be a trusted resource for all things parental leave.

Providing content that truly resonates with and benefits your followers is key to building and maintaining engagement. When you offer valuable, relevant information, your audience is more likely to share your content, recommend your account to others, and become loyal followers. This organic growth helps in gaining new followers who are genuinely interested in your niche. By consistently delivering what your audience wants and needs, you build trust and establish your platform as a reliable source, which ultimately attracts more followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maternityleave411.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maternityleave411/

Image Credits

Kiley Stewart from KILEY STEWART PHOTOGRAPHY