We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Yu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Naming a business can be quite a challenge, but for me, the choice was clear and deeply personal. My company, Josie, is named after my four-year-old daughter, who, in turn, is named after my mom. This name holds a special place in my heart and serves as a tribute to the remarkable women in my life.

By choosing this name, I aim to build a world where Josie can have both career and family – and thrive in both areas of her life, at the same time. She can be a kick-ass executive and the mom she wants to be at home. She can be a star performer at work and take care of those she loves. I recognize she may not become a parent – and that is okay – but I want her to have the option to hold both identities, at once, without hesitation. That she’ll see the tremendous leadership skills she hones when she becomes a caregiver, and how those skills are immensely valuable at work. And that the systems, structures, and people around her recognize that as well. Because if we believe that organizations are better off when leaders come from diverse backgrounds – then we need working parents to rise into those roles. Too many leave their careers or take a step back when they have children; not because they want to, but because the support just isn’t there. And that keeps the broken rung broken.

Ultimately, Josie is not just a name; it represents a vision of empowerment, progress, and a thriving work culture.

Michelle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In 2018, I was thriving in my career as a management consultant. I was pretty far along in my career – essentially a junior partner at my firm – and worked hard to get there. I was also pregnant with my first child, my son Theo.

I very naively thought that I would return to work and things would more or less be the same. That other working parents who seemed to be struggling just couldn’t figure it out – but I would. Honestly, there was a huge sense of arrogance there! But when I went on parental leave, it was a huge struggle. Having an infant at home rocked my world – and it was so much harder than I expected. As someone so used to be able to control things, solve problems (as long as I put in the hours), not ask for help, and hugely valuing independence – becoming a mom threw all of that out the window. I was deeply unprepared for this shift, and realized no one really talked about this. I also struggled with postpartum mental health challenges, but because this did not come up with my providers nor with my peer group, I set it aside and ignored the symptoms.

By the time I returned to work, I was sleep deprived, confused, and lacking confidence in my ability to be the professional I once was. My leaders at work – while well-intentioned – were not sure how to support me either. We fell back into the same routines and ways of doing business, and I noticed a growing sense of resentment within me. I constantly felt like I was falling short and still didn’t know how to ask for help.

Over time things got better – but I never quite found my stride. I began to notice others around me choosing to step back, change career paths, or leave the workforce altogether after having children. Especially women.

But as more time passed, I began to realize that becoming a mom also came with a lot of strategic benefits. I was more efficient with my time, was better at prioritization, and a more empathetic leader. In consulting, you change project teams every few months, and I noticed team members always wanted to work with me. Not to brag, but I was pretty good boss :)

I developed major itch to help other new parents see how parental leave and becoming a parent actually contributes immensely to your personal and professional development. Why not change the whole narrative around parenthood from one of struggle to one of empowerment and growth? There was a gap in this type of support, and so in 2022, I launched Josie.

At Josie, we are turning parental leave and the working parenthood into a career launchpad. Through proprietary coaching programs, content, trainings, and community events, we are helping both parents and their managers see the power in having both identities. Our products uniquely integrate mental health and career coaching models to help parents build their leadership brands and shape their career paths. For the employers they work for, we have proven tremendous ROI. Josie clients are more mentally ready to return to work after parental leave, excited to re-engage with their careers, and more likely to stay at their organizations pre / post program.

What am I most proud of? Testimonials like this one: “I learned about Josie from a former colleague and I LOVED it. I believe the Josie model is strong, and the people I met are wonderful. THANK YOU for starting this wonderful organization and allowing me to be a part of it.”

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivots! Oh, pivots. We’ve had our fair share at Josie, but the biggest came early on. When we first launched, we were an “open coaching model.” That meant folks could access our services and bring any topic they wanted to our coaches. This was not helpful for several reasons:
1 – new parents “didn’t know what they didn’t know,” and were not sure how to use the time.
2 – new parents don’t have time to come up with something to work on – but they know they need some kind of support.
3 – new parents wanted someone who could be a bit more proactive in their support – guiding them through the sessions and giving them the no-holds-bar, honest and direct truths and solutions on how to navigate the wild ride of career and family.

So, we pivoted to a more proactive model – one in which Josie was not a crisis management product (e.g., your typical EAP program), but a proactive, in-your-corner-bff support program that felt like someone did the thinking and prep for you before each session so you wouldn’t have to. And always walking away with something valuable because WE GET IT.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

YES! Here are my favorites:

Design Your Life by Bill Evans and Dave Barnett
Find Your Fierce by Theresa Sande
Idea to Startup Podcast by Brian Scordato
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Real Self-Care by Pooja Lakshmin, MD

Contact Info:

• Website: https://myjosie.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myjosieinc/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-josie/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits

Michelle Yu
Michael Kierny