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Hard-Won Wisdom.

About Us


OUR VALUES

Our work is about gleaning and disseminating the hard-won wisdom of accomplished women across industries and generations.

 
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Investor Mindset
We leverage strengths and wisdom to solve problems, mitigate risks, and create higher value for our workplaces, families, and communities.

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“Pitch Perfect”
With clarity and honesty about histories and realities, we promote optimism, learning, and practical action for the future. 

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Compassion & Connection 
We have compassion for each other, lighten distress, advance awareness, spread joy, and cultivate positive relationships.

 
 

OUR TEAM

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Catherine Flavin

For more than 20 years as a researcher, consultant and coach, LeaderMom founder Catherine Flavin has been digging deep to explore systemic mindsets and behaviors’ root causes and to reveal data and insights that lead to positive growth and inclusion. Catherine embodies an alchemy of competence and compassion.

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Kelly Fredrickson

Kelly Fredrickson, president of MullenLowe U.S., Boston, brings decades of experience as a leader in the world of global advertising. Authentic and brave, Kelly has been featured at CEB’s ReimagineHR Conference, 3% Conference, and within the IPG Women’s Leadership Network. 

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Maria Sirois

Maria Sirois is a master teacher, facilitator, and author. As a positive psychologist (Psy.D.) and international consultant, she focuses on the resilience of the human spirit particularly under chronic stress, during significant transitions or changes.

 

Advisory Board

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Anna Gauthier

Communications Executive
More about Anna >

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Lauren Zajac

LeaderMom Board Chair
CLO, General Counsel, Data Protection Officer and Company Secretary at Workhuman
More about Lauren >

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Steve Lindia

Bank of America, OD/OE
and Talent Analytics
Executive
More about Steve >

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Elicia Spearman

VP and Chief Human Resources Officer, General Dynamics Electric Boat
More about Elicia >

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Michelle DiTondo

Principal Consultant at Avion Consulting, Inc. - Former CHRO MGM Resorts International - Culture Transformation Expert
More about Michelle >

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Jessica Bishop 

Strategy Consultant at IBM focused on digital transformation of Fortune 500 companies 
More about Jessica >

Special Thanks

In addition to the Advisory Board, MullenLowe, the early adopters and over-time advocates of this work.

 

Michelle DiTondo, MGM Resorts International
WorkHuman by Globoforce
Lori Magno, DigitasLBi
Barbara Dorsey Cowan, Comcast
Michele Streitmatter, Greenway Health
Aimee Hoben, The Hartford
Tammy Halstead, Franklin & Marshall College
Steve McDonald
Cathleen Swody & Theresa Hoffman, Thrive Leadership
Avion Consulting

OnPoint Advising
Leadership Research Institute
Wholebeing Institute & CIPP
Bob Kennedy
Rita Beck Neal
Carolyn Augur Birbara
Debra Nelson, Elevate Communications
Martha McCoy, Everyday Democracy
John Madigan, Executive Talent Services
Vanessa Williams, Leading Edge Consulting

 

LeaderMom: One Word, Dual Meaning 

To really use this site well, there is one thing we ask you to master and hold us to: the definition of LeaderMom.
A LeaderMom is someone who is high performing at work and admired as an engaged parent at home. 
We use the term in two different ways: very inclusively and very restrictively.  
We want to be upfront with that, and hope to avoid confusion. There may even be a quiz.

leadermom.
noun

ˈlē-dər | ˈmäm

 

Definition #1

Usage: Typically used in a broad and very welcoming way, it refers to our members, advocates, and anyone who has affinity with us.

People pick up the term and use it to describe themselves and women they care about. In that context, it refers to cool people who are dedicated to work and home, and who want to be at their best, learn and smile more.

We love how quickly women use the term LeaderMom to describe themselves.  We hear comments from leaders whom we have never met at our talks that start like this, “As a LeaderMom, I…” Very cool. These are women who are or who aspire to be producers at work and also hands-on in raising children. Aimee who is a senior lawyer in the corporate world uses it to describe herself. It covers my dear friend Amy who is a vice principal in a school (who hopefully will adopt it). It includes Jessica, a young professional, with a great job and no significant other at this moment (so far as we know!), who is percolating on ways to live a full life. It could be you if you run your own business, like we do, or run the parent-family organization in your school. You could be a CFO, intern, yoga teacher, chef, or retiree. You may be a leader and mom whose kids are grown or nearly grown, with work and life experience to share. In its broadest reach, this term is not limited by gender. If you are a spouse or uncle who wants to be supportive of your wife, partner, or significant other, and learn to be more engaged at home, it can include you. If you are a productive professional and a caregiver, male or female, who is trying to thrive at work and home, it’s you.

Bottom-Line: If it feels like you, it probably is you. Welcome!

Definition #2 

Usage: This term is used by our research team in a more restricted, mindfully exclusive way to describe the “unit of analysis” (who/what we study) – i.e., our “LeaderMom Panel.”

The panel refers to a select cross-industry group of senior and executive leaders who were identified and nominated by talent professionals based on objective performance data and expert judgment. Those panelists* then completed our surveys and interviews; that data was analyzed by experienced professionals to produce our “LeaderMom Research” reports.

Because this research aims to improve the pipeline of highly qualified women in leadership and to include high-potential leaders who are mothers in that, it requires us to be sticklers. We do that so we can confidently distill and share insights with executives, shareholders and you about people who get results, and about positive forces in shaping culture and engaging teams. Among the highly regarded, well rounded A players in our panel are Michelle, Aimee, Jennifer, Natasha, Charmaine, Anna, Maria, Donna, Sarah, Liz, Kim, Christine, and hundreds more. The next study will invite members of our previous panels and add more leaders who meet the criteria. (LeaderMoms tend to move, groove, and advance professionally!) 

Bottom line: Keeping this group “exclusive” enables us our research team to offer more powerful insights. We regret if it feels restricted and ask you to trust that we are committed to growing this panel with integrity in terms of research methods and our values. If we do, the findings will have more power for all of us.

 

* Our panelists are in-demand (not perfect) leaders who are generous yet savvy about what they say yes to. More than one panelist has told us she completes our surveys and interviews because she feels honored and wants to help, and (here comes the savvy) because our reports enable her to “scale” how she answers the “How do you do it all?” question (which she gets a lot). Others have said that sharing this work changed the questions they got (“more about leadership, fewer about laundry”).

 

More to Come!

As we get closer to the next study, we will be transparent about how the nominations are being submitted and who is doing it. Also, we will gather input and feedback from our members (e.g., on what questions you would love to ask panelists, what has value, what would be even more valuable) and design future studies that tap into your wisdom.   

Want to join our tribe?

Become a member today.

Make a difference by battling bias and changing the story of what is possible when it comes to being a high-performing woman, at work and home.