Ready to Return
Trauma-Informed Nervous System Support for Working Mothers Returning from Leave
A dual-track program that supports returning mothers AND equips their managers to lead through the transition.
Most Wellness Programs Don't Work. This Isn't One of Them.
Ready to Return is trauma-informed nervous system support for working mothers returning from maternity leave—and the managers who support them.
For forward-thinking organisations who know that real support creates real results.
Here's What Most Employers Get Wrong
You offer a generous parental leave policy. Maybe even some flexible return-to-work options. You might have a wellness program—an app, a meditation subscription, a lunchtime yoga class.
And yet.
Your returning mothers are struggling. Some resign within the first year. Others stay—but they're exhausted, disengaged, performing below their potential. Their managers don't know how to help. Everyone's just... getting through it.
The research is clear:
49% of mothers report workplace discrimination during pregnancy, leave, or return to work
32% who experience discrimination resign or start looking for another job
43% of women leave the workforce within one year of having a baby
Only 24% of employees actually participate in workplace wellness programs
The problem isn't your intentions. It's that the standard approach doesn't address what's actually happening.
"She Seems Fine" Is a Dangerous Assumption
A returning mother isn't just "coming back to work." She's navigating:
• Sleep deprivation equivalent to being legally impaired
• Hormonal shifts affecting mood, energy, and cognition
• A nervous system primed to respond to her baby—now competing with workplace demands
• Identity reconstruction while trying to access her "professional self"
• The mental load of two worlds colliding
• Guilt, anxiety, and pressure to prove she's "still committed"
"Fine" is often a performance. A survival mechanism. She's holding it together because she doesn't think there's another option.
A meditation app isn't going to help with this. Neither is a lunchtime yoga class.
The Cost of Getting This Wrong
When a returning mother leaves—whether she resigns, disengages, or is pushed out—it's not just a loss. It's an expensive one.
• Replacement costs: 50-200% of annual salary (Gallup)
• Senior roles: Up to 213% of salary to replace (SHRM)
• National cost of turnover: $20 billion annually in Australia (AHRI)
For an employee earning $80,000, replacement costs could be $40,000 to $160,000.
And that's before you count the lost knowledge, disrupted teams, and impact on other employees watching how returning mothers are treated.
A Different Approach
Ready to Return is a dual-track program that provides real support at the moment it matters most—addressing both the individual AND the environment she's returning to.
Track 1: Mother Support
8-10 weeks of 1:1 nervous system-informed support
Five sessions timed around the return-to-work transition, plus voice/message support between sessions. Practical tools for regulation, managing overwhelm, and navigating the collision of two worlds.
This isn't advice to "set better boundaries." It's embodied support that actually works.
Track 2: Manager Awareness
90-minute training for the returning mother's manager
What's actually happening (the neuroscience and physiology), how to provide support without overstepping, what to say and what not to say, plus a quick-reference guide.
The best individual support fails without a supportive environment to return to.
Why Both Tracks Matter
The best individual support in the world won't help if she's walking back into an environment that doesn't know how to hold her. And a well-meaning manager can't support someone through a transition they don't understand. Ready to Return creates alignment on both sides.
This Is Not Another Wellness Program
What this is NOT:
✖️ A wellness app or generic stress-reduction workshop
✖️ A HR policy or compliance checkbox
✖️ Advice to "practice self-care" and "set boundaries"
✖️ A one-size-fits-all program that fits no one
What this IS:
✓ Trauma-informed, nervous system-focused support
✓ Practical tools that work in real life (including 3am feeds and back-to-back meetings)
✓ Tailored to each individual's experience and needs
✓ A container that acknowledges the full complexity of this transition
What Organisations That Get This Right Experience
Research on family-friendly workplaces shows:
● 79.8% report increased retention
●71.9% report higher employee engagement
● 65.2% report increased productivity
● 60.1% report higher quality candidates
● Patagonia reports 100% retention of new mothers with their support programs
Beyond the numbers:
The returning mother who feels genuinely supported becomes one of your most loyal employees. Not because you gave her a wellness app—but because you helped her through one of the hardest transitions of her life. That kind of support creates loyalty that transcends salary negotiations, an employee who advocates for your organisation, and a visible example that shapes your culture for everyone watching.
The ROI in Perspective
The cost of losing one employee ranges from 50-200% of their salary. For an $80,000 employee, that's $40,000-$160,000. This program costs 3-5% of that. If it helps you retain one mother, it's paid for itself many times over.
Founding Partner Opportunity
I'm currently offering a limited number of founding partnerships at $3,000 (full program) to forward-thinking organisations ready to lead the way in supporting returning mothers. In exchange for honest feedback and permission to use your experience as a case study, you get access to the complete dual-track program at a reduced rate.
Book a Call
About
I'm Melanie Hansen—a Trauma Trained Relational Somatic Practitioner and Integrative Women’s Health Coach specialising in nervous system regulation for women navigating life transitions.
With 15+ years as a health and wellness practitioner, I've worked with hundreds of women through the transitions that reshape identity: perimenopause, postpartum, career pivots, and the invisible load that comes with holding it all together.
I created Ready to Return because I saw a gap: organisations want to support returning mothers but don't know how—and the standard approaches aren't working. This program brings the depth of trauma-informed somatic practice into the workplace in a way that's practical, professional, and profoundly effective.
Based on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. Available for in-person (SA) and virtual delivery (anywhere).
Beyond Returning Mothers
The nervous system doesn't care about job titles.
The same trauma-informed, regulation-focused approach that supports returning mothers can support any employee navigating stress, change, or challenge—leaders under pressure, employees experiencing burnout, teams going through organisational change.
If you're curious about how this work could support your broader team, I'd love to have that conversation.
Because real wellness isn't a program. It's a way of supporting humans.
Ready to Lead the Way?
If you're ready to move beyond surface-level wellness and provide support that actually makes a difference—for your returning mothers, for your culture, and for your bottom line—let's talk.
