What would our workplaces and homes look like if caregiving was truly valued, shared, and supported?

In this thought-provoking episode, I sit down with Joe Consedine and Jess Stuart from Mobilise to unpack the invisible labour of caregiving, the systemic barriers that keep gender norms in place, and the opportunities we have to innovate for equity.

From the daily “mental load” of running a household, to the stigma men face when taking parental leave, this conversation challenges us to rethink what we reward in both professional and personal life.

Jess and Joe share their vision of a world where caregiving is recognised as a skill, not a burden, and where policy, culture, and mindset shifts work together to create real change.

We speak about:

· Why unpaid care work remains undervalued, and how it impacts gender equity

· The structural and cultural barriers to shared caregiving in families

· How organizations can innovate HR policies (flexibility, job design, parental leave) to reflect the future of work

· The importance of normalizing men as active, equal caregivers from the very start

· The “boring but essential” caregiving tasks that keep households running and why sharing them matters as much as the joyful moments

· What it will take to rewire workplaces, families, and society to support true equality

Resources Discussed

· Mobilise: https://www.menasallies.co.nz/mobilise-programme

· Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeconsedinenz/

· Connect with Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-stuart-559a7940/

Connect with Emma

This podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.

Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes, executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family.

As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping." To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nz https://www.instagram.com/worksforeveryone/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mclean-9176217/