Bump to Business Owner

E104: Preparing your business (and life!) for Maternity Leave with Lucy Legal

Published: 30 April 2026 at 05:58 Europe/London

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Episode notes

In this conversation, Caroline Marshall and Lucy Legal discuss the often unspoken realities of maternity leave for business owners. They explore the differences between expectations and reality, the challenges of maintaining identity while navigating motherhood, and the importance of flexibility in work-life balance. The discussion also touches on shared parental leave experiences, the impact of different children on parenting, and the struggles of returning to work after having a baby. Ultimately, they emphasise the need for open conversations about the complexities of motherhood and the choices women make.

Please note, Lucy and Caroline are both UK based, the advice you'll hear is based on their experience so may not be as relevant for overseas listeners.

This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Lucy Legal and her Get Legit Hub. Don't trust ChatGPT for legal advice! Go to www.lucylegal.co.uk/the-hub for real legal guidance, templates and support.

To hear the rest of collaboration with Lucy Legal listen to Episode 102 - Mum guilt, leveraging audiences and making £23k in 48hours with Lucy Legal

Episode 103 - My experience of motherhood, business and what I would have done differently, Lucy Legal interviews Caroline

To hear Caroline's original conversation with Lucy, please listen to Episode 17 - "Every single person thought I was crazy"

Topics:

Expectations vs. reality of maternity leave
Emotional challenges and identity loss
Practical planning and flexibility tips

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:00 The Reality of Maternity Leave
07:29 Flexibility in Business Ownership
15:16 Shared Parental Leave Experiences
21:09 Returning to Work After a Baby
28:46 Navigating Loneliness in Motherhood
35:00 Identity Crisis: The Transition into Motherhood
44:03 Establishing Boundaries as a Business Owner and Mother
54:53 Embracing Change and Letting Go

Links:

Website: https://www.bumptobusinessowner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Lucy Legal

Lucy Wheeler, founder of Lucy Legal, is on a mission to make legal support more accessible for small business owners while also building a life that genuinely works for her as a mother.

This episode is also the third in a special six episode partnership with Lucy Legal and a really exciting one as Lucy is a returning guest. The first time we spoke, she was in the thick of new motherhood and in the early stages of building her business. Now still very much in the reality of raising a young family. I'm so excited to welcome her back to explore how that journey has evolved and dive into areas we didn't get to cover in the first time around.

Lucy followed what she describes as a predestined path into law, working within the traditional firm model and on track for a very conventional version of success. But everything shifted when she began planning to become a mother and realized that the legal world she worked so hard to build a career in simply didn't align with the life she wanted at home. So she made a bold decision to step away from that path and build something entirely different. A business that was flexible, scalable and designed intentionally around her family, not in competition with it.

Lucy Legal's Links:

Website: https://www.lucylegal.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-wheeler-lawyer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucy_legal/

Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/