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Being a Chief of Staff already means running on caffeine, calendar Tetris, and “I’ll figure it out as I go.” Add a kid (or two) into the mix, and suddenly you’re orchestrating cross-functional initiatives between sippy cup refills and trying to remember when you last washed your hair.
This fireside chat with Ellise McDonald isn’t a polished presentation. It’s a real conversation about the messy middle: the meetings with babies wrapped to your chest, the dinner logistics that fall apart, the parental leave guilt, returning to work running on fumes, and how Chiefs of Staff can actually shape leave policies and parent-friendly culture from the inside. If you’re a Chief of Staff and parent, this one’s for you.
Bring your coffee. We see you ☕🤗
Ellise McDonald is the Chief of Staff and certified EOS IntegratorTM at a Series C company where she has spent nine years building systems, shaping culture, and integrating all the moving parts. A Brown University graduate with a background in public health, Ellise brings a human-centered lens to operations and strategy. She also serves as an Ask a Chief of Staff Mentor.
Recently returned from her second maternity leave, Ellise brings an unfiltered perspective on integrating high-stakes leadership responsibilities with the realities of parenting young kids, including a cross-country move, building support systems, and learning to embrace the chaos of meetings, milk spills, and missed sleep.
This isn’t a workshop in the traditional sense. It’s an intimate fireside chat that turns into a peer support session. Ellise shares her own story of returning from maternity leave with two under two, then opens the floor for community members to swap real strategies, vent about common challenges, and share what’s actually working.
Topics range from time-blocking and division of labor at home to navigating parental leave policies, advocating for working parent benefits, and modeling boundaries that help shift workplace culture for everyone.
Why coming back can actually sharpen your focus (even running on fumes)
Building support systems that let you do your job and parent
How small visible choices—like putting “daycare pickup” on your calendar—shift workplace culture
The wide variation in policies and how to advocate for what you need
Why partners taking their full leave matters (and how to support them in doing it)
Whether to take that sabbatical when you’ve already taken parental leave
Practical dinner logistics from real families (the part most resources skip)
Why tag-teaming often beats one person owning the whole process
Resources like Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play for rebalancing the mental load
What books actually help prepare you for parenthood?
How do you handle stakeholders when you have a sick kid at home?
What are other Chiefs of Staff parents really doing for childcare, dinner, and bedtime?
Whether you’re a current or aspiring Chief of Staff, I invite you to check out the Ask a Chief of Staff community. We’re now 4️⃣ 5️⃣ 0️⃣ ➕ members strong, helping Chiefs of Staff navigate their careers through:
💬 Members-only Slack workspace for peer support & real time question answering
🖥 Exclusive workshops & events (virtual & in-person)
🤝 A supportive network of peers facing similar challenges
🧑💼 Direct access to experienced Chiefs of Staff and mentors
🌟 Curated job opportunities from leading companies
🙌 Resources and frameworks for immediate impact
Visit our website and click the “Join our community” button to start your journey!
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