Met Linzay Davis | parental leave consultant and mom of 2

We had the good fortune of connecting with Linzay Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Linzay, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Six weeks after I returned to work from parental leave, I quit a job I loved. My daughter was born in December 2020, and having a newborn, a toddler, and a job in the middle of a pandemic was too much. I decided something had to give, and it wasn’t going to be either of my kids.

I quickly realized my story was not unique. I was put in a terrible situation and pushed out of the workforce like millions of other women when they become moms. The system for moms in the U.S. is broken so I started a business to fix it.

When I learned a woman is 50% more likely to stay in the workforce long term if she has access to paid parental leave I wasn’t shocked. Had my leave been paid and if I hadn’t felt the pressure to return to my job before I was ready, I probably wouldn’t be a parental leave consultant today.

In the long run, it all worked out because now I get the chance to support new and expecting parents through their parental leave journey and help them advocate for themselves so they get the chance I didn’t to stay in the workforce and thrive after becoming a mom.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Park is a parental leave consulting agency and we help new and expecting parents by teaching them about their rights and protections and helping them advocate for themselves so they can be sure they are maxing out all of their paid leave and job-protection when they welcome a child into their family.

The Park has evolved so much since I started it two and a half years ago. It was just an idea to “help moms,” but I wasn’t sure what meant. After hours of research and talking with hundreds of women I realized I should leverage my experience in parental leave. The time period in a woman’s career when she takes leave to have a baby, bond and recover is such a blip on her career timeline, but it’s also when so many women’s careers are cute short. My goal for The Park is to support women so they have all the resources and tools they need to successfully transition through parental leave and have a chance to say in the workforce. And not just have a chance, but also thrive as a working mom, continue to rise in their career, and claim their seat at the table.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Inbal Claudio, Emily McDonald, and Ankita Terrell have been instrumental in helping me get my business off the ground. I owe so much of my success to them!

Website: theparkconsulting.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linzaydavis/