Since the “Expecting at Work” panel series #1, I have received overwhelming interest and feedback in terms of the need to support expecting women at work.

On February 13, 2018, I will be launching the very first “Expecting at Work” Circles at Salesforce. This 3-month pilot program is to provide a intimate, safe setting for a group of 8 – 10 Salesforce expecting women to share with and learn from each other during the 9 month pregnancy. We will explore specific pregnancy-and-working related topics each month and provide women the toolkit to navigate through the transitioning to motherhood in the corporate world. This will also allow expecting women to form a strong network at work, with whom they can share challenges and practical tactics when they return to work from maternity.

I want to share a personal story on what led me to this Pilot Program.

In 2017, I was invited to join the Harvard Business School Alumnae Circles, which are small groups of 6-10 HBS alumnae who get together monthly. Circles are designed to foster authentic, deep relationships between alumnae. Since then, I have grown a lot personally and professionally, and formed strong bonds with a group of truly inspiring women in the Bay Area. Having benefited so much from this, I was intrigued to find out how such a meaningful program got started. HBS Alumnae Circles would not have existed without the founder Jill Fink, HBS 2005. A mother of three, Jill chose to be a stay-at-home mom to raise her amazing children. At the same time, she has been actively involved in local communities and basically founded Circles from scratch. Within a short two years, the HBS Circles grew its membership to over 900 alumnae, across major cities in the United States.

Fast-forward, my HBS Alumnae Circles experience inspired me to launch the very first Circle at Salesforce for expecting moms. I want to share this because you too can drive change in the workplace and make an impact on the women around the world.