Kundra

Et si l’égalité professionnelle passait aussi par la place que nous laissons aux pères ?
Dans cet épisode du Kundra Podcast, Theresa reçoit Simon, Senior Learning Product Manager chez OpenClassrooms - et premier homme invité sur le podcast.
Alors qu’il démarre un nouveau poste, Simon devient père de jumelles nées en grande prématurité. S’ensuivent des peurs rarement exprimées par les hommes au travail :
la peur de perdre son emploi, de ne pas faire ses preuves, de voir la parentalité perçue comme un manque d’engagement professionnel.
Des peurs que l’on associe encore trop souvent uniquement aux mères.
À l’heure où le congé naissance ouvre la possibilité pour les pères de prendre un véritable temps de congé parental, cet épisode montre pourquoi inclure les pères n’est pas un “bonus” - mais une condition clé de l’égalité professionnelle.
L’histoire de Simon est aussi une preuve très concrète :
lorsqu’une entreprise investit réellement dans le soutien à la parentalité, elle crée de la confiance, de l’engagement - et une loyauté durable.
Quatre ans plus tard, Simon est toujours chez OpenClassrooms. Et il raconte pourquoi.
Dans ce conversation, vous découvrirez :
Pourquoi les pères vivent, eux aussi, les mêmes peurs professionnelles que les mères après une naissance
Comment la culture d’entreprise influence la santé mentale des nouveaux parents
Ce que le soutien à la parentalité change réellement - sur le long terme
Pourquoi inclure les pères est un levier clé d’égalité, de rétention et de performance
Ce que les entreprises ont tout à gagner à investir dans des politiques parentales ambitieuses
Que vous soyez parent, manager, dirigeant ou professionnel RH, cet épisode vous aidera à repenser la parentalité non pas comme une interruption - mais comme un moment clé de transformation.
Dans cet épisode, on parle :
00:00 Introduction & parcours de Simon
06:15 Rejoindre une nouvelle entreprise en attendant des jumeaux
10:02 Naissance prématurée, hospitalisation et choc des premiers jours
12:53 Minimiser, avoir peur et vouloir “faire ses preuves” en tant que père
15:52 Congé parental, intervention des RH et soutien de l’entreprise
31:48 Enseignements pour les leaders – soutenir les pères, renforcer la rétention et l’équité
About Kundra
Kundra is building the future of parental leave.
We believe ambition and parenthood can thrive together - and companies that embed equity into their foundations today will lead tomorrow.
This podcast is part of our journey: speaking with working parents, business leaders, and HR innovators to surface the truths of career and parenting and the tools that make it work.
We’re now opening up pilot programs for companies ready to rethink parental leave. If you’d like to see how Kundra can support your teams, email [email protected] for a demo.
Want more from each episode?
Subscribe to Kundra Notes for insights, recaps, and HR toolkits

Follow Kundra on LinkedIn for product updates and thought leadership

Follow Kundra on Instagram for stories, quotes, and behind-the-scenes

What can companies learn from countries where parenthood still pushes talent out of the workforce?
In this episode of the Kundra Podcast, Theresa speaks with Claudine, founder of Promama, an Italian startup working to make workplaces genuinely more family friendly. Claudine shares how her own maternity leave experience - marked by silence, lost role clarity, and stalled progression - became the catalyst for building a data-driven solution to a systemic problem.
Together, they explore what Italy’s parental-leave reality reveals about workplace culture, why good intentions aren’t enough without structure, and how companies can retain parents through simple but deliberate design choices. This is a rare peer-to-peer conversation with someone tackling the same challenge from a different national, cultural, and policy context—and uncovering lessons that travel far beyond borders.
Whether you’re an HR leader, manager, or working parent, this episode offers a grounded look at what actually moves the needle when it comes to parental leave, retention, and performance.
Inside this conversation, you’ll discover:
How a maternity leave breakdown exposed a wider, systemic problem
Why nearly 1 in 5 Italian women leave the workforce after becoming mothers
What “family-friendly” looks like in practice—not just in policy
The hidden cost of losing parents (and why retention is the real ROI)
Where companies most often fail—and the low-effort fixes they miss
Why flexibility is the single biggest enabler for working parents
What it takes to turn personal experience into scalable change
In this episode we cover:
00:00 Introduction to Claudine & the Career Turning Point
03:31 When Maternity Leave Breaks Trust - and Careers
09:29 The Data: Why This Is a Systemic Issue in Italy
11:48 Building ProMama: From Personal Pain to Platform
14:33 The 4 Pillars of a Truly Family-Friendly Company
19:26 Retention, ROI & the Business Cost of Getting This Wrong
32:36 Flexibility as the Foundation - and What to Change First
About Kundra
Kundra is building the future of parental leave.
We believe ambition and parenthood can thrive together - and companies that embed equity into their foundations today will lead tomorrow.
This podcast is part of our journey: speaking with working parents, business leaders, and HR innovators to surface the truths of career and parenting and the tools that make it work.
We’re now opening up pilot programs for companies ready to rethink parental leave. If you’d like to see how Kundra can support your teams, email [email protected] for a demo.
Want more from each episode?
Subscribe to Kundra Notes for insights, recaps, and HR toolkits

Follow Kundra on LinkedIn for product updates and thought leadership

Follow Kundra on Instagram for stories, quotes, and behind-the-scenes

How do you design a parental leave experience that strengthens performance, reinforces loyalty, and supports seamless business continuity - even when an employee steps away for nine months?
In this episode of the Kundra Podcast, Theresa sits down with Fanny, Product Manager at Trainline, to explore how a supportive culture, thoughtful planning, and a structured reboarding process transformed her maternity leave into a moment of stability - for both her team and her career.
From leadership reassurance and clear expectations, to a dedicated cover and a gentle ramp-back, Fanny’s experience shows how the quality of a leave journey can directly influence engagement, performance, and retention.
Inside this conversation, you’ll discover:
Supportive Leadership Behaviours: How honest, proactive conversations with her manager and CPO created clarity, confidence, and psychological safety before she went on leave.
Continuity Without Burnout: Why Trainline chose to hire a dedicated maternity cover - and how this ensured smooth delivery, stable performance, and a frictionless return.
Healthy Disconnection, Helpful Touchpoints: How low-pressure updates during leave preserved a sense of belonging without pulling her back into work.
A Structured, Human Reboarding: What Trainline’s handovers, stakeholder mapping, shadowing and ramp-up period looked like - and why they set her up for success.
Performance After Parenthood: How becoming a mother reshaped Fanny’s approach to prioritisation, efficiency, and boundaries - ultimately enhancing her impact.
Retention Through Real Support: Why a generous, well-managed leave made Fanny feel more loyal, more motivated, and more committed to contributing long-term.
Whether you’re a working parent, HR leader, or manager, this episode highlights how the right structures and expectations can turn parental leave into a powerful driver of stability, satisfaction, and organisational strength.
In this episode we cover:
00:00 Introduction & Fanny’s Background
03:57 Setting the Scene: Trainline’s Structure & Leave Context
05:01 Preparing for Leave: Leadership Reassurance & Expectations
09:31 Ensuring Coverage & Business Continuity
16:39 Staying Connected: Light Touchpoints During Leave
18:25 Reboarding with Care: Structure, Shadowing & Safety
20:39 Lessons for Leaders: Loyalty, Performance & ROI
About Kundra
Kundra is building the future of parental leave.
We believe ambition and parenthood can thrive together - and companies that embed equity into their foundations today will lead tomorrow.
This podcast is part of our journey: speaking with working parents, business leaders, and HR innovators to surface the truths of career and parenting and the tools that make it work.
We’re now opening up pilot programs for companies ready to rethink parental leave. If you’d like to see how Kundra can support your teams, email [email protected] for a demo.
Want more from each episode?
Subscribe to Kundra Notes for insights, recaps, and HR toolkits

Follow Kundra on LinkedIn for product updates and thought leadership

Follow Kundra on Instagram for stories, quotes, and behind-the-scenes

How do you design a parental leave program that supports parents, protects performance, and earns buy-in from managers - all inside a fast-growing tech company?
In this episode of the Kundra Podcast, Theresa sits down with Cheryl Rubian - former Chief People Officer at Greenhouse, the innovative hiring and onboarding platform. Cheryl is the first HR leader to join the show and the architect behind Greenhouse’s parental leave program. She brings a rare insider perspective: what it takes to move from policy to practice, and how to operationalize people processes in a way that genuinely works for both parents and the business.
Inside this conversation, you’ll learn more on:
Building While Scaling: How Cheryl designed Greenhouse’s first parental leave program at a time when the company grew from 40 to 180 employees in one year - and what she wishes she’d known earlier.
The Missing Link in HR Policies: Why empathy is not enough, and how operational discipline (calendars, checklists, structured touchpoints) becomes the backbone of a successful leave experience.
The Ask Gap: The surprising insight Cheryl uncovered when senior women shared what they didn’t feel comfortable asking for - and what HR can do to close that gap.
Performance & People: How proactive leave design can reduce business disruption - and why companies that support parents ultimately strengthen retention, engagement, and long-term output.
A Practical Playbook for HR: Cheryl’s one-page manager guide, the matching parent-facing version, and how leadership buy-in unlocks organizational alignment.
Whether you’re an HR leader, business manager, or executive thinking about parental leave as part of your people strategy, this episode breaks down the real systems and decisions that turn parental leave from an ad-hoc event into a scalable, high-impact practice.
In this episode we cover:
00:00 Introduction & Cheryl’s Career Background
05:24 Building Greenhouse’s First Parental Leave Program
08:27 Why Good People Practices Need Operations - Not Just Empathy
12:23 Importance of Highlighting Leave Options
17:41 The Business Case: Why Parental Leave Matters for Performance
25:14 Cheryl’s Playbook: One-Page Guides, Leadership Buy-In & Flexibility
About Kundra
Kundra is building the future of parental leave.
We believe ambition and parenthood can thrive together - and companies that embed equity into their foundations today will lead tomorrow.
This podcast is part of our journey: speaking with working parents, business leaders, and HR innovators to surface the truths of career and parenting and the tools that make it work.
We’re now opening up pilot programs for companies ready to rethink parental leave. If you’d like to see how Kundra can support your teams, email [email protected] for a demo.
Want more from each episode?
Subscribe to Kundra Notes for insights, recaps, and HR toolkits

Follow Kundra on LinkedIn for product updates and thought leadership

Follow Kundra on Instagram for stories, quotes, and behind-the-scenes

How do you create a parental leave culture that keeps performance steady while strengthening loyalty?
In this episode of the Kundra Podcast, Theresa sits down with Marine, Product Manager at Alan, who shares her inspiring story of navigating motherhood shortly after joining the company - while still in her trial period.
We explore how Alan’s culture of radical transparency, coaching instead of management, and proactive planning transformed what could have been a stressful moment into a story of trust, empowerment, and high performance.
Inside this conversation, you’ll discover:
Culture of Trust: How radical transparency and open communication made Marine feel safe announcing her pregnancy - even during probation.
Continuity with Care: How Alan’s coaching structure and internal mobility planning ensured business continuity without guilt or overload.
Human-Centered Flexibility: How consent, autonomy, and empathy guided Marine’s maternity leave experience - from disconnection to extension.
The Power of Reboarding: How structured check-ins, a “mum buddy,” and project choice smoothed her return and reignited motivation.
Retention by Design: Why Alan’s approach to parental leave is not just kind - it’s a strategic retention and performance driver.
Whether you’re a working parent, HR leader, or manager, this episode shows how clear structure and genuine care can make parental leave a flywheel for loyalty and growth.

In this episode we cover:
0:00 Introduction & Marine’s Background
06:23 Announcing the News & Alan’s Radical Transparency
09:27 Planning for Continuity – Internal Mobility and Handover
15:01 Creating a Guilt-Free Transition
18:09 Reboarding with Care - The Role of the Coach and Mum Buddy
22:31 Lessons for Leaders - Retention, Culture, and Long-Term ROI

About Kundra
Kundra is building the future of parental leave.
We believe ambition and parenthood can thrive together - and companies that embed equity into their foundations today will lead tomorrow.
This podcast is part of our journey: speaking with working parents, business leaders, and HR innovators to surface the truths of career and parenting and the tools that make it work.
We’re now opening up pilot programs for companies ready to rethink parental leave. If you’d like to see how Kundra can support your teams, email [email protected] for a demo.
Want more from each episode?
Subscribe to Kundra Notes for insights, recaps, and HR toolkits

Follow Kundra on LinkedIn for product updates and thought leadership

Follow Kundra on Instagram for stories, quotes, and behind-the-scenes