121. 2 years into her human rights fight: What no one tells you - Beth Wanner
Beth Warner returns to share what the past year has looked like fighting pregnancy discrimination, building Mother Cover, and refusing to stay silent. She opens up about the human toll of a human rights case that could take 6+ years, why Europe's approach to NDAs needs to come to North America, and how she's channeling her experience into protecting other parents' jobs through workforce planning that actually works.
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Intro
(04:37) What keeps her going when everyone says "just move on"
(08:29) Life update: 2 years into a human rights case with years still ahead
(11:35) What needs to change: Why Canada should follow Europe's lead on NDAs
(13:17) Signing away your voice vs. fighting back
(16:55) Why the system isn't built for humans
(22:33) How she stays in the fight (and why Mother Cover fuels her now)
(26:36) What success looks like: Reaching the middle, not the extremes
(28:36) Mother Cover: Parental leave coverage done right
(32:13) Why workforce planning needs an update
(39:06) What Mother Cover actually does (and why it's not recruiting)
(42:13) Fractional leaves: Why senior professionals work better than junior backfills
(55:20) What's next: More success stories, less legal drama
(58:27) Beth’s favorite Mother Cover story: Marketing strategy meets motherhood support
(01:00:12) Motherhood with a 2-year-old while building a company
(01:01:24) What she's still figuring out: Teaching Ruby that work isn't just paying for diapers
KEY TAKEAWAY
Policy alone won't change corporate culture. Until companies plan for parental leaves the way they plan for seasonal staffing or economic shifts, parents will continue choosing between their careers and their families—or worse, losing both. The solution is treating temporary leave as the predictable workforce reality it's always been.
About Beth Wanner
Beth is the founder of Mother Cover, a leave coverage agency that helps companies across the U.S. and Canada manage parental and temporary leave without disrupting business or careers. Beth has 15 years of experience as an executive in the tech space, where she saw firsthand how gaps in leave coverage create unnecessary risk for both organizations and employees. Even with policies in place, the operational reality often falls short.
Beth founded Mother Cover to give individuals the ability to comfortably pause work when they need to, while providing companies with experienced support until their team member returns. Mother Cover offers the long overdue solution to a common challenge that’s been in desperate need of a new approach.
Connect with Beth Wanner
Website | https://www.mothercoveragency.com/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mothercoveragency/
Linkedin | https://ca.linkedin.com/in/bethwanner | https://www.linkedin.com/company/mother-cover/