Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexa Starks.
Hi Alexa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I spent over a decade in advertising and corporate America, was very ambitious and career-driven, and then I had two kids. And unfortunately I returned to work after maternity leave to little to no support, no conversations, no ramp-up plan, and just the expectation of being back to work at 100% on day 1, which is very unrealistic. Needless to say, it wasn’t sustainable and I struggled managing being a mom and working full time, with no support. But I had this newfound ambition and wanting to do something meaningful with my life and to make the world better for my children, so I started my company, Executive Moms, to help expecting and new moms and organizations better support maternity leave and the transition back to work. It’s been a whirlwind of working way more than I was before, but it has truly taken off and it’s honestly so amazing to see how many moms are having an easier time going back to work and navigating that working mom life.
And now, I’ve worked with hundreds of other moms, I’ve held dozens of workshops for organizations, I’m speaking at an international women’s empowerment event, and doing a TEDx talk in a few months. My goal for this year is to shine a light on more working moms and the strength and power that they have every day, and advocate even more for systemic change and workplace design to better support moms everywhere.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an entrepreneur is never really a “smooth” road, but certainly doing it with two toddlers is very difficult. I work before they wake up, well after they go to sleep, I take calls with them joining in sometimes, but by far it’s been so great to set my own schedule and have the flexibility to get them from daycare or take care of them when they’re sick and not get yelled at by a boss for missing work to care for my kids. The hardest part of starting a business is resilience. It takes so much hard work and in the beginning the income isn’t stable yet, which is difficult when you have daycare and kids’ costs, but just having the utmost confidence in myself that I’m doing something right and I’m on the right path and building that resilience has been huge to see the results pay off.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Executive Moms provides workshops and training for organizations on how to better support expecting and new working mothers through maternity leave and the return to work transition, as well as maternity leave coaching and resources for working moms. In January 2026 we published The Future of Working Motherhood 2026 report which looked at how companies can better support working moms during that transition and showing the real, lived experiences of working moms and ambition and identity shifts, and more. If you’re a working mom or expecting a baby, make sure you plan your maternity leave and your return to work, so you aren’t expected to be at 100% on day 1. And for companies, there’s a lot of low-cost ways you can better support working moms and parents.
What were you like growing up?
I played very competitive soccer growing up, my whole family was a sports family. So if we weren’t playing in a game, we were watching a sibling’s game. I’ve always been very vocal and direct and could talk for hours about something I was passionate about, so that carried through to today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.executivemoms.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexa.starks/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexastarks/
