She had just returned to work after maternity leave and was looking tired. As Daisy nodded off to sleep, and my son was lured to the table with promises of chocolate and drawing in his Bob the Builder colouring book she told me her story.

Her workplace had agreed she could come back 3 days a week and Ellie had initially been very optimistic that this would solve the life/work balance problem. After all, she would have 2 whole days with darling Daisy and then 3 days in the land of grown-ups. There were some things that she loved about going to work she loved the cut and thrust of the job, the chance to have conversations with adults again about non-baby related life, the luxury of reading the paper on the train and the chance to have an uninterrupted coffee.

Yet, just a month into the new arrangement, she was feeling very stressed. Prior to going on maternity leave, the job had been a 5 day a week position.

Now, she was working 3 days a week but it was still a 5 day a week job meaning she had to somehow cram everything into her 3 days. She managed this by taking work home to do when Daisy was asleep but she was usually completed knackered by the end of the day and only wanted to curl up with a glass of wine in front of EastEnders. On her days off with Daisy, her manager would still ring her about work and Ellie hated taking work phone calls when she was in the middle of a noisy baby music session.

Unfortunately, Ive heard this story many times before both from coaching clients and from friends. The reality is that parents with young children are the most discriminated against in the workplace despite legislation ensuring that parents have a right to ask for flexible working.

No it is not! I believe that it is possible to have a good balance between having time with your children and family AND have a rich and fulfilling working life. Over the next year, Ill be answering your specific problems/questions and queries and giving you practical tips on how to get the life/work balance you (and your family) deserve.

After some informal coaching over coffee, we managed to come up with some action points. She decided to speak to her manager about the fact that she needed to reduce her work-load to reflect the fact she was only working 3 days a week and that she would not be taking work phone calls (unless it was an emergency) on her days off. She spoke to her husband about sharing the nursery pickups more equally so that she could work longer hours one or two days a week thus placating her grumbling colleagues. Longer term, Ellie is exploring the potential of a freelance career which she feels could give her more control and flexibility.