How To Succeed As A Mother In Customer Success

Emilia D’Anzica and Sabina Pons, Authors of Pressing On As A Tech Mom (left to right)

If you had told me 20 years ago that I’d be speaking to a global community of Customer Success leaders about what it’s like to be a mother in tech, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

When I first became a bonus mom to Tyler, and later gave birth to my two daughters, Ava and Elle, I was navigating my growing career in SaaS, leading CS teams, traveling the globe, and often feeling like I was sprinting on two tracks: one toward professional growth and one toward being fully present for my family. It was fulfilling and lonely at the same time.

And the truth is, many days it felt like I was coming up short on both.

But over time, and with the right support systems, I found a way to be both a mom and executive that had confidence even if I wasn’t perfect in both roles... 

Recently, I had the opportunity to collaborate with my longtime friend, mentee, co-author, and business partner, Sabina Pons (who is now the CEO and CCO of Growth Molecules) and the incredible community at CS Angel to talk about something that deeply matters to both of us: how to succeed as a mother in Customer Success.

Here are a few of the key themes we covered and what I hope every parent in CS takes away from our conversation. If you are a visual or auditory learner, scroll down for the full session on YouTube.

1. Your Time Is Valuable, Set Expectations Early

Customer expectations have changed. Our world is filled with instant replies, 24/7 support models, and “always-on” mentalities. But if you're a parent, especially a mother, you know that your availability needs to be more intentional.

One of the best ways to protect your time and sanity is to set expectations with customers and colleagues from the beginning. On client kickoff calls, I often explain when and how clients can expect to hear from me and point them toward our robust self-serve resources when our team isn’t online (we all need sleep, right?) 

It’s not about doing less. It’s about working more sustainably.

2. Mentorship and Sponsorship Are Game-Changers

When Sabina first asked me to be her mentor, she said it felt like asking someone out on a date. That moment turned into years of growth, connection, and a deep professional bond that led us to work together writing a book, serving clients at Growth Molecules, and sharing best practices as working moms..

Mentors help you grow. Sponsors help you rise. We need both. 

And we need more women, especially moms, in these roles. 

Take the time to learn what it means to be a mentor and step into the role when you can. Ask for one when you need it. And don’t be afraid to name your ambition to your sponsor. Let them know what roles you aspire to, what metrics you want to hit, and how they can help advocate for you when you’re not in the room.

3. Lead with Outcomes, Not Hours

At Growth Molecules, we don’t measure success by when someone logs in or out…

We measure it by outcomes. 

That mindset has helped us build a high-performing team of caregivers, professionals, and humans first.

The same applies to the CS leaders we coach. If you lead a team, you have the power to create flexibility. Job sharing, pooled CS models, and asynchronous communication aren’t just nice-to-haves. They’re strategies that retain top talent, reduce burnout, and save your company money. (Yes, we’ve done the math!)

4. Change the Narrative

The stigma around motherhood in tech is still real. 

We’ve heard stories from women who lost promotions and visibility the moment they became moms. The worst is when a CEO sent an email to me by accident instead of my boss, sharing how I had mom brain and maybe shouldn’t come back after my mere six weeks off unpaid. 

Another time, a woman called me and told me she had been hired to fire me after I came back after 5.5 weeks because I couldn’t afford any time off and used all my vacation days to get by. The male CEO and VP of CS didn’t have the courage to fire me. So they hired a women to do their dirty work instead. I only learned about this five years later, and it hurt so much because I was friends with these men. I knew their daughters and wives. The woman who called never fired me. She was a mom. She quit instead when she was told she was going to fire me. As a mom, she knew better and ended up going elsewhere to lead CS. Knowing this years later, my biggest regret is giving this company nearly six years of my career time.

This story is familiar, but not enough women can share these narratives without fear of losing their jobs. I no longer have that fear because I don’t have to depend on corporations for jobs, so I am speaking out to help women in tech.

Let’s change the narrative. We’ve also seen how representation—simply seeing other mothers succeed in tech—can shift self-perception and performance.

Talk about your journey. Share your struggles and your wins. I post about motherhood regularly on LinkedIn, not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary. Visibility creates possibility for the next generation.

5. Allyship Isn’t Optional, It’s Imperative

To the allies reading this: you matter more than you know. Whether you’re a CS leader, a peer, or a teammate, your support can make or break a mother’s career. That can look like offering flexibility, speaking up when you witness bias, or simply asking, “How can I support you today?”

One of the most powerful moments from our webinar with CS Angel came when a father on the call said he ordered our book to better support the mothers on his team. Thank you! This book was written to educate and inspire all people in tech regardless of color, sexual orientation, and beliefs to make the workplace more inclusive.

That’s the kind of allyship we need. After all, your products are being purchased by women; shouldn’t women have a voice in what you are building? Your products should reflect the personas you serve, and who better to understand moms than moms?

Let’s Keep Pressing On

The future of Customer Success and SaaS depends on diverse leadership. And that means building systems where mothers don’t just survive, but thrive!

Progress is happening. Women now hold 35% of tech roles and 28% of executive positions. This has increased significantly over the past decade. 

But we’re far from  equality for ourselves and our daughters.

Not until more mothers are heard, seen, and leading at the table.

If this story resonated with you, I’d love to connect. Share your story. Tag it with #PressingOn.

And know that you’re not alone. Sabina and I, and so many others, are walking this road with you.

Let’s continue to make CS a place where caregivers, and especially mothers, succeed.

Get a copy of our book, Pressing ON As a Tech Mom, here.

Watch the session on YouTube and remember to pay it forward by sharing with others in your network who might find these insights valuable!

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