Michelle Yu is the Co-founder & CEO of Josie. After struggling to navigate the wild ride of parental leave and the transition back to a senior role at work, Michelle felt inspired to create a better experience for career-driven parents like herself. She started to notice that many superstar colleagues were opting out of the workforce right around the family building years. With little support available, working parents and the organizations they worked for were losing out – big time.
Named after her daughter, Josie is on a mission to uplift working parents as leaders, creating more inclusive organizations that thrive on their diverse strengths. Through its proprietary mental health and career coaching programs for parents, managers, and organizational leaders, Josie is changing the narrative on what it means to have family and career – at the same time.
Prior to launching Josie, Michelle spent several years in a career she loved in healthcare consulting, spending time at Booz & Company, Deloitte Consulting, and Optum / UnitedHealth Group. The combination of her healthcare background, consulting experience, and lived experience as a dedicated working mom all came together in the founding of Josie.
Michelle’s work has been featured in TIME, TedX, The American Hospital Association, Motherly, The Female Quotient, HeyMama, and Charter. She earned her Bachelors in Finance from the University of Illinois and Masters of Public Health from the University of Michigan. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children, Theo (6) and Josie (4), and plays keyboard in her local neighborhood band, The Butternuts.
Returning to work after parental leave can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. It will take time to get yourself fully prepared, emotionally, mentally and physically. You’ve got the skills to handle it all but this guide is designed to help new parents navigate the many multifaceted pieces of the journey — from preparing for...
So, you’ve embarked on the wild adventure of parenthood and now you’re preparing to dive back into your work life. Balancing a career and a new bundle of joy as a new parent might seem like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube in under 10 seconds, but don’t worry — we’ve got your back! In...
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On August 28, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy put out an Advisory titled, “Parents Under Pressure.” The nearly 30-page document details the dire state of mental health and well-being among parents. Dr. Murthy pointed out that 41 percent of parents say most days they’re so stressed they cannot function. In my work at Josie, I...