Book Club Recap: Challenge Your Guilt with Belinda Jane Batt

What does guilt cost working mothers? And what can leaders do to change the story?

In our July Book Club, we were joined by author and coach Belinda Jane Batt to explore the themes in her book Challenge Your Guilt: How to Flourish in Motherhood, Work and Life. Facilitated by Lesley Mourant, the conversation was raw, reflective and deeply relevant for leaders seeking to create more human, equitable workplaces.

You can catch up on the full session below. Here are some highlights.

A hidden tax on energy and ambition

Guilt is not just an emotional undercurrent for many working mothers — it’s a daily, unspoken tax on energy, ambition and mental clarity. Belinda shared how societal and cultural expectations shape this experience, often leaving women feeling that whatever they do, it’s never quite enough. Whether it’s missing bedtime for a meeting or choosing screen time just to get through the evening, many mothers are living with a sense of failure that’s disproportionate to reality.

Helpful vs unhelpful guilt

One of the most powerful takeaways from Belinda’s book is the distinction between helpful and unhelpful guilt. Helpful guilt signals when we’ve acted out of alignment with our values and gives us an opportunity to course-correct. Unhelpful guilt, however, is often rooted in internalised cultural expectations — what Belinda calls “socially conditioned scripts” — and does little but drain us.

Leaders who understand this difference are better equipped to create cultures of trust and compassion, where guilt is not baked into every boundary.

Why this matters for leaders

This conversation wasn’t just for mothers. It was for anyone in a position of influence — especially those leading teams that include working parents.

Belinda and Lesley explored how leaders can help rewrite the guilt narrative in small, intentional ways:

• Normalising flexibility and imperfection
• Checking assumptions around availability and ambition
• Creating psychologically safe spaces for honest conversations
• Valuing outcomes over visibility
• Encouraging boundary-setting without added pressure

When leaders model and support these behaviours, they don’t just support mothers — they make work better for everyone.

Belinda’s message to working mums

To the women juggling multiple roles, questioning their worth or impact, and feeling the weight of invisible expectations: you are not alone. Guilt is not a personal failing. It’s a product of the systems we live and work in — and it can be challenged.

As Belinda said during the session, “We can’t flourish while we’re swimming in guilt. But when we start naming it, noticing it, and questioning where it comes from, that’s when we begin to reclaim our space.”

A moment of reflection from Lesley

“If you’re a leader of others, especially those navigating the realities of working motherhood, it’s worth asking — how might you be unintentionally reinforcing guilt? And what would it take to help someone let it go?”

Watch the session

The full recording is available below. Whether you’re a mother, a leader, or simply someone who wants to create more supportive environments, we hope you’ll find insight and inspiration in the conversation.

Explore the book

Challenge Your Guilt: How to Flourish in Motherhood, Work and Life by Belinda Jane Batt is available now.

Order the book on Amazon