The Power Pause

How to Plan a Career Break After Kids—and Come Back Stronger Than Ever

By: Neha Ruch

Narrated by: Neha Ruch

A paradigm-shifting guide to career breaks after kids that rebrands stay-at-home parenthood for a new generation of women and families.

"So, what do you do?"

When Neha Ruch had to answer this seemingly innocent question for the first time after leaving her corporate job to care for her infant son, she drew a shameful blank. She couldn’t find the words to describe this new stage of life she’d just embarked on. She wasn’t a 1950s June Cleaver type, nor was she one of today’s updated stereotypes. (Craft Project Mom? Exhausted-in-Sweatpants Mom?) How, then, was she to navigate this identity shift?

Frustrated, Ruch embarked on a mission to rebrand the stay-at-home mother for a new generation of women who don’t want to leave their ambition behind just because they decide to pause or change their careers post-kids. Her online community, Mother Untitled, has become the leading voice and resource for women navigating this transition. In The Power Pause, Ruch addresses all the questions women face at this inflection point, such as, Can I afford to pause? Who am I without my career indentity? How do I find meaning in the role? And can I ever transition back to paid work?

With expert advice and diverse stories of stay-at-home mothers who buck every stereotype, as well as interactive exercises to help the listener plot a course for the long term, The Power Pause is an essential handbook for a new generation of caregivers.

©2025 Neha Ruch (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“In this robust debut, Ruch, a former marketing professional and mother of two, details how women who leave the workforce to raise children can navigate the transition...her sage advice will help those who want to take the plunge. The result is a forthright take on an aspect of motherhood often overlooked by other parenting guides." —Publishers Weekly

“By dispelling myth after myth about time away from the traditional workforce, Neha Ruch offers a compelling solution to make careers more sustainable in the middle of a burnout epidemic and childcare crisis. In a culture that has told women for too long that they can’t take their foot off the gas if they want to succeed, The Power Pause presents an original and game-changing way for a new generation to think about career shifts and family life as one part of a long and thriving journey.” —Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global

"This book is a gift. Gender equality, strong families, and successful economic and social policy all require us to reframe how we think about work and family. The Power Pause helps show us how, in a how-to format that mothers will love." —Ann-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America and author of Unfinished Business