Moms Build AI · Free Workbook

The return-to-work AI kit —
for moms coming back from maternity leave.

You took time off to bring a human into the world. Now you're heading back — and AI is your secret weapon for getting up to speed faster, showing up more confidently, and walking in like you never left.

📚 5 modules ⏱ ~85 min ✦ Free
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A note before you start

Six months feels like forever in a fast-moving workplace. Things changed while you were gone — tools, priorities, maybe even your team. And on top of catching up professionally, you're running on broken sleep and a completely restructured life.

This kit is not about pretending the gap didn't happen. It's about using AI to close it faster than anyone expects — and walking back in as the most prepared person in the room.

Module 01 Know what you're walking back into ⏱ 15 min

Before your first day back, you need a clear picture of what changed. AI can help you build that picture fast.

Use these prompts to get oriented
I'm returning from 6 months of maternity leave in your industry. What are the most important things that have likely changed in my field in the last 6 months — technology, trends, tools, and priorities? Give me a plain-language briefing.
What are the most important AI tools and developments in your specific role — marketing, finance, HR, legal, etc. in the last 6 months that I should know about before walking back into a corporate environment?
What questions should I be asking my manager in my first week back to get up to speed quickly and show I'm engaged and ready?
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Do this before your return date. Read it like a brief. You'll walk into your first meeting already knowing what you missed.

Reflection — answer these before you move on

What felt most surprising from Claude's briefing?

What do you want to dig into deeper before your first day?

Module 02 Rebuild your confidence narrative ⏱ 20 min

The hardest part of returning isn't the skills gap — it's the story you're telling yourself about it. "I've been out of it." "Everyone else has moved on." "I don't know the new tools." AI can help you rewrite that narrative into something true and powerful.

The reframe: you didn't just take leave. You managed an entirely new operation under extreme pressure with zero training, no sleep, and no margin for error. Those are real skills. We're going to make sure they show up in how you talk about yourself.

Use these prompts
I'm a your role returning from 6 months of maternity leave. Help me reframe my time away in a way that's honest but positions me as someone who has grown, not fallen behind. I want language I can use in my first week back with my manager and colleagues.
Here are the skills I used during maternity leave: list — organization, managing chaos, quick decision-making, prioritization under pressure, etc. Help me translate these into professional language I can weave into how I talk about myself at work.
Write me a confident, warm one-paragraph 'I'm back' message I can send to my team on my first day back. Tone: grounded, warm, ready — not apologetic.
Reflection — answer these before you move on

What skills did you actually build or strengthen during leave that you've been underselling?

What's the one sentence you want people to think about you when you walk back in?

Module 03 Get up to speed on tools and tech ⏱ 20 min

If your workplace adopted new tools while you were gone — new software, new AI systems, new workflows — you don't need to feel behind. You can learn faster than anyone else because you have Claude as a personal tutor available 24/7.

The approach: don't try to learn everything at once. Ask Claude to teach you specifically what you need for your role.

Use these prompts
I'm returning to work as a your role and my company now uses tool name. I've never used it before. Teach me the 20% of features I need to know to do 80% of my job. Start with the basics and use plain language.
My team has been using AI tools while I was on leave. I want to walk back in as someone who's ahead on AI, not behind. What are the most important AI skills and tools for someone in your role to know right now?
What questions should I ask my colleagues in my first week to quickly understand how workflows and tools have changed while I was out — without making it obvious how much I've missed?
I have X hours before my first day back. Build me a personalized catch-up plan for getting up to speed on specific area. Make it realistic for someone with a newborn at home.
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Practical tip: block 20 minutes every evening the week before you return. One prompt per night. By day one you'll feel dramatically more prepared than you expect.

Module 04 Update your professional presence ⏱ 15 min

Whether or not you're job hunting, your LinkedIn and professional bio need to reflect who you are now — someone who is current, capable, and back. AI makes this fast.

Use these prompts
Here's my current LinkedIn summary: paste it. I'm returning from 6 months of maternity leave. Update it to sound current, confident, and forward-looking. Don't mention the gap explicitly — just make it feel fresh and strong.
Write me an updated LinkedIn headline for someone returning from maternity leave in your field. I want it to feel modern and AI-forward without being try-hard.
Here's my resume: paste relevant sections. I've been on maternity leave for 6 months. Help me update the language to feel current and position my experience in your field as still highly relevant today.
I want to start posting on LinkedIn again as I return to work. Give me 5 post ideas that would position me as a thoughtful professional in your field who is engaged with where the industry is going.

You don't have to disclose your maternity leave on LinkedIn if you don't want to. You also don't have to hide it. Both are completely valid — Claude can help you with either approach.

Module 05 Your first 30 days back ⏱ 15 min

The first 30 days set everything. How you show up, what you prioritize, and how you manage the mental load of doing two enormous jobs at once — parent and professional.

Use AI to make these 30 days lighter and sharper.

For managing the workload
I'm back at work after maternity leave and feeling overwhelmed by everything I need to catch up on. Here's what's on my plate: list. Help me prioritize this realistically and identify what I can delegate or drop.
I have a 1:1 with my manager tomorrow — my first since returning from maternity leave. Help me prepare. I want to come across as engaged and ready, ask the right questions, and set myself up well for the next 90 days.
For the mental load
I'm a working mom returning from maternity leave and feeling the pressure of trying to be excellent at work while also being present at home. Help me think through a realistic daily structure that protects my energy for both.
I'm struggling with specific challenge — pumping at work, leaving on time, managing mom guilt, imposter syndrome after the gap. Help me think through this practically and give me some language I can use to advocate for what I need.
Reflection — answer these before you move on

What does success look like for you at the end of your first 30 days back?

What's the one thing you need to protect — at home and at work — to make this sustainable?

Cheat sheet — your return-to-work AI toolkit

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Screenshot this and keep it somewhere accessible.

Situation Prompt to use
Catch up on your industry "Brief me on the most important changes in [your field] in the last 6 months."
Learn a new tool fast "Teach me the 20% of [tool] I need for 80% of my job. Plain language."
Reframe your gap "Help me talk about my maternity leave in a way that's honest and positions me as someone who has grown."
Update your LinkedIn "Refresh my LinkedIn summary to feel current and confident after 6 months away."
Prep for your first 1:1 "Help me prepare for my first meeting with my manager after returning from leave."
Prioritize your first week "Here's everything on my plate: [list]. Help me prioritize realistically."
Advocate for yourself "Help me ask my employer for [flexible schedule / pumping time / remote days] in a professional way."
Handle imposter syndrome "I'm feeling behind after maternity leave. Help me reframe this and remind myself what I bring."

From the Moms Build AI community.

You didn't fall behind. You built something extraordinary. Now you're walking back in with skills, perspective, and tools that most of your colleagues don't have yet.

Use them. Welcome back. We're rooting for you.

Follow along for more resources built for moms who are doing all of it.

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