Hannah Corneck on Leadership, Working Motherhood and Building a Career You Love
Updated June 2026
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For many working mums, the challenge isn’t simply returning to work after having children – it’s finding a way to continue growing professionally while balancing the realities of family life.
When we first interviewed Hannah Corneck, she was combining a successful career in television production with raising two children, while also working as an executive leadership coach within the BBC. Her story resonated with many MMB readers because it reflected a challenge so many mothers face: how to maintain career ambition without feeling that family life must come second.
Since this interview was first published, conversations around flexible working, childcare costs, leadership and women’s career progression have become more important than ever. While some progress has been made, many parents still face the same questions Hannah discussed over a decade ago: How do you manage the cost of childcare? How do you continue to develop your career while raising a family? And how do you find time for yourself while juggling work, home and everything in between?
Today, Hannah continues to help professionals develop their leadership skills through coaching, mentoring and training programmes, drawing on more than 25 years of experience in journalism, television production and leadership development. Her work focuses on helping individuals and organisations thrive through greater self-awareness, confidence and professional growth.
The original interview below remains just as relevant today, offering honest insights into the realities of working parenthood, career progression and the importance of having the right support network around you.
Key Takeaways From Hannah’s Story
- Childcare costs can place enormous pressure on family finances.
- Career progression and parenthood do not have to be mutually exclusive.
- A supportive partner can make a significant difference.
- Organisation and planning are often the hidden skills behind successful working parents.
- Leadership skills developed at work often strengthen family life, and vice versa.
Hannah Corneck- Series Producer for the BBC and In House BBC Professional Executive Leadership Coach and Facilitator
Hannah left university and ‘fell into’ a career in broadcasting via a series of good connections made whilst studying – and some good luck. After 4 years at Sky News (the ‘good luck’ bit), Hannah trained to be a journalist with the BBC – a job that took her away from the city in which she was born and bred (London) and around the country to a variety of urban and rural radio stations.
Whilst working and living in Oxford, she met her husband who happened to be working at the same radio station; together they relocated to Bristol when Hannah’s low boredom threshold drove her to seek a new challenge outside of news reporting. She has spent the last 20 years making popular factual series for the BBC – from launching Flog It! and relaunching DIYSOS as the Big Build, to studio cookery shows and fund raising appeal films and documentaries for Comic Relief. In 2008 she trained to be a ‘jobs plus’ in house professional executive and leadership coach which she does alongside her day job – as well as facilitating leadership courses and delivering emotional intelligence psychometric feedback. Hannah has two teenage children – a boy (15)and a girl (13). By being resourceful, organised and efficient – qualities rarely recognised or rewarded – and with the incredible support of her husband, she has been able to continue to work full time throughout her children’s young lives and produce both a successful career and most importantly, two well rounded individuals of whom she is immensely proud.
What were or are the biggest challenges you faced going back in to the workplace after children?
In the early years, childcare costs without a doubt. We were in salary negative equity for 2 years while we had double nursery fees; we didn’t earn enough to cover all our bills but we needed my salary as I am the greater wage earner so I couldn’t (and didn’t want to) quit work and neither did my husband – we were both acutely aware of the need to continue to develop ourselves and our careers for ourselves and for the children. It put incredible pressure on our relationship and family life but we don’t regret it. The kids are really proud of what we do for a living and we feel we have been good role models for them re: their work ethics. Now as they are in the teens, I wish that I were home when then get home from school.
How do you achieve your work life balance of career woman and mother?
I have only been able to achieve what I have achieved in my career thanks to 5 things:
- Being a proper team with my husband; it sounds corny but if we hadn’t operated as a unit and shared everything, we wouldn’t have made it – at work or as a couple. We have supported each other and shared out all the domestic and childcare chores from day dot.
- Both my husband and I working in flexible industries; there are ups and downs associated with this – sometimes we have to work late or travel but equally, we can return to work after the kids are in bed (when they were small) or back from being ferried to wherever they need to be taken to or picked up if we need to.
- Living and working in the golden pedestrian triangle of home – work – school all being walkable. We chose a primary school that was close to work rather than home and didn’t get hung up on using Afterschool Club being a reflection of our parenting skills!
- When the kids were tiny and in bed by 7pm, my husband and I would take it in turns to have one night out each a week. It was so important for our sanity. We’re both cinephiles so it was usually the movies and though we didn’t often get out together, we did keep up with friends & our self development (choirs, yoga etc) which made us both feel that we weren’t soley defined by our work or our parenting responsibilities.
- Finally – but possibly most importantly – remembering that we are in charge! The kids do not rule the roost!
If you could give your past self-one piece of advice about being a working mother what would it be?
Don’t get into competition or allow yourself to be intimidated by school gates mothers (see BBC’s Motherland on iPlayer!). Be comfortable in your own skin and know you are a good enough Mum – that is enough; no one is perfect.
Have your career goals and aspirations altered since becoming a working mother from that prior to your children?
There are jobs and opportunities I haven’t pursued because it would have meant being away from my family i.e. in London but I am doing the job I love irrespective (or maybe even because) of having children.
What are your future goals in your career path in the next few years, what do you hope to achieve?
I want to diversify and create a portfolio career and continue to grow myself in the field in which I am currently successful but also develop my professional executive coaching and leadership business and expand my horizons as an agent for change.
If you had the power to change one thing in the business market for working mothers, what would you change?
Quality free childcare available to every mother from infancy to the end of primary school; preferably close to work rather than home.
What is the best piece of business advice you have been given?
Less business advice but advice from a senior leader in my organisation who was a single Mum at the time – she said “all they need to know is that they are loved. That is all you have to do”. This stuck with me and helped assuage any guilt I may have felt about not being what I perceived to be a “perfect” Mum at the time.
If you could recommend one book to our readers leisure or business what would it be?
Wow! I hardly know where to begin…there are two authors I have read everything they’ve written and eagerly await their next publication – Rose Tremain and Maggie O’Farrell.
Question from previous interviewee Amanda Saccachetti, Innovation Director at Mamas and Papas:
‘If you could pick ONE THING that would make your life as a working parent better, what would it be?
Do you mean an object? That is hard. In terms of lifestyle, finishing work earlier and all employers in the UK banning email correspondence after 1800 and on holidays.
What question would you wish to ask our next working mother who takes this short interview?
In what ways has been a working mother made you BETTER at your job?
# Hannah Corneck