Bringing Your Baby to a Partner Meeting: Making Motherhood Visible From Day One

Jay Sukumaran did something unusual three months after becoming a mom. She brought her infant son Max to a partner meeting at Deloitte, unannounced. The partners didn't know how to react. She did it anyway because she wanted them to see that motherhood was now part of her professional identity, not something to compartmentalize or hide.This decision set the tone for a 20-year career spanning Deloitte, AlixPartners, and Korn Ferry, where Jay rose to partner while raising her son. But her path wasn't about "having it all" through sheer willpower. It was about brutal self-awareness and conscious choices.Growing up as a girl in India, Jay faced cultural pressures to stay quiet, not share opinions, and accept fewer opportunities than her brother. Those early experiences shaped her drive to work and prove herself. But becoming a mother forced a reckoning: she had to get honest about what she actually wanted, not just what she was supposed to want.Jay openly admits she wouldn't have been a great stay-at-home mom. She visualized it, honestly assessed her strengths, and realized that keeping her talent "on hold" would make her unhappy, which would make her family unhappy. This clarity gave her permission to stay in consulting, even during the intense early years of motherhood.Her advice to her younger self? Not to work harder or sacrifice more. Instead: take more pauses, stop chasing perfection in every role, and be truly present wherever you are. Whether that's a few hours at home or leading a client engagement.For young moms considering consulting careers, Jay's message is clear: give yourself permission to ask for what you need. When she was building her family, senior partners at Deloitte offered her the opportunity to step into internal roles for periods of time. But you have to ask. The answer might be yes.This conversation challenges the assumption that successful working mothers succeed by hiding their motherhood or by being superhuman. Jay succeeded by making motherhood visible, being honest about her limits, and building in reflection points to consciously choose her path.Need help navigating your career as a mom in consulting? Email me at [email protected] to start a discussion.