Front Burner, Back Burner: A Consulting Leader’s Approach to Career and Family

In this episode of The Consulting Moms Table, Karin sits down with Suniti Kanodia, Principal at PwC, to explore a 25-year journey across technology, consulting, and leadership while raising a family.Suniti shares how she navigated a career that spanned hardware, software, and consulting, ultimately rising to partner level in a highly demanding field. She reflects on the realities of building a career in tech while raising two daughters, including returning to work quickly after maternity leave and managing the constant tension between professional ambition and personal priorities.A central theme throughout the conversation is how she integrates, rather than separates, the different parts of her life. Rather than striving for perfect balance, Suniti describes how she “meshes” work and family in a way that evolves over time. She brings this to life through her front burner and back burner analogy, explaining how priorities shift across seasons. At times, career moves to the front burner, while at others, family takes that place, without losing sight of what continues to simmer in the background.She also shares a simple but powerful example from her own life. While preparing for a client meeting, she involved her daughters in thinking through the approach. It became quality time together, strengthened her pitch with fresh perspective, and gave her daughters real exposure to strategic thinking. It is a clear example of how integration can create value across both work and home, rather than forcing a trade-off between the two.The conversation goes beyond career milestones and into the real decisions behind them. Suniti opens up about trade-offs, support systems, and how her definition of success has evolved over time. She also discusses the growing role of AI in consulting and how she is helping clients and teams make it practical and usable.This episode offers an honest, grounded look at what it takes to build a long-term career in consulting while staying connected to what matters most at home.If you are navigating leadership, motherhood, or both, this conversation will give you a realistic perspective on what it actually takes and how to make it work in your own way.Need help navigating your career as a mom in consulting? Email me at [email protected] to start a discussion or connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinemayer/