Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs

Reclaim time from the never-done list for your wellbeing and growth with our wellness app, proven systems, expert advice and workplace wellness programs.

We provide organizations with self-care research, rituals, software and manager training to support parents and caregivers at greater risk for burnout.

Origin Story:

In 2017, we published a series of research studies to help Mothers make more time for self-care. The “top of the Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs” behaviors that are crucial for our mental, physical and emotional health.

But it became apparent early in our efforts that self-care for Mothers cannot happen in isolation. Workplaces must evolve to support caregivers and caregiving, whether it’s for children, seniors or adults. Which led to the launch of the Allies@Work framework, and services for organizations and employers, in 2020.

Behavioral Health and Work/Life Research:

Over 3,700 parents have participated since March of 2020 in our post-pandemic research study. The longest running of its kind about the pandemic’s ongoing impact on work/life, care, health and wellness needs, for parents.

Workforce Wellness and Development Programs:

We serve organizations, like HubSpot, the Barr Foundation and Merck, with workforce development and wellness programs to retain and engage caregivers. Often, by adding proven support for the talent at greater risk for burnout, like women and people of color. We take an intersectional
approach to employee wellness and manager training to evolve culture. Learn more.

About Leslie Forde, Founder and CEO:

Leslie. developed the Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs framework and has used research to inform growth and innovation strategy for over 20 years. Most recently, she held leadership positions at children’s mental health start-up, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Care.com and CSpace.

And for the past decade, she’s focused on media, research and technology for the childcare, eldercare, mental health, and education sectors.

She’s a frequent speaker and consultant to organizations on how to retain and support parents, caregivers, and people of color, including HubSpot, Merck, Scholastic and the Barr Foundation.

Her writing about wellbeing, equity and the future of work has appeared in The Washington Post, Slate, Parents Magazine, TLNT, Directorship and her website, Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs among other publications.

She’s been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, National Geographic, Fast Company, US News & World Report, SHRM, and many other outlets.

Leslie Forde

What Customers Say About Us

"Our leadership team began working with Leslie during the Covid19 pandemic to better understand our employees as caregivers and how everyone was faring. Leveraging her knowledge and experience in leadership positions at organizations including Care.com, Leslie also enabled us to identify additional ways to support our employees’ wellness needs and provide resources to promote healthier and happier work environments for all." Lynn Harwell VP of Administration for the Barr Foundation

"We feel SO lucky to have your continued support and expertise Leslie!! Thank you for everything you do to help us grow!!"

"I recently used Mom's Hierarchy of Needs, LLC TimeCheck and realized that I’m living at a healthy balance right now, better than I have in a while. It’s an easy quiz and would have helped me recognize my unbalance had I taken it a few years ago"

Hello Leslie,

On behalf of MIT ERGs and Sloan Partners, we want to thank you again for a wonderful ‘Beyond Burnout’ Workshop yesterday and for providing the slides and other helpful resources.

The event was a huge success with over 50 people attending. You kept the attendees engaged up to the very last minute and we are sure that the questions would have continued if we had more time.

The workshop was so appropriate especially during Mental Health Awareness Month. We needed the affirmation that it’s important to set boundaries and practice self- care.

We have received positive feedback about the workshop with descriptions like informative, amazing, powerful and helpful.

Thank you! All the best,

Our leadership team began working with Leslie during the Covid19 pandemic to better understand our employees as caregivers and how everyone was faring. Leveraging her knowledge and experience in leadership positions at organizations including Care.com, Leslie also enabled us to identify additional ways to support our employees’ wellness needs and provide resources to promote healthier and happier work environments for all.

Leslie designed Allies@Work surveys with us and provided solution-orientated sessions on relevant topics including self-care, well-being, and managing stress through an uncertain time. This helped us: - Challenge our assumptions and raise awareness of the importance of self-care and embed wellness practices into the culture of the organization - Understand how many of our employees have caregiving responsibilities and the range of their care roles and needs - Explore new processes and resources to help manage workloads and reduce stress through an uncertain time Partnering with Leslie was invaluable as the ongoing pandemic unearthed a variety of unique and evolving challenges. As part of our continued enhancements to our employee handbook leave policies through a DEI lens, we’ve embedded the importance of caregiving for our loved ones, ourselves, and others in our communities. Thank you, Leslie!

We want to thank you again for a great workshop, How to Manage Mental Load Through Constant Change at Work and at Home... Similar to the workshop in May, Thursday’s event was a huge success, with almost 60 attendees; you kept them engaged throughout, answering their many thoughtful questions until the very last minute.

The workshop was so appropriate especially as we approach the holidays, and because so many people are affected by global uncertainties as well as the constant changing environment at work and at home. It affirmed the importance of setting personal and professional boundaries and practicing self-care.

We have received positive feedback from the intersectional attendees with descriptions like, awesome, impactful, relatable and wonderful. Thanks again for facilitating a great workshop."

We feel SO lucky to have your continued support and expertise Leslie!! Thank you for everything you do to help us grow!!

I have been a member of Leslie’s community for over a year. Her warm, supportive approach combined with research-based content has given me tools to grow as a professional working mom and helped me better manage my time and responsibilities to create time for passions so that I can thrive. She is a thoughtful listener who has cultivated a dynamic community for group introspection and knowledge sharing that has been transformative for me. Her curated gift boxes full of beautifully scented products (made by lesser known women and minority organizations) are gentle reminders of the benefits of prioritizing a few minutes for myself each day.

Holistic Self Care support (strategic combination of physical gifts, content and tech tools to help train moms out of survival mode and towards thriving) Mom's Hierarchy of Needs, LLC

Thank you to Leslie Forde for our amazing HubSpot wellness challenge this month thinking about Mom's Hierarchy of Needs. It all helps.

I recently used Mom's Hierarchy of Needs, LLC TimeCheck and realized that I’m living at a healthy balance right now, better than I have in a while. It’s an easy quiz and would have helped me recognize my unbalance had I taken it a few years ago. This 32 hour focused work week has been a total game changer for me.

Another person posted this in our Cousins ERG slack channel:

"Leslie ran a great and timely session!! S/o to all of you that planned it. Special S/o to @Charisse for kicking it off and monitoring the chat!!! I personally learned a lot that I will be adding to my personal toolbox and my 1:1s."