Book IWD Speaker: Holly Sedlacek

Director & Leadership Coach with expertise in sports, psychology & neuroscience

Holly Sedlacek is a founder, speaker, and advocate for working parents, specializing in helping organizations better support employees through pregnancy, parental leave, and the return to work.

She is the Founder and CEO of Know Your Pace, a company dedicated to transforming how workplaces support working parents by providing coaching, resources, and employer programs focused on sustainable careers and wellbeing.

Through her work, Holly helps organizations address retention, equity, and performance by recognizing parenthood as a critical life and career transition rather than a disruption.

Before founding Know Your Pace, Holly built her career in global technology companies, including Amazon, where she worked in leadership roles across operations and program management.

Her corporate experience gives her a practical, insider perspective on the challenges faced by both employers and employees navigating high performance environments.

Holly’s work is especially relevant as organizations confront issues such as burnout, gender equity, and the loss of experienced talent following parental leave.

She is widely recognized for reframing parenthood as an opportunity for growth, leadership development, and long-term career sustainability.

She regularly speaks to companies and communities about working parenthood, career pacing, and inclusive workplace cultures, delivering practical and empathetic insights grounded in real-world experience.

Holly holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and combines analytical thinking with human-centered leadership to drive meaningful change for working families and organizations alike.

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