Lauren Brody

Lauren Smith Brody is the CEO and founder of the workforce strategy firm The Fifth Trimester, which advances gender equality through support for caregivers across the five-generation workforce, especially those returning from a family or medical leave. Lauren’s work grew out of her bestselling book The Fifth Trimester: The Working Mom’s Guide to Style, Sanity, and Success After Baby (Doubleday), written in the sunset of her first career as a media executive (RIP, print magazines). These days, she brings her research and expertise frequently to the national media (NYT, WSJ, GMA, CNN), and her consulting clients include a broad spectrum of businesses in tech, big law, education, media, and finance. Lauren, who was named a 2025 Next Gen Award winner by Parents, is also a co-founder of the Chamber of Mothers, a national nonpartisan nonprofit that mobilizes Americans around public policy solutions for moms, bringing local-chapter advocacy to Capitol Hill. Raised in Ohio, Texas, and Georgia, she lives in New York City with her husband, two teens, and a highly-medicated rescue dog.