I'm Žaneta.
Psychology-Informed Consultant for Women · Mentor · Speaker
Motherhood Guide began with motherhood because that was the stage of life I was learning, writing and talking about most. But children grow, mothers change, and life keeps moving.
Today, Motherhood Guide is as interested in the woman within and beyond motherhood as it is in motherhood itself.
I've been several versions of myself already. I don't expect this one to be the last.
I’m originally from Lithuania, and life has since taken me to Malta, Greece and now Portugal, along with more than one major restart. Divorce, emigration, single motherhood, career change and eventually an empty nest have all made me rethink who I was when familiar roles changed.
As my daughter grew up and life changed again, I realised that motherhood isn’t the only role women have to learn as we go.
Today I work with questions surrounding women’s behaviour, identity, ambition, motherhood and major life transitions. My work merges formal academic education, psychological research, years of professional experience and a big curiosity about why we behave the way we do.
I believe that being interested in human behaviour is not the same as being qualified to work with it. That’s why I’m quite particular about explaining my education, the methods that affect my work and the professional boundaries I maintain.
Education & Professional Background Behind My Work
University of Essex. Master’s in Psychology – ongoing
Lithuanian Sports University. Bachelors in Educology and Social PedagogyStanford University. Programme in Child Development: Behavior and Mental Health
My first university degree was a four-year programme brought together education, psychology, behavioural sciences, family studies and social sciences, with a particular focus on psychology. My undergraduate studies included academic subjects such as:
- General, Social and Developmental Psychology
- Educational, Family and Personality Psychology
- Health Psychology and Psychopathology
- Psychological Consultation and Psychology of Behaviour
- Organisational and Behavioural Psychology
- Communication, Conflict Resolution and Family Sociology
This education gave me a broad foundation in human behaviour, family relationships, communication and the influence of social environments on individual development.
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University of Essex Online, UK - ongoing
I am currently undertaking postgraduate studies in Psychology at the University of Essex.
These studies allow me to deepen my existing educational background through contemporary psychological research, theoretical perspectives and critical evaluation.
I'm particularly interested in Critical Social Psychology, women's behaviour, identity, social expectations and the relationship between individual choices and the environments in which those choices are made.
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Stanford University, USA - Child Psychological Development, 2024
I completed Stanford University's continuing education course in Child Psychological Development.
This additional study complemented my earlier academic background and strengthened my interest in relationships between parents and children, developmental changes and the transitions families experience as children grow towards independence.
The Psychological Perspectives That Inform My Work
Critical Social Psychology: understanding how social environments, cultural expectations, power relationships and social structures influence our behaviour and identity.
Social and Cognitive Psychology: exploring beliefs, social comparison, decision-making, perception and the relationship between our interpretations and behaviour.
Developmental and Educational Psychology: understanding human development, family relationships, learning and changing roles across different stages of life.
Meaning-Centred Reflection: influenced by Viktor Frankl's work on meaning, values, responsibility and the choices available to us in changing circumstances.
These perspectives influence my writing, public speaking, workshops and non-clinical consultation approach.
I do not claim that these psychological approaches give me the right to deliver every professional service associated with it.
Professional Experience Beyond Academia
My professional background also includes more than 15 years of experience in business management and marketing, including leadership responsibilities and working with international organisations.
I've experienced professional environments where visibility, recognition, confidence, competition and expectations influence how people work and make decisions.
That experience is particularly relevant to my speaking and educational work on women's professional identity, ambition, leadership and workplace behaviour.
I'm also the founder of MotherhoodGuide.com, where I publish research-informed educational content, develop workshops and offer individual consultations for women navigating life and career changes.
I have am also involved in women's professional mentoring initiatives and networks, supporting conversations around career development, identity and professional opportunities.
The women I work with are often doing well
they're functioning: working, parenting, managing relationships and getting on with life. Nothing looks dramatically wrong from the outside, only that something has shifted for them underneath it all. You don't need a crisis to justify a conversation. You simply need space to understand what has changed and what you want now.
And that's the space I wanted Motherhood Guide to grow into: somewhere women can think, speak openly and understand changes while they're still in the middle of living it.
You don't have to know exactly what you need before starting a conversation. My psychology-informed consultations are a place to understand where you are, what matters now and what comes next.
Working with women beyond Motherhood Guide
Alongside Motherhood Guide, I’ve been selected to mentor women through international professional communities focused on leadership, careers and personal development.
