From SAHM to CEO: How Susan De Marco Turned an 11-Year Resume Gap Into Her Superpower
In this episode of Mom to MORE®, Sharon Macey welcomes CPA, CEO, and former stay-at-home mom Susan DeMarco. With an MBA, a background at major firms like Merck and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and now serving as CEO of Brand K Partners, Susan’s journey is a powerful example of what’s possible after a career pause.
In this conversation, Susan shares how stepping away to raise her four sons didn’t diminish her capabilities rather it strengthened them. She opens up about the challenges of re-entering the workforce after a long resume gap, the unexpected silence she faced, and how taking a step “below” her experience ultimately led her to leadership.
Tune in for an honest conversation about redefining career paths, recognizing the hidden value of motherhood, building flexible workplaces, and trusting that the long way around can still lead exactly where you’re meant to be.
[00:00] Introduction
[02:42] Choosing Motherhood and Raising Four Sons
[05:10] Leadership Skills Learned Through Motherhood
[08:28] The Rewards of Staying Home with Kids
[09:29] How to Talk About the Resume Gap
[13:18] The Reality of Returning to Work After a Career Break
[15:26] Taking a Job Below Your Experience Level
[17:10] Creating a Flexible Work Culture for Parents
[20:29] Balancing Work, Motherhood, and Self-Care
[25:24] Rethinking Family Leave and Support for Moms
Meet my guest, Susan De Marco:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ftmom2ceo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-de-marco-mba-cpa-349399206/
Website: https://www.brandkpartners.com
Looking for More? Sign up for the Mom To MORE® newsletter and grab your freebie: The Mom To MORE® Guide at momtomore.com
Want to interview Sharon? Connect here.
Inspired to start on your next chapter? Book a free 15 minute mentorship call here.
Follow @momtomore on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Substack. @Sharon Macey on LinkedIn.
Keep an eye out for episode #63 of the Mom to MORE® podcast where Sharon is joined by Anne Taylor Hartzell, Founder of Hip Travel Mama and author of All Who Wander: A Guide To Finding Your Path In Seasons Of Change. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥
-
Sharon Macey (01:03)
Welcome back to a new episode of Mom to More. You know, every so often I meet a mom who feels like she was custom made for this podcast because she reflects exactly what Mom to More is all about. And today's guest checks every single one of those boxes. Susan DiMarco is living proof that a career pause does not erase your potential. And she knows firsthand what it means to step away from a thriving career and then have to fight her way back.
With an MBA, a CPA, and years of experience in accounting with companies like Merck and PricewaterhouseCoopers, Susan spent over a decade focusing on raising her family and did all the classic mom things like volunteering, serving on boards, and making a difference in so many lives. But when she felt ready to return to work full time, she was met with complete and utter silence. Yep, crickets. Not because she lacked ability, far from it.
But because the gap in her resume overshadowed her very strong credentials, and let's be honest here, moms, corporate America at that time was blind to the incredible skills moms bring to the workforce. So Susan made a bold move. She accepted a position below her skill set at Brand K Partners, trusted her instincts, and showed exactly what she was made of and capable of. That led her to becoming a partner and ultimately to becoming CEO.
Today, Susan leads with the belief that flexibility, leadership, and family can coexist and that the skills built through motherhood are some of the most powerful
there are. Susan's story reminds us that stepping away didn't set her back, it actually set her up. Susan, welcome to Mom2More. I am so excited to have this conversation with you today.
Susan De Marco (02:50)
Sharon, thank you so much for inviting me. I'm excited.
Sharon Macey (02:53)
Thank you. You know, I have to mention that I found you through a friend who sent me the article in USA Today about you, how you went from
CEO. And I thought, I got to speak to this lady. So thrilled that you're here today. So before we get into your career story, let's set the scene for our listeners. How many kids do you have and where were you raising your family during your stay at home mom years?
Susan De Marco (03:06)
Thank you, Sharon.
Sure. So I have four sons and I'll let you know their ages because that does matter in my story. My oldest is 22 and then my second son is 20 and then I have a soon to be 18 year old and we started over and I have a soon to be nine year old. I raised my family in New Jersey, Northern New Jersey.
Sharon Macey (03:22)
Okay.
my gosh, I was like, yeah.
Terrific.
that's a pretty big, yeah, swing there. Okay.
Susan De Marco (03:38)
And it makes, I
highly recommend it. It's super fun. It's super fun.
Sharon Macey (03:44)
No, I love it. And four boys. Well, what a blessing. So was stepping away from your career an intentional choice or did it evolve as your family's
Susan De Marco (03:46)
Thank
I knew like, as in high school, I was a summer camp counselor for children. And I remember nannies coming to pick up these children and these children calling their nannies mom. And I'm going, that like, I'm like, I that would break my heart. I am not going to do this like that. Like, I know for sure I want to be at state home, mom. So that was at a young age.
And then when I got married and I got pregnant, I still had in the mindset, like, you know, I want to be a stay at home, but it solidified when my first son was born at 29 weeks, weighing two pounds, 14 ounces. And I'm like,
my focus is on my son, who's in the NICU that I would go visit. And I'm like, I'm staying home and taking care of this baby boy.
I don't
know what it is, but all of my sons were premature. My second one, I went into preterm labor at 25 weeks. I was on bed for 10 and that it delivered him at 36 weeks.
Sharon Macey (04:47)
my gosh.
Susan De Marco (04:51)
my third son was born at 32 weeks. And then my last son was born at 31 weeks.
I mean, the boys are like,
Sharon Macey (04:56)
Your body's like, get him out of here. Let's go. Right.
Susan De Marco (05:00)
we hear you guys. We want to get out and have some fun with mom and dad.
Sharon Macey (05:05)
Right. That's so and I've seen a picture of your
tall and handsome and yeah, they're just fine. They're just fine.
Susan De Marco (05:11)
Thank you. Yes, thank
have situations of autoimmune disease that runs through almost everybody in the house, but thank God we're managing it all.
Sharon Macey (05:22)
Right, that's good. So when you look back on those years of raising your boys, what skills do you think you were actually sharpening, even if you didn't label them that way at that time?
Susan De Marco (05:34)
Yeah, there's a ton of skills. And I have to say, Sharon, from listening to your other podcasts, you had stressed that these are not soft skills. These are super power skills. And I truly think they are leadership, time management, organizational empathy. They all have different personalities. So knowing how to deal with each one differently, but being fair across the board.
being strategic. So how am I going to get them to go to bed without, you know, the challenges that they would try to fight and want to watch another movie or cartoon. So you learn all that being a mom. just, you have no choice. You're thrown in this situation and you have to.
Sharon Macey (06:17)
and I look back on mine, we don't realize these extraordinary skills that we are honing while we're raising kids. And then one day we sort of look back on it and you think, I have this knowledge base that I didn't have before.
Susan De Marco (06:32)
Yeah, for sure. Prior to kids, you're just focusing on your own time. And now I'm managing sports schedules, school schedules, homework. What time do I have to have dinner done? Because that's one thing that is very important to the family, is having a home cook. I'm not a chef, by all means. I'm no chef, but I do love to try new recipes.
Sharon Macey (06:54)
Right.
Susan De Marco (06:54)
I do love to make a home cooked meal and I like love when my children are like, this is so amazing or the house smells so good when they walk into my cooking. just
trying to navigate all of this and make it smooth and peaceful, ⁓ you know, without anyone realizing what's going on in your head.
Sharon Macey (07:15)
Right, because it's crazy up there. I also want to point out that our first conversation, I really got from you that you've got this sort of teach me mentality that you always want to learn
Susan De Marco (07:17)
Peace.
Yeah, so since I was young, I've always wanted to learn more. And I would always ask to learn more. And I feel like even at our age now, we could learn more. So it's finding a network of individuals, especially as a mom, as a first time mom, you're not given a handbook. You are on your own.
Sharon Macey (07:47)
Wouldn't it be an amazing
book that someone would write that? Like the, to be a mom handbook, right?
Susan De Marco (07:50)
Right,
it's finding the network of other moms or experienced moms and having that connection to be able to reach out to these moms and talk about the situations and things they've experienced or your experience and helping them in addition to them helping you. So that was very important in when I first, know, stopping.
working and raising my sons is not an easy task because you're used to, know, prior to kids, it's about you, it's about your husband, but you go to work, you get recognized for your accomplishments, you have your own space, you know? And now as a mom, you don't realize the reward that's gonna come out of all of this. I remember my first son's ⁓
teacher conference in preschool and she just gave this raving review about how I've done a great job raising my son and I'm going, there it is, you know, there it is. And it just continued. Yes. But it just like now, like my three older boys are adults, but they all call me constant. Like if they're not home, they're calling me constant. They're the other day, I forget what I said to my son and he's like, mom, you know, we love you more than anybody. And it's those, you know, it's like,
Sharon Macey (08:52)
hearing it. Yeah.
Aww. Don't tell
dad. Okay, right.
Susan De Marco (09:12)
Yeah, but
it's like, know,
I'm seeing the reward of being there and making the sacrifices that I did for them. And I continue to, like I would, you know, if there was only, like if I had the last meal and they were hungry, they could have it, you know? Like I will do anything for my children. And my husband as well. I love him to death and he's very supportive. But yeah, it's just, it's so rewarding.
Sharon Macey (09:28)
Of course.
Susan De Marco (09:39)
It's so rewarding to raise these
Sharon Macey (09:41)
It is, it is.
So let's talk about the resume gap because this is where so many moms get stuck and how moms can like rebrand this time of their life with this very rich skillset that they already have. And I gotta tell you, Susan, I will admit that I was embarrassed by my gap for years. Like I didn't know what to put on my LinkedIn resume.
And it wasn't until years later that I said, WTF, I am putting those years and all the skills I honed and all the money I raised and the leadership positions I held in my resume. And I will clearly have it as stay at home mom years on my resume. And I'm proud of that because a lot happened in those 20 years. So what would you say to women who had robust careers, step back to raise the kids?
And now I want to head back into the workforce without minimizing this really, really important chapter that they are in at the moment.
Susan De Marco (10:43)
Yeah, Sharon, I'm glad you said that because I'll be honest with you, when I had that resume gap, I never put in stay at home mom and I never put in those skills, which I think are super important to outline. And knowing what I know now, I definitely would. So I just think that, you know, moms should not one ever regret that they decided to take that time away because they will, if they haven't seen the rewards of what they've done, they will.
be proud of what you've accomplished and put that on the
there's just so many skills that you've just learned from raising these children from home,
Sharon Macey (11:16)
And I strongly believe, and I've said this before, all of those skills belong on your resume. And listening like what you did before about crisis management and radical empathy and multitasking and logistics and procurement and communication and negotiation, there's so many viable marketable skills that absolutely people need to know about. Susan, we are going to take a quick break and when we return, we're going to talk about your unique rise
with Brand K Partners, so don't go away.
Hey, we're back. Welcome back to my conversation with Susan DiMarco, CEO of Brand K Partners. Okay, Susan, so let's talk about the silence, the crickets that we mentioned before. Kind of jarring, I'm sure. When did you realize that returning to work after 11 years of raising your sons might be a little harder than you expected? what did that realization feel like?
emotionally to you.
Susan De Marco (13:42)
Yeah. I really never thought I was going to be like recognized with silence.
I've gotten Merck's award for excellence for things I've implemented it within the department. I've,
been promoted sooner than I should have been promoted. was highly recruited by a lot of top firms basically saying, taking me to dinner saying how much
Can we offer you to work here? And so I'm like, oh yeah, no big deal. I've got my CPA, my MBA. I was hired as an accountant before I even graduated with my undergrad as an accountant at Rutgers. And so I'm like, yeah, yeah, this is gonna be And then I send it out and I don't hear anything. And I don't hear anything for extended period of time. And I'm like discouraged
I don't know if it's because I didn't do the searching, didn't even realize that there's support out there to know that other women are probably experiencing the same thing that I'm going through. I'm so Sharon grateful that you have this podcast because it's so important for women and moms to know they're not alone and they can overcome this and just not giving up and staying strong. And I truly feel that the right
opportunity will come at the right time. And I am so grateful for Brand K Partners that I'm grateful actually that there were crickets because I probably would have went into an organization that does not offer as much flexibility as Brand K Partners does.
Sharon Macey (15:12)
And also I'll point out that I think the woman who hired you was also a mom. So there was that, yep. Okay.
Susan De Marco (15:17)
She was a mom of three who started the company. Yep. So
she understood and she wanted to actually build this organization based upon providing that work-life balance and, you know, working with parents who are looking to come back or parents who have been working for a long time, but want that work-life balance.
Sharon Macey (15:37)
So, let's just jump into that right now,
you have continued to shape the culture at Brand K Partners, where flexibility and leadership coexist. So what does that actually look like on a day to day? how have the employees responded to that?
Susan De Marco (15:50)
I'll talk a little bit about how I came across, K and how it started and then how where we are today with with with the work. So Amy Carson, I want to recognize her. She's the the brilliant mom who founded Brand K Partners and we provide outsourced accounting support to nonprofits. They had posted a job as
an entry level accountant position,
which is below my level, it was in the town I lived next,
the building was next to the school where my sons went. And when I interviewed one, I fell in love with her. was like, I want to work for this lady. She's super. I like love her. But they allowed me to work around my son's schedule. So I started at nine and I was done by three.
So I was able to take my sons to school and then I was able to leave to pick them up to do their homework, to do their dinners. So that's how it all started. And that was five days in the office. This is pre-COVID. then when COVID hit and everybody was working from home and everything was working smoothly and everything was great, we've continued to do the work from home. We have a one day in the office if you're within the New Jersey.
close to our offices in North Haldane. So if you're within the area, you come in one day, it's either Tuesday or Wednesday, and just from nine to two. So it allows you to leave in time so you could still pick up your children. And
we understand
we have about 20 people employed with Brand K Partners, about 85 % are parents. We know, like everyone knows by 3.15, I need to head out to pick up my son. So,
try to schedule meetings, whatever prior to that, and we respect everybody's time.
Sharon Macey (17:34)
Do you find that more gets done within that condensed period of time than if you were there from,
nine to five?
Susan De Marco (17:41)
Yes, 100%. I think you're more productive. You know you have that limited time, but how can I do this efficiently?
Sharon Macey (17:47)
So interesting. I love the culture. It is, I'd say, human led. And there's such a strong female imprint on it that allows for that flexibility. And I think, again, within that, the employees are more grateful. The employees are more productive. There's just a benefit after benefit from looking at it from a fresh perspective, which is what you have brought to that table. When you look back,
Did you realize at the time that motherhood was preparing you for leadership and your next chapter beyond raising kids or were you just like so into the weeds?
Susan De Marco (18:24)
I never, never, never did. And like I said, I never even thought about those skills that I was building at the time.
Sharon Macey (18:30)
Mm-hmm.
what leadership muscle do you think motherhood strengthened the most? Looking at it with your on.
Susan De Marco (18:40)
Forward thinking, thinking about the decisions I make today, how will that impact the future?
Sharon Macey (18:46)
Right. Right. And what percent of your employees are female versus male?
Susan De Marco (18:51)
well, that's interesting. So it 95 % female. Yeah. Not intentional, not intentional. It just happens to be like that,
Sharon Macey (18:57)
Interesting. And what does the one guy think about this? Right.
Susan De Marco (19:03)
all adapt. We have a wonderful culture. I am so grateful for our team. they are super amazing.
I think what sets us apart from others is our team truly cares about these nonprofits and doing great work and they're appreciative of the culture of Brand K and the flexibility that they have.
Sharon Macey (19:20)
All right, nice.
So what advice would you have for moms stepping into their next chapter, especially around taking opportunities that may be either unpaid, they can swing that, or below their experience level, and trusting that these steps can lead to something bigger?
Susan De Marco (19:39)
first of all, finding that next chapter in your life, finding something that you are going to enjoy doing because a happy mom is going to make the whole household happy. You want to really enjoy what you do because it makes an impact on your family. And don't give up. Just continue.
Don't settle and find that right opportunity. ⁓ Even if it's below your skill level, they will see what you're capable of and the rewards will just come. But I think the important part of finding that next chapter in your life is something that's gonna work within your household is so important. And taking care of yourself. You need to find time. I think as moms, sometimes we tend to like push our health to the side.
I think it's important to find that time and make sure you're eating healthy and you're taking that quiet time to yourself to just regroup.
Sharon Macey (20:34)
Okay,
self care?
I know that word is so, sometimes I feel like it's so overused, but yes,
it's sort of like when you're in the airplane and the oxygen drops down and they always say, it on yourself before you help somebody else. So what do you do, Susan DiMarco, to make sure that you are the best that you can be for Brand K Partners, CEO, and for your family?
Susan De Marco (20:53)
so I am an early bird. get up at four,
but I, I'm in, I'm sleeping by nine o'clock. I'm like, and I like to get up. I like to
take my shower, have a cup of coffee. I'll usually start with hot lemon water as my drink in the morning and just take a, take a breather.
Sharon Macey (21:06)
I love that. Continue. Yeah.
Susan De Marco (21:08)
And sometimes, depending on my class schedule, I do like to do an hour of Pilates. And I'll try to do that sometime in the morning before the kids get up. And I like that quiet time before the kids get up. I feel like I need a few hours to myself before everybody gets up. Just to get my brain is fresh. I'm logging into my computer actually in the morning. So doing some work in addition to my self care of Pilates, my lemon water, my quiet time.
And I get that all accomplished by the time my little one gets up at seven in the morning.
Sharon Macey (21:42)
you've already had like a quarter of your day already. I know. That's early, that's early. Yeah, you get up in the dark and especially this time of year, that could be a little challenging. I'm...
Susan De Marco (21:44)
No.
Yeah, but I feel
like I get a lot. I feel good about myself. By time seven o'clock rolls around, I'm ready. I'm packing your lunches. I'm making your breakfast. I'm ready to go.
Sharon Macey (22:00)
Yeah. I say
I think the nice thing about waking up so darn early in the morning is no one's calling you, right? And you can just answer all those emails and no one's going to bother you. So I know several of the people who are super early birds
and
They say it's a super productive time of the day, which I can appreciate.
OK, so, Susan, we talked earlier about the fact you've got quite a ⁓ significant gap between your youngest son and your older three. How did this work? Because you were working at Brand K.
So you suddenly went from being a stay at home mom
Back to working mom and now back to sort of what I call an intentional hybrid mom where you are, you know, working between those hours of nine and three.
Susan De Marco (22:42)
I mean, it was amazing that I don't think I could have done this at any other organization, but because of Brandt K's flexibility and work-life balance, I was able to work with when I had my fourth son, Nicholas, who will be nine years old on Saturday.
I worked from home. I worked, you know, hours around my son's napping schedules.
they did not look at that, that was just highly, accepted within the organization. So I was grateful that I, you know, even when he went to preschool, I was very heavily involved being craft mom. I was able to do it all.
I was doing what I loved, but I was also not taking away from raising my youngest son, Nicholas.
Sharon Macey (23:27)
more companies should take a lead from Brand K Partners. I love that. Thank you.
Susan De Marco (23:31)
And
that's how it all became a part of the USA Today article when there was an article that said a lot of parents have to leave their workforce because everybody's requiring them to come back into the office. And I'm going, they don't know Brand K. And I feel like I need to reach out to this reporter and let her know that there are some organizations who do value families and children and value them as an employee as well.
Sharon Macey (24:00)
I think that should be the way that corporations run in our new world order whenever that is happening. So thank you for that.
I have a couple of lightning round questions for you. So these are going to be short answers. And are you ready? OK, here we go. The most underrated skill I gained from motherhood is.
Susan De Marco (24:13)
Woo!
Sure.
I think it's being strategic. Yeah.
Sharon Macey (24:29)
Okay, okay. And that's carried over into everything that you're doing as a CEO. Okay. When you think about this chapter of life, the one word that comes to mind is...
Susan De Marco (24:35)
Mm-hmm.
rewarding.
Sharon Macey (24:44)
Mm, I love that. And what's one thing the world needs to know about the hidden resume of moms that we gather from raising kids? does every employer out there, every headhunter need to know about the skills that moms are already bringing, even though there's that gap? I say that in air quotes in the resume.
Susan De Marco (25:09)
problem solving.
Time management for sure. Negotiation.
Sharon Macey (25:15)
Mm-hmm.
Right,
And also, I'm going to add on one that I think employers need to know about, the empathy that moms bring to the table. We have a way of dealing with people that maybe a man has not experienced yet.
what do you think about that one?
Susan De Marco (25:34)
Yeah, definitely for sure.
Sharon Macey (25:35)
So you've already reinvented in a big way with Brand K Partners. But since this is Mom to More, what is the more that you are giving yourself permission to explore next?
Susan De Marco (25:48)
I'm super passionate about family and being able to spend that quality time. Children are, they're the future and it's so important with the time that you invest in them. They need to feel safe. They need to feel loved. And I know all working parents do that.
I'm fortunate that I had the opportunity to stay at home. ⁓
and raise my sons. Some people don't have that opportunity, but I would love for that to change.
I would love to advocate for a more robust, like family leave. Like if you look at some of the European countries, like Bulgaria has a huge, they have like over 400 days of paid maternity leave.
Sharon Macey (26:21)
Hmm.
Susan De Marco (26:28)
and just doing more of an analysis, like what's the impact of
families and marriages and
what the you know these different countries who have
a more robust family leave is is it more is the culture overall different like just doing a research and really looking and investing in You know families
Sharon Macey (26:49)
Yeah.
Susan De Marco (26:54)
just being able to allow everybody to have the opportunity to stay home.
Sharon Macey (26:59)
we have one of the most paltry ⁓ maternity leave on the planet, right?
Susan De Marco (27:04)
Thank
a lot of these other foreign governments are paying for moms to stay home longer than it is in the United States.
Sharon Macey (27:11)
Right. So
this is really part of, guess we'll call this like the sea change, that things really need to change easier for children to be raised and for families to stay together and for that dynamic, which is so important for the kids to actually happen.
Susan De Marco (27:30)
Yeah, for sure.
Sharon Macey (27:32)
is that
just something that is like a passion of yours and you just want to really dive into it and maybe start writing articles about it? Where does that go?
Susan De Marco (27:39)
I don't know. I'm like, this is just something. So if there's somebody out there who wants to do what I want to do, I'd love to like talk about it because it's, you know, this is like so we need to look at, we need to look at our children and what can we do to make this world a better place?
Sharon Macey (27:42)
Right.
Yes.
I love that, I love that. Okay, so in light of that, tell my audience where can find you online and folks, everything is going to be in the show notes.
And
Susan De Marco (28:08)
I just want to add talking to employers and showing them that they're missing out on this talent because of these gaps and maybe having the government give them like a tax credit, like if they had a work-life balance. Like, I don't know what it is, but I just feel super strongly that I need to,
build upon this and make this a better place. ⁓ Thank you.
Sharon Macey (28:30)
Oh, all right. So I'm really looking forward to following along and
how you are going to actually continue to change the world. Cause you've already changed so many things to this point in time and you've got a lot more ahead of you. I'm looking forward to following you on that. So tell our listeners where they can find you online.
Susan De Marco (28:44)
Sure.
So LinkedIn, Facebook, Susan DiMarco, that's a space with T-E-Space DiMarco. I'm also on Instagram, FTMOM, the number two CEO. created that after the USA Today article that Madeleine Mitchell had written in October of 2005. And we love hiring parents. So when we're always hiring, if you're an accountant looking for that work-life balance, please visit our website at brandkpartners.com.
Sharon Macey (28:49)
Okay.
Susan, I am so glad. I can't even think of the friend who actually sent me the article from USA Today, but I'm thanking her for doing that because I love your story. And it really goes to show moms that there is a way forward.
this goes to prove that everything that you're building as a stay at home mom is marketable and valuable and will take you on to your next chapter. So I love your story. Keep it going.
So I just want to thank you for your time today. This has been such an interesting conversation.
Susan De Marco (29:48)
Farron, thank you so much for inviting me and I highly recommend I've enjoyed listening to all your podcasts and we'll continue to.
Sharon Macey (29:55)
Thank you so much.