Netminds

This year, our Lviv office added a special touch to Vyshyvanka Day, a wine tasting featuring local Ukrainian producers.

It was an evening of discovering Ukrainian culture through flavors, stories, and the people who continue creating with passion even in difficult times.

We're proud to support local Ukrainian makers and share these experiences with our team. 🇺🇦

𝐕𝐲𝐬𝐡𝐲𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐲 is about so much more than just traditional clothing.

It is about memory, roots, traditions, and a sense of unity. About the things that are passed down through generations and remain meaningful no matter the time or distance.

Today feels especially warm seeing so many different vyshyvankas around, each unique, yet all carrying something deeply familiar and close to the heart.
Let's continue to cherish and preserve what unites us 💙💛

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Following Mother’s Day, we are sharing an article by our colleague, a personal yet research-based reflection on how motherhood and professional life coexist. In it, she explores an experience familiar to many: when different roles intersect, creating both strength and inner contradictions, and shaping a deeper understanding of oneself, work, and everyday choices.

"Yesterday, in a meeting, I was thinking about my kid. Later that evening, with my kid, I was thinking about the meeting. Classic."

I've been working in IT for over ten years. Every day is about people you build something with — tasks, deadlines, and the constant attempt to hold it all together. And alongside that, another role — mom. Also, management, just without the performance review and with much higher stakes.

Two years ago, I started a master's in clinical psychology. Not to change careers, but to deepen my understanding of the people I work with, and of myself in the process. I see how a team performs when everyone in it feels like they belong. I truly believe that's one of the strongest drivers of business success.

There are many moms among my colleagues. They juggle work and motherhood every single day, and often feel like they're always falling short — for someone. That's why I decided to study this properly and wrote my thesis on how motherhood and professional fulfillment coexist in a woman's inner world. 176 moms, validated scales, real data. Over a third — from the IT industry. Here's what I found.

Conflicting feelings about motherhood are not a sign that something is wrong with you. In psychology, it's called ambivalence: love and exhaustion, tenderness and frustration, wanting to be present and needing space — all at once. Rozsika Parker wrote back in the 90s that this very contradiction makes a mother more attuned and reflective if she's given the right to acknowledge those feelings.

The most vulnerable period is the first child's birth. My data showed that mothers with one child experience significantly higher levels of ambivalence than mothers of two or more. First-time motherhood isn't just a "new role." It's an identity shift known as matrescence. Think of it as adolescence, but for becoming a mother. And it needs support, not advice like "just enjoy it."

Here's what surprised me: what intensifies those conflicting feelings the most isn't work taking time away from your child. It's the feeling that motherhood is taking you away —from your career, your growth, yourself. That's where the deepest guilt is born. And this is true for everyone, whether you work full-time, freelance, or are on parental leave.

So what helps? Science says: don't fix yourself, but create the right conditions.

Self-compassion instead of self-criticism. Recognizing that a "good enough mother" is not a compromise but a healthy standard (if you want to go deeper, I recommend Alexandra Sacks' piece "The Good Enough Mother"). A supportive partner and a fair share of responsibilities at home. And a workplace culture that doesn't force a woman to choose between a meeting and her child.

So happy Mother's Day, dear colleagues. To the one who doesn't fit into a single role. Who wants to grow but is afraid it might take something away from her child. Who loves and still doubts. And it's exactly this complexity — the ability to hold ten contexts at once, to read between the lines, to make decisions without full information — that you bring to work every single day."

Olena Ismailova , Scrum Master at Netminds

Last week at Netminds, we had the pleasure of hosting a 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩, the kind of event where not only the topics matter, but also the atmosphere.

On April 16, our space brought the community together for two panel discussions:

𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤: featuring guests Pavlo Zubenko, Myroslav Tantsyura, and Sem Oskerko, moderated by Serhii Babich.

The group explored what it truly means to be a "Senior" in 2026. Moving beyond titles, they focused on the tangible value a senior brings in the era of AI, with its unique opportunities and risks. They also debated how the senior skillset is evolving and whether the path to senior is the right goal for every junior or middle engineer.

𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤: featuring guests Tetiana Yatsenko-Levytska, Mariia Sidenko, and Tetiana Utlova, moderated by Petro Karnaukh.

This session was dedicated to the current state of the IT job market, analyzing supply and demand in today's landscape. The experts shared practical advice for those just starting their careers on how to navigate an increasingly competitive reality.

What made it especially valuable was the format, not formal presentations, but a panel discussion, an open dialogue between experts with different perspectives. Honest opinions and real arguments. The level of audience engagement was great. When participants don’t just listen but actively join the discussion, it creates a completely different level of interaction and value for everyone involved.

After the official part, we continued on the Netminds’ terrace in a more informal setting, where new ideas and connections often emerge.

Special thanks to the 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦, Serhii Babich, and Petro Karnaukh, for the partnership.

It's also important to mention the charitable aspect of the event; together, we were able to support the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade.
We're glad to be part of initiatives like this and to open our space to the community.