Grace Hopper 2026 talk spotlights miscarriage and executive leadership

A Grace Hopper Celebration 2026 session on pregnancy loss and corporate leadership has been chosen as one of the event’s top-rated talks. Executive coach Anne Marie Otañez will share how she navigated 12 miscarriages while advancing her career and why workplace support still lags.

Why it matters: - Miscarriage is common, but many workplaces still have no specific policy for pregnancy loss. - The session puts a rarely discussed life event into a major technology conference focused on women and non-binary technologists. - Otañez’s talk connects personal loss to executive advancement, showing how workplace norms can shape whether employees can stay on a leadership path.

What happened: - Grace Hopper Celebration 2026 selected "Leading Through Loss: 12 Miscarriages & the Corporate Climb" as one of the top-rated talks from its Call for Participation process. - Anne Marie Otañez, a chief of staff and executive coach, will present the session. - Otañez spent more than 20 years in corporate leadership, including a tenure at Microsoft. - GHC 2026 runs Oct. 27-30 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. - AnitaB.org, the nonprofit behind the annual conference, hosts GHC.

The details: - Otañez will discuss having 12 miscarriages while working in corporate America the entire time. - The session will focus on how she kept advancing without workplace recognition of pregnancy loss as a reason to take time off. - Otañez said the topic is taboo and that workplaces need to make space for people dealing with difficult situations. - Otañez said the talk is less about the losses themselves and more about how she responded to them. - Miscarriage rates are estimated at roughly 10% to 20% of known pregnancies. - Some research suggests the true rate, including losses before a pregnancy is confirmed, may be higher. - Most U.S. employers do not have a formal policy specifically addressing pregnancy loss. - Employees often rely on general sick leave or no accommodation at all. - Organizers said direct sessions on pregnancy loss are rare at industry conferences, which helped Otañez’s proposal stand out. - GHC 2026 will include keynotes, technical sessions and career programming for several thousand attendees from academia and industry. - Organizers said Otañez’s session was among a small group singled out from this year’s Call for Participation for a speaker spotlight ahead of the event. - Otañez is the author of The Chief of Staff: An Insider's Guide to Becoming a Strategic Partner in the Executive Suite. - Otañez founded Own Your Power with Anne Marie, which coaches professionals in chief of staff roles. - Her previous writing and speaking have centered on organizational alignment and team trust.

Between the lines: - The talk broadens the conversation at a major tech conference beyond career advancement and technical skills. - The selection suggests conference organizers are making room for more personal, workplace-related topics tied to leadership and inclusion. - Otañez’s shift from organizational topics to pregnancy loss signals how personal experience can reshape executive thought leadership.

What's next: - GHC attendees will hear Otañez’s session during the Oct. 27-30 conference in Anaheim. - More information on the conference is available at conference details. - Otañez’s session may add pressure for more employers to consider pregnancy-loss policies and leave support.

The bottom line: - GHC 2026 is elevating a deeply personal issue into a mainstream leadership conversation, with potential implications for workplace policy and culture.