Why I do this work!

Hi, I’m Brittney. I’ve been exactly where you are — and I built this so you don’t have to go through what I did.

I’m Brittney O’Brien, a California parental leave strategist. My job is to help expecting parents who pay into CA-SDI unlock 6–7 months of paid, job-protected leave — without the confusion, the conflicting HR answers, or the 11pm Googling.

I’m 40, I live in Sacramento with my husband (also self-employed) and our 3-year-old son, Jackson. I spent nearly 20 years inside high-pressure Silicon Valley tech startups before leaving to build IYL. And I get what you’re up against: deadlines, performance reviews, a promotion possibly on the line — and a brain that’s also quietly counting down to your due date.

I’m not looking at your situation from the outside. I’ve lived it.

I didn’t land in this work by accident.

I got here after navigating my own messy, stressful leave. Conflicting answers from HR. Unclear timelines. Way too much guesswork at a time when I was already running on empty. I remember sitting there thinking: Why is this so hard when I’m literally just trying to be home with my baby?

That experience became my mission. I didn’t want another family to go through that same chaos — especially when California’s benefits are genuinely some of the most generous in the country. Parents are leaving real money, real weeks, and real protections on the table simply because no one walked them through how to use what they’ve already earned.

20 years of turning complex systems into clear plans.

Before IYL, I spent nearly two decades in Silicon Valley tech startups — breaking down complicated systems, spotting gaps, and turning chaos into actionable steps. Those are exactly the skills I use now.

California’s leave system — SDI, PFL, PDL, CFRA, and your employer’s own policy — is a patchwork that takes real expertise to navigate. I’ve done that work so you don’t have to piece it together yourself.

Since launching IYL in 2024, I’ve supported more than 1,100 expecting parents across California.

This is more than a business to me.

The United States is still the only developed country without federally mandated paid parental leave. Until that changes, parents are left to figure out a patchwork of programs on their own — often at one of the most overwhelming moments of their lives.

I’m committed to helping families get every dollar, every week, and every protection they’re entitled to. And I’m committed to advocating for the long-term policy change that would make this less necessary.

This is a movement — and it’s incredibly personal to me.

Support that fits where you are — without paying for what you don’t need.

It’s really important to me that this feels accessible, not all-or-nothing. That’s why I offer a range of options — from self-guided resources to full 1:1 concierge support (currently in beta and accepting a limited amount of people) — so you can get exactly what you need.

This concept is also genuinely new, and I’m building it with feedback from real clients every step of the way. It’s all me here — answering questions, doing the consulting, running the whole thing. Which means when you reach out, you hear back from me.

Thank you for being here. I’m so glad you found this.

There are also a lot of other consultants in California who do this! Make sure to do your research- I'm just a one woman company (intentionally) right now because this is a much larger thing that needs to built out. While I don't know what the next 6 months look like, I do know that this is all incredibly personal to me because of the lack of systems that help working parents! 

— Brittney