Shows
Comeback Coach101. COMEBACK - Francesca Woodhouse - Edelman – proactive career management – working FT with 4 kids – having true partnership at homeAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, today I’m talking to Francesca Woodhouse who is the MD of UK Workplace Advisory at Edelman and mother of four children. She works full time and is married to Lewis who also works full time as a Head of Communications. You’re going to hear Francesca talk about: The need to proactively managing your career.Moving between freelancing and employment.Key habits that support working full time and caring for four children.The difference having a true partner at home makes to your life.Francesca’s experience of being a...
2025-03-1945 minComeback Coach100. LIVE SPECIAL - Raising your career through the Primary School years - candid chat with Amanda Newman, Liz Twiney, Emmie Faust & Rachel MaguireAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, in this episode we go beyond the comeback and discuss the habits, resources, ways of working and ways of thinking that help support career development when you have young children.We recorded this episode in front of a live audience at Arcadis, London - one of our treasured clients.My guests are all professional women who have 13 children between them and they've all previously been on the podcast. They were tremendously candid for which I am truly grateful.Emmie Faust – exited founder, investor an...
2025-03-051h 00Comeback Coach99. JUST JESSICA - Psychology of crying at work – how to limit damage to your career + what managers should do when a team member criesAsk me a QHello Brights Minds, I’ve been thinking a lot about displays of emotions at work because of the increasing number of women I’ve been coaching over the last 12 months who’ve described being taken by surprise by their tears and worrying about the implications. It tuns out there’s some pretty complex psychology at play when it comes to how crying at work can potentially affect our reputation.I’m Jessica Chivers, a psychologist and executive coach. For the last 20 years I’ve been coaching leaders, senior professionals and high potential in...
2025-02-1928 minComeback Coach96. COMEBACK - Beth Wooller - Strategy Manager at Sainsburys - sabbatical - burnout - a break from hitting the next career goal - writing a book + interior designAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, keen eyes might notice that this episode is out a day earlier than usual. I’ve chosen to release this episode of Tuesday 3rd December to tie-in with International Day of Person’s with a Disability. And it feels fitting to have saved this episode to the last in the current season on COMEBACK COACH because we’re talking about the power of a sabbatical to refresh, re-energise and have a bit of a rest, which I hope you’ll get later in the month. My guest today is Beth W...
2024-12-0336 minComeback Coach95. Rebecca Andrews - Pilot - missing your job - returning to flying after maternity leave - yes YOU CAN still do it!Ask me a QHello Bright Minds,This is the penultimate episode of season seven of COMEBACK COACH and it’s inspired by my 16 year old daughter Artemis, who wants to become a pilot. This is something she decided upon at the start of the year and since then I have had many happy drives around the M25 to Heathrow airport to watch A380 planes come in and take off this year. Plane spotting is actually a lot of fun.My guest today is Rebecca Andrews is a pilot and a few months ag...
2024-11-2038 minComeback Coach94. COMEBACK – Laura Scougall – ITV – redundancy risk on maternity leave – being open at work about demands at home (autistic son) – how to get back to sleepAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my conversation today is with Laura Scougall, Head of ITV Academy. Knowing Laura is a chatty, confident person we decided to make it a freeform conversation without any pre-agreed questions so it’s a bit of a random episode that covers a lot of ground.We talked about:How to get back to sleep after being up with a baby or an 18 year old in my case.Coping with being placed at risk of redundancy and dragged out of your maternity bubble to think about finding another jo...
2024-11-0648 minComeback Coach93. COMEBACK - Sarah Banks - Arcadis - Adjusting to big changes at work after maternity leave – benefits of being main earner - what is a company shadow board?Ask me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Sarah Banks from Arcadis, the global design and engineering company. Sarah has two little children and was promoted after both of her maternity leaves. We have a wide-ranging conversation including: Challenges and benefits of after work socialising.KIT days.Being the main earner in her family.Being surprised by feeling a drop in confidence.Worrying about not being able to do her job when she came back. The shadow board that Arcadis has put in place in the Places part...
2024-10-2328 minComeback Coach92. COMEBACK - Tara Ferguson - breast cancer - working through treatment - medically-induced menopause - how to stop women leaving in their 40s + 50s?Ask me a QHello Bright Minds. My guest today is someone who wanted a platform to talk about her experience of continuing to work on and off during breast cancer treatment with the single goal of helping others find their way through this really difficult time. Tara Ferguson is an Associate Director within the People team of a medium sized bio-tech business. She’s worked in a number of different sectors and types of business, in roles ranging from People Business Partner to Lead Coach to Employee Wellbeing Manager, in a career spanning over 20 year...
2024-10-0947 minComeback Coach91. COMEBACK – Dan Hewitt – Ocado – navigating the pull between career and family – having coaching – am I having impact at work?Ask me a QHello Bright Minds, I hope you’re on good form and thank you for choosing to listen to this episode of Comeback Coach. Dan Hewitt is the Head of Talent Management and Development at Ocado, the UK online-only supermarket HQ-ed in Hertfordshire just down the road from me.When Dan came back from a few months of paternity leave he thought he was going to stay in a comfortable place professionally, not striving for the next job. This was so he could focus on family, but that was not to...
2024-09-2529 minComeback Coach90. JUST JESSICA - Boundaries - psychological job control - why bosses need to talk about downtime (but not tell us not to work weekends and evenings)Ask me a QHello Bright Minds, this episode is inspired by the previous where my guest, Ramona Aning from Ketchum, talked about how her CEO is open about family time and downtime. I'm geeking out on "psychological job control" and "segmentation norms" which are talked about in a new paper in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology titled The competing influence of psychological job control on family-to-work conflict. As ever, there are practical takeaways from the episode which include the five questions bosses can ask in team meetings and 1:1s t...
2024-09-1119 minComeback Coach89. COMEBACK – Ramona Aning – Ketchum – setting boundaries at work after maternity leave – being yourself – sussing out a company’s culture before you joinAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, I am really happy to be back with a very vibrant episode to kick off season seven. We ended season six with an episode on the psychology of focus and attention and how to adapt your day when you wake up absolutely shattered. And you loved it and you told me so and I’m so thankful that you did because my brain runs on little drip-drip doses of positive feedback. Today I’m bringing you a conversation with Ramona Aning, a coachee of ours from Ketchum, the PR an...
2024-08-2838 minComeback Coach88. JUST JESSICA - Finding focus when you’re stretched and shattered – psychology of attention – deep work - coachees' top tips for tractionAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, I hope you’re on good form and by the end of this episode got a better sense of how you can help yourself find focus, sustain your attention and experience traction. I'm Jessica Chivers, a coaching psychologist, author and developer of the Comeback Community employee experience, of which this podcast is a part.The idea for this episode has been stirring in mind for some time because focus is a frequent source of conversation with coachees who are returning to work from maternity leave with less time on...
2024-06-2632 minComeback Coach87. JUST JESSICA - neuropsychology of therapeutic writing - what, how, when, why?Ask me a QHello Bright Minds, I'm inspired to bring you this episode as I've been invited to be part of a 'Human Library' at CIPD's Festival of Work where my title is "How to not burnout as a parent of a neurodiverse or challenge child." Journaling or 'free-writing' as a I call it has been one of my consistently useful coping tools, especially over the last two years, and I'll be talking about that.I'm talking you through the science of a very specific journaling protocol that has a very significant evidence base...
2024-06-1219 minComeback Coach86. COMEBACK - Emma Young - Firefighter – speaking up when things aren’t right at work – trying to change maternity policy - 'boreout' + psychology of uncertaintyAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, at the end of 2023 I read about a landmark legal victory for a former Avon Fire and Rescue Service employee, Sasha Acheson, who won her sex discrimination case against the organisation. Reading that piece got me curious about the experiences of female firefighters after they’ve notified their employer that they’re pregnant; what it’s like to have to shift from active frontline duty to something else and what it’s like to return to an environment where you may not have a single colleague near you who understands what you...
2024-05-2935 minComeback Coach85. COACH - Sabeha - designing your ideal work week - how to be more present at home - experiencing more joyAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest coachee today is Sabeha, a first time mother based in London who has returned to work for a Californian tech company. It's a conversation about the tension that exists within us when we want to give more to work and also be present at home - and the specific challenge of working for a US organisation who comes online as your working day is drawing to a close.In this coaching session we explore:How to experience more joy, not just “getting through it...
2024-05-1544 minComeback Coach84. COMEBACK - Yvette Bramley - Psychologist – my most upbeat guest – how to feel success and get a grip on guilt – is it OK to change your mind about career aspirations?Ask me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Yvette Bramley, a woman who describes herself as a full time mum and part time business psychologist. She works with the Quality Team at Lexxic, a specialist psychological consultancy and the focus of her role is ensuring the quality their delivery and reports through training, audits, spot checks and actioning client feedback. She proudly tole me after we’d chatted that was she was always a “weird” kid growing up and hopes she continues being the weird one. She also told me – and I quote:"Patie...
2024-05-0145 min
Comeback Coach83. JUST JESSICA - Managing rumination + keeping healthy habits when you’re consumed with problems at work + psychology of meditationAsk me a QThis short “JUST JESSICA EPISODE” is about managing rumination, how to keep healthy habits going when you’re consumed by work and the psychology of mindful meditation. It’s inspired by a particular coaching conversation I had one Tuesday a few weeks ago. I put these episodes together myself without the lovely Chris cleaning up bumps in the sound or adding in the swanky intro and outro and I hope you get something from it. If you do I’d love it if you shared it with someone else who you think might like it to...
2024-04-1712 minComeback Coach82. COACH - Brian Ballantyne - redundancy from Amazon - opportunities on gardening leave - psychology of being 'at risk' of redundancyAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, this is a very different episode to anything I’ve done before. Brian is a chap whose energy, openness and actions around supporting fathers I’ve admired on LinkedIn for quite some time. Throughout the time Brian and I have been in each others’ orbits he’s worked for Amazon as a Program Manager in Luxembourg, whilst also training to be a coach. In June last year (2023) I spotted a very candid post from Brian about expecting to be made redundant so I got in touch to offer my condolences and to t...
2024-04-031h 11Comeback Coach81. COMEBACK – Michaela Thomas – Clinical Psychologist - relationship satisfaction after baby – keeping perfectionism in check - ADHD and returning to workAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Michaela Thomas, a clinical psychologist I’ve been really looking forward to chatting to because we’ve been batting voice notes back and forth for about a year and then I heard Michaela on a podcast I’ve been lapping up over the last 9 months (Kate Moryousef's ADHD WOMEN'S WELLBEING) that was the galvanising stroke to get Michaela on. I originally wanted to have a chat with Michaela about how to keep partner/spousal relationships feeling good once you have a baby and go b...
2024-03-2056 minComeback Coach80. COMEBACK - Lianne Baker - Enfuse – making family as childcare run smoothly – working on maternity leave isn’t a bad thing – knowing your worthAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Lianne Baker, Head of People & Culture at Enfuse who had surprise baby number three last year and we caught up at the end of her five month maternity leave. Lianne is an award-winning People professional with over 15 years’ experience working within TV for Endemol, publishing for Condé Nast, recruitment, hospitality and now for Enfuse, a digital transformation management consultancy. Since joining Enfuse Group, she has been focused on culture and engagement, bringing in forward thinking and inclusive policies. Enfuse Group is recognised as a Great Place to...
2024-03-0636 minComeback Coach79. COMEBACK – Ros Kwok – When divorce drives a return to work – 50 job application rejections – psychology of hopeAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Ros Kwok, a woman I was introduced to after asking one of the wonderful Partners at our past podcast sponsor, Rayden Solicitors if she had a client who had had to return to work due to a change in financial circumstances following divorce. Thank you Emily Watson for coming up trumps in less than 24 hours! And you’ll also hear from Emily at the end of the episode where we talk through several questions about divorce, spousal maintenance and arbitration.**LINK TO "MOTHERS WALK" on...
2024-02-2159 minComeback Coach78. COMEBACK - Andrea Byrne – ITV Newsreader - projecting confidence when you don’t feel it – YES you can still do your job – how to have NO GUILT ‘me time’Ask me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Andrea Byrne, one of the faces of ITV News and a past coachee of mine. She anchors the BAFTA award-winning daily news programme Wales at Six, as well as ITV’s national bulletins. This includes ITV Weekend News, Lunchtime News, Evening News and News at Ten and Prince Harry is among the many high-profile names she has interviewed.Andrea also presents the current affairs programme Wales This Week; hosts her own fertility podcast ‘Making Babies’; and is a Tedx speaker. She has recently been nominat...
2024-02-0737 minComeback Coach77. COMEBACK – Joanna Jacobs – Twinings – Can your career recover from a career break? (YES) - Using LinkedIn to get talking to potential employersAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, and welcome to the start of season six of COMEBACK COACH. I am so pleased to be back sharing stories and coaching sessions about returning to work and onward career development after a break. My guest today is Joanna Jacobs who took a career break straight after maternity leave from Vodafone. Prior to that she was living in Shanghai and working for Sainsburys, sussing out whether China would be a viable market for them and now she’s the HR Director for UK Twinings Commercial. In between Vodafone and Twinings sh...
2024-01-2439 min
Comeback Coach76. JUST JESSICA - Do you know your needs? | Developing your intuition | How to focus on your career as well as your job?Ask me a QHello Bright Minds and welcome to another JUST JESSICA episode of COMEBACK COACH where I’m reflecting on three things that have been top of mind for me lately that I think could be useful to you too. I’m a coaching psychologist, author and founder of The Talent Keeper Specialists which is home to the Comeback Community employee experience of which this podcast is a part.A few weeks ago I went away for three days, two night by myself to my favourite hotel in Cornwall. It’s something I booked...
2023-12-2717 minComeback Coach75. COMEBACK - Phil Bush - Sabbatical from Euromonitor – supporting partner’s return from maternity – sick baby – volunteering on leaveAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Phil Bush, a Credit Control Manager for Euromonitor International in London where he’s worked for 17 years. He responsible for managing a department that collects unpaid debt for the business and minimises financial risk to the company. He lives in Brighton with his partner Jo and their 15 month old daughter Sadie. He’s a runner who has been very keen to do the London marathon and finally this year got to do it after applying and being unsuccessful for the previous 8 years. He’s also a commun...
2023-11-2240 minComeback Coach74. COMEBACK - Heart FM's Gemma Hill - Mother Pukka covered my maternity - worry about taking leave - staying in touch reduced my anxiety about returningAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Gemma Hill, a Heart FM radio presenter whose maternity leave was covered by non other than the formidable Anna Whitehouse AKA Mother Pukka but even still she says, maternity leave was still pretty terrifying. We talk about:Not being instantly delighted that you're pregnant3am worries about going on maternity leaveHaving a bl**dy brilliant maternity leave coverMiscarriageHow staying in touch with work can reduce anxiety about going backGemma started on air age 20 on stations around the Midlands and the North, b...
2023-11-0834 minComeback Coach73. COMEBACK – Andy Lancaster – CIPD – sick leave for surgery – preparing your team for your absence – re-crafting your role – three elements of phasing backAsk me a QMy guest today is Andy Lancaster who took three months leave for planned eye and shoulder surgery from a job he loves at CIPD Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. We count CIPD among our clients and love working with them.Andy champions and leads the vision for innovative workplace learning and has been at the heart of CIPD's transformation to digital and self-directed learning, with its professional development opportunities now accessed in over 180 countries. He has more than 30 years’ experience in learning and organizational development in a range of...
2023-10-2542 minComeback Coach72. COMEBACK - Kerry Hickman - Ramboll - Maternity Leave & Redundancy - Feeling "wowed" about where you work - how to land a PT role - career coachingAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Kerry Hickman, a past coachee of ours at Ramboll. Since qualifying as an Accountant at 21, she’s had a very broad commercial career in Accountancy, Audit and Financial Management before landing in roles that manage Sales & Customer Insight. She’s travelled across sectors including consultancy, media, FMCG, currency and public sector, and worked both in the UK and internationally. We talk about:Being made redundant when you've just come back from maternity leave.Working with a career coach - why, what, how?Us...
2023-10-1131 minComeback Coach71. COACH - Zara - diplomat making career change - when head + heart don't align - career change tips from careershifters.orgAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, today you’re going to eavesdrop on a one-time coaching conversation with "Zara" (not her real name) and get some expert tips on making a career change from Natasha Stanley at Careershifters. I said I'd include a link to the 8 week Career Change Launchpad experience that I talked about with Natasha that 3000 people have been through over the last 10 years.My guest coachee today used to be a diplomat and we’re talking at a point when Zara has applied for roles that she’s overqualified for and althou...
2023-09-271h 00Comeback Coach70.COMEBACK – Cecily Motley – VC-backed entrepreneur maternity leave – regretting not switching off on maternity leave – encouraging men to take SPLAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Cecily Motley, an accomplished entrepreneur with a proven track record of growing companies and brand building in competitive markets. She is the founder of JustParent, a new company working to close the gender pay gap by helping small companies offer more paid parental leave.Previously, Cecily co-founded Motley London, a VC backed, direct-to-consumer brand making world class design affordable. Whilst she was there she was both the pregnant employee and the CEO trying to put good parental leave provision in place. Which led her...
2023-09-1334 minComeback Coach69. COMEBACK - Helen Rowell - bereavement - signs you're ready to return to work - choosing the attitude that will help you the mostAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is an HR leader who recently returned to a new job in a new organisation after being bereaved. Having met at university Helen Rowell and her husband Mike married in 2015 and went on to have a son together, Alfie, who at the time of recording is five. In March 2022 Mike was killed in a skiing accident, leaving Helen to raise Alfie alone. One of the many decisions she needed to make was how to approach her career. Up until that point she had worked full t...
2023-08-3039 min
Comeback Coach68. JUST JESSICA - When rejection can be a relief | Failing to give a TEDx Talk | Could I have ADHD?Ask me a QHello Bright Minds and welcome to an impromptu and somewhat experimental "Just Jessica" episode of COMEBACK COACH, the podcast for people returning to work after a break. I’m Jessica Chivers, a coaching psychologist, author, founder of The Talent Keeper Specialists and developer of the Comeback Community employee experience of which this podcast is a part.I started to write this fortnight’s edition of Caremail – that’s our newsletter for people returning to work and looking for support for that transition and career development beyond their break –...
2023-08-2814 minComeback Coach67. COMEBACK - Divya Manek - BlackRock - Maternity leave your own way - studying on leave - incessant drive to achieveAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Divya Manek, a senior portfolio manager at BlackRock and a mother of two beautiful girls who I had the complete pleasure of coaching when she returned to work two summers ago. Day to day Divya’s work involves being close to market developments, being close to clients and what they want and making sure client money is managed in the best way possible. She manages 5 people directly and 6 indirectly and she cares hugely about supporting the people around her. And she works extremely hard, you might th...
2023-08-1634 minComeback Coach66. COMEBACK – Chantelle Angel – Coping with sleep deprivation – using a sleep consultant - deciding to leave your job and retrainAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, Chantelle Angel started her career as a Montessori teacher before going onto work for a children’s disability charity where she became pregnant with her first child. That baby is now 3 ½ and she has another son who is 17 months. Chantelle is now a qualified paediatric sleep consultant and founder of Dreaming Angels, working with a range of parents, mainly in the UK, although she’s reached as far as Singapore and the US.You’re going to hear about:Common baby sleep issues and what you can d...
2023-08-0232 minComeback Coach65. COMEBACK – Georgie Siddall – Risk Manager – burnout – choosing redundancy – SEN kids - Co-Chairing an ERG (& having a brilliant manager)Ask me a QHello Bright MInds, in this episode you're going to hear from Georgie Siddall, an operational risk manager who took voluntary redundancy in 2019 when she recognised she was burnt out trying to keep the show on the road at work and at home with three sons under 10. One of her sons is on the autistic spectrum and with no family around to help share the load, life was really challenging for her and her husband. She made her career comeback in July 2021 when she landed a job at Santander, one of three o...
2023-07-1934 minComeback Coach64. COMEBACK - Jess Heagren - returning too soon - preparing for a good return - finding a family-friendly business cultureAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Jess Heagren, founder of That Works For Me – a platform that connects employers with people seeking flexible work - and author of the Careers After Babies report. Jess previously held strategically important roles at Direct Line Insurance, NIG and RBS Insurance. She’s wonderfully honest and generous and I was so happy to have this chat with Jess where among other things we talked about:Coming back to work too soonPreparing for a good returnThe joy of spreadsheetsCareer progression andIdentifying a family-friendly business cultureIf y...
2023-07-0537 minComeback Coach63. COMEBACK - Kathryn & Romana – Dentons LLP - Sponsorship – self doubt - career advice for lawyers who are coming back from a breakAsk me a QWell hello, it’s good to be back. I wonder how you are? Our season four finale was all about how to make full time work work when you have a young family and today we’re turn our attention to career progression, ambition and in particular the role of sponsorship in elevating women’s careers.Although COMEBACK COACH is a podcast for people returning to work from any type of extended leave, the majority of you wonderful Bright Minds are female - and most of you are coming back from matern...
2023-06-2135 minComeback Coach62. SPECIAL - Making Full Time Work Work (with a young family) - Caterpillar, Dell, NHS, Police, a charity and Financial ServicesAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, this is a special season finale involving six guests who are making full time work work with young children. I wanted to do this episode after I read a statistic that didn’t shock me as much as sadden me in a report published earlier this year called “CAREERS AFTER BABIES”. 848 women took part in the research which found 85% of women leave the full-time workforce within three years of having children.Upfront disclaimer, all voices in this episode are women who are in a partnership with the father of thei...
2023-04-2651 minComeback Coach61. COACH - Natalie Trice - PR, Author & University lecturer – wanting more and different in your career – embracing a changing identity – going after “The Dream”Ask me a QHello Bright Mind and welcome to episode 61. Today my guest coachee is Natalie Trice, a PR consultant and trainer and the author of three books. She’s also an ICF-accredited career coach for PR and comms professionals.She’s worked in PR for 25 years and put everyone and everything in the media spotlight. From Epson printers, Discovery Channel documentaries, and Betty Crocker cakes to Animal Planet celebrities, vegan bags and coastal holidays.Today she specialises in PR mentoring and training for brands and experts so they can get themselves in t...
2023-04-1239 minComeback Coach60. COMEBACK - Sophie & Sam – Co-Marketing Director at Lily's Kitchen – Senior Job Share after MaternityAsk me a QHello, Bright Minds and welcome to episode 60 with Sophie Giddings and Sam Crossley who are the job-sharing Marketing Directors at the gorgeous pet care brand Lily’s Kitchen who we’re proud to count among our clients. I coached Sophie when she returned from maternity leave and as you’ll hear, returning to work as part of a job-share wasn’t plain sailing but they have very definitely got there.In this episode we talk about Being the first job-share at Lily’s KitchenThe benefits to businesses and individuals...
2023-03-2931 minComeback Coach59. COMEBACK - Elena – UX designer - career change after maternity – PND – growing your professional network – job love – supportive work environmentsAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Elena Gorman, a UX designer at an experience transformation studio in the north of England. She’s a mother two of two, married to Tim and has two naughty cats, Bella and Isaac, and lives in Gateshead. Elena experienced PND after her first child and again after her second. Whilst working as a project manager she stumbled across UX design and fell in love with it and it’s totally changed her career and where she sees it going. She also has PhD in theol...
2023-03-1537 minComeback Coach58. COMEBACK - Paul & Robin – Times journalist - The Equal Parent book - surrogacy – why both parents must take shared parental leaveAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guests today are Times journalist, Paul Morgan-Bentley and his husband Robin. Paul is the author of a brand new book, The Equal Parent, which explores the falsehoods behind parenting roles. Paul and Robin both went through their own work comebacks after taking many months of Shared Parental Leave after having their son Solley through surrogacy. We talk about: their surrogacy journeyhow they each prepared to return to workhow they share the load at homethe uncommon practice things they do to that enables them to have gratifying ca...
2023-03-0146 minComeback Coach57. COACH - Emily - advertising - career break - leveraging LinkedIn - being brave to ask for meetings - ego-rubbing conversations with past colleaguesAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Emily who has over 12 years Account Management experience. She’s worked in two of the big London Advertising agencies and her most recent role was at a CRM agency as an Account Director.She’s married to Tom, they have two daughters, Mollie who is 3 and, Mila who is nearly 1 and after nearly 4 years away from her career she’s fired up to make her comeback.In this conversation I help Emily get into the right mindset for finding the role she wants...
2023-02-1543 minComeback Coach56. COMEBACK - Selina Tyler - interviewing when pregnant – joining a new company after maternity leave - holding a Board position outside your day jobAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest today is Selina Tyler, Head of UK Wholesale at Lombard Odier Investment Management. She’s a past coachee of mine who I wanted to get on the podcast because of her experience of interviewing whilst visibly pregnant and starting a new role in a new organisation after maternity leave.Selina has 18 years of investment management experience and joined the business from Mirabaud Asset Management. She’s also held other senior roles at Hermes Investment Management and Man Group.Her role is focussed on driving the g...
2023-02-0133 minComeback Coach55. COMEBACK - Rowena Tolley - law firm Partner - sabbatical - maternity - 2 year career break – flex & part timeAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, this episode is a conversation I’ve been looking forward to having ever since one of the coaches in my team at The Talent Keeper Specialists - the wonderful Shiobhaun - coached her and told me about what a star she is. Rowena Tolley is a trademark partner at intellectual property firm Kilburn & Strode, based in the London team. They work with clients of all sizes across all industries, protecting their brands and inventions.MORE FOR YOU DM Jessica on instagram @com...
2023-01-1831 min
Comeback Coach54. COACH - COMING BACK FROM THE HOLIDAYS - how to get yourself back in work modeAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, welcome to 2023. If you're feeling a bit flat and need help cranking up again professionally, this episode is for you. Please share generously with your team mates. In this very short episode I share five tips for getting your head back into work as easily, smoothly and enjoyably as possible. Here they are in a nutshell:1. Do something difficult.2. Do something easy.3. Walk - article on divergent thinking and walking here.4. Half a half day away day with yourself.5. Connect w...
2023-01-0314 minComeback Coach53. COACH - Rachel – sick leave from burnout - when your heart isn’t in your work – exploring career changeAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guest coachee today is Rachel, a senior marketing and insight professional and mum of two boys who recently returned to work after an extended period of sick leave after suffering from burnout..Four key takeouts from this episode:.Assume people want to help you and that you deserve to be helped. Share what your ‘dream’ help would be and let them negotiate downwards if needs be! (For Rachel this was having one set of grandparents have the boys after lunch every Saturday until Sunday morning for 6...
2022-12-2842 minComeback Coach52. COMEBACK - Emmie Faust - investor - burnout - breakdown - long Covid - mother of 4Ask me a QEmmie Faust is a past coachee, exited Founder, an Angel Investor, mother of four and passionate about supporting women. She recently launched Female Founders Rise to champion female founders and has aspirations to launch a micro-fund to invest in impact-led female-founded businesses.We’re talking about Emmie’s experience of coming back from burnout and long covid and it’s a wonderfully candid conversation.MORE FOR YOU DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk Get Caremail (free, every other Sunday at 7am) Re...
2022-12-1441 minComeback Coach51. COMEBACK - Emma & Mark - maternity & shared parental leave - male part time primary teacher - sharing load at homeAsk me a QHello Bright Minds, my guests this time are Emma & Mark James. Emma is a buyer at TJX Europe and Mark is a primary school teacher. They have two children and Emma returned to work from maternity leave a few months before we had this conversation. Mark has just changed his work pattern to do three days a week and Emma works full time.We talk about sharing the load at home and the great things that can happen when daddy works part-time.I hope you enjoy(ed) i...
2022-11-3053 minComeback Coach50. LIVE CAREER Q&A – MANTRAS FOR HAPPINESS & SUCCESS AT WORK & HOMEAsk me a QJessica talks to six brilliant women in big jobs talk about MANTRAS FOR HAPPINESS & SUCCESS. This is a snippet from career panel Q&A we hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists' 10th birthday celebration (TTKS is the business behind the Comeback Community employee experience of which COMEBACK COACH is a part).The six women:Daisy Allington - Chief Operating Officer, CognitantJustine Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, BlackRock (EMEA)Debbie Dalzell, Global HR Director, GAM InvestmentsDr Melinda Rees, Chief Commercial Officer, PsyomicsJane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer...
2022-11-0906 minComeback Coach49. LIVE CAREER Q&A – BUILDING TRUST & HOW NOT TO BE A SCARY WOMAN – How do you quickly and effectively build trust in a team?Ask me a QJessica talks to six brilliant women in big jobs talk about BUILDING TRUST. This is a snippet from career panel Q&A we hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists' 10th birthday celebration (TTKS is the business behind the Comeback Community employee experience of which COMEBACK COACH is a part).The six women:Daisy Allington - Chief Operating Officer, CognitantJustine Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, BlackRock (EMEA)Debbie Dalzell, Global HR Director, GAM InvestmentsDr Melinda Rees, Chief Commercial Officer, PsyomicsJane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer, ITVSelina Tyler...
2022-11-0905 minComeback Coach48. LIVE CAREER Q&A - FAILURE – How do you come back from it?Ask me a QJessica talks to six brilliant women in big jobs talk about FAILURE. This is a snippet from career panel Q&A we hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists' 10th birthday celebration (TTKS is the business behind the Comeback Community employee experience of which COMEBACK COACH is a part).The six women:Daisy Allington - Chief Operating Officer, CognitantJustine Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, BlackRock (EMEA)Debbie Dalzell, Global HR Director, GAM InvestmentsDr Melinda Rees, Chief Commercial Officer, PsyomicsJane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer, ITVSelina Tyler, Head...
2022-11-0214 minComeback Coach47. LIVE CAREER Q&A - FLEXIBILITY - 6 women with big jobs talkAsk me a QJessica talks to six brilliant women in big jobs talk about FLEXIBILITY. This is a snippet from career panel Q&A we hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists' 10th birthday celebration (TTKS is the business behind the Comeback Community employee experience of which COMEBACK COACH is a part).The six women:Daisy Allington - Chief Operating Officer, CognitantJustine Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, BlackRock (EMEA)Debbie Dalzell, Global HR Director, GAM InvestmentsDr Melinda Rees, Chief Commercial Officer, PsyomicsJane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer, ITVSelina Tyler, Head...
2022-11-0205 minComeback Coach45. LIVE CAREER Q&A – AMBITION – Does ambition change after returning to work? How does ambition fit with the rest of your life?Ask me a QJessica talks to six brilliant women in big jobs talk about AMBITION. This is a snippet from career panel Q&A we hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists' 10th birthday celebration (TTKS is the business behind the Comeback Community employee experience of which COMEBACK COACH is a part).The six women:Daisy Allington - Chief Operating Officer, CognitantJustine Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, BlackRock (EMEA)Debbie Dalzell, Global HR Director, GAM InvestmentsDr Melinda Rees, Chief Commercial Officer, PsyomicsJane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer, ITVSelina Tyler, Head...
2022-10-2607 minComeback Coach46. LIVE CAREER Q&A – GUILT – How do you cope with it? Answers from 6 women in big jobs with childrenAsk me a QJessica talks to six brilliant women in big jobs talk about GUILT. This is a snippet from career panel Q&A we hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists' 10th birthday celebration (TTKS is the business behind the Comeback Community employee experience of which COMEBACK COACH is a part).The six women:Daisy Allington - Chief Operating Officer, CognitantJustine Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, BlackRock (EMEA)Debbie Dalzell, Global HR Director, GAM InvestmentsDr Melinda Rees, Chief Commercial Officer, PsyomicsJane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer, ITVSelina Tyler, Head...
2022-10-2607 minComeback Coach44. LIVE CAREER Q&A - SPEAKING UP – How do I have a voice in the room? How to get myself listened to?Ask me a QJessica talks to six brilliant women in big jobs talk about SPEAKING UP. This is a snippet from career panel Q&A we hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists' 10th birthday celebration (TTKS is the business behind the Comeback Community employee experience of which COMEBACK COACH is a part).The six women:Daisy Allington - Chief Operating Officer, CognitantJustine Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, BlackRock (EMEA)Debbie Dalzell, Global HR Director, GAM InvestmentsDr Melinda Rees, Chief Commercial Officer, PsyomicsJane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer, ITVSelina Tyler...
2022-10-1904 minComeback Coach43. LIVE CAREER Q&A – SUCCESS - What’s your definition of success? Do you think of yourself as successful?Ask me a QJessica talks to six brilliant women in big jobs talk about SUCCESS. This is a snippet from career panel Q&A we hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists' 10th birthday celebration (TTKS is the business behind the Comeback Community employee experience of which COMEBACK COACH is a part).The six women:Daisy Allington - Chief Operating Officer, CognitantJustine Anderson, Chief Operating Officer, BlackRock (EMEA)Debbie Dalzell, Global HR Director, GAM InvestmentsDr Melinda Rees, Chief Commercial Officer, PsyomicsJane Stiller, Chief Marketing Officer, ITVSelina Tyler, Head...
2022-10-1906 minComeback Coach42. Hello from Jessica (a personal message explaining the gap between season 3 and 4)Ask me a QHello Bright Minds,I wanted to pop up and say hello and share a little bit about the tricky time I've had this year which has delayed season 4. That's what you'll hear in this 10 minute 'episode'.If you'd like to be in touch about anything I mention:e-mail jc@talentkeepers.co.ukInstagram: @comebackcommukWhilst season 4 is in the making I'm going to bring you 8 snippets from a brilliant career Q&A panel I hosted as part of The Talent Keeper Specialists 10th birthday gathering in London on 29.9.22.
2022-10-0511 minComeback Coach41. COMEBACK - Pippa - Asset Management - What is comeback coaching? - How to ask your employer to sponsor coachingAsk me a QHello Bright Minds and welcome to episode 41, with my guest Pippa Rudling, one of our very recent coachees. Pippa works for an institutional investment platform, in a sales & client relationship role, working with investment consultants and pension scheme trustees. She has two daughters – Poppy 4 and Jasmine 1 and I worked with Pippa when she was coming back from her second maternity leave. HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?Could your return to work have been smoother? Could your line manager have been more empathetic?Sh...
2022-08-3128 minComeback Coach40. COACH - 7 Qs for a smooth and successful return to work from maternity leave & other career breaksAsk me a QHello, it’s me, Jessica Chivers for a different kind of episode to usual. It’s just me today – no guests - and in this ‘COACH’ episode I’m exploring seven Qs to ask yourself before you return to work. I’ve chosen these because over the last 18 years of executive coaching with people returning to work I’ve found these are the ones that really help set you up for success.The seven Qs that I unpack one by one:1. Why am I returning to work?2. What will a successful r...
2022-08-1722 minComeback Coach39. COMEBACK - Verena Hefti MBE - advice for ambitious returning parents - how to spot a great employer - taking leave as a CEOAsk me a QMy guest today is Verena Hefti MBE, the founder and CEO of the social enterprise, Leaders Plus. She’s also the host of the Big Careers Small Children podcast on which I’ve had the pleasure of being a guest talking about how to progress your career when you work part time. Verena has three children and we’re talking when Verena is 6 months back from returning from her third maternity leave. HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?Could your return to work have been smoother? Could your l...
2022-08-0329 minComeback Coach38. COACH - Jo - L&D - moving sector after maternity - new role – first 100 days – new ID - taking time to reflectAsk me a QHello I’m Jessica and my guest coachee today is Jo, a Learning & Development Professional, who’s returning from maternity and redundancy to a new organisation in a brand new sector. She’s had a 13 year career in L&D and is taking up the role of Head of Performance and Capability three days a week – something she negotiated after applying for what was advertised as a full time role. She’s not new to making sector moves having worked in Healthcare, Education, Pharmaceuticals and now recruitment. She lives in Hertfordshire in the UK with he...
2022-07-2038 minComeback Coach37. COMEBACK - Carla - solo parenting – increasing your influence and impact – super powersAsk me a QMy guest today is Carla Miller, host of the 'Influence & Impact for female leaders' podcast which sits in the top 20 management podcasts in the UK Apple charts most weeks. Her book Closing the Influence Gap: A practical guide for women leaders who want to be heard is available for pre-order now. We talk about:Choosing to be a solo parentChallenges associated with returning to work as a solo parentIncreasing your impact when returning from maternity and other long breaks As mentioned in the episode: FREE TICKETS TO INCREASING YOUR IN...
2022-07-0628 minComeback Coach36. COMEBACK - Chris – EY – Father of four – SPL – sharing mental load – working 80%Ask me a QMy guest today is Chris Ashton-Holt, a Director in EY’s Consulting business, leading the Project Development offering within their Sustainable Infrastructure team. He has worked there for nearly 12 years after joining straight from university, and within EY he focuses on setting large infrastructure projects up for success, with a particular focus on low carbon electricity generation including nuclear power. Chris has just returned from 4 months of shared parental leave following the birth of his fourth child and first daughter, Elodie. Chris has previously taken time off after the birth of his...
2022-06-2232 minComeback Coach35. COMEBACK - Emily - Google - PND and anxiety – returning to a bigger jobAsk me a QMy guest today is Emily Wheen, a senior Recruiting Lead at Google, managing a team that recruits the best technical, sales, marketing and partnerships talent for Google Cloud in APAC. She’s originally from the UK and has spent the last 10 years living and working in Asia with her husband. She’s currently based in Singapore, where they’ve spent the last 5 years, and prior to that lived in Tokyo. Emily had her first baby in 2020, was promoted on maternity leave, and returned to work in 2021 post 6.5 months of leave. Despite COVID...
2022-06-0831 minComeback Coach34. COMEBACK - Bea - sick leave – car crash in Silicon Valley - two attempts at returning – comeback coachingAsk me a QMy guest today is Beatrice Gloor, whose life changed dramatically when she was en route to a client meeting in Silicon Valley. Beatrice has 20 years’ experience as a Senior Relationship Manager and leader in highly demanding, volatile, fast-paced global corporates. In 2015 Beatrice was in a car accident which caused an aneurysm, six mini strokes, severe concussion, internal injuries, loss of short term memory and various cognitive impairments. She was out of the business for about a year and despite all predictions she made a full recovery which was twice as fast as...
2022-05-2526 minComeback Coach33. COACH - Christina - Preparing for leave as a leader – asking peers for help – nourishing your network before maternity leaveAsk me a QHello I’m Jessica and my guest today has been in the civil service for 12 years since she gained a Masters degree in Economics. She’s expecting her third child and has two young children already – a 6 and a 4 year old – and without any family nearby it makes it very hard to carve time out for themselves, although she says she really got into gardening over the last 3 years and turned into a plant enthusiast!Our conversation is about preparing for leave as a leader and we’re talking when Christ...
2022-05-1138 minComeback Coach32. COMEBACK - Sally Williams - ITN journalist – Coming back from a career break - doing more of what you love – playing to your strengthsAsk me a QHello and welcome to the first episode of season three of Comeback Coach, the podcast for people returning to work after a break.Sally Williams is a journalist at ITN who presents the weather and reports for ITV London News. She returned to work after her third child and having had a career break in the US when her husband’s work for ITN took them there. She got a call from her boss when her daughter was 4 ½ months old asking if she’d consider coming back freelance one day a week...
2022-04-2725 minComeback Coach31. COMEBACK – Abby – Lawyer – relationship building after leave - business development – internal networkingAsk me a QHello and welcome to the last episode of season two of Comeback Coach., the podcast for people returning to work after a break.It felt fitting for this season finale to talk to someone from Rayden Solicitors, the award-winning Tier 1 family law firm that’s sponsored the podcast from the beginning. And my guest is Abby Westell, Legal Director at Rayden’s which involves lots of client contact, running the office, managing the team, supervising junior lawyers and business development. HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?C...
2022-03-1630 minComeback Coach30. COACH - Danielle – confidence – can I still ask for help when I’m a Partner?Ask me a QMy guest today is Danielle, the Head of Master Planning and Landscape at a multi-disciplinary property firm. She started a phased return to work when her baby was 8 months old and she’s now been back four months. We’re talking about the path to partner and the support she’d like as she makes that transition.As you’re listening, if you’ve got a question or want to tell me about your return to work please find me on Instagram @comebackcommuk because I really do love hearing from you.
2022-03-0233 minComeback Coach29. COMEBACK - Cheney - founder – baby with a disability – short maternity leave – SPL – mental healthAsk me a QMy guest today is Cheney Hamilton, founder of Find Your Flex, the flexible job site that’s on a mission to create a better work culture for future generations. It was developed off the back of her 16 years employment in recruitment advertising, which came to an end after she had her second daughter. She’s married to Liam and they have three children who are 6, 4 and 2. Their eldest child, Bea, was born with hip dysplasia and it was an incredibly difficult time for both Cheney and Liam. Liam was the fi...
2022-02-1624 minComeback Coach28. COACH - Deborah - Lawyer - finding time for self - reasons to go to the office - being productiveAsk me a QMy guest today is Deborah, a lawyer who specialises in inheritance and trust disputes. We’re talking when Deborah has been back at work from maternity leave a few months and she’s feeling that the world of work is very different to how it was before she went on leave. She wants to get a sense of control and find time for herself.HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?Could your return to work have been smoother? Could your line manager have been more empathetic?...
2022-02-0239 minComeback Coach27. COMEBACK - Joeli Brearley - Pregnant Then Screwed - Maternity DiscriminationAsk me a Q54,000 women a year are forced out of their jobs due to pregnancy or for taking maternity leave and 77% have encountered some form of discrimination in the workplace. Those stats are lifted from the back of the brilliant book “Pregnant Then Screwed: The Truth about the Motherhood Penalty and how to fix it” by my guest Joeli Brearley. It’s not right, it’s not OK and in many ways I hope this episode doesn’t resonate with you. It was a joy to chat to Joeli because she’s a woman taki...
2022-01-1932 minComeback Coach26. COACH - Katy - rebuilding confidence - getting a sense of control - external validation – considering taking time outAsk me a QMy guest today is Katy, a marketing professional who’s been back at work from her second parental leave for 18 months. She returned during the pandemic to a wholesale restructuring of the marketing team which led to her heading for redundancy. However, two weeks before she was due to leave, role that was perfect for her came up and so she stayed – but it’s only for a year. Our conversation took place when Katy had been in this new role six months and she’s feeling uncertain, a little insecure and wanting to forti...
2022-01-0538 minComeback Coach25. COMEBACK – Claire – IVF – miscarriage – twins - adding a career break to maternity leave – kind colleagues – job loveAsk me a QMy guest today is Claire Garwood, a civil servant at the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency. She went through four rounds of IVF and two miscarriages before conceiving her now three year old twins. She went through so much to get where she is today and I think you’re going to find this encouraging and heart warming especially if you’re going through IVF or you’ve experienced miscarriage.NHS information about IVF: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ivf/NHS information on miscarriage: https://www.nhs.uk/conditi...
2021-12-2226 minComeback Coach24. COACH - Alex - exploring a career change – not returning to employment – starting a social enterpriseAsk me a QAlex is looking to re-engage with the working world after a four year career break raising two children. We’re talking when Alex is four months away from her son starting nursery and as you’ll hear, she doesn’t have a career path to pick up on and she’s questioning whether now is the time to turn her hobby into a business rather than try to return to employment...THINGS REFERENCED IN THE EPISODEOlive & Blossom – team building company based around flower arranging.Conversation of Inspira...
2021-12-0837 minComeback Coach23. COMEBACK - Rachael - Knowing your why - interviewing 8 weeks post partum – starting a new role – phased returns – teamwork at homeAsk me a QRachael is a seasoned HR professional who started her career in in-house recruitment and spent much of her 15 year HR career partnering businesses and connecting teams including for a luxury floral company. She finished her corporate HR days in a cyber security growth company as an HR Business Partner covering EMEA and beyond and this is where we pick up the return to work story...HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?Could your return to work have been smoother? Could your line manager have been...
2021-11-2422 minComeback Coach22. COACH - Katie - Starting a new role - building rapport remotely - making an impact - getting feedback without looking needyAsk me a QKatie is an HR professional with over a decade of experience in financial services who’s making a move into a different role of which she has no experience. She’s returning to work after her second maternity leave into a new role that’s never been done before – no ‘playbook’ and no one to have a handover with. Our conversation takes place two weeks before her start date.I mentioned an article about how to raise your visibility when you work remotely...THINGS REFERENCED IN THE EPISO...
2021-11-1033 minComeback Coach21. COMEBACK - Amanda - Confidence - big job & travel - when your dream job comes up on maternity leave - think twice before quittingAsk me a QAmanda Newman is a senior manager at Accenture and mother of four. She’s also the woman behind The Career Mum community, which has a global membership of over 5000 people. Amanda had all of her children whilst she was at Shell, where she held various project manager roles before doing a brief stint at Microsoft and then moving to Accenture. Her youngest are five year old twins and in this episode we’re talking confidence.HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?Could your return to work...
2021-10-2718 minComeback Coach20. COACH - Sara - career crossroads - passion v salary - role-sharing - should I have a career change?Ask me a QSara is an Associate Director at a recruitment firm where she manages a team of Consultants and is the lead personal contact on over 40 client accounts. When she returned to work after having her first baby she discovered that the career she had found so energising and rewarding, was no longer a good fit and that her professional achievements no longer felt like success. Sara’s currently on maternity leave after having had her second child and a career change into a field that better suits her needs is on her mind..
2021-10-1337 minComeback Coach19. COMEBACK - The Job Share Pair - What, Why & How of Job Sharing – Finding a Partner - Replacing part of the Pair - Benefits to EmployersAsk me a QRachel and Hannah AKA "The Job Share Pair" worked their way up through the corporate ranks to HR Director level. They were both – and still are – really committed, motivated, determined women, passionate about work and not wanting to take a step back. Their first babies were born six days apart and they began job sharing when they returned from maternity leave and really found their groove and made it work brilliantly well. In 2020 they set up their Instagram account The Job Share Pair to loudly and proudly spread the word about job-s...
2021-09-2929 minComeback Coach18. COACH - Emily - Law firm Partner – self doubt - returning remotely - shaky confidence - sounding boardsAsk me a QEmily is a partner in a small law firm who’s returned to work after her second maternity leave. She’s been back six months and her confidence has taken a significant knock not least due to returning remotely. She’s really missed the ‘sounding board’ type conversations she enjoyed with colleagues when she returned to work the first time.HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?Could your return to work have been smoother? Could your line manager have been more empathetic?We’re on a mission to...
2021-09-1537 minComeback Coach17. COMEBACK - Ria - Mindful return – self-compassion - smoothly gliding back into work – managing your energyAsk me a QRia Ingleby made a mindful return to work after cancer treatment to her job at Headspace.We discuss:Characteristics of a mindful return'Gliding in' not 'hitting the ground running'Self-compassionBeing kind and gentleThe power of journaling or 'free writing'For the resources and links mentioned in the episode visit:HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?Could your return to work have been smoother? Could your line manager have been more empathetic?We’re on a mission to keep everyone everywhere feeling confident, con...
2021-09-0123 minComeback Coach16. COACH - Julia - redundancy - emotional rollercoaster - self-employment - business developmentAsk me a QThe coaching conversation is with Julia, a landscape architect who was furloughed after maternity leave with her second child and then made redundant. We’re talking just a few weeks into Julia setting up her own practice when she says she’s riding an emotional rollercoaster and struggling with the idea of business development. We talk about:structuring her timefocusing on one thing at oncefinding different ways to build connections with potential clients other than networking events.HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?Could your return...
2021-07-2838 minComeback Coach15. COMEBACK - Torey - HR manager - IVF - being open about imposter feelings at work - rebuilding confidenceAsk me a QTorey’s tale of IVF and moving jobs to lessen her stress and help their chances of success might be familiar to you. I talked to Torey at the start of her fourth week back after maternity leave to her role as a senior people engagement consultant at Orbit, a not-for-profit housebuilder. Torey talks about how she started to rebuild her confidence before she started back at work and how she’s keeping imposter feelings at bay. A coach has been key to changing the unrealistic expectations she has of herself. She constantly remin...
2021-07-1421 minComeback Coach14. COACH – Debora, interior architect – losing purpose - feeling disconnected from work you loved - craving more time with your childAsk me a QYou’re feeling disconnected from the job you once loved then you’re made redundant after two months being back at work after maternity leave. In this COACH episode coaching psychologist Jessica Chivers works with Debora, an interior architect, who feels she’s lost her sense of purpose and says “I’ve completely changed my worldview since having my daughter.” She craves flexibility to spend more time with her child and wants to continue to use her problem-solving skills and creativity to help others. This episode is sponsored by Rayden Solicitors, an award-win...
2021-06-3029 minComeback Coach13. COMEBACK – Liz – Rebuilding credibility - getting your head back into gear - backing yourself after maternity leaveAsk me a QMy guest today is Liz Twiney who works for an asset management firm in London. We’re talking when Liz is 3 months back from her first maternity leave and we cover rebuilding credibility, what to do when you can’t have traditional KIT days, guilt because you love your job and how to invite people for a catch up when you’re working remotely.Five takeaways from the conversation with Liz:When there’s a choice to back yourself or not, let’s choose to back ourselves. Sometimes it’s in your...
2021-06-1617 minComeback Coach12. COACH - Rosie - how to progress your career when coping with increased caring responsibilitiesAsk me a QStressed, tired and determined to meet the work demands and expectations she’s set herself, Rosie is an academic with two young children and additional caring responsibilities She works 4 days a week for a university, where she's been for 9 years. The pandemic has significantly increased her caring responsibilities due to supporting family members and she’s struggled at times with the stress of trying to deliver professionally whilst looking after her family’s and her own wellbeing.In this COACH episode we explore how Rosie can get through the acute period of str...
2021-06-0236 minComeback Coach11. COMEBACK - Wendy - Coping with anxiety - crippling guilt - feeling out of control - seeking therapy and coping lessonsAsk me a QWARNING: This episode includes very naughty words.Wendy found herself feeling out of control, crying at work and sitting in a mental health seminar at work thinking “I’m not OK.”Wendy Lancaster is a landscape planner and mother of two who experienced crippling levels of anxiety when she returned to work after her second maternity leave. Wendy works with developers and local authorities to protect the character of landscapes, built environments and important views. She’s often the lone woman in meetings with master planners, transport consultants, drainage engineer...
2021-05-1916 min