3,2,1 iRelaunch

We’ve compiled the best advice from recent podcasts, we hope you enjoy hearing from our amazing guests, some with incredible relaunch stories of their own, some to share guidance, all inspirational: Jennifer Andrews, equity & diversity lead at Guardian Life; Elizabeth Andrew, TEDx speaker and global leader & motivator; Ofer Sharone, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on research regarding career transitions, unemployment, and aspirations; Felicia Williams on her relaunch at Vanguard and consequent advancement; Heather Bannon, returned to Discover Financial Services after leaving for a break, and her advancement; Rowena Zahn pivoted into life sciences after a 15-yr break; Ashley Miller pivoted from sports management to DEI initiatives after her break; Elia O’Rourke relocated from Mexico and relaunched in the US; Evan J. Kopelson relaunched into legal advocacy from LA’s entertainment industry.

Today, we welcome Evan J. Kopelson. Evan began his career as an in-house business affairs attorney for Capitol Records, followed by 20 years in the entertainment industry and creative pursuits, including songwriting.

A song he wrote for Vanessa Williams called 'Where Do We Go From Here," hit three billboard charts and and won a BMI Pop award. Given that the songwriting industry can be fickle, unpredictable and unstable, even for a top songwriter, Evan was not able to replicate his earlier songwriting success and he took a career break. When Evan relaunched his career, he relaunched first as a volunteer and ultimately he was hired as a trial attorney for the Eviction Defense Network, a non profit that supports individuals and families facing eviction.

Evan is a beloved member of our iRelaunch Return to Work Forum private Facebook group. We discuss the role of the group in Evan's relaunch, and Evan's role in the group as a contributor, bringing his peers along with him on his relaunch journey, the highs and lows, the setbacks, the victories, and the ultimate successful relaunch.

In the run up to the iRelaunch October Virtual Return to Work Conference, we are revisiting this special edition on resume advice, from our iRelaunch recommended resume expert, Heidi Ravis. Heidi has over 30 years experience working with relaunchers in a wide range of industries and situations. She's a relauncher herself and has a first-hand understanding of relauncher résumé challenges.

In this episode, we speak with Heidi about her career journey, get her best resume recommendations, as well as advice on LinkedIn profiles and using AI. Listening to this episode is a must if you’re struggling with framing your resume for career reentry programs and traditional positions.

Today, we ask you to join us in revisiting the previously aired excerpt, The Black Relauncher’s Perspective Panel, a webinar hosted recently by Mocha Moms, Inc. + iRelaunch. This panel highlights the professional return to work stories of four Black relaunchers, Catherine Duffy, Country Leader of Bermuda, AIG; Kuae Kelch, National President of Mocha Moms, Inc.; LaBrena Settles, SVP, Program Manager, Bank of America; and Tiana Sousa, Contract Manager, Iron Bow Technologies; hosted by iRelaunch’s Diversity Lead, Janet Peterson (who is also a relauncher!)

At iRelaunch, we recognize that relaunching can be a difficult undertaking, and that the intersectionality of relaunching as a Black professional presents unique and additional challenges. Please join us as we amplify the voices of Black relaunchers in this frank and revealing conversation. We also invite you to join the upcoming event which continues the conversation, Part 3 of The Black Relaunchers conversation, find the link to register on the iRelaunch event website.

Elia O'Rourke, a native of Mexico, found her career path after moving to New York City, where she met her husband during an exchange program. Elia took an eight year career break to raise her three daughters. During this time, she learned English by watching TV, and went through the process to validate her Bachelor's degree in accounting earned at a university in Mexico through World Education Services.

In October 2021, Elia returned to work through Lockheed Martin's Chapter Next program where she worked for a year and a half as an associate proposal analyst. From there, she was recruited by BBVA into her current role as a global cash management implementation lead. Join us as we hear Elia's inspiring relaunch journey.

Ashley Miller spent the first 19 years of her career working in the NBA and WNBA organizations. After a two-year career break, Ashley pivoted her career by joining Goldman Sachs in private wealth management via Goldman’s Returnship program. She later became Chief of Staff for Diversity Recruiting and leader of the Returnship program. From there, Ashley moved to Yum! Brands, parent of Pizza Hut Global, where she leads equity, inclusion, and belonging. She spearheads initiatives that champion inclusiveness and foster cultures of belonging around the world.

We speak with Ashley about her career break, relaunch, and career progression, including examining her changing identity during different life phases and imposter syndrome during relaunching.

Rowena Zahn took a 15 year child care career break during which time she completed a dual degree master's program in Food Science (MS) and Business (MBA). Having left a pharmaceutical sales career before her career break, Rowena's relaunch ultimately led to her career in account management in global life sciences. Her key accounts include global pharmaceutical companies in the biopharmaceutical industry and laboratories, from drug discovery and development, to production platforms. We speak with Rowena about her strategy of using full degree programs to relaunch her career after a lengthy break. A proud career relauncher and champion of the benefits relaunchers bring to employers, Rowena takes us through the day to day of her relaunch journey and the step by step stages of her successful relaunch.

In 2006, Heather left her role as a Senior Programmer Systems Analyst at Discover Financial Services to begin a five year childcare career break. She ultimately relaunched her career by returning to Discover, where she has been promoted six times over the 13 years since she has been back. Heather is currently the Senior Director of Information Technology at Discover. She is a big supporter of relaunchers, which she has posted about on LinkedIn, including her enthusiasm for our Normalizing Career Breaks mission. We will also find out how Heather graduated with a fine arts degree and was able to transition to a technical career both before and after her relaunch at Discover.

Felicia Williams spent over 20 years as a director in accounting, finance, and audit at a major US railroad before electing to take a career break. In 2022, she relaunched her career and made a significant career pivot when she joined the Return to Work program at Vanguard. Hear how Felicia determined that a side interest should become the focus of her relaunch, and learn about the training she received through Vanguard’s Return to Work program in order to attain the licenses needed to provide investment and advisory services to Vanguard clients. We also speak with Felicia about her career progression since joining Vanguard as she recently accepted a promotion as a high net worth advisor.

What's the one step you cannot skip in order to successfully relaunch your career? Carroll Welch, Career, Executive & Leadership Coach, and one of our longest-serving iRelaunch coaching partners reveals the answer in this multi-faceted conversation.

Note: The iRelaunch BootCamp referred to in this episode has been replaced by the iRelaunch RoadMap, the comprehensive, step-by-step guide for returning to a rewarding career, available on the iRelaunch website.