Comeback Coach

Ask me a Q

My 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/conditions/miscarriage/
• Tommy’s charity: https://www.tommys.org/ 

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, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

We work with employers such as ITV, BlackRock and Lily’s Kitchen. Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

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BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• Twitter: @ComebackCommUK
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & Progression: 
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

Alex 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.
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THINGS REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE

• Olive & Blossom – team building company based around flower arranging.
• Conversation of Inspiration podcast – episode with Anna Lewis (illustrator)
• Playing Big by Tara Mohr

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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, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

We work with employers such as ITV, BlackRock and Lily’s Kitchen. Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

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BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• Twitter: @ComebackCommUK
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & Progression: 
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

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If you're curious, here's a POST COACHING SESSION UPDATE FROM ALEX:

December 2021:

"I'm currently revising for the RHS exams in February. I've come to realise that RHS qualifications are not a prerequisite in my career plan, but they are central to my self-confidence and therefore worth investing time in. I did not hit the target of speaking to 10 organisations by September and this was predominantly due to feeling that I am neither a qualified HR professional, nor a gardener so how can I pitch a gardening team building service without demonstrating expertise in either field? I know others might be able to blag it, but I've decided to only blag half and pick up the market research and networking once the horticultural exams are behind me. Plus I'm enjoying learning about plants of course!

In the autumn, I attended a local course for budding social entrepreneurs and the topics of valuing your lived experience, self-belief and having to step out of your comfort zone came up every week. Self-doubt is so widespread! But it was a very kind and enthusiastic bunch of people so I'm sure that we'll be supporting each other in the months to come."

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

Rachael 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.
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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, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

We work with employers such as ITV, BlackRock and Lily’s Kitchen. Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

.
.

BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• Twitter: @ComebackCommUK
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & Progression: 
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

Katie 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.

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THINGS REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE

• Olive & Blossom – team building company based around flower arranging.
• Conversation of Inspiration podcast – episode with Anna Lewis (illustrator)
• Playing Big by Tara Mohr

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.

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, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

We work with employers such as ITV, BlackRock and Lily’s Kitchen. Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

 .
.

BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• Twitter: @ComebackCommUK
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & Progression: 
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

Amanda 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 have been smoother? Could your line manager have been more empathetic?

We’re on a mission to keep everyone everywhere feeling confident, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

We work with employers such as ITV, BlackRock and Lily’s Kitchen. Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• Twitter: @ComebackCommUK
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & Progression: 
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

Sara 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.
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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, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

.
.

BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & progression: www.comebackcommunity.co.uk/careerfuel
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

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RESOURCES JESSICA SUGGESTED TO SARA

Job Sharing

• https://www.thejobsharepair.com/ - and do see Hannah & Rachel on Instagram for lots of inspiring case studies.
• https://www.roleshare.com/ - platform for finding a job share partner

Values & Core Needs

• https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test 
•  https://www.viacharacter.org/

Places where flexible roles can be found

• Flexible Working People FB group run by Katy Fridman: https://www.facebook.com/groups/167881057080826
• https://www.2to3days.com/
• https://www.ten2two.org/ 
• https://daisy-chain.com/ 

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

Rachel 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-sharing as being an excellent way to retain female leaders. Originally a hobby, this passion project has become a business and they’ve left their corporate lives behind. 

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Maternity leave
• How they came to be sharing a role
• What a job share is and is not
• The benefits of job-sharing for the team, the organisation and the job sharers
• When one of the pair goes on maternity leave
• How to find a job share partner
• How to approach a line manager about the idea of a job share

HOW WAS YOUR RETURN TO WORK?

Could your return to work have been smoother? Could your line manager have been more understanding?

We’re on a mission to keep everyone everywhere feeling confident, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & progression: www.comebackcommunity.co.uk/careerfuel
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

Resources Hannah & Rachel shared

• Daisy Chain - Daisy Chain (daisy-chain.com)
• Investing in Women - Home
• Roleshare.com 
• Flexible Working People Facebook Group 
• www.thejobsharepair.com
• thejobsharepair on facebook, instagram and linkedin
• Join our facebook group "job sharers unite!"

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

Emily 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 keep everyone everywhere feeling confident, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• Twitter: @ComebackCommUK
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & progression: www.comebackcommunity.co.uk/careerfuel
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

Ria 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-compassion
• Being kind and gentle
• The 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, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

We work with employers such as ITV, BlackRock and Lily’s Kitchen. Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• Twitter: @ComebackCommUK
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & Progression: 
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.

Ask me a Q

The 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 time
• focusing on one thing at once
• finding different ways to build connections with potential clients other than networking events.

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, connected and cared for when they take extended leave from work. Our Comeback Community™ employee experience is designed to do just that.

We work with employers such as ITV, BlackRock and Lily’s Kitchen and we’d love you to tell your HR Team about us. 

Share these two short films (less than 2 minutes) with your HR Team today:

• Comeback Community employee experience – WHAT is it?
• Comeback Community employee experience – WHY do you need it?

BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:

• Instagram: @comebackcommuk – talk to me, send me your questions, let me know about your return to work experience and what you think of the podcast.
  
  
• Twitter: @ComebackCommUK
  
  
• FREE Career Fuel guide for Professional Impact & progression.  
  
  
• Comeback Conversations - FREE, monthly, online problem-solving sessions with Jessica and special guest.
  
  
• Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
  
  
• If you’d like to have a coaching conversation with Jessica for a future episode of Comeback Coach please contact us via the website.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Jessica's FREE fortnightly note, Pivotal.
• Watch our coaching Success Stories. 
• Take our new FREE Career Fuel diagnostic - and get a personalised free report.
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Contact us about executive coaching.