Creating Support Spaces for Career-Breaking Women

She didn’t need a handout. Or a shortcut. She just needed a leg up and a way back in. After years of caregiving, many women are ready to return to the workforce, but the door doesn’t always swing open. Even the most capable women are often overlooked because of one thing: the "gap." For me, that gap was 18 years. Not 8—eighteen. Eighteen years of managing carpools, organizing events, juggling schedules, running a household. Eighteen years of skills that rarely show up on a resume. And now that I've been a successful returner, I ask myself, who would hire someone like me? Smart companies 😊. But far too many still see a career break and assume that means a lack of relevance, experience, or readiness. Here’s what you really get when you hire a woman returning to the workforce: – Project management (birthday parties, managing daily routines) – Financial planning (family budget and long-term expenses) – Negotiation (managing sibling conflicts, coordinating with schools and partners) – Time management (appointments, activities, and house logistics) – Crisis resolution (sick kids and broken water heaters) – Team leadership (leading a household, making decisions daily) – Event coordination (vacations, reunions, classroom volunteering) ** What other ones did I miss? These are not soft skills. They’re real, practical, and valuable. But how do we help more women get into roles where they can make an impact? That’s where returnships come in. A returnship (internship for returners) offers real work experience, mentorship, and a structured path back into the workforce. It gives high-potential candidates a way to prove what they’ve always been capable of. If you’re a business leader, here’s why you should consider launching one: – Access a motivated, loyal talent pool – Close gaps in hiring with real-world expertise – Bring fresh perspectives and adaptive thinking – Support women in a practical, measurable way – Strengthen your culture with lived experience Yes, returnships challenge traditional hiring practices, but they also raise the bar on what smart hiring can look like. If you’re in Utah, the Return Utah's annual Return-to-Work Network Night (for everyone) is happening next week. Link is in the comments. If you’re not in Utah, message me. I have a list of active returnship programs across the country and internationally. And if your company is ready to create a returnship but doesn’t know where to start, reach out. At Elavare, we help companies design returnship programs that work for everyone involved. As a co-leader of A Bolder Way Forward's Workforce Development spoke, I'm not backing down from our goal of education 100+ companies in Utah about the value of returnships. We need more returnships. We need you. Shay Baker Susan R. Madsen Brieanne (Brie) Sparks, MBA, Samantha Aird, Marta Nielsen, Angela Rawlings, Robbyn Scribner, etc.... #WorkforceDevelopment #ReturnToWork #WomenInLeadership

Why is there a gap in your resume? Shouldn’t be the first question. It should be the last thing that matters. ↳ People take breaks for parenting, caregiving, burnout, illness, or simply to breathe. ↳ That doesn’t make them less capable. ↳ It makes them resilient. In a world that glorifies constant output, 📌 Let’s remember: Rest isn’t a weakness. It’s wisdom. We need fewer questions about gaps And more platforms that support returners. Here are some job portals that champion career breaks: 🟢 JobsForHer (India) – Tailored returnship programs for women to restart their careers. 🟢 Path Forward – Offers returnships in major U.S. companies after career pauses. 🟢 Apna – Inclusive hiring, now onboarding women with career gaps. 🟢 ReBoot Accel – Upskills and supports women returning after breaks. 🟢 HerKey (formerly Sheroes) – Job matching + mentorship for women restarting. 🟢 Second Innings by TCS – For experienced professionals on career sabbaticals. 🟢 LinkedIn Career Break Feature – Now lets you proudly add your break to your timeline. These aren’t “favours.” They’re corrections to a system that forgot that life happens. If you’re in hiring, ask this instead: → “What did you grow through during your time away?” → “How can we help you transition back smoothly?” Let’s build workplaces that respect life’s pauses, not punish them. 📌 Final Thought: A career break is not a step backwards. It’s often the bravest decision someone makes to care for their health, family, or sanity. If we truly believe in potential, diversity, and inclusion, we must stop treating career gaps like character flaws. The future of work isn’t just about skills. It’s about compassion. And the best workplaces will be the ones that see the whole person, not just the timeline. 📌 P.S.: The gap doesn’t define the candidate. Their comeback does. 👏 Respect the break. 👏 Hire the potential. 👏 Normalise humanity in hiring.

Early in my career, when I shared the story of a workshop that completely bombed (an email announcing layoffs arrived in everyone's inbox during day 1 lunch of a two-day program -- and I had no idea how to handle this), three women immediately reached out to share their own "disaster" stories. We realized we'd all been carrying shame about normal learning experiences while watching men turn similar setbacks into compelling leadership narratives about risk-taking and resilience. The conversation that we had was more valuable than any success story I could have shared. As women, we are stuck in a double-bind: we are less likely to share our successes AND we are less likely to share our failures. Today, I'm talking about the latter. Sharing failure stories normalizes setbacks as part of growth rather than evidence of inadequacy. When we women are vulnerable about their struggles and what they learned, it creates permission for others to reframe their own experiences. This collective storytelling helps distinguish between individual challenges and systemic issues that affect many women similarly. Men more readily share and learn from failures, often turning them into evidence of their willingness to take risks and push boundaries. Women, knowing our failures are judged more harshly, tend to hide them or frame them as personal shortcomings. This creates isolation around experiences that are actually quite common and entirely normal parts of professional development. Open discussion about setbacks establishes the expectation that failing is not only normal but necessary for success. It builds connection and community among women who might otherwise feel alone in their struggles. When we reframe failures as data and learning experiences rather than shameful secrets, we reduce their power to limit our future risk-taking and ambition. Here are a few tips for sharing and learning from failure stories: • Practice talking about setbacks as learning experiences rather than personal inadequacies • Share what you learned and how you've applied those lessons, not just what went wrong • Seek out other women's failure stories to normalize your own experiences • Look for patterns in women's challenges that suggest systemic rather than individual issues (and then stop seeing systemic challenges as personal failures!) • Create safe spaces for honest conversation about struggles and setbacks • Celebrate recovery and growth as much as initial success • Use failure stories to build connection and mentorship relationships with other women We are not the sum of our failures, but some of our failures make us more relatable, realistic, and ready for our successes. So let's not keep them to ourselves. #WomensERG #DEIB #failure

Every day, I speak with multiple businesses across Australia about getting more women into tech... but what about the ones who are leaving? Tech is an industry of innovation, problem-solving, and huge opportunity, yet we’re still losing women every year! From speaking to multiple women each and every week, here’s what I’m hearing; 👉 Many women are still hitting the glass ceiling. They see their peers being promoted over them, despite equal (or greater) experience and impact. Without visibility, sponsorship, and a clear path to leadership, many start questioning if the industry is worth it. 👉 Cultural issues, from microaggressions to being the only woman in the room, many feel unheard and undervalued. 👉 The pressure to overperform just to be seen, combined with outdated workplace policies, is pushing women out. Flexible work, parental leave, and psychological safety aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re essentials. 👉 Women don’t just need advice; they need decision-makers advocating for them in rooms they’re not in. Without that, climbing the ladder becomes exhausting. I’ve spent over 12 years working in tech recruitment, hosting panels with some of the most brilliant women in the industry, and running Sisterhood Club to create spaces where women can thrive in tech. I know this problem isn’t going away unless leaders step up. That’s exactly why I started: The Big Sister Mentorship Program – connecting women with senior leaders who advocate for them, not just advise them. Career Confidence Podcast – featuring real conversations on career growth, leadership, and what it really takes to succeed. Workshops & Sisterhood Socials – because women need spaces to upskill, connect, and support each other in an industry that still isn’t designed for them. We must acknowledge that Retention is just as important as attraction. Are you ensuring women have clear career growth opportunities? Are your workplace policies built for everyone? Are you actively advocating for and sponsoring women in your teams? Tech needs women. And not just at the entry level; we need them leading, innovating, and shaping the future. What else can be done to keep women in the tech industry? Let me know your thoughts

Despite equal talent, women still face unequal access to networks, capital, and visibility. That’s why women-only spaces matter. I used to wonder why “women-only” events exist. After attending a few, here’s what I learned: 💜 People shared salary strategies and feedback candidly- no performance tax. ✔️ Mentors and sponsors formed quickly because the trust barrier was lower. 🙍♀️ Women practiced high‑stakes conversations without the double bind. Key takeaways: ✔️ Mixed rooms aren’t always neutral. Women still experience more interruptions and higher standards to prove competence, often with lower pay. When we provide these spaces, we create: 😊 Psychological safety → honest conversations, real problem‑solving, and tangible outcomes (open salary talk, tough‑conversation practice, real sponsors). 📞 Dense networks → mentorship, sponsorship, and role models at every level. Founders meet investors without the performance tax, and mentors can be direct about the playbook. Leaders: fund and legitimize them. Allies: support outcomes and referrals. Organizers: share takeaways so the whole org benefits. #supportwomen #mentorship #boss #leadership

How can we make it easier for women to come back from a career-break?  When it comes to supporting women re-entering the workforce, I’ve been reflecting on what I could do better, what I wish I had done, and how the future might shape-up.  In my opinion, career breaks should not be treated as a gap but as an opportunity to uplift someone.  1. 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 = 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 101 Years ago, I saw a Tanishq ad that stayed with me: Motherhood is like running your own startup—demanding and never-ending. It captured the emotional whirlwind mothers face when leaving their child to return to work. Mothers are incredible multitaskers. As leaders, we should see their career breaks not as gaps but as upskilling opportunities. 2. 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 > 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬  My cousin, a reputed lawyer and mother of two, returned to work thanks to her law firm's excellent childcare facility. She could focus on her career while staying close to her child. Such a simple and novel initiative!  Imagine how many talented women could return if more workplaces offered such support. 3. 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 One of my team members was able to come back to mainstream work after a gap of 10 years because of the hybrid work model. Women working in a hybrid set-up have the opportunity to do justice to their jobs as ones working from office full time. It’s an incredible support for women juggling family and work.  This is an opportunity, depending on role (non customer facing), that many organisations can adopt.  4. 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 > 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐬  I have seen women who don’t want to have kids because of the fear of giving up their career or not having someone take care of their little one. This is a tough balancing act indeed!  It makes me reflect on how society still expects women to shoulder the bulk of parenting responsibilities.  In hindsight, I wish I had done more—be it creating childcare facilities or helping more women in the healthcare space come back after a career break.  But as leaders, we have the chance to course-correct and build workplaces where women feel empowered to return, thrive, and succeed.  📌 How can companies improve their facilities to support women?  📌 Have you come across such instances in your organisation?  ♻️Repost to encourage more women to come back from their career break and more companies to relook at their policies.

Career breaks are often cited as permanent pauses in your career. It is important to establish a changed mindset that a career break is not a blank space on your CV. It’s a chapter. Whether it's for family, caring for loved ones, a personal pursuit, or simply needing time to recharge, stepping away from your career is a significant decision. The change in routine, the questioning of your identity, the feeling of being disconnected – it may seem exhausting. A lot of women, including me, experienced this during their maternity break. And then returning to work after a break seems challenging too. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and lost. But here's the powerful truth we need to embrace - " career break," is not a gap on your CV. It's a new chapter filled with experiences that have shaped you, strengthened you, and given you a perspective that's uniquely yours. You've learned invaluable skills, navigated complex encounters, and developed resilience that will serve you well in the future. So how do we normalize taking career breaks and support those on their journey? Here are a few thoughts: 💠 Preparing for a break: Have open conversations with your manager, family, and support network. Think about how you'll stay connected to your industry – even if it's just reading articles or attending occasional events. Most importantly, give yourself grace. This is time for you. 💠 Returning to work: Start small. Reconnect with your network – reach out to former colleagues, mentors, or industry contacts. Update your skills and don't be afraid to ask for help. Remember: Your experiences during your break are valuable assets. 💠 Providing the right environment to return to work: Companies must provide the right environment, tool, resources, and support system for employees to transition back to work, for example, after a long maternity break. Employee resource groups, support from male allies are perfect examples of these mechanisms and help build an equal, inclusive workplace. 💠 Supporting each other: Let's create a culture of support and understanding. Celebrate the diverse paths women take and recognize the strength and resilience it takes to navigate career breaks. Let's mentor, sponsor, and champion each other. Let's share our stories, lift each other up, and keep walking forward together. #KeepWalking #WomenInBusiness #CareerBreak 

When I was navigating my own #careercomeback, I often wished for someone I could talk to about my challenges. Someone who understood where I was coming from and could help me find clarity and strength. That's why I recently offered a 1:1 chat with women returners as a way of giving back and providing support. Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with "M," who specifically sought clarity as she embarked on her own #careercomeback journey. M is a mother of two young boys and made the decision to leave her corporate job to take care of her kids while her husband works long hours on-site. During our conversation, M shared her multitude of ideas - she wanted to return to work to support her family financially, she had aspirations of starting her own business, and she was considering freelancing. However, with the responsibility of caring for her small children and without any household help, she found it challenging to strike a balance. As a mother myself, I could deeply relate to M's story, and we discussed several key points: 1. Honoring our season as a mother: I encouraged M to embrace and enjoy the time spent caring for her young children. They have ever-changing needs that demand attention and care, and it's important to cherish these moments. I assured her that before she knows it, they will have grown, and she will have more time to pursue her own dreams. 2. Being realistic about finances: We delved the importance of studying her finances thoroughly. Understanding her baseline financial needs would enable her to assess potential job offers more effectively. As a returnee, the goal is to get back into the workforce and then build from there. I advised her not to decline opportunities outright simply because they may not match her previous salary or position level. Each opportunity should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. 3. Leveraging her strengths: M possesses a strong background in lead generation, which is a valuable skill in today's market. We explored the idea of her offering her skills to business owners and finding her own clients instead of relying solely on gigs. While this wouldn't be an immediate solution, it's something she can continue to build upon while searching for a work-from-home job. 4. Moving past regrets and taking action: M expressed regret about not taking action on certain opportunities in the past. However, I encouraged her to let go of those regrets and focus on the present. I admired her proactive approach in scheduling our call, as it demonstrated her commitment to making a change and moving forward. To my delight, just one day after our conversation, M reached out to me with exciting news - she had already received callbacks for interviews! I couldn't be prouder of her and will continue to support and cheer her on every step of the way. ________ Are you also having challenges in your #careercomeback? Here’s the link to schedule a 1:1 chat with me: https://lnkd.in/gfYJkH2N