Hello everyone and welcome to this episode, the
Return to Work one of the Women Talking About
Learning podcast. I'm Andrew Jacobs. First of
all, I have a cold and this is why the voice
is even deeper than usual. Normal service will
be resumed quickly, I hope. Returning to work
after career break can be a daunting challenge,
particularly for women who often juggle numerous
responsibilities at home. To discuss this further,
we have two fantastic guests who talk about how
women can successfully reintegrate into the workforce.
Our first guest is Claire Maidley. Claire is
a technology trainer and learning specialist
with her lived experience of returning to work
after career transitions. She knows firsthand
what it's like to navigate confidence dips, identity
shifts, and the practical realities of stepping
back into a role. Being a guest on this podcast,
Claire wanted to help people reconnect with their
skills, making the return to work journey feel
more supported and genuinely human. Our second
guest is Joe Edgar. Joe is a freelance executive
coach and leadership trainer focusing on behavioral
change with over 20 years experience in learning
and development. Her passion lies in coaching
women who are returning to the workplace after
a career break, whether due to maternity leave,
raising a family, caring responsibilities, redundancy,
or life taking them into a different direction.
Recorded in January 2026, this is Women Talking
About Learning. This is Claire and Jo talking
about returning to work. Hi Jo, nice to have
you here. What has brought you into the conversation
today about returning to work? What's your personal
experience? Hi Claire, lovely to see you. Yeah,
it's a subject matter that I'm really interested
in. I've had a couple of return to works during
my time, my working career. One was after maternity
leave for my first daughter and then I had...
Two other daughters took an eight year career
gap. So it's something I'm passionate about.
And I know that some of the difficulties that
women face when they've taken a career break
and then go back to the working environment.
And what made you choose this subject as well?
Yeah, very similar experiences as yourself, Jo.
Many different returns to work. And I feel that
it does very much impact women especially. Just
feeling the other side now of that big 5 -0 and
many, I think it's about four or five different
returns to work that what I experienced and if
it can help anyone else on their path, I'm all
for it. Yeah, definitely. If it could just help
one person, you feel like you've made a really
good impact. So what do you, what? What's the
main struggles, do you think, that women in particular
face when they return? I think it does affect
women a lot more as parents. I think because
they're normally the sole sort of care provider.
I think confidence through my coaching work and
the women that I've spoken to. Confidence seems
to be the really big one. Imposter syndrome,
thinking though I've been out the workplace,
am I good enough? Can I be able to do the things
that I used to do, especially if women are in
a more senior position? They're worried about
those lack of skills. I think technology again
is a big one. People just assume that technology's
moved on so much, whereas in fact... In fact,
most offices use Microsoft and Word and PowerPoint
and Excel, and they're just as much the same
as they were 10, 15 years ago. I mean, obviously,
AI is a big, scary sounding word. If you've been
out the workplace for a while, get your head
around that. In fact, these things aren't making
that much of a big difference as they would have
done when women were working there before. I
couldn't agree more. And I have firsthand experience
of that, you know, being in tech training and
sort of L &D space, you know, had a career break.
Well, I did a mixture in between. Having a career
break and out of IT training particularly had
that massive fear. And as you said, funnily enough,
you go back and not. that much has changed. Yes,
we are still using Microsoft Office. Yes, the
interfaces might have changed slightly. Yes,
some other processes might have come in, but
there I suppose it is just about. perhaps upskilling
or building that confidence but we put that fear
don't we in place about the imposter syndrome
that you suggested exactly we all have it and
think that everything is much bigger and scarier
than it actually really is and that is one first
-hand experience I have had and I've had that
fairly recently I turn returned back to the you
know IT training tech training world yeah I'm
only the past few years and of course I'm sitting
there thinking AI oh i don't know anything and
we've got to really think actually we use a lot
of ai in so many things that we do in day -to
-day life and probably don't even realize that
we do that so there is it is only just a piece
of software and we can all learn it and it is
just that part that you know that taking away
the fear factor and you know there's so many
things i suppose we can do to help ourselves
as well yeah and you know what what helped What
helped you perhaps build that sort of self -confidence
up a little bit or, you know? Take that fear
factor down a level or two. Yeah, I think it's
about breaking it down because sometimes it feels
like a mountain, doesn't it, in front of you.
Whereas you've just got to take it step by step
and break it down into small bits. So I think
if you've spent a long time out of the workplace
and maybe because you've had children and you've
decided to wait until they start school or they're
a bit older. Some of the things that I did when
I took my eight year career break was I helped
out. I did some voluntary work. So I did some
work around the school. I did some fundraising
for guide dogs. I also joined the school parents
association to the PTA. And I worked as a secretary
as a PTA for a couple of years. And that just
helped build up my confidence. You can do things
like maybe be a school governor, maybe think
about your network as well around the school.
whatever area you're in um other parents can
they help support you maybe have chats with previous
work colleagues to find out what the working
environment's like you know how it is at that
time and think about sort of is there a new network
that you can get involved in so all these things
i just think help just build just your confidence
and think about what transferable skills have
you developed during that time while you've been
off work i mean you know as parents we have we're
great organizational skills we have to sort of
juggle things that we need to get done getting
school Children off to school, maybe getting
them to clubs and stuff. Household budgets, we're
budgeting monies. That's not hugely different
to managing a budget in the workplace. So it's
all these skills, negotiation. There's lots of
different areas that you develop outside of the
workplace that you can bring into the workplace.
And I think it's also looking at maybe your local
college. So things like IT skills, if you are
worried about things have moved on, maybe doing
a refresher course. There's lots of adult educational.
courses that you could get involved and attend
just to boost those skills and funnily enough
that's exactly what I did years ago after the
birth of my daughter and I didn't think I didn't
think at the time that I would lose my confidence
and I took a couple of year I took a couple of
year gap and I did before I started applying
for these jobs again. I've noticed there was
a dip in my confidence. So I did attend my local
college and I attended a preparing to teach in
the lifelong learning sector. And it was a few
months course that I did on a Saturday morning.
And actually, it was fabulous because I had a
couple of hour break as well. You know, my daughter
was very young at that stage. So it was lovely.
And it filled up my confidence. And I remember
that was a... link into my first role back after
maternity that really did help so it's probably
not just the content you were covering it was
just also having to walk into a room with other
people that you didn't know and get yourself
there and ready that probably helped you with
your confidence as much as learning that topic
area as well yeah it we confirmed that I had
those skills that I then thought I didn't. And
that really did help steer me in the right directions.
And the other thing that I often thought and
felt was that I couldn't ask for help. I was
very much, you know... isolated and I think any
kind of gap in work you do feel isolated oh I
don't want to put on people everyone else is
busy how can you know and actually learning slightly
the people that perhaps can help or do not mind
or offering help take them up on it because they're
that that's what they do that's what they want
to do um but then support from friends family
or even your network that you're in and I didn't
do enough of that especially early on in my career
but now you you know you you know the people
to perhaps go and speak again to or you know
bear me in mind or could you have a quick look
over my cv yeah What did you do? You know, little
tricks and where all of that isolation comes
in and then. part of your well -being as well
you know and I think it was very important isn't
it to keep check on ourselves and one thing that
I know for myself that's always made a difference
in every return to work was setting aside like
a worry time of half an hour I would put my timer
on and I would look and I'd write everything
down that I was worried about that day and I
would basically just park it on a note on my
phone and then I'd sit there for the half an
hour and then worry about it and when it stopped
the procrastination and so that you know the
little things I think can make a big difference
sometimes yeah I totally agree with you there
one thing that I'm i do quite often is if i'm
starting to feel that overwhelm with everything
sort of filling up and a bit too much or i don't
know which way to go next is i get a flip chart
paper and loads of different color pens and i
just it's almost that brain dump it's just offloading
everything and then you can start thinking about
okay where do i go with this i think it's really
important and i think something that we would
generally do is we're not good at asking for
help or we just assume that everyone's too busy
or everyone else is just caught up in their own
lives. And I think it's really important, as
you said, to just pause sometimes and just think,
okay, who can help me? And to just sort of stop
and say, you know, I'm struggling a bit or it's
okay not to be okay 100 % of the time and we
just assume everybody else has got it all together,
but they probably haven't. They're just like
us, struggling. So I think it's great sometimes
just to sort of say to somebody, know if you've
got time for a coffee or something i'd like to
just pick your brains about You know, you work
in this industry. What was it like for you going
back to work? And I think also just offering
support to each other, because one of the things
that when I first went back after I'd had my
first daughter, I was initially a single mum
when she went back, when I went back to work
and she went to nursery and then later school,
was we used to support each other covering school
holidays. So I would have a day off, look after
my daughter and a couple of friends' children,
take them out for the day, entertain them. Then
those parents would take a day off and look after
my daughter. and maybe a couple of other people's
children. And you just do that just to help cover,
just support each other and just try and take
the pressure off. Yeah, I think, you know, again,
finding the people in the same ilk as yourself
that can really help. I remember, again, I utilised,
you know, my friends, my mum friends that would
perhaps pick up my daughter from school that
day that I was working. And it is the organisational
skills that come around, especially, you know,
motherhood is remarkable. And we are so flexible
and adaptable. And I feel that perhaps our skills
are being overlooked in the workplace. And, you
know, when we when we sit there and think about
actually what we do as project management in
the world, those skills are so transferable to
the workplace. And, you know, I also feel that,
you know, there's been a lot of, you know, perhaps
not just. Mum's returning to work, but then when
we have, maybe we've taken some time for, you
know, caregiving or redundancies come in, there's
so many different areas of why we might return
to work. And perhaps just utilising... that we
might take a different slightly different path
a lot more people now are going into you know
freelancing or taking those options and I found
the flexible option for myself was self -employment
for a little while yeah and I didn't think that
those skills would be transferable at the time
you don't realize perhaps what you're what you
are doing and you know thinking about sort of
the post pandemic as well the shift of what's
happened around We did very much well work from
home for quite a long time. And look how well
everyone did. Now the return to work is huge.
I don't know about your experience and what you've
heard, but many firms are asking that people
go into the office many more days than what they're
used to. And so, you know, I mean, there's a
common theme, isn't it? You know, three days
in the office, two from home, if you're lucky.
Or it is actually more of a push to return to
that office environment. I think that that is
a back step, perhaps in the wrong way. And it
certainly doesn't support, you know, women, especially
when they have younger children. They're missing
a trick as far as I'm concerned. What's your
thoughts? Yeah, totally agree with you. I think,
as you say, when we were in pandemic, it was
solely working from home. And then we went to
that majority of days working from home. If you're
in industries, obviously, if you're in something
like hospitality and retail, you had to 100 %
be there. But otherwise, you were maybe working.
in more days from home than in the office. And
now there is that total shift where it might
be full time back in the office or maybe only
one day from home. It's really shifted round.
And I think that's the thing is it makes it really
limited for parents. doing that juggle of childcare.
If you've got, you're working from home, you
haven't got that time you'd normally spend on
a commute, which might be half an hour to an
hour. So you can gain that in a day working.
And I think it just puts so much more pressure.
And I think organisations maybe should look at
more outcome focused. So what is it you need
to get done? What is it that your objectives,
your KPIs, what results do they want to see?
And I think as long as people are doing that
and achieving that, we're grownups. want to do
it we want to achieve we want to achieve those
outcomes then that's okay having people just
sat in the office from nine to five nine to six
just for the feel sometimes like just for the
sake of it isn't beneficial to our work -life
balance to our mental health and it makes it
so difficult for working parents maybe sometimes
just working mums but also working fathers as
well to be able to juggle that and do that and
I think from my last job about three years ago
I got made redundant and I was working part -time
I was working two to three days a week and I
was looking around for other part -time opportunities
and they just weren't there and it just makes
it really difficult and that was one of the reasons
why I went freelance it was something that I'd
always wanted to do some point in my career and
it was the ideal opportunity to just do it but
one of the reasons that forced my hand was because
there weren't the flexible opportunities available.
I couldn't 100 % agree with you more than that,
that there's not that flexibility and having
the companies that they're missing an opportunity
where people are working from home. Many, many
people talk to me very much openly about being
able to concentrate more, being able to produce
more and a better output when they are less distracted.
working from home rather than in an office environment.
And we need to be there to support many different
people. But the fear factor does come in, doesn't
it, about you saying that your hand was forced.
Yes, you would always like to have done freelancing,
but it was forced in that situation. And that,
I think, is still a big fear factor, that big
leap, isn't it, into going into freelancing.
You know, it is how can we as women help and
support each other have you got any networks
around that you utilize perhaps in that free
world yeah i mean there's lots of um women -focused
networks i'm on a couple of whatsapp groups that
women focus networks and they really do support
each other so if you put in something you're
struggling with people just offer so much support
in those networks and i think it's about utilizing
them and just having that understanding and i'm
just sort of hope that can help feed into that
working environment. Because especially for some
industries as well, I mean, children get sick,
we get sick, and there's that pressure that,
oh God, I've got to come into the office. You
know, what do I do? I don't want to have to phone
up my line manager and say, my child's not well,
I can't come into work. And it's that. That fear
that if you keep doing that, am I going to lose
my job? Is there going to be a problem? So I
think we just need to sort of help each other
out a bit more, think about what networks, how
we can get support and just be able to feel more
comfortable about having those open conversations
in our workplace, about speaking to our line
managers to say that I'm struggling a bit at
the moment. This is all a bit much. Can I just
have a break? Can we look at my working hours?
Is there something different I can do? Working
together with our own partners and saying, maybe
if I have a day where you take on the childcare
today, I can work longer hours today. And then
when you need to do work longer hours, I can
sort of maybe set days a week or something where
you say, well. I'll support you this day if you
support me another day, but also with other working
parents as well as much as possible. I think
it's so important to have that community around
you because a lot of us now don't live where
our parents live or we don't have family maybe
living close to us. A lot of us are in that sandwich
generation where we're caring for elderly parents
as well as... caring for our children as well
and we sort of pulled in all directions and then
one we still want to go to work we've still got
those skills and we want to work working gives
us a sense of purpose we want to have that achievement
so just getting that balance right so having
the the balance trying to look at what network
we've got what community we can use perhaps put
in other what other things could we perhaps put
into into place and think about maybe in the
workplace having women's groups so you can maybe
a mentor program so other people that have gone
through taking career breaks and gone into the
workplace or taking time out that have returned
to work they can sort of mentor people that just
go through that experience and sharing their
experiences so i suppose that does come back
to what what can the workplace do to support
and I think that again is a big gap yeah you
know we are very much brought back into the workforce
perhaps and it is what a day or two perhaps of
an induction of some kind and then off you go
so yeah having those support groups within a
firm so mentoring having a sort of a buddy or
someone that you could go to yeah or but enabling
that to happen you know I think sometimes you
know those programs are there but are they utilized
enough and I think yeah that what yeah what what
can I think maybe finding out as well yeah has
in place there was a when I returned to work
after My daughter, I've always assumed that perhaps
if she had a big medical appointment and I was
going to be not available for a couple of hours,
that I had to take half a day's annual leave
or something. Finding out if there's any caregiver
leave. Yeah. In practical things like that, there
was a five day caregiver leave. If you had something
important, you know, if your child was really
ill or something like that in place, I didn't
even realise that that was available. we're saying
about very much of career breaks and and especially
women we've got to touch on the subject of you
know menopause as well yeah definitely that perhaps
as well is is missing and i know that there's
a big thing looked into that and we're talking
about returning to work as well but you know
people return to work for many different reasons
and you know especially you know the neurodiverse
you know section of our community as well how
are they supported what you know I think there's
a lot more workplace can do it's just finding
out what um but as individuals finding out what
is there and and unasking I think is that yeah
I think that's a big thing is we don't always
ask So we need to, there's no harm asking the
question. We might not get the answer that we're
necessarily looking for. But if we ask the question
and enough people ask the question, then hopefully
workplaces will look at what can they do? What
do they need to do to evolve? So I think it's
about evolving and moving forward. I mean, you
had a more recent sort of return to work when
you went freelance back in -house. Was there
anything particularly your organisation did to
support you with that? There is some support.
I think there always could be more. And that
is perhaps if we find gaps, perhaps offer suggestions.
Because every company wants to get better at
this. So if you're offering to maybe set up a
work group in -house and you're prepared to do
that, they're going to be there saying, thank
you very much. And it is sometimes just that,
oh, let's go and have a half hour chat about
something and what's on your mind and how we
can support each other. But there certainly is
more I think every firm can do. And I think they
are aware of this too. So if we can offer suggestions,
I always think there will be uptake. Yeah, I
love the idea of being more proactive and actually
sort of asking and suggesting as well. workplaces
are getting a lot better and I think definitely
from my first when I returned from my first career
break that's over 20 years ago now so I think
workplaces are very different in supporting and
there are some schemes out there as well where
almost like a sort of internment turn sort of
program where organizations are doing a set amount
of weeks or time where they're offering return
to work programs so I think there's more that
is available if people can search for it and
find it and I think it is about developing those
skills to make us feel feel more confident to
go back into the workplace. And like you say,
it's very different reasons. It could be redundancy
from looking after ill parents. It could be returning
from maternity leave. So there's lots of different
reasons why people take that break and then decide
to go back into the workplace. And I think, especially
when we talk about sort of more mature women,
we're talking about sort of ourselves being into
our 50s and thinking about all those skills that
we've got that we can give to workplaces and
what we've got to offer that make a make. us
more effective in the workplace. So organisations
maybe can help all of us return, maybe in a more
sustainable way, that the retention is going
to be there, but perhaps getting it all on the
level of making us feel a bit more human about
that return, building on the confidence. You
know, we, I was lucky enough during... my look
for a return to work at one stage and reaching
out for some coaching I knew that would help
me I always felt that was out of my reach and
It was something that wasn't at my level that
I would get in a workplace. And so it was actually
from a woman's community that someone was trying
to build up their hours and fabulously offered
some support. And I didn't know where to start
in coaching. And I've got to say. it was invaluable
to me. So it's looking and finding those areas
that perhaps could be low cost, no cost, things
that would actually support you. And talking
about other skills and especially sort of the
tech side, we've got to think about how much
tech has come forward and how much we can self
-serve ourself as well. So I did a lot of LinkedIn
learning, for instance, looking at YouTube. I
remember, you know, during the pandemic, you
know, we couldn't have people in our house to
fix our washing machines. I remember looking
it up on YouTube and having a riot old laugh
doing it. Well, I did fix that washing machine
at a time that was really needed. Well done.
Very proud of that moment. And it's finding...
the things that are there for you know at a low
cost yeah and you know thinking about on top
of our sort of routine and day -to -day where
what we would do to help ourselves and and realize
I suppose part of it actually it's a really hard
process we know that when we're in it we forget
perhaps how hard it is and what we can do to
help ourselves then we end up in that big circle
of beating ourselves up and our confidence dropping
and all the things that we don't want to happen
sometimes do. And so checking on ourselves, I
think, is massively important. You know, I mentioned
about that sort of worry time, perhaps making
a routine, keeping to it. But the biggest thing
that I think people are missing as well when
they're in that horrible space is actually a
bit of self -compassion. Yeah. Realising it is
hard. Do you know what? I am going to find my
confidence dip a bit. What can I do about it?
But just giving ourselves that bit of self -compassion,
I think sometimes does really help us as well.
Definitely. And I think a couple of things came
to mind as you were saying that. And I think
it's our mindset. We can think of all, we can
always think of a hundred reasons why not to
do something, but we just need to push ourselves
and think about, okay, what's the worst that
could happen if I, if I did this and just do
one thing and just think of one thing probably
each. that today I'm going to try and it might
not work out but hopefully it will and if you
think enough times you're going to start doing
things that are going to work out and just to
put yourself out there and that will help you
gain confidence to move forward and I think I
love your idea of the coach of coaching as well
and gaining that when I took a break and I mean
I'm a qualified coach but I hadn't coached for
a while because I hadn't been in the workplace
environment and when I was thinking about getting
back into it I was offering coaching to people
that I knew people at school friends that maybe
been redundant be made redundant so I was doing
anything I could to increase my coaching skills
and again gain my confidence just to try and
get over that imposter syndrome as well that
I was suffering from so I think we need to think
about how we can sort of change our mindset to
think okay I'm going to give this a try and talking
about freelancing and the fear of going into
that I will jump on that and say absolutely give
it a go what's the worst can happen And took
me, when I was looking for a flexible role, I
did return to work and then thought because of
the lack of flexibility and the fear factor at
the time when my daughter was very young, being
so far away, if something happened, I wasn't
close enough. There were so many different areas
that made me feel uncomfortable that I wanted
to go into the freelance world. And I looked
at various options at the time. It was a rant.
thing that happened I went to a baby class with
my daughter when she was very young under a year
and it was very much there was you know bubbles
parachutes and songs and you know we've all probably
been to one of those but it was great fun and
I just remember sitting there on that first one
going I could do that that would be brilliant
fun and at the time I thought okay could I utilize
and do something like that use my transferable
skills in training and perhaps run a baby class
of sorts. I looked at franchises, funny enough,
first off, because I thought, oh, that'd be great.
It all could be set up and I could have my area.
That fell through. And I remember I was in tears.
I was absolutely gutted. But on the flip side
of that, I thought, I can do that. I've got all
the skills to be able to put a class together.
How would I run a business? Let me find out about...
So it fueled me to actually... then start it
up on my own which I did for a while and I did
it for many years it was fantastic oh brilliant
and then got government contracts there was always
there was always little ways yeah But I always
parked that thinking it was something I did as
a mum to bring in some pennies. When I did return
and, you know, back into the industry world,
and we talked about that, especially in interviews,
they were like, well, that was fantastic. But
I didn't realise the skills that were so much
transferred. We underestimate ourselves so much
as women, I think. That was a great way. your
environment that would you and and we all talk
about the you know if you have something you
want to do they're having that passion behind
something it will drive you but sometimes you've
also got to make sure that the ends meet somehow
so when another life occurrence you know and
I needed to think about getting more money in
I also ran the baby classes that were clearly
not particularly, you know, income heavy. And
then I started to do some other freelance work
and associate work for learning and development.
And so I did various amounts of different jobs.
I think that's what built up that sort of flexibility
and built it around what I needed to at the time.
And it was hard, but great fun. But it did exactly
what I wanted to do. So it's just finding those
different little areas and in exploring them
and having, I suppose, what that grit, determination
and that, you know, just keep going. Because
what is the worst that can happen? And for instance,
my fear was no one's going to turn up to my baby
class. What have I done? And it wasn't the case
at all. I offered free trials. There was always,
you know, there was groups that I, you know,
offered out and to, you know, any kind of sort
of tech networking space at the time. It worked.
And then, of course, you well know, again, in
that sort of freelancing space and in any environment,
I think it's that word of mouth. If someone's
looking for, for instance, a fabulous coach like
Jo, then people that you've coached around, it's
like, well, yeah, do you know what? I've had
coaching with Jo and it was fabulous. It's those
kind of things. Word of mouth and just keeping
that sort of community open really helped. And
that made me think about something I did for
a short while. I did pottery painting parties
just because it was convenient. I could do it
a weekend when my husband was around to do childcare.
So that was all fine. So, yeah, I did that for
a little while. And I think it is that determination.
It was like I wanted to do something. And it
wasn't necessarily for me because I had a group
of children, but I wanted to do something. And
I think sometimes we have to think what's right
for us for now. We might not be what we want
to do for our long term career. but that works
for now and that's okay. And like you say, when
you went for interviews, you could talk about
lots of skills that you used for what you were
doing then and they were transferable as well.
So I think we need to look at it sort of like
chapters in our life where we do, this is right
for now. In five years time, I might be in a
different situation. I'll do something different
then because that will work better for me then.
So I think it's about reviewing and just not
beating ourselves up that we have to have everything
all at once because that doesn't always work.
We have mum guilt and everything else. And it's
just, just take a step back, do what's right
for now. Focus on that work -life balance, I
think is really important. And, you know, we
often think that everyone has got it all together
and there's no one in the world that does everything
all together. It is not the case, is it? And
I think just realising that we all are spinning
so many different plates all the time and, you
know, and it's just reality. Yeah. you're right
something might not work right now or it does
but it's what right now is what really matters
isn't it be in the moment and i think yeah we
just achieve everyone's got those instagram lovely
looking lives and it's just not not at all so
yeah just do the best you can with what you where
you are right now you know i think returning
to to work is it's not at that single moment
is it it is a complete and utter roller coaster
that touches every aspect of our world and i
think anything any of us can do to help is always
you know of benefit for any person out there
whether you know we're women and you've got to
think about men as well you know there's completely
different pressures as well surrounding them
so perhaps a podcast around men men into work
at some stage beneficial Because men take career
breaks. Men go through redundancy. They take
time out. They have to then return to work. So,
yeah, I think definitely. And I think just kind
of finishing off on the subject of returning
to work, I think returning to work does give
us a sense of purpose. It's really good sometimes,
I think, to just push ourselves out of our comfort
zones, give us those challenges. And I think
that's what makes us grow as women and to just
take a chance and just try it. And sometimes
when you go back through into work and it feels
like really hard to get into the workplace because
you have to drop children off at childcare. But
once you get into the office, you can achieve
something. You can grow as a person. And it is
just getting into that new routine. So what feels
really different for the first and really hard
for the first couple of weeks, in six months'
time when you got back into that routine, becomes
a lot more your new normal as well. Yeah, I think
returning to work is certainly something that
is... not going back to the person you were before,
whether it be a mum returning to work, whether
it be through redundancy, a career break. Even
travel, if you're fortunate enough to. Whatever
break you've had, you are not going back to the
person you were before. It's all about, I suppose,
moving forward with everything that you have
gained. It's part of life, isn't it? It's part
of us growing as people and moving forward. And
I think just keeping that open conversation real
with everyone and asking what their experience
is and not forgetting to ask for help. Yeah,
and being brave and to sort of say when you're
struggling. then you need a bit more support.
It's been a really great conversation. It has
been. Thank you so much for your time, Jo. I
really appreciate it. No, it's been great to
learn more about you, Claire, as well. Thank
you. This is such an interesting listen. We love
the advice our guest said. Remember to break
down the process into small steps, ask for help
when needed and utilise practical techniques
to manage anxiety. With these strategies, women
can successfully navigate their return to work
and thrive in their careers. A massive thank
you to Claire and Joe for their time and you'll
find all their details along with links to the
subjects they spoke about in the show notes.
Please do remember to like and subscribe to the
podcast on your podcast player. It does make
a real difference in helping people find and
recommend us. We're looking for guests for our
next block of topics. Check these out on our
website, and if you're interested, please get
in touch via email to hello at lan .com. We'll
be back in a couple of weeks. Next time, it's
the grief one. As always, thank you for listening,
and we'll see you again soon.