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Susan White (00:02)
Women do not stop developing professionally during a career break. Many gain experience in leadership, conflict resolution for sure, crisis management, resilience, budgeting, prioritization, communication–and here’s the big one– emotional intelligence.

JoDee Curtis (00:22)
Welcome to The JoyPowered® Workspace Podcast, where we help people leaders embrace joy in the workplace. I’m JoDee Curtis, owner of Purple Ink, an HR consulting and talent development firm. Joining me is my co-host and dear friend Susan White, the owner of Susan Tinder White Consulting, also an HR consulting firm. Susan is also a senior executive collaborator for Purple Ink.

Our topic today is taking a break or a career pause. I’ve known several women over the years who took time off to raise a family. Although Susan and I never did this ourselves, I have been intrigued to find out more as I saw many of these women lose their confidence and/or return to the workforce in lower-level positions and/or in roles with a much lower salary.

There are many reasons to do this, so my intention is not to judge or determine what is right or wrong, but I do want to provide a positive angle for those women who are thinking they might return to work and also, or also considering taking a break, and also to employers who might be interviewing or hiring them.

Susan White (01:52)
A 2025 study examining the psychological mindset of women during and after career breaks found that returning women frequently experience diminished self-confidence, imposter syndrome–which we’ve all heard about–anxiety, and concerns about workplace reintegration. The authors concluded that mentorship, upskilling opportunities, and organizational support can significantly improve the transition back into work.

JoDee Curtis (02:20)
A qualitative study by Amy Valente titled “Back on the Career Path: A Qualitative Study of Employment Transitions for Women Who Take a Career Break and Their Re-entry Experiences,” — that’s a long title. She found that returning after extended childcare-related career breaks identified five recurring themes: self-assurance, anxiety, surprise, growth, and renewal. And researchers found that many women underestimated the value of the growth they experience while away from traditional employment. The study also found that maintaining professional networks and skills during a career break improves re-entry success.

Susan White (03:11)
A 2024 scoping review published in Behavioral Sciences analyzed 52 studies and concluded that mothers continue to face systemic barriers, including salary disadvantages, hiring discrimination, reduced advancement opportunities, and stricter performance expectations. Researchers highlighted the continuing impact of the motherhood penalty on women’s career progression and leadership opportunities. And that source of that study, in case people want to go back and research it, is “The Impact of Motherhood on Women’s Career Progression: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Interventions,” that came out in 2024.

JoDee Curtis (03:51)
Recent workforce analysis identified in a 2025 article titled “R for Return to Work: Why Women Struggle to Re-enter the Workforce,” indicates that women returning after caregiving-related career breaks are often less likely to be hired despite having comparable qualifications. Many return in lower-level or lower paying positions, creating a significant career and earnings setback.

Susan White (04:24)
Well, that’s crummy. And the fact is, most women say they want to return to work. Research consistently shows that the majority of highly educated stay-at-home mothers intend to return to paid employment. One study, the Back on the Career Path qualitative study, found that ninety-three percent wanted to return, but only seventy-four percent successfully made the transition back into the workforce.

JoDee Curtis (04:50)
Yeah, that’s interesting. And a recent Forbes article highlighted the growth of returnship programs, which I had not heard of, but they are designed specifically for experienced professionals returning after extended career breaks. And these programs provide paid opportunities, mentorship, skills refreshment, professional networking, and pathways to permanent employment. The article noted that returnships help women rebuild skills, confidence, and professional networks simultaneously.

Susan White (05:30)
Interestingly, JoDee, you know, I’m a retiree of JPMorgan Chase. They have a returnship. So if you’re out there listeners, you’re trying to say, well, who’s doing this? Take a look at JPMorgan Chase’s.

JoDee Curtis (05:41)
Yeah, nice, nice.

Susan White (05:43)
Yeah. And you know, honestly, I loved the remark you made early into this about people tend to underestimate the skills that they are gaining when they’re out of the workforce. So multiple recent articles have emphasized that women do not stop developing professionally during a career break. Many gain experience in leadership, conflict resolution for sure, especially if you’re staying home with family members, crisis management, resilience, budgeting, prioritization, communication–and here’s the big one–emotional intelligence. These strengths are often underappreciated by both employers and the women themselves.

JoDee Curtis (06:21)
Yeah, I agree. I agree. So I interviewed six different women. Not exactly a scientific study, but I reached out to some people, and not all of whom I knew, because I put it on LinkedIn. And I got two HR professionals, a nurse, a banker, and two who worked in technology to get their perspective about returning to work after taking time away to raise a family. And one of the first things that stood out was how different each journey was.

One of the women stepped away for two years, but others were out of full-time workforce for 10, 12, and even 15 years. Some of them always assumed they would return, and others thought they might never go back. And yet, even with those differences, several clear themes emerged.

One important theme was that a career break rarely means a person has stopped learning, growing, or contributing. And that’s what you just mentioned, Susan. Nadine talked about how motherhood deepened her ability to connect with children and families in her nursing role. And Terri described becoming much more strategic with her time.

Peggy talked about resilience, adaptability, and learning through stretching into new professional spaces. And Kristin described raising children, managing a household, volunteering, organizing, solving problems, and learning constantly during her time away. She also said those experiences translated into prioritization, budgeting, emotional intelligence, resilience, and the ability to keep multiple things moving with limited resources.

Another strong theme was that the world of work had changed. Of course, right? It’s changed for all of us, but especially in technology. So Nadine took a nursing refresher course to get back up to speed with new systems. Peggy brushed up on her Microsoft Office and LinkedIn skills. One of them went back to school, even, because she had lost confidence and her ability to work in tech again. And Kristin, I thought was profound when she said, “the internet happened while I stayed at home.” So when she left the workforce, software was still tied to servers, installs, and traditional IT processes. But when she returned, most everything had moved online.

The entire way people worked, communicated, and solved problems had changed. But what I loved in these responses is that technology was not an impossible barrier for any of them. It was a learning curve. It required support, curiosity, and patience, but it was learnable. And that is such an important message, I think, for anyone considering a return. The confidence may have changed, but your ability to learn has not disappeared.

Susan White (09:46)
I love that. Confidence also showed up in interesting ways. Some women expected to feel less confident, but were surprised to find they had more confidence than anticipated. Others felt confident in their abilities, but unsure about updated tools, workplace language, or systems.

Kristin said the bigger issue was not whether she could learn, it was whether she could trust herself while learning in front of other people. You know what it’s hard not to be the, you know, the boss, right? Or not to be the leader after having done it in prior lives and having done it in and outside of work. She also described feeling like every question might confirm someone else’s doubt about her, even though people who never left the workplace ask questions all the time. You know, she felt more vulnerable. That feels like a really important point.

Career returners may not need to be fixed. They may need to be reminded that asking questions is normal, ramp up time is normal, and not knowing the newest tool or acronym does not erase years of judgment, capability, and experience.

JoDee Curtis (10:52)
Yeah, love that. Another powerful theme was flexibility. For several of the women, the goal was not necessarily to return to the highest paying role or climb the ladder as quickly as possible. their goal was to find work that fit the season of life they were in. Nadine, the nurse, chose an office clinic setting, which had lower pay, but she now had a stronger value of life balance. Terri was surprised by the amount of work-life balance she was given and by how much more acceptable working from home had become.

Peggy was very intentional about looking for flexible work. And Kristin returned through part-time technology work at first and was willing to make trade-offs because she wanted the opportunity, the flexibility, the experience and the chance to restart her career in technology. Another woman returned part-time only because senior leadership felt it wouldn’t work, but that they would give her the chance to prove herself. And within just a few months she was working full time.

Susan White (12:09)
Good for her. Love that. Another added a caution that I think is worth discussing. She said that she returned at roughly the same level of work, but significantly less money, and looking back, she wishes she’d had a clearer written agreement and stronger conversations about compensation and ownership. She noted that early underpayment can follow someone because it may reset how they see their own value and how others see it too.

That adds a really important business and self-advocacy angle. Returning to work may require flexibility, but flexibility should not mean that someone undervalues themselves permanently. We have to be our own agent and own advocates, especially in that return to work.

JoDee Curtis (12:57)
Support was another major factor. Nadine found a nursing manager willing to invest time in helping her get up to speed. Peggy felt supported by her team and boss as she learned new responsibilities. Terri returned to a previous employer, which helped a lot. And two of them returned to work with someone who knew them from before, and this made it much easier to get the role because that person knew they were capable.

And that raises a great question for employers. What if we stopped viewing career returners as risky hires and started viewing them as high-capacity employees who may simply need a clearer bridge back in?

And one of the themes the interview brought forward is the importance of networks, mentors, and sponsors. The hardest part of some of these transitions was not necessarily the pace or the technology, but rebuilding professional relationships and networks after being away for many years. The work is not just about the skills, it is also about those networks, sponsors, mentors, and people of who think of you when opportunities come up.

Susan White (14:20)
Your point’s really a good one, JoDee, that even if you decide “I want to step away from my career,” keep in touch with people you worked with. Keep in touch with your former mentors. Even if it’s just LinkedIn, sending a note to them every once in a while, “Thinking about you,” that can be so useful. Don’t just cut it off and assume you’re never going back because you may.

The advice these women offered to others was both, I thought, practical and encouraging. Nadine emphasized that a ten-year span is short in the context of a long working life–so very true–and expressed pride in being home with her children. Terri encouraged women to give themselves grace and reject the idea that anyone can be superhuman. Peggy advised women to consider staying connected through part-time work when possible, both to keep skills fresh and to maintain financial and professional options.

Kristin advised women not to wait until they’re ready to return before thinking about how to return. That’s really wise, right? You know, always be sticking your toe in the water, connecting with people, and when you’re really ready, you’re not starting from scratch.

Kristin suggested tracking unpaid work–this is a good idea–fundraising, organizing events, managing volunteers, serving as a treasurer, coordinating school activities, updating websites, running logistics, and supporting nonprofits because that work demonstrates real work experience and outcomes. When it’s time to recreate or update your resume, it’s so nice if you kept a folder or kept the dates or kept some of those activities, you know, at your fingertips.

JoDee Curtis (15:57)
Yeah. And for those employers, the advice was clear. Provide flexibility. Communicate expectations. Offer support. And stop assuming that a career break means someone is starting from zero. Be clear about ramp-up expectations, training, support, mentors or buddies, and what success will look like in the first 30, 60, and or 90 days. People returning from career breaks do bring education, prior work experience, life experience, and judgment.

Susan White (16:35)
Looking across all of these responses, what stands out most for us is that none of these women described their career breaks as wasted time. They didn’t think they were broken. They broke the time they were in the workplace, but it wasn’t about breaking them, it was about making them stronger. They described sacrifices and challenges, learning curves, moments of doubt, and sometimes financial trade-offs. But they also described pride, wisdom, joy, resilience, and renewed purpose. Now, are employers and hiring managers recognizing the value that they bring back with them?

JoDee Curtis (17:09)
Yeah, yeah.

So questions to think about, whether you have taken a pause and are considering getting back in the workforce, and/or whether you’re an interviewer or a leader of someone returning back to work after a pause.

So number one, why do we so often treat a resume gap as a red flag instead of asking what the person gained during that time?

Susan White (17:35)
Number two, how can women better translate unpaid work–volunteering, so school leadership, caregiving, organizing, budgeting–into language employers understand?

JoDee Curtis (17:47)
Yeah.

And asking what is the difference between needing ramp up time and just lacking capability? Because you might find frustration thinking you’re lacking capability when really you just need ramp up time. So.

Susan White (18:04)
Fair.

How can employers create a bridge back into work instead of expecting the people to jump across the gap alone?

JoDee (18:12)
Yeah, yeah. You know, I know when I hired somebody on my team who had taken a long break, I gave them no bridge. I expected they were going to bring back all the skills they had had twelve years ago immediately and no ramp up time. So shame on me for that.

Susan White (18:36)
How did that work out?

JoDee Curtis (18:37)
Well, she’s still with me.

Susan White (18:39)
Okay. All right, you got through the bumpy reentry. Yeah.

JoDee Curtis (18:42)
Right, right.

And think about what role do mentors and sponsors play for returning women returning after a break?

Susan White (18:53)
How can career returners advocate for themselves without feeling like they should just be grateful for any job they could get?

JoDee Curtis (19:00)
Yeah. And why is flexibility such a critical factor in whether someone can return successfully to work?

Susan White (19:09)
What should hiring managers stop assuming when they see a career break on a resume?

JoDee Curtis (19:15)
Yeah. And how can women stay connected professionally while they are away, even if they are not ready to return yet?

Susan White (19:24)
And finally, what can working professionals do to keep career break women in their networks rather than letting them disappear professionally?

JoDee Curtis (19:33)
Yeah, yeah. And a few takeaways for employers specifically. So look beyond that resume gap and ask what they have been doing, learning, leading, or managing during their break.

Susan White (19:49)
Provide a structured ramp up plan for the first thirty, sixty, and ninety days.

JoDee Curtis (19:54)
Assign a mentor, buddy, or sponsor.

Susan White (19:58)
Be clear about expectations and training.

JoDee Curtis (20:01)
And offer flexibility whenever possible.

Susan White (20:05)
Do not assume the person wants or deserves a lower-level role permanently.

JoDee Curtis (20:10)
Yeah. And recognize those unpaid leadership, volunteer work, and caregiving as experiences that can build transferable skills.

Susan White (20:21)
Encourage hiring managers to separate “needs updating” from “not capable.”

JoDee Curtis (20:27)
Yeah, yeah. One thing I heard in these responses is that women don’t just need permission to come back. They need a pathway back. They need someone to say, your skills still matter, your experience still matters, and you may need to learn some new tools, but you are not starting over.

Also, for women taking the break or thinking about doing so, it may feel like a professional pause, but it does not have to be a professional disappearance. That is a challenge not only to women who step away, but also to those of us still in the workforce. Are we staying connected? Are we forwarding opportunities? Are we inviting people to lunch? And are we helping them keep their confidence and language current?

Susan White (21:23)
Returning to work after raising a family or caring for loved ones in some way can be exciting, but it can also be intimidating. It can involve guilt, technology challenges, financial trade-offs, and moments of self-doubt, but can also bring renewed energy, deeper wisdom, stronger prioritization skills, and a clearer sense of what really matters in this life.

JoDee Curtis (21:46)
For women who are wondering if they can return, the answer from these stories is yes. But yes, you may need to update your skills. You may need to rebuild your network. You may need to practice talking about your value again.

And for employers, the message is just as important. Do not confuse a career break with a lack of ambition, intelligence, or capability. With the right support, clarity, flexibility, ramp up plan, career returners can bring tremendous loyalty, maturity, perspective, and talent back into the workplace. Women returning from career breaks are not starting over. They are bringing back everything they learned while they were away, and employers need to get better at seeing it.

You know, Susan, I should mention as I keep thinking as we’re talking that of course this all isn’t necessarily specific to women, but there is a greater population of women who do take a career break. So many of these things would also apply to men, but some of the research we stated at the beginning was specific to women. So yeah.

Susan White (23:10)
JoDee, it’s time for our listener question. In our prior episode where we had Anna Park talking about — one of the many people we had talking about Gen Z, Anna had mentioned that she likes being around and working with people, and that brings her joy. So how would you bring that same joy to remote employees?

JoDee Curtis (23:32)
Well, interesting — I loved this question, but what is ironic is that Anna is a remote employee. So she was still finding joy. I think there was probably an assumption that because she said she likes being around and working with people, that she was in an office. So I think point in case that people can still find this, you know.

Susan White (23:42)
True.

JoDee Curtis (24:02)
Anna still is on a lot of Zoom or Teams calls, right? And — but she’s still working with people and feels very connected to our team. In full disclosure, Anna works for Purple Ink and we’re all remote, so I think we have a strong sense of wanting to work with each other and being a part of it.

Where I do think that can be more difficult or more challenging for certain people is if a lot of people are working in the office and then you’re the remote one, right? Or you’re…

Susan White (24:41)
That’s very isolating, yes.

JoDee Curtis (24:43)
Yeah. And if you feel like you’re the odd man out. And one of my suggestions for that, which you wouldn’t have to do every time, but at least some of the times, make your meetings where everyone is on the computer, right? Or everyone — as opposed to having a meeting with 10 people and then two people dialing in remotely. I think that is what creates a… much more a sense of isolation in those situations.

Susan White (25:18)
True. And I do think it takes a whole ‘nother level of intentionality when you have remote employees by the manager to be touching them a lot, not micromanaging them, but to be checking, touching base every day, maybe sometimes more than once a day, just to get temperature readings, see how they are, to give words of affirmation, to give encouragement. I just think you – it… you need to really put more effort and energy into it when you’ve got team members that are remote so that they don’t start to feel isolated or alone.

JoDee Curtis (25:49)
Right, agree, agree.

And now it’s time for in the news. For many Americans, boredom at work may not come from a lack of things to do, but from how predictable those tasks and interactions have become. In an article published on February 19th, 2026 by Neil Taparia — Neil is one of the founders of Solitaired, an online games company. In their national survey on routine behaviors, they found that work is one of the most common areas where people feel stuck in repetition.

They also found that 67% say their daily work makes life feel repetitive. Nearly one in three say conversations with coworkers feel repetitive. And that work ranks just behind chores and errands as a top source of routine boredom. I have to admit, I was surprised by these. And scrolling social apps is another repetitive behavior that people report doing while bored at work. No surprise on that one.

So, what are some of the most effective what they called “loop breakers,” so to get out, to break the cycle of boredom and or repetition? Well, thirty-five percent say going outside. No surprise, right? I do think a lot of people don’t do it, especially if you’re working in an office environment. But we all know it’s good for us.

Exercising was 13% and other hobbies was 13%. And the results suggest boredom is less about inactivity and more about repetition. Even full schedules can feel monotonous when tasks and interactions follow the same patterns day after day.

I have to tell you, my work life has not always been perfect, but rarely in my roles has it felt repetitive. I have a lots of different things I do on a daily or weekly basis. And maybe sometimes just breaking those up, right? If you have something repetitive to do for three hours, maybe just do an hour today, an hour tomorrow, and an hour the next day, or an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. But anyway, I thought that was interesting. So yeah.

So thanks for listening today. If you’re SHRM certified, you can get credit for listening to this episode. To get the code, go to getjoypowered.com slash shrm and fill out a short evaluation. When you finish the evaluation, you’ll get the code and a link to a proof of participation certificate. And the code for this episode will expire on August 10th, 2027. Again, that’s getjoypowered.com slash SHRM to get the code and it will expire on August 10th, 2027. Thank you for listening today and thank you for your dedication to the HR profession.

And make it a JoyPowered® day.

Susan White (29:45)
Thank you.