Back to Work, but Not Back to You? Reclaiming Confidence After a Career Break so You Can Bounce Back Stronger — Part 2: How to Use the Career Equation to Facilitate a Good Return to Work Discussion

Coming back to work after time away, whether for parenting, illness, or a life change, is a big transition. You’re not the same person you were before, and that’s the point. In this follow-up to Return & Thrive (Part One), Erica and Zoë move from mindset into action, exploring how to design your next chapter using the Career Equation framework.

 

They unpack the four elements: skills, passion, impact, and environment - and show how they can help you rebuild confidence, set new boundaries, and shape a working life that feels sustainable and energising. Erica shares her own story of returning too soon after a spinal injury, and the lessons it taught her about pacing, permission, and redefining success. Zoë reflects on her own pivot after maternity leave and the importance of using that pause to realign, not retreat.

 

You’ll hear practical, compassionate advice for anyone navigating a return, and insight for organisations on how to create supportive, flexible pathways for returners.

 

This is a conversation about change, courage, and coming back stronger, not by fitting into who you were, but by designing who you want to be next.

 

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In this conversation:

• How to design your next career chapter with intention

• Using the Career Equation to find clarity after time away

• The power of pausing before rushing back to work

• Erica’s personal story of returning too early after injury

• How career breaks can sharpen values and reveal new strengths

• Rebuilding confidence and self-belief after a break

• Setting healthy boundaries and redefining what ‘success’ means now

• How organisations can better support and retain returners

 

Learn more:

 

• Erica Sosna on LinkedIn
• Zoë Schofield on LinkedIn
• Visit thecareerequation.com