Comeback Coach

Feeling shaky after maternity or another long leave from work? COMEBACK COACH is the wobbly-bottomed podcast about kickass comebacks with coaching psychologist and author, Jessica Chivers. She’s exactly what you need when you’re riding the return-to-work rollercoaster.

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Episodes

17. COMEBACK - Ria - Mindful return – self-compassion - smoothly gliding back into work – managing your energy

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 eve...

Sep 01, 2021•24 min

16. COACH - Julia - redundancy - emotional rollercoaster - self-employment - business development

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 event...

Jul 27, 2021•38 min

15. COMEBACK - Torey - HR manager - IVF - being open about imposter feelings at work - rebuilding confidence

Ask me a Q Torey’s tale of IVF and moving jobs to lessen her stress and help their chances of success might be familiar to you. I talked to Torey at the start of her fourth week back after maternity leave to her role as a senior people engagement consultant at Orbit, a not-for-profit housebuilder. Torey talks about how she started to rebuild her confidence before she started back at work and how she’s keeping imposter feelings at bay. A coach has been key to changing the unrealistic expectations...

Jul 13, 2021•21 min

14. COACH – Debora, interior architect – losing purpose - feeling disconnected from work you loved - craving more time with your child

Ask me a Q You’re feeling disconnected from the job you once loved then you’re made redundant after two months being back at work after maternity leave. In this COACH episode coaching psychologist Jessica Chivers works with Debora, an interior architect, who feels she’s lost her sense of purpose and says “I’ve completely changed my worldview since having my daughter.” She craves flexibility to spend more time with her child and wants to continue to use her problem-solving skills and creativity t...

Jun 29, 2021•30 min

13. COMEBACK – Liz – Rebuilding credibility - getting your head back into gear - backing yourself after maternity leave

Ask me a Q My guest today is Liz Twiney who works for an asset management firm in London. We’re talking when Liz is 3 months back from her first maternity leave and we cover rebuilding credibility, what to do when you can’t have traditional KIT days, guilt because you love your job and how to invite people for a catch up when you’re working remotely. Five takeaways from the conversation with Liz: When there’s a choice to back yourself or not, let’s choose to back ourselves. Sometimes it’s in you...

Jun 15, 2021•17 min

12. COACH - Rosie - how to progress your career when coping with increased caring responsibilities

Ask me a Q Stressed, tired and determined to meet the work demands and expectations she’s set herself, Rosie is an academic with two young children and additional caring responsibilities She works 4 days a week for a university, where she's been for 9 years. The pandemic has significantly increased her caring responsibilities due to supporting family members and she’s struggled at times with the stress of trying to deliver professionally whilst looking after her family’s and her own wellbeing. I...

Jun 01, 2021•37 min

11. COMEBACK - Wendy - Coping with anxiety - crippling guilt - feeling out of control - seeking therapy and coping lessons

Ask me a Q WARNING: This episode includes very naughty words. Wendy found herself feeling out of control, crying at work and sitting in a mental health seminar at work thinking “I’m not OK.” Wendy Lancaster is a landscape planner and mother of two who experienced crippling levels of anxiety when she returned to work after her second maternity leave. Wendy works with developers and local authorities to protect the character of landscapes, built environments and important views. She’s often the lo...

May 18, 2021•17 min

10. SPECIAL - Maternal Mental Health - Better Births - PND - Psychosis - Doulas - PaNDAS Foundation

Ask me a Q For all the references and resources Eve, Anna & Mia mention see the Maternal Mental Health page on our website. SPECIAL EPISODE for Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 exploring: Pre-natal depression. What England’s new maternal mental health hubs should look like. Doulas – who are they, why use one and how to choose her? Post-partum psychosis – what is it? Psychosis, risk factors and bi-polar disorder. How other cultures look after new mothers. GUESTS: Anna Ceesay : Journ...

May 03, 2021•45 min

9. COACH - Fiona - ambitious teacher - making a career dream happen – getting out of your own way

Ask me a Q Fiona is an ambitious teacher on maternity leave yearning to give and do more professionally but who also wants to dedicate a large proportion of time to her children. In this COACH episode we explore what Fiona really wants, ways she could achieve it, constraints and come up with a way of looking at her situation which changes everything. This episode is sponsored by Rayden Solicitors , an award-winning, Times Top 200 family law firm. BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU: Tw...

Apr 20, 2021•38 min

8. COMEBACK - Valeria, management consultant - best things to focus on at work in the early weeks after your return

Ask me a Q When your confidence is growing and you feel like you’re on an upward trajectory and then, among glowing feedback, your manager tells you he thinks you’re still a bit lost. How do you handle that? In this episode we hear from Valeria, an associate director at one of the world’s best known management consultancies, who’s four months back from maternity leave. We talk about how to spend the early weeks back from leave: The importance of taking the time to understand what’s changed where...

Apr 06, 2021•17 min

7. COACH - Laura - innovation strategist - re-finding purpose and focus after furlough and redundancy.

Ask me a Q You’ve been furloughed for five months then made redundant from a job you love. In this COACH episode coaching psychologist Jessica Chivers works with Laura Gelder-Robertson, an incredibly smart innovation strategist who’s now looking to rekindle her own innovation consultancy in the wake of unemployment. Laura’s a mother of two young children and married to a man with a new big job of his own. We’re talking at a point when Laura feels there’s a lot to do and that she hasn’t quite got...

Mar 23, 2021•35 min

6. COMEBACK - Claire - Finding your purpose, how to pitch for compressed hours and make it work

Ask me a Q Claire Thomas, one very customer-focussed senior director of sales at the technology company, Hitachi Vantara. She was professional services sales woman of the year 2018 - a wonderful accolade to take with her as she went on maternity leave. Read her LinkedIn article about returning to work. Claire talked so thoughtfully about purpose and values. As a coaching psychologist I know how being clear on your values can help guide career decision-making and bring fulfilment at work and at h...

Mar 09, 2021•20 min

5. COACH – Emma, lawyer - how to progress your career, raise your visibility at work and still have time for family

Ask me a Q Emma is a solicitor in a top 20 law firm who’s keen to progress her career after maternity leave, raise her visibility and still have time for her two young boys and husband. In this COACH episode Emma and Jessica explore tactics for making those things happen. Spoiler: they come up with a doable plan that doesn’t involve magic-ing up 48 hours in a day. Are you on extended leave from work? Preparing for leave? Or recently returned? Find free goodies to support your return over on www....

Feb 23, 2021•41 min

4. COMEBACK – Rachel – How to get through the early months back at work – playbook for success - what to stop and start

Ask me a Q The conversation is with Rachel Jackson, previously of HP and Cisco where she worked in technology sales for 20 years and also sat as Vice Chair on the Inclusion Board and led the UK Back to Business employee resource group. “Build your support squad before you go back to work; ask for help before you’re at breaking point and establish a really good self care routine,” are just three of the cracking pieces of advice Rachel says she’d put in her playbook for how to navigate the early m...

Feb 09, 2021•23 min

3. COACH – Chloe, PR professional – how to get more job love, more recognition and not feel icky about self-promotion

Ask me a Q Chloe is a PR professional who feels in limbo having come back from one maternity leave and knowing she’s going to be going away again in six month’s time. She’s come back to work that leaves her feeling unmotivated and out of control. Our conversation focusses on what Chloe wants from the next six months and how to make it happen. We talk about three key themes: 1. Recognition 2. Promotion 3. Progression Our season 1 sponsor is Rayden Solicitors . BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SU...

Jan 26, 2021•36 min

2. COMEBACK - Caroline - how imposter feelings can make you stronger - lawyer - mum of 4

Ask me a Q “Imposter feelings can be where your strengths lie,” says Caroline Flanagan. Caroline talks about coping with constant low-level anxiety and how she handled imposter feelings when she returned to work after her first maternity leave to a U.S. law firm - where she was the only female lawyer with a baby. RESOURCES FLAGGED IN EPISODE: Baby Proof Your Career by Caroline Flanagan Rayden Solicitors - season 1 sponsor - Times 200 family law firm BE IN TOUCH & FREE GOODIES TO SUPPORT YOU:...

Jan 13, 2021•23 min

1. COACH – Nicola - losing job love - maternity leave - D&I - struggling to find your place

Ask me a Q Nicola returned from maternity leave to a role that she’d trained a long time to do but that her heart was no longer in. She talks about how she’s struggling in a male dominated team and experiences casual sexism on a day to day basis. Her mind has been ignited by the world of diversity and inclusion and she’s keen to explore other opportunities within her blue-chip firm. However, she’s been asked to ‘respect the hierarchy’ and not make attempts to reach more senior figures outside of...

Jan 13, 2021•38 min

0. Welcome to Comeback Coach - Introducing 'Comeback' and 'Coach' episodes

Ask me a Q Comeback Coach is the wobbly-bottomed podcast about kickass comebacks for people riding the return to work rollercoaster. If you're on maternity leave - or away from work on for another reason - and want to come back feeling prepared, positive and filled with self-belief, this podcast is for you. I’m a coaching psychologist, author, founder of The Talent Keeper Specialists and most recently the developer of Comeback Community. I’ll tell you more about each of those things in the episo...

Dec 29, 2020•16 min

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