Ready Pause Go

Meg Applegate is a certified resume writer and personal branding strategist with Hinge Resume, a boutique firm that offers career branding for women that opens doors. In this interview, she shares all her wisdom on these topics! If you're interested in working with Meg, she can be booked privately or you can check out her course, The Resume Key. Also mentioned in this podcast: Starting a Business During Your Career Pause with Meg Applegate (her first interview) Overcoming Impostor Syndrome with Micha Goebig How Toxic Work Cultures are Driving the Great Resignation with Brene Brown

Kat Price is a perfect example of someone who says yes when the right opportunity knocks at her door. It's how she started her own business. It's how she started substituting. And now it's how she became a full-time recruiter.  What opportunities are knocking on your door right now? How could you say yes? 

Returning to work after several years away is not a simple task, but the good news is that you do not have to go it alone.  Amy Dantzler returned as a consultant to the same global health care consulting firm she had worked for several years before, but it wasn't as simple as dropping right back in. In addition to reactivating her network of contacts, she had help along the way from a team of experts for everything from her resume to her interview skills.  Today, she's expanding her career even further by transitioning her skills into a role leading onboarding efforts for others joining her company.   

Have you ever picked a word of the year? My word for this year is IMPACT. That is the word that I plan to use to guide my decisions this year.  The Career Butterfly

What's your thing? You know, that thing inside of you that you've always wanted to do. Dona Sarkar, author of #DoTheThing, is here to help you discover your thing, get out of your own way, and get it done. She's a good one to be giving the advice as she's had lots of “things” over the years. In addition to her career at Microsoft where she is currently the Director of Technology for Accessibility at Microsoft, she is an author and she runs her own fashion line, Prima Dona Studios. Dona shares that she has been called aggressive, ambitious and a bit of a diva. Her response? Hell yes. She's proud to be all those and more! In this interview, she shares the strategies she's used to #dothething including thinking of herself in the 3rd person on her own Hero's Journey, ruthless time management, and extending her comfort zone a tiny bit rather than completely stepping out of it. I did the exercises in her book #DoTheThing and it is that work that inspired me to create this podcast. I highly recommend it for you too. Not sure what your thing is? She has strategies for discovering your thing too! Mentioned in this podcast: #DoTheThing Prima Dona Studios

Desiree Briel Rodi returns to the podcast this week to share her expertise on Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Not only are these skills becoming more acknowledged - and needed - in the workplace, but they are also skills that we all get to work on every day in our personal lives: the ability to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively; the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our emotions; and those of others. Desiree also shared her own story in a previous interview.  Also mentioned in this episode:  Briel Rodi Consulting Emotional Intelligence by Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ by Daniel Goleman Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry Charting the development of emotion from childhood to adulthood by E. C. Nook et al

Leslie McCaddon found her dream job as an outreach coordinator for a national non-profit mental health clinic serving military families, but not too long ago she was in a very different position. A widowed mom of three children, before she was ready to create the job of her dreams, she had to first get over the story she was telling herself - that no one would want to hire someone who hadn't finished college or worked for a company in 20 years. In addition to her work as outreach coordinator, she is a certified professional life coach who coaches other women through The Happiest Mom Coach. Mentioned in the interview: Reese Witherspoon Woman of the Year speech

Karen Rae doesn't shy away from telling other women her career break was 27 years long. With her kids grown, and facing an empty nest, she knew she was ready for something else. Even though she knew nothing about video production, she decided what she really wanted was to create her own show! That was just the beginning of Fave Lifestyles which has become a vibrant lifestyle community for women. A few years later and with a lot of entrepreneurial experience under her belt, Karen launched Fave Biz Society to help other passionate female entrepreneurs launch their dreams. 

This episode is a quick check-in and the last one you'll see under the name Ready Pause Go.  Starting January 24, 2022, you will find this podcast under the name The Career Butterfly. Our website is moving too. We're still all about inspiring, guiding, and supporting women from the career pause into their next step. Just like butterflies, we honor the cocoon phase and then find our wings. Come check out our new interviews and stories next week!

Remote work used to be unachievable dream for busy parents. The pandemic changed all of that. While remote work definitely has its own set of challenges, it is here to stay and that is good news for all of us! Tune in to here more about how to find your own remote job. readypausego.com 

I'll explain all about it in this episode, but here are the 2 words: Growth Mindset. If you live your life with a growth mindset, there is no reason that you can't find success after a career pause - no matter how long it's been.   

Today, we're talking rebound jobs. Specifically, a job that you take even when you know it may not be the dream job or your forever job. I'll break down 5 different boosts you can get from one: Confidence, Skills, Connections, Resume, and Financial. It doesn't have to be the perfect job to give you some - or all - of those benefits in the short term.  Mentioned in this podcast: Simplicity Consulting OnContracting

Desiree Briel Rodi thought she had her plan all mapped out - she'd go to college, establish herself in a career, get married, have kids, and stay home with them. What she learned along the way is that her journey - just like everyone else's - is unique and to just ride the waves. Desiree has worked in both education and corporate environments, started her own chef business, and returned to school more than once. Today, she's a mom to three kids, an EQ facilitator and coach, and pursuing her Ph.D. in Organizational Development and Change.  She offers great insight into how she's transitioned amongst these varying jobs, as well as the role Emotional Intelligence played in her journey. 

We're chatting policy this week because it can have such an impact on women in the workforce. We'll discuss how the United States is the only industrialized nation to not offer this benefit and how that might change in the near future. Tune in to hear why it's still important even after you've had your babies. 

Do you find yourself getting caught up in the "how" of achieving your dreams before you even get started? This week is all about letting go of the "how" questions your brain will send your way when you decide to do something new. It's that moment when you're on the cusp of trying something new, but then you realize you don't know how to do it. Your mind will flood you with confusion, doubt, fear, overwhelm because it's easier to stay in status quo than to go for something new.  But status quo is not what we're after here. Tune in to learn how to work on your thoughts, feelings, and actions to achieve the results you want!

Addie Swartz built her company reacHIRE to provide women with an intentional onramp back to the workforce. She knew the value of this frequently untapped group because she had previously built a successful company with a specific focus on hiring moms who had taken a career pause.  Today, reacHIRE has put hundreds of women back to work with their unique model that matches qualified candidates with companies committed to this pathway. They offer custom cohorts designed to support the women along the journey back to work.  If you're interested in returning to work in a supportive environment, check out reacHIRE.

Happy Mother's Day! How much time do you give to others each week? A lot, right? How much time do you give yourself each week?  I'm asking you to consider upping that last number to 3 hours a week. Time to be alone, dream ahead, journal your thoughts, maybe even dust off that resume.  Three hours might not sound like much, but I made this suggestion to a group of women last year and some of them have had some powerful results in that tiny little time slice. Are you with me on this? 

LinkedIn legitimized the Stay-at-Home-Mom title on their platform today and I am celebrating that! Tune in to hear what that means for you and for how you should celebrate the skills that you have carefully honed and developed while managing your families.  I truly believe the Stay-at-Home-Mom skills make you a rockstar when you go back to work and it's time we own these! Conflict Resolution Crisis Management Problem Solving Negotiation Communication Time Management You have literally been becoming a better version of yourself during these years at home. You're wiser, more skilled, more experienced, and both tougher and more compassionate!

Getting into medical school is a major accomplishment, but it still isn't the most important part of Joan Tu's life. A mom of two, who also happens to be in medical school, she still considers being a mom her most important job.  Joan shares the journey she took from financial analyst to full-time parent to author to student. As a first-generation medical student, she also recently decided to document the challenges of the medical school application process in her new book: Raising Doctors: The Med School Admissions Guide for Parents of Future Physicians

Some people would look at Colleen Butler's resume and be surprised to see the diversity of jobs: entrepreneur, lawyer, mortgage broker, media salesperson, to name a few. Some were full time and some were the part-time gigs that fulfilled her when her kids were small. But, the truth is that she's always been willing to say yes, which has now landed her in the job she loves so much she calls it "the last job she ever wants." Today, she is the Business Development Lead for The W Marketplace, a digital marketplace featuring women-owned businesses. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) isn't just a new corporate buzzword or department. It's an important value that can impact you whether you are job searching, interviewing, onboarding, or finding your way to success in a new company.  In this podcast, I break down what each of the words means - as well as several more. If you've been away from the workforce for a few years or more, you'll find the vocabulary in this space has changed. And, since you may even find yourself in an interview responding to your views on DEI, I include a few real-world questions that candidates have recently been asked to respond to. 

At first glance, Jessica Seiders is not what I would consider a good candidate for life as a digital nomad - someone who finds a way to work vitually from any country in the world.  Two years ago, she didn't have a passport, she'd never left the United States, and she didn't speak a foreign language. But when her daughter left for college and she found herself lost and depressed, she made a radical shift in her life.  She sold all her belongings, traveled to 17 countries, and, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was closing in, she settled in Bali. It turns out to be the perfect path and she's found an entirely new life there.  Today, you  can find her helping fellow empty nesters on her Fearless Empty Nester website and in her Empty Nester Zoom Moms Facebook group.

Nancy McSharry Jensen and Sarah Duenwald founded The Swing Shift four years ago to help women navigate their return to work. Now, they've launched a book, Back to Business, to share all their wisdom on finding your confidence, embracing your skills, and landing your dream job after a career pause.  We chat about their take on what's changed in 2021, the value of a personal brand, and the importance of connections. Nancy and Sarah share 4 Back to Business strategies they outline in the book: Boomerang Try and Buy Lilypad From Pro Bono to Paid Tune in to see which of those 4 strategies might work for you and to learn from these career pause experts. 

Today, we're talking about failure as a good thing. Yes, a good thing! I truly believe that failure has helped me create who I am today and I want to take a deep dive on that with you. We're tackling your fear of failure, why we fail in advance, and how we can benefit from failing forward.   

Laura Patterson never realized how much of her identity was wrapped up in her role as a Registered Nurse until she stepped away from the career to raise her 3 children.  As she brought the next generation of children into the world, she started to think about her role in the world. In particular, she was fascinated by the food that nourishes all of us and the way children have become so disconnected from the source.  Laura found that microgreens - essentially baby plants packed with nutrition and flavor - were the perfect entry point for young kids because they have short (

Stephanie Lentz was always a diligent recycler, but it wasn't until she became a parent that she started to become really uncomfortable with the amount of waste she was creating.  A former teacher, she never expected to find herself writing a business plan with a baby and a toddler in tow. But that's exactly where her passion led her.  Today, she is 3+ years into the venture with Scoop Marketplace, a zero-waste grocery store that has just opened it's new, expanded location in Kirkland, Washington.  She's learned a lot about the entrepreneurial journey of a brick-and-mortar (and online!) business and shares generously how she's building this business in alignment with how she wants to raise her family.  If you're interested in my upcoming 8-week digital PathFinder Program, learn more here. 

Katie Rose walked away from a successful, international career in yoga, but she didn't stay away forever. After some intense relief from no longer juggling the business and the babies (she now has 4 boys, aged 4 to 14), she found her way back, but in a completely new way.  Today, she runs a mostly digital business and finds the format incredibly parent-friendly. Her wisdom runs deep and she's here to help others not "get sucked into the vortex of duty." Katie gives fantastic, practical advice for those who can only commit micro amounts of time. It really can be enough to spark that passion we all need. 

Radka Gimerova is a Health/Life Coach who helps women tap into their inner power and intuition. Not sure what that means? Come listen because she shares both deep wisdom and practical tips in this episode.  She's no stranger to the career pause either, having spent her early career in Corporate Human Resources. She left that job to care for her two young boys - and to focus on this new passion of coaching other women in a similar phase of life.  In today's podcast, I also announced my free workshop! Back-to-Work Success Blueprint: My 6 Secrets to $6-Figure Success ~ After a 13 Year Career Pause Sign up at the link above and choose your date - February 24th, 26th, or 28th. 

Welcome to the second week of February and our theme of self-love here on Ready Pause Go! This month is all about soul searching, compassion, and self-discovery.  Life coach Karrie Mitten knows a lot about the career pause - she took a 17 year pause herself! She always knew she wanted to serve people, but never found the exact fit with the customer service and sales positions she tried. She even bought her own staffing agency with the thought that finding jobs for people had to be the ultimate way of serving people. But it still wasn't the right fit. Thankfully, she was able to walk away from that business and find the one that had been waiting for her all along.  Today, she has her own life coaching practice where she works with women in transition and helps them uplevel their lives by working on their confidence, passion/purpose, and abundant life they are born into.

When Sonia Lopez talks about transforming your life, she does it from a place of experience. Her own career pause took her from corporate HR to coaching, but it wasn't until many years later when she was suffering from several illnesses that she truly tapped in to her inner guidance and intuition.  We had a fascinating discussion where she shares her perspective on manifestation and how she teaches from the lens of neuroscience, psychology, energetics, and spirituality.   

What if you follow your passion - only to find that your passion doesn't feel the same way once it's your career?  Amy Rowland, an NCAA champion tennis player, assumed she'd excel at and love a job coaching tennis at the college level. While she succeeded in the position, she didn't love it the way she'd enjoyed playing. In search of more, she got another degree and added Professor to her resume. But that didn't fix the issue either.  Amy became a pro at career pivots and left the collegiate world for law school. The timing coincided with the beginning of her family which added a pause to the pivot. In this interview, she shares her journey as an attorney and what made her eventually leave law to open her own legal recruiting firm, Varia Search. She also gives her own recruiting tips for 2021 - how to own your pause, where the world of remote work is headed, and what's changed in interviews.  Today, Amy has another new passion - hosting the Fashionably Late podcast where she shares the stories of those who arrive late to their career fulfillment. 

Carol Parrish, a Financial Advisor from Utor Wealth, is helping us kick off a new year with great advice on all things money. She covers everything from taking a financial inventory and tracking your cash flow and savings to protecting your future.  Regardless of whether you are the primary breadwinner or haven't received a paycheck in years, your family's finances deserve your attention - and January is the perfect time to turn your attention in that direction.  Carol is available for individual consultations. For additional online resources, she recommends TillerHQ or Nav-It.

"It doesn't matter how much time has passed." This was the conclusion that Mary Clare Kellett reached after finding herself in the role of Washington State Grassroots Leader for 2020 Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Despite her long career pause, Mary Clare definitely still knew how to build teams and get things done! In this interview, Mary Clare shares how she landed this role - without any political campaign experience - and where she went from there. With the pandemic just beginning, her marriage ending, and facing some health issues, Mary Clare took the opposite route of a lot of people looking for a job. In fact, she didn't even look.  Tune in to hear what she did instead - and how the perfect job found her.   

Phew! 2020 is behind us! I have no idea what 2021 will bring, but it's a welcome change all the same!  I'm entering this year with a step away from an impossible year in oh-so-many ways and with excitement to tackle an Impossible Goal! Why impossible you ask?  Well, for starters, it's because I want to dream big! And I'm ready to embrace whatever failure I need to face to make this goal a reality. If I picked a goal that wouldn't involve potential failure, I might be stuck playing too small.  But more than anything, I want to help YOU - my listeners - achieve your goals this year. That's why my goal is to guide 50 women to the path they are meant for in 2021!  Ready to get started? Come join one of my free workshops next week! I'm sharing my Back-to-Work Success Blueprint: 6 Secrets for 6-figure Success! The workshops are Wednesday 1/13, Friday 1/15, and Sunday 1/17.

Radha never intended to take a career pause, but when her dad became ill the same year she had her second child, she knew she needed to focus on her family. She stepped away knowing it was the right choice, but with a strong warning from her colleagues that she would never be able to return.  Of course, Radha now knows that wasn't true, but it was a big hurdle to overcome. Not only did she overcome it, but today she is back in a job she loves at the same company she left several years earlier!   In this episode, she tells us how she rebuilt her skillset and her network to make this possible. While she was able to make Plan A work, she also shares all about her Plan B and Plan C!

With 7 cross-country moves under her belt, Rachel Chittick is an expert at managing change. But her last move came with a new wrinkle. While she'd successfully managed all of the family transitions through the past several moves, this time she was also looking for a new job.  Her kids were either in college or on their way and, with that expense as well as living in a more expensive city, Rachel was ready to return full-time to her marketing career. A few years earlier, she'd easily landed a part-time consulting gig, but this time the search was more challenging. Not only was she in a new city, but the pandemic descended on the country during her job search. Listen to be inspired by her story of resiliency and to learn how she landed her current position with a boutique PR agency. 

Despite an educational background in Chemistry and a professional background in journalism, Swati Padmaraj's true passion has always been with the world of fashion. When she had the opportunity to reinvent herself in her second career once her kids were older, she decided to merge her education, experience, and passion as a clothing designer, stylist, and entrepreneur.  Come along on her journey and hear how Swati earned an additional Bachelor's degree in Fashion and created her own fashion line. Today, she's launched a fashion tech company, Style-At-Iz, focused on the styling experience - and even found a way to pivot in 2020 to provide an online shopping experience for local businesses.   

The November pick for Butterfly Book Club was Loving What is by Byron Katie and that's what we're talking about in this week's podcast.  For me the subtitle says it all... who wouldn't want to know the 4 questions that can change your life?  Is it true? Can I absolutely know it’s true? How do I react when I believe that thought? Who would I be without this thought? But it's more than that. It's doing The Work. I hope you enjoy this brief introduction to Byron Katie and will go read the book. If you already have it, keep doing The Work!   

This week is all about gratitude so I'm sharing a gift with you.  On my journey back to work, I collected hundreds of websites, books, podcasts and tools that inspired and guided me.  This week, I'm sharing my curated list of the top 55 of these incredible resources in my Essential Toolkit in hopes that they will inspire and guide you.  Enjoy!

These are two different concepts, but what if both could be true? Today, I explore that option with my own two distinct, but simultaneous career paths.  What if loving what you do leaves you open to more possibilities? 

I've always been an advocate of career and personality assessments because I think they can really help you discover who you are. The challenge is that, even after doing the work, it can be hard to translate that to choosing a career path.  Kristin Sherry had a similar issue which is what led her to create her own unique assessment called YouMap(R). It combines strengths, values, skills, and interests to create a more holistic view. She shares all about it in this episode and also gives exercises that you can do today to get started on this journey of discovery. 

"Everything is figureoutable" isn't just a book title to Marie Forleo. It's the mantra of her life! If you're ready to figure your life out, come listen! Whether you've read the book, are looking for the quick summary, or need inspiration to go pick it up, there's something for you in today's episode. 

Charu Bogdan's career opportunities have always flowed easily from her early days as an event planner at Microsoft to launching her own wedding consulting business, so it was no surprise when her friend - and recent event planning partner - asked if she would be interested in doing a pop-up retail store for The Cashmere Sale.  Five years later, Charu and friends Marianne Heywood and Kelly Silver are still having fun running The Cashmere Sale in Bellevue. Charu credits their complementary skills, strong community ties and focus on friendship above the rest for making them a success even as they head into the uncharted waters of their first year of online-only sales as a result of the pandemic.  If you want to check them out, visit their website (use code BELLEVUE2020) or email them at Bellevue@thecashmeresale.com  

Judy Perran had a successful 20+ year career as an engineer and discovered some amazing opportunities along the way. She even found a way to balance her role as mom of two boys with both part-time and consulting opportunities. Ultimately, however, she grew frustrated with corporate America and knew she needed to get out.  As she watched the events of the nation unfold, she knew she wanted to play a bigger role in impacting the laws and policies of her country. In the podcast, she shares her journey to her recent Master's degree in Public Policy. 

Rejection is tough. For so many reasons. In this episode, we talk about why it's so hard, the importance of learning to embrace it, and strategies for being ready when rejection comes your way. 

I taught this workshop live 3 times this week, but I know not everyone was able to make it so here it is for all my podcast listeners! Let's achieve something amazing for ourselves in these next 90 days! If you're interested in the Power Pause offer at the end, don't delay! Doors close on Tuesday, October 6th at 5pm PDT this 8-week online course that will transform your life. For more information, click here. 

The growth of on-demand work is definitely a bright spot in the 2020 job market. Today's guest, Markelle Rich, a Talent Manager for Simplicity Consulting explains this project-based work, as well as why some actually prefer it to full-time employment. With competitive pay, flexibility, and the opportunity for robust benefits, it's easy to see why. Want to get in touch with Simplicity? Email Markelle at talent@simplicityci.com  Also mentioned on the podcast... Take Back 2020! workshops are coming 9/30, 10/2, and 10/4. Register here.  Butterfly Book Club launches in October with Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo. 

What if finding a job could be easy? Accounting Manager Shelly Phan brings exactly that perspective to the show today and I found it refreshing!  Over the course of having 3 kids, she found herself in the situation of going back to work a few times. Tune in to hear the preparation she took (including taking courses), how she found the jobs and the mindset she took on the interviews with her.  Her advice for other women out there in the position of going back to work? Get the skills, do the work, show up confident, and just start somewhere. 

Gina Noel had already had long stints in a few different careers (grocery worker and massage therapist) before she realized and pursued her true calling to become a nurse.  In the interview, she describes the "planting of the mustard seeds" along her journey - from a personal experience with a family member in the hospital to experiencing the helplessness of completing the Boston Marathon just before the bomb went off to listening to her massage clients explain their undiagnosed medical problems. All of these mustard seeds led Gina back to nursing school.  Today she has achieved her dream as a cardiac nurse. Listen in as she shares her mindset, the challenges, how she made it work, and why she wants to do this more than ever despite the fact that she graduated into a worldwide pandemic. 

2020 has been a year like none other. For the most part, there's been a lot of negative outcomes. But there are also some dramatic shifts taking place that seem permanent. 1) The acceptance of remote, flexible work when possible 2) The recognition of the employee as a human with outside responsibilities (kids, parents, life!) 3) The boom of on-demand consulting work 4) The growing acceptance of online business in a broader way In this episode, I dive into what's driving these changes and how it might impact you favorably.   

You know companies and products have personal brands, but have you ever thought about individuals having them as well?  Personal branding expert Amanda Miller Littlejohn is here to explain what a persona brand is (hint: even if you haven't been intentional about it, you already have one!), how it can help you personally and professionally, and talks about how to build yours.  She shares wisdom from her own journey and also draws upon the expertise she shares in her book, Package Your Genius: 5 Steps to Build Your Most Powerful Personal Brand and companion workbook.  A mom of two, she even has a book for parents on this topic, Find Your Child Genius: 50+ Questions to Help you Find and Guide Your Child's Unique Talent You can find Amanda at Package Your Genius Academy, on her personal website or on her podcast.