50. How to Return to Work After a Career Break (With Confidence)

Thinking about returning to work after a career break — but not sure where to start?

In this episode, Ashley Billings interviews Betsy Gardner, CEO of Evermore Advisory and former President & CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce. After her own 13-year career break, Betsy created the Relaunch program — a proven return-to-work program now helping professional women confidently reenter the workforce across the country.

Whether you've been out of the workforce for 2 years or 15, this episode breaks down exactly what it takes to come back — not at the bottom, but at your level.

What you'll learn:

How to return to work after a career gap without starting overWhy women struggle with confidence after a career break (and how to rebuild it)How to update your resume, LinkedIn profile, and personal brand for reentryThe 3 drivers of every career decision: control, content, and compensationWhy forward-thinking employers are actively hiring career returners

The leadership and soft skills that make returning women high-value hires

This episode is for you if:

You're woman considering returning to work after time off for family, caregiving, or personal reasonsYou're mid career-transition and need a confidence resetYou're an HR leader or employer looking to hire experienced returning professionals

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction + Betsy Gardner and the Relaunch program

(03:05) The origin of the Relaunch program

(06:10) The business case for hiring women returning to the workforce