Career Sequel: Identify & Develop Strengths During Career Breaks
February 10, 2022 / Mom &… Podcast Episode 57 / Guest: Lee Koles, PhD, CareerSequel
Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts using the links below
Show Summary
Lee started the show by comparing us to Oprah. So that’s it. We have to retire on that note.
Just kidding. We’re never retiring, and the show only got better from there!
We talked about what it feels like to leave your career, even when it’s your choice, and quickly forget all of your marketable skills. So much of what we do during career breaks is unpaid work, and we don’t remember that it still counts.
Lee helps moms see themselves for the skilled, valuable contributors they are. She knows how to identify strengths and develop them. She talked with us about what that looks like for her clients, and how listeners can learn to position themselves when going back to work. We discussed tactics, like intentional volunteerism that will add to your skill set, to help stay relevant during a career break.
More About Lee Koles
Lee is the founder of CareerSequel, where she works one-on-one with moms, helping them bridge their career gaps to land flexible, meaningful work they love. Lee also hosts the weekly “CareerSequel: The Return to Work Podcast” where she shares job search tips and strategies – everything from networking (without hating it), to resume and LinkedIn strategy, to building confidence and acing your interviews. She’s a firm believer that everyone deserves to find a job that fits their life.
Lee spent 25 years in the DC-area and has now settled in Toledo, OH. She and her husband have a 19-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter.
Topics From This Episode (Complete transcript is available below… scroll to the bottom!)
- Lee’s free video guide for getting back in the workplace
- Inner dialogue
- StrengthsFinder
- Life coaching vs. therapy
- Intentionality
- Core Values
- Frozen in Time Phenomenon
- How the pandemic is changing work for women
- Billions on Showtime
- SuccessionFashion account on Instagram
Connect with Lee:
Look, Listen, Learn
Lee
- Succession
- Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Missy
- The Gilded Age on HBOMax
- Looking for a wardrobe consultant, and Lee recommended Judith Gaton
Susanne
- Is high on paint fumes (and there’s a paint shortage, so start looking now if you need paint for a project)
- New Girl
- The Afterparty on AppleTV
- Plum Paper planners, used by Mom &… Podcast guest, Cara Harvey, episodes 37 and 55, and Clever Fox planners, used by Whitnee Hawthorne, episode 45, Susanne’s own planner creation
Connect With the Mom &… Podcast
- Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts! If you’re so inclined to give us a 5-star rating, we’ll love you forever. Who couldn’t use a little extra love?
- Leave us a message – via voicemail or use our form – with your questions for experts, or suggestions for future episodes.
- Check out our website, where you can find links to all the things!
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Musical Notes
Our delightfully happy intro and outro theme music, “We Will Get Through This” is performed by Young Presidents, and used under license from Shutterstock.
Watch this Episode on Our YouTube Channel