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Hello Bright Minds,

**Here's the link to register your interest and get early bird access to the exclusive gathering for 12 senior talented professional working mothers who are future Directors, MDs or Partners to help them feel equipped to take the next career step. I'm running this with Anita Cleare in 2026.**

E-mail me: jc@talentkeepers.co.uk to discuss an executive coaching engagement for you or an employee/group of employees.

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Today's episode:

Networking and business development are often on the minds of coachees who are exploring whether/how to get on the Partner track. It's a key area I've been working with a few coachees lately, and whether you're a Partner, an MD, Principal or CEO, if you shy away from networking events or repeatedly come away from the flat, frustrated or feeling it was a waste of time, this episode is for you.

I take us through seven key things my coachees are doing when they go to professional gatherings that lead them to see themselves as effective networkers and able to generate new business and career opportunities.

They are:

1. An optimistic, positive mindset about professional gatherings as a useful tool for growing your network for commercial or career gains.
2. Clarity on both your career goals and your professional/commercial objectives.
3. Having criteria for what gatherings you go to and therefore being selective about what you say yes to.
4. Purpose, planning and preparation before attending a professional gathering.
5. Asking enjoyable questions and listening intently to the answers.
6. Making elegant exits from conversations that aren’t right for you and elegant entrances to the ones that are.
7. Diarised time to follow up after the gathering with a focus on making a helpful difference.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Caremail (free, every other Sunday at 7am)
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Watch five coachees talk about working with us
• Connect us to your HR team - bring the Comeback Community™ employee experience to your workplace

Ask me a Q

Hello Bright Minds, I’m trying something new for this season of the podcast and that’s to bring you a couple of expert voices on topics that are coming up in coaching conversations with the people I, and my colleagues, are coaching. Today I am bringing you a conversation with chartered psychologist Nicola Jane Hobbs who is the author of a new book, The Relaxed Woman: Reclaim Rest and Live an Empowered, Joy-Filled Life.

The "GUTS" in the title is a new theory of stress, which I hadn't come across before: Generalised Unsafety Theory of Stress. Nicola talked me through this which I found fascinating.

Nicola Jane Hobbs is a chartered psychologist specialising in the psychology of rest. She holds a master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology and has over a decade of experience supporting women’s health and well- being through yoga, meditation and therapeutic practice. She is the founder of The Relaxed Woman, a community devoted to supporting women to recover from stress and burnout through coaching and workshops. Nicola lives in Brighton, UK with her partner, Justin and their son, Huxley.

This episode is sponsored by Little Dish, the wholesome children’s food brand which is on a mission to make the healthiest, tastiest food for kids. I am so happy to have their partnership because they want to make the lives of parents easier, which is something that completely aligns with me and my work with ambitious and often overloaded professionals.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Caremail (free, every other Sunday at 7am)
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Watch five coachees talk about working with us
• Connect us to your HR team - bring the Comeback Community™ employee experience to your workplace

Ask me a Q

Hello Bright Minds, you are in for a treat with this first episode of the new season. I am so pleased you’re here and you are about to hear a magnificent tale of grit, perseverance, honesty and so much warmth from my guest Nora Prida-Bay from Jupiter Asset Management. She had an 8-year career break and it took her 118 interviews to land a job back in banking. You are going to get the inside track on the way she approached job-hunting and how she kept going in the face of all those rejections.

I think Nora is one in a million and you can connect on Instagram @secondbecoming as well as LinkedIn. If you want to hear more from people coming back from a career break listen to episodes 25 and 32. And if you’re interested in hearing more from women in finance, I recommend episodes with four of my past coachees:

• Episode 13, Liz talks about rebuilding credibility and getting your head back in gear after maternity leave.
• Episode 41, Pippa reflects on what she gained from coaching and how to pitch for sponsorship by your employer.
• Episode 56, Selina, who’s also now at Jupiter Asset Management talks about interviewing whilst pregnant and holding a Board position outside your day job.
• Episode 67, Divya talks about how and why she studied on maternity leave and what its like to have an incessant need to achieve.

MORE FOR YOU

• DM Jessica on instagram @comebackcommuk
• Get Caremail (free, every other Sunday at 7am)
• Read Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work by Jessica Chivers.
• Watch five coachees talk about working with us
• Connect us to your HR team - bring the Comeback Community™ employee experience to your workplace