You’ve called it “just” being home with the kids, or “just” caring for Mom. But the years you spent away from your career were never blank, and it’s time someone helped you see what they built. Dr. Ann Marie Peters, author of “We’ll Be Right Back,” joins me to reframe the midlife career pause. We unpack identity loss, the hidden skills you’ve been building all along, and gentle first steps for returning to work or starting something new after 50.
Ann Marie has spent years researching midlife and mid-career women who paused their careers for a year or more before coming back. We look at why so many women return to purpose-driven work by choice, not by default. And we explore how the fundraisers, committees, and family logistics you’ve managed add up to real, marketable skills. You’ll walk away with a kinder way to tell your story and a first step you can take this week, whether you’re heading back to work, into a new role, or into a business of your own.
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In this episode, you’ll discover:
- Why the question “What do you do?” can trigger identity loss after a career pause, and how to answer it without apologizing
- The Kaleidoscope Career Model, and why women at midlife shift from chasing challenge to prioritizing authenticity and balance
- How to spot the hidden skills of motherhood and caregiving (management, budgeting, marketing, negotiation) and translate them for an employer or client
- Why so many women returners choose mission-driven work, and how for some of them “the job found them” through community involvement
- Overlooked resources for returning to work after 50, including free alumni career services and returnship programs
About My Guest
Dr. Ann Marie Peters is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and the author of “We’ll Be Right Back.” Drawing on her PhD research and decades of leadership experience, she helps women reframe career pauses, rebuild confidence, and reclaim their identity, purpose, and professional direction after caregiving, burnout, or life transitions. Her research focused on midlife, mid-career women who returned to the workplace after a pause of a year or longer. She knows from both data and lived stories that the years away are never blank.
Connect with Ann Marie
- Website: annmariepeters.com
- Book: “We’ll Be Right Back,” available at annmariepeters.com or on Amazon
Resources & links mentioned:
- Your university’s alumni career services, often free no matter how long ago you graduated
- Returnship programs that connect employers with professionals returning after a career pause
- LinkedIn, including alumni groups for your university
- Free computer and tech classes at your local library or community college
- Watch more conversations like this one, completely free, on New Reality TV. Consciousness, healing, the paranormal, the unexplained, all in one place. Available on Roku, FireTV, iOS, and Android. newrealitytv.com
Design Your Life, Your Way – next steps:
- Learn more about working with me in Elevate & Empower: gloriarand.com/coaching
- If this episode spoke to you, leave us a review.
- Follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode.
- Share this with a friend who’s navigating a career pause, a return to work, or reinvention after 50.
- Connect with me on LinkedIn @GloriaGraceRand to continue the conversation about midlife, meaning, and living on purpose.
