Return to work coaching for parents
Going back to work after time with your children shouldn't feel like starting from scratch.
Return Ready is a four-session 1:1 coaching programme for parents returning to paid work. Rebuild your confidence, plan your return, negotiate the terms and walk back in knowing what you want. £497.
Based in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. Coaching online across the UK.
Join Return Ready, £497 Book a free discovery call
Does this sound familiar?
- You're counting down to your return date and your stomach flips every time you think about it.
- You keep wondering whether you've fallen behind, or whether anyone will remember what you were good at.
- You're juggling childcare, finances and what your employer expects, and nobody has given you a plan.
- You'd love some flexibility on days, hours or where you work, but you don't know what to ask for or how to negotiate it.
- You know you want boundaries, but you're not sure how to ask for them without feeling ungrateful.
- You're not sure the job you left is the job you want to go back to.
If you nodded at any of those, Return Ready is for you. It doesn't matter whether you've been off for six months or six years, or whether you're returning to your old employer or starting somewhere new. It's for mums, dads and any parent or carer going back to paid work.
What changes
A return to work is rarely a logistics problem. It's a confidence problem wearing a logistics costume. Time with your children doesn't take your skills away. It adds some. But it's hard to see that when you're anxious, tired and second-guessing yourself.
Most parents accept whatever is offered when they go back, because they don't realise how much is up for negotiation: your hours, your days, where you work, a phased build-up, even the shape of the role. Asking isn't ungrateful. It's how you make the job work for your whole life. Negotiating is a skill, and it's one I used for 20 years.
Return Ready gives you the space, structure and someone in your corner to get from "I hope this goes okay" to "I know what I'm doing and what I need."
What we'll do together
Four weekly 1:1 sessions with me, with confidence as the thread running through all of them.
Week 1: Your vision, values and beliefs
What do you actually want from work now? We'll get clear on what matters most, what your non-negotiables are, and the beliefs about work and success that might be putting pressure on you ("I have to go the extra mile to prove myself").
Week 2: Building your confidence
We'll face the self-doubt head on. You'll reframe the beliefs holding you back, name the skills parenting has added, and leave with practical tools to use in your first weeks back.
Week 3: Your return plan and negotiating your terms
This is where what you want becomes a plan, and a conversation with your employer. We'll work out what flexibility you want (days, hours, working from home, a phased build-up) and what's realistic, and build your case around the value you bring. We'll map out keeping-in-touch days, annual leave and the weekly rhythm around childcare. Then we'll prepare how you'll open the conversation with your manager, how you'll handle pushback, and where you can compromise and where you won't. You'll set your boundaries and agree your terms before you're back, not after you're exhausted.
Week 4: Handling challenges and launching your return
We'll plan for the wobbly days so they don't derail you, look at how far you've come since we started, and lock in a plan you can sustain, including how to go back to your employer and adjust your arrangement if it isn't working once you've seen it in practice. You'll know how to check in on your values as your life changes.
Before we begin you'll fill in a short questionnaire, so we both know where you're starting from.
What you'll walk away with
- More confidence, and calmer thinking about going back
- A clear plan for your return
- A negotiation plan for your return: what you'll ask for on hours, days, location and phasing, why, and how to ask
- Boundaries you've decided on in advance
- A set of values you can come back to whenever your priorities change
What it's like
"It calmed my spiralling anxiety. The worst thing about maternity leave is that you have lots going on with a baby, but there's also a lot of time when you're on your own and your mind is racing, and a lot of it is irrational. Being able to sit there so much more strategically with someone who actually gets where you're coming from, because everything just feels new and you're kind of on your own. Putting plans in place and talking through some of it just makes it feel better."
Caroline, Return Ready client
"I definitely felt in a much more confident place."
Caroline, Return Ready client
Meet your coach
I'm Susie Powis. I spent around 20 years in corporate life, in commercial roles at John Lewis, Disney, Amazon and Sainsbury's, finishing as Head of Commercial and a member of the senior leadership team. I've negotiated big deals, sat in the rooms where decisions about people get made, and been made redundant three times, so I know what it's like to have to rebuild your confidence and find your footing.
I hold an Advanced Certificate in Life Coaching and I'm a school governor. I created Hi.Ho.Coaching to help working parents return, navigate and accelerate their careers.
Investment
£497 for four weekly 1:1 sessions.
Sessions take place online over video, 60 minutes each, so you can fit them around nap times, school runs and childcare. I'm based in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey and coach parents across the UK.
Join Return Ready, £497 Not sure yet? Book a free discovery call
Questions people ask
Who is Return Ready for?
Any parent returning to paid work after time away with their children, whether that was maternity leave, paternity or shared parental leave, adoption leave or a longer career break. You do not need to have a job lined up.
Do I need to have a return date?
No. Some people join before they have decided whether to go back. Others join a few weeks before their first day. Either works.
Will you help me negotiate flexible working or a phased return?
Yes. It's a big part of session three. We'll work out what you want, build your case and prepare the conversation with your employer, including what to say if the answer is no. I'm a coach rather than an employment lawyer, so I can't give legal advice, but I spent 20 years negotiating and I'll help you go in prepared.
How is Return Ready different from Career Compass?
Career Compass is for people who are ready to make a career move: a new role, a new industry or their own venture. Return Ready is for getting back to work well, whether you are returning to your old job or somewhere new.
Is Return Ready just for mums?
No. It is for any parent returning to paid work. Dads, adoptive parents and carers are all welcome.
How do the Return Ready sessions work?
We meet online over video once a week for four weeks, 60 minutes each. Before the first session you fill in a short questionnaire so I know where you are starting from.
How much does Return Ready cost?
Return Ready costs 497 pounds for four weekly 1:1 sessions, paid online when you join.
How do I join Return Ready?
Press the Join Return Ready button and pay online, and I will be in touch to arrange your first session. If you would rather talk it through first, book a free discovery call.
Susie Powis, career and return to work coach. Based in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. Coaching online across the UK. See also: return to work coaching after maternity leave and career coaching for parents.