It's Time for You to Return to a Job You Love!

Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and Co-founder of iRelaunch, a full-service career reentry company focused on bringing professionals back into the workforce after extended leave. iRelaunch works with employers worldwide to build and expand in-house career reentry programs, produces the iRelaunch Return to Work Conferences, and leads a community of more than 120,000 relaunchers looking to return to work. Cohen, a relauncher herself, hosts the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Her TED talk, "How to get back to work after a career break," has nearly 3.7 million views. 

Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and Co-founder of iRelaunch, a full-service career reentry company focused on bringing professionals back into the workforce after extended leave. iRelaunch works with employers worldwide to build and expand in-house career reentry programs, produces the iRelaunch Return to Work Conferences, and leads a community of more than 120,000 relaunchers looking to return to work. Cohen, a relauncher herself, hosts the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Her TED talk, "How to get back to work after a career break," has nearly 3.7 million views. 

Elizabeth is a career relauncher with over 15 years of experience designing, implementing and managing programs that drive impact at the intersection of diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition, corporate social responsibility, and employee engagement. She is recognized for her strategic planning and execution, project and stakeholder management, and recruiting and training skills. As Managing Director at iRelaunch, Elizabeth plays a key role in the company’s pioneering work, advising progressive and innovative employers on career reentry program options to leverage diverse talent pools.

Elizabeth brings a wealth of personal and professional experience in the career reentry space to iRelaunch. After a 15-year career gap, she relaunched at Oracle without the support of a formal career reentry program. With a focus on the Company’s diversity and inclusion goals, she drew on her personal relaunch experience to define, pilot and expand Oracle’s Career Relaunch Program. Elizabeth was also the architect and manager of Oracle’s global, community-based Corporate Social Responsibility program. She expanded the program to over 25 countries, recruiting and training community leaders around the world.

Elizabeth earned an MBA in Finance from Denver University and a BA in History from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. She was trained in Design Thinking techniques by Stanford’s dSchool, and has served as an advisor for ReBoot Accel, a recruiting firm that helps companies hire, advance and empower women. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, Carl, and loves spending time with her two boys, being active outdoors, entertaining friends, and taking road trips.

Bio coming soon

Ruchi Choudhary (she/her/hers) is a Vice President of Diversity Recruiting at Goldman Sachs, leading experience hire diversity recruiting strategies and programs, and external partnership engagement for the firm.

Prior to Goldman Sachs, her 18+ years’ career was specialized Talent Acquisition with experience leading robust recruiting teams, implementing global recruitment technology strategies and transformation, enhancing proactive sourcing capabilities, and developing and executing diversity recruitment strategies across multiple financial and clinical industries.

Ruchi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management, and currently resides in Dallas, TX.

In her free time, she fosters cats & dogs through local DFW rescues, and travel with her family.

Lisa is an Executive Director, Diverse Segments, Representation, and Inclusion at Wells Fargo. She leads the Chief Operating Office’s participation in diverse talent attraction programs by consulting with leaders based on business insights and hiring needs. Lisa joined Wells Fargo in 2021 as a participant in the Glide – Relaunch USA program assigned to HR Transformation, People Solutions Design. The Glide – Relaunch USA program is Wells Fargo’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) talent program for professionals looking to return to the workforce after a career break of two or more years. Lisa is based in New York.

Prior to Wells Fargo, Lisa spent more than twenty years with AIG working in the insurance company’s Tokyo and New York offices as a global HR program and project leader. Lisa is recognized for creating, delivering, and measuring value-added HR programs that meet ever-changing business needs. Her areas of expertise include performance management, learning & development, and change management. Lisa holds a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and South Asian Studies from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Additionally, Lisa holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. In her free time, Lisa enjoys travel and exercise-she is a six-time marathoner.

I’m delighted to be part of the IRelaunch community. Over the last decade, I’ve had the privilege of coaching dozens of relaunchers and I’m always thrilled to see them step back into the workplace with renewed confidence.

I believe we are all works in progress and that each one of us is meant to continue growing and stretching ourselves, personally and professionally. I founded Bright Evolution Leadership Coaching, LLC with the goal of helping my clients evolve into the next, better version of themselves. In my work with relaunchers, I have guided my clients to be intentional about their return-to-work strategy and to be authentic to who they are – coaching them to own their professional path and their career break.

For the last 20 years, I’ve worked with MBA students and business leaders from all industries and sectors, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. I’ve worked at three graduate schools of business and spent the last 15 years at the MIT Sloan School of Management, most recently serving as the Director of Alumni Career Services. In this role, I coached over 2,000 business students and executives (including relaunchers), helping them successfully navigate leadership challenges and critical transition points in their careers.

In addition to my private coaching practice, I am honored to teach as a Fellow with the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership and coach on career platforms The Muse and Landit. I am a recommended Executive Coach at MIT, Columbia Business School and Stanford GSB.

My Education and Certifications include:

• B.A. in Journalism & Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Ed.M from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education

• Executive Coach (CPCC) through the Co-Active Training Institute

• PCC with the International Coaching Federation

• Assessments: Certification in Gallup Clifton Strengths, MBTI, and Positive Intelligence

You can find out more about me at nextevolutioncoach.com

Nivedita Joshi Naithani is an accomplished global HR leader with over 25 years of experience in strategizing and implementing global human capital initiatives that impact business results, drive client-centricity, and enhance employee engagement. Recognized by C-suite executives as a courageous advocate and trusted advisor, Nivedita is a preferred partner on talent strategies owing to her unique ability to provide thought leadership to complex talent challenges while ensuring execution excellence.

Nivedita brings a breadth of experience across HR and Diversity & Inclusion programs. In her prior role as Global Lead at Cognizant, a Fortune 200 organization with 300,000 employees, she successfully led global cross-functional teams to design and deploy talent strategies across talent management, performance management, talent acquisition, learning and development, succession planning, strategic workforce planning, and talent transformation. Nivedita conceptualized, designed and launched Cognizant’s flagship Return to Work Program globally. Her deep insights and experience are valuable to firms seeking to establish or further enhance Corporate Returnship Programs globally.

As iRelaunch’s India-based Managing Director, Nivedita advances the global footprint of our pioneering work and thought leadership, working with progressive corporations on advisory services to leverage diverse talent pools.

Nivedita is a University Gold Medalist postgraduate in Human Resource Management from JMI, New Delhi and earned a Bachelors in Sociology with Honors from Miranda House, New Delhi, India.

Blair Bennett is Senior Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition (TA) at PepsiCo. She is responsible for the Global TA Centers of Excellence and overall success of early career, professional and executive hiring globally. Her goal is for talent to recognize PepsiCo as an employer of choice and to create a candidate experience that embodies PepsiCo’s mission to Create More Smiles!

Blair’s vast experience spans across not only recruiting but politics as well. After graduating from The George Washington University, she started a career in political consulting. She transitioned into Talent Acquisition when she joined Korn/Ferry International in 2005. In 2012, Blair joined Walmart’s in-house Executive Recruiting team. Blair joined PepsiCo in the Fall of 2019 and loves working with such a passionate and dedicated TA team while feeling at home being with a company that puts values at the center of decision making. And, she enjoys the incredible beverage and snacks portfolio that bring smiles to millions of consumers every day! Her personal favorites are any flavor Bubly and Baked Cheetos.

In her free time, Blair loves to snuggle with her two Wheaten Terriers (Liberty & Justice) andplay golf with her husband Tom.

Bio coming soon

Megan Miller is currently the Head of the Personal Investor Sales Desk, focused on driving outcomes and new business on behalf of the enterprise. Meg has been at Vanguard, and in the Financial Services industry, for over 25 years. She has spent over 18 years in the sales domain for both direct consumers and through intermediaries. Meg holds a Bachelor or Arts degree in Business Management and Economics from Washington College and an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University. Additionally, Meg has her series 7,63,66, and 24, as well as the SIIFM certification. Outside of work, Meg enjoys spending time with friends and family and volunteering in her local community, coaching both basketball and lacrosse. She spends most of her time with her husband David, her daughter Reagan (10), and her identical twin boys, Patrick and Brayden (7). Her family loves to travel, cheer for Philadelphia sports teams, and spend time at the beach.

I have coached and mentored ambitious professionals my entire career. I have also had the opportunity to recruit, hire and manage countless others. But it wasn’t until the boutique consulting firm, where I was a senior executive and worked for 20+ years, was sold, that I had an opportunity to discover my true calling ... as a career coach with a special focus on relaunchers.

I’ve worked with relaunchers who have taken short (1-3 years) and long (15-20 years) career breaks and have found them to be bright, energetic and highly accomplished. Too often they might lack confidence or have an uncertainty of focus that may derail their search. That’s where I can help. Each client is unique; so we will create a customized plan based entirely on your needs. Whether we’re creating a strategy for your search, preparing for an interview or keeping you accountable and focused, the goal is for you to present your best self in all aspects of the job search. While I won’t sugarcoat things, or let you be unrealistic, I will be your sounding board, advisor and biggest cheerleader.

In addition to decades of “on the job” training, I also have an MBA in Finance from DePaul University, a BA in Business Administration from Augustana College (IL), am a Certified Administrator of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory assessments, a Mock Interview Consultant for Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Volunteer Advisor at the Career Resource Center, as well as a frequent speaker on today’s job search and reentering the Workforce.

Learn more about Mary Beth and 2nd Career Consulting

Hello my fellow relaunchers! Thinking back to 2002 when I first took time off (7 years) after the birth of my second child, I had no idea where I would be 20 years later. Fast forward to now, I am so glad to have zig-zagged my way to career coaching and look forward to sharing some of my experiences with you.

I started out with a fairly linear career path by completing my computer science degree and then working at IBM in sales. After receiving an MBA, I worked for Monsanto developing business in China, and then for a Silicon Valley life science startup opening up channels in major Asian markets. My career path seemed pretty obvious during that phase of my career. When I re-entered the job market after my time off, there were definitely many false starts and career detours that led nowhere. In hindsight, I wish I had the iRelaunch roadmap to make sense of the ambiguity I faced. Upon reflection, I appreciated having had time for some trial and error and for immersing myself in the community building at our local school.

When I did find my way back as a paid professional, I discovered that learning and teaching were my best strengths. First, becoming an adjunct at UCSD led me to coaching and mentoring STEM founders and professionals. Then leveraging that experience in online learning, I became a facilitator for HBS Publishing for their global management training programs.

Even though I have thoroughly enjoyed the many impacts I have had as a teacher and mentor, I realize that the 1:1 interaction from coaching has been the most rewarding. In becoming certified as a “First 90 Days” (the onboarding best-seller) transition coach, I have been helping many Fortune 500 (including Nike, Google and Qualcomm) leaders acclimate to their new roles as they get promoted to enterprise leadership.

From my experiences, I know that building and belonging to a community is the most important lesson I have learned. I look forward to sharing what I have learned from my own journey with you as well as experiences I have picked up along the way from the classroom to the boardroom.

Welcome, everyone, and I’m so excited to meet you! I’m Sara Dickison Taylor, President and Founder of Celebrate Life by Design, LLC. As a certified Executive and Leadership Coach, I have helped countless individuals maximize their life potential and turn their wildest dreams into reality. Whether it be transitioning to a new job after being out of the workforce for years, building your brand, accentuating your leadership team, or rediscovering that missing piece in your soul, get ready for your next adventure.

As a Certified Career and Executive Life Coach with the International Coaching Federation, I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colby College and am a certified graduate of Coach University. Always the consummate student, I also choose to delve further into my coaching craft with Dr. Martha Beck, renowned New York Times bestselling author and Oprah’s favorite life coach.

I formally served as Co-Chair of the Pediatric Patient Family Advisory Council (PPFAC) at Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute and have spoken internationally as an advocate of patient and family-centered care for families, caregivers, and patients. Before my exciting coaching career, I spent almost 20 years as a top recruiter and Vice President for a Boston-based staffing agency helping individuals find the jobs of their dreams.

When I’m not coaching, you can find me laughing and dancing with my forever patient husband, trying to slow down the growth of my two amazing teenagers and enjoying walks with our ever-active golden retrievers. Come and join the ride - I promise you’ll be happy you did!

Learn more about Sara.

Matthew Temple is the Senior Director of Alumni Career & Professional Development for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he manages a team of 11 people who deliver career and executive coaching to 65,000 alumni globally. He has coached clients on a range of career issues including self-assessment, networking, resumes, interviewing, negotiating, and starting/buying a business. Matthew has presented hundreds of career workshops in Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, and the Chicago Tribune. Matthew has worked as a Career Coach with Harvard Business School and the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Matthew has coached senior executives as well as emerging leaders in high potential and leadership development programs. His areas of focus include leadership, building and managing high performing teams, onboarding, communications, and executive presence. He earned an Organizational and Leadership Coaching Certification from Northwestern University. He is certified in the Designing Your Life, DISC, Gallup Strengths, Hogan Assessment, Voices 360, Korn Ferry Leadership Architect, and MBTI. Matthew has coached executives on leadership, communications, and management at companies including Amazon, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Facebook, GE, Goldman Sachs, Google, JP Morgan Chase, McKinsey, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever.

Previously, Matthew served as the Director of International Business Development for Ask.com, where he helped establish, manage, and staff joint ventures worth over US$200 million in Asia, Europe and Latin America. He worked in private equity, M&A and corporate finance for Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank. He has lived and worked in Asia and Europe. Matthew holds a BA from Harvard University, an MBA in Finance, Marketing and Organizational Behavior from Kellogg School of Management, and an MS in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University.

Learn more about Matthew.

Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and Co-founder of iRelaunch, a full-service career reentry company focused on bringing professionals back into the workforce after extended leave. iRelaunch works with employers worldwide to build and expand in-house career reentry programs, produces the iRelaunch Return to Work Conferences, and leads a community of more than 120,000 relaunchers looking to return to work. Cohen, a relauncher herself, hosts the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Her TED talk, "How to get back to work after a career break," has nearly 3.7 million views. 

Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and Co-founder of iRelaunch, a full-service career reentry company focused on bringing professionals back into the workforce after extended leave. iRelaunch works with employers worldwide to build and expand in-house career reentry programs, produces the iRelaunch Return to Work Conferences, and leads a community of more than 120,000 relaunchers looking to return to work. Cohen, a relauncher herself, hosts the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Her TED talk, "How to get back to work after a career break," has nearly 3.7 million views.