The Better At Work podcast is your new best friend at work. It’s packed with honest, practical advice and science-backed techniques from a diverse range of guests to help you achieve betterness in your work, and life.
Better At Work is for everyone striving to be better and feel better. Whether you’re ready to take your career to new heights, or battling with the daily grind, your host Cathal Quinlan is here to help.
By drawing on insights from leading psychologists, neuroscientists and performance experts, and Cathal sharing his own successes and mistakes as a leader, the podcast delivers proven strategies, tools and science-backed techniques to help you achieve betterness in your working life, one day at a time, because when work is better, life is better.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Better At Work podcast is your new best friend at work. It’s packed with honest, practical advice and science-backed techniques from a diverse range of guests to help you achieve betterness in your work, and life.
Better At Work is for everyone striving to be better and feel better. Whether you’re ready to take your career to new heights, or battling with the daily grind, your host Cathal Quinlan is here to help.
By drawing on insights from leading psychologists, neuroscientists and performance experts, and Cathal sharing his own successes and mistakes as a leader, the podcast delivers proven strategies, tools and science-backed techniques to help you achieve betterness in your working life, one day at a time, because when work is better, life is better.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Taking a career break doesn't mean your career is over. In this episode, Julianne Miles—chartered psychologist, MBE recipient, and author of Return Journey—shares her proven 5-stage framework for returning to work after time away.
Whether you've taken a break for childcare, caregiving, health reasons, or personal development, this conversation will help you navigate the transition with confidence.
🎯 IN THIS EPISODE:
- Why career breaks should be valued, not feared [03:45]
- The 5 stages of returning to work (and where you get stuck) [12:30]
- How to handle the "what have you been doing?" question [18:15]
- Why your career break gave you MORE valuable skills [22:40]
- The perfectionism trap that holds returners back [28:50]
- Small tweaks that make returning to work easier [35:20]
- How to value what makes you different (not the same) [44:30]
📚 JULIANNE'S RESOURCES:
🔗 Career Returners: https://www.careerreturners.com
📖 Book: "Return Journey: How to Get Back to Work and Thrive After a Career Break" (Out September 4, 2025)
🎙️ Career Returners Podcast: Real stories from people who've successfully returned to work
📚 Cisco Academy: Free training courses for returners
🌍 Global online returner community
✨ ABOUT JULIANNE:
Julianne Miles is a chartered psychologist with over 20 years of experience supporting thousands of people returning to work after career breaks. She's a successful returner herself and the founder of Career Returners, an organization dedicated to making career breaks a valued part of lifetime careers. In 2019, she was awarded an MBE for her pivotal role in changing the landscape for UK returners.
🎙️ ABOUT BETTER AT WORK:
Making your work life better, one conversation at a time. Join host Cathal Quinlan as he explores workplace wellness, career development, and the real challenges of modern work with experts, authors, and people who've been there.
🔔 New episodes every Thursday
📸 Instagram: @betteratwork
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction
2:30 - Julianne's story: From career break to chartered psychologist
6:05 - Why society needs to reframe career breaks
9:40 - The mental blocks (both sides face)
12:30 - The 5 stages of career transition
18:15 - Handling the "gap in your CV" conversation
22:40 - Skills you gain during a career break
28:50 - The perfectionism trap
35:20 - Small tweaks that make big differences
41:00 - Why taking the leap is worth it
42:40 - Smallest change for a better day at work
43:50 - The lesson about perfectionism
45:30 - Best advice: Value what makes you different
47:25 - Where to find Julianne's resources
#CareerBreak #ReturnToWork #WorkplaceWellness #CareerDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment #WorkingParents #CorporateWellness #CareerTransition #BetterAtWork