Changing Lives: Return and RISE

Since the beginning of January 2026, PARWCC and 20 of its Certified Professional Career Coaches (CPCC) have been participating in a pilot career-coaching program with The Labor Club (TLC). 

I would like to thank the CPCC volunteers who selflessly and generously gave of their time and resources to work with their clients, offering passion, empathy, and professionalism, while empowering expecting and new mothers who have experienced involuntary job loss to return to the workforce with confidence. 

• Angelina Beck (Maikova) 
• Sunny Collins 
• Sara Camilo 
• Keisha Edwards
• Arissa Freeman
• Ashley Jarrell
• Carl Lackstrom
• Elissa Mahendra
• Kerry O’Hara
• Dee Partee-Grier 
• Terry Randall
• Ellen Sears 
• Karen Sharp-Price
• Kristen Stewart
• Sara Sutler-Cohen, Ph.D. 
• Matt Trecannelli
• Jessica Visek 
• Reena Washington
• Debra Wheatman
• Trina Wilson Edwards

The Program

This partnership between PARWCC’s CPCCs and The Labor Club included a 12-week pilot career-coaching program to deliver free, holistic, identity-informed, and flexible career-coaching support to women who have experienced involuntary job loss while pregnant, on leave, or within one year postpartum. 

The 20 CPCC volunteers coached their clients over three months, in six 45-minute sessions totaling just over four hours. As a bonus, this time frame also enabled any CPCC students who wished to be a part of the program to complete their required four hours of documented coaching time, helping them achieve that milestone for CPCC testing. 

Additionally, I delivered three initial webinars focused on résumé development, confidence-building, and ‘Ask Me Anything’. 

Diane’s Whole-Person Theory

We live in a world where not everything can be known or controlled. As a MoM and Grandmother, I recognize that clients who are laid off while pregnant or postpartum are not just looking for a job—they’re rebuilding their whole lives. This resonates directly with my / Diane’s Whole-Person Theory — the idea that a job seeker brings all of themself to the job search: they bring their family, fears, ambitions, and identity. Motherhood profoundly shifts identity, and CPCCs took on the role of coaching these clients through a real-life transformation.

Uncertainty is not a sign of personal failure. It is a fundamental part of what it means to be human as we navigate the unpredictable, the ambiguous. And today’s employment market is extremely unpredictable and volatile. This understanding makes us problem solvers. 

I believe people engage in a job search as whole people. Their careers, families, personal circumstances (divorce, financial difficulties, sick parents, new babies, volunteer activities, disabled family members, illness, death, school, career changes), faith-based beliefs, fears and concerns about seeking new employment or advancing in their careers, and other aspects of their lives all permeate their job searches. And mothers who lose their jobs while pregnant or postpartum know this deeply. I coach clients to determine for themselves what is important in their lives and careers, considering factors such as a high quality of life, career satisfaction, and a commensurate salary.

Many TLB clients experience grief in their career management, including job loss, financial difficulties, despair, and uncertainty. This, combined with the joy of a new baby and a new life, and the responsibilities of raising the child in today’s employment market, may lead to stress and anxiety. Often, self-worth deflates alongside “rejection” letters and ghosting after applying for positions or completing interviews.   

Some of their questions and concerns included:

• Are my skills still useful since I’ve been out of the workforce?
• How do I know I can still contribute something valuable?
• Am I “just a mom” now that I’ve lost touch with the previous career-oriented side of me?
• What do I want to be when I grow up? My values have changed.
• Does the workforce even want me now that I’ve been out of the game?
• How do I field questions about my choice to stay at home with my baby?
• The job market is competitive right now. How do I remain confident in my skills?

The CPCCs delivered career coaching to fit their client’s needs, including identifying goals, values, motivational factors, completing a DISC assessment, and preparing a career management action plan. Some also worked with their clients to build their résumés and LinkedIn profiles, tighten their brand statements, and prepare for interviews. And, some worked with their clients to consider entrepreneurial ventures to create stay-at-home jobs. They worked with their clients to build a budget, if needed, and to determine short- and long-term career management and job search trajectories. They coached their clients to discover new directions and explore different industries. They built confidence and empowered their clients to navigate the complexities of managing motherhood in the job market and to think positively.  

My CPCCs delivered exceptional services to the TLB clients, managing through a range of concerns and issues.

DISC

As a collaborative volunteer initiative, I would also like to thank Jane Roqueplot. Several DISC assessments were generously donated by Jane at ProfilingPro.com. This assessment tool engages clients in a validated, reliable DISC assessment of Communication Style and Behavior Traits. CPCCs also gained access to the DISC as students in the CPCC program to help them become familiar with the tool.   

The Communication Style and Behavioral Strengths (DISC) Assessments are effective in client discovery. This tool can provide accurate information about a client’s interpersonal and soft skills, as well as their career direction. The tool is helpful for résumé development, understanding a client’s communication style, identifying their strengths and areas that may need improvement, and understanding how they work alongside people with different behaviors and communication styles, which is very helpful for coaching a client who is engaged in networking and interviewing. 

About The Labor Club

The Labor Club has about 500 members from across 40 states, most of whom have been financially destabilized while growing their families. TLC was established as an online community in November 2023 and obtained tax-deductible status in December 2024. The group has been recognized in Fortune, Fast Company, and Business Insider as an “amazing resource” for women who’ve lost their jobs while pregnant.