Voices,found.

After an eight-year break I had stopped calling myself a professional. Ambica helped me see that running a household, managing my father’s treatment and volunteering at my son’s school had built real skills. In my first interview back, I talked about those years without apologising once.

I could explain my product to engineers but not to investors. We worked on one story, told three ways. The pitch finally sounded like me, not like a template I had downloaded.

I coach other people for a living, yet I froze whenever someone asked what I do. The sessions were practical, often funny, and very honest. I now have an introduction I actually enjoy saying.

Moving from operations into a client-facing role, I kept my ideas to myself in meetings. The role-plays felt awkward for a week and then they didn’t. My manager noticed before I did.