Laura works with women returning to the paid workforce after a career break, helping them take control of their job search and find work aligned with their current goals. With over 15 years of experience in HR, along with her own journey of returning from a career break and changing careers, she understands the unique challenges women face as they reenter the workforce. Rather than viewing career breaks as a liability, she helps women see them as an asset and position them with confidence. She lives in Texas with her husband and son, but will always be a Midwesterner at heart!

You can connect with Laura Niebauer on Linkedin. Here are a few of the Career resources she shared on the episode:

1. The Ultimate Guide On Returning To Work After Your Career Break

2. Book Recommendation: The Power Pause

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music. Also, you can follow Pave Her Way on Linkedin as well.

Mercedes Swan is the Career Love Coach and creates empowering and safe places for high-performing and purpose driven Black women. She is a business and career coach for Black Women across the US, leveraging her expertise as a certified HR Professional (SHRM-CP), executive recruiter, and DEIB champion. It's her passion to see more Black Women find bliss personally and professionally and her mission is to close the pay, promotion and inclusion gap.

Mercedes holds a Master’s degree in management and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Florida. Mercedes has 8+ years of experience as an HR professional in talent acquisition, DEI, talent management and change management.

Mercedes currently lives in Florida with her fiancé, and two sweet boys: a chocolate American Staffordshire Terrier named Uno and tri-colored Beagle named Thorin. In her personal time, she loves nerding out , kayaking, spending time with family and crafting.

You can connect with Mercedes Swan on Instagram- @mercedes.swan. Follow Mercedes tools and resources below:

1. Check out Happy Black Women.

2. Download Mercedes free Career Love Journal

3. Black Woman Bliss Community (a free and paid community experience for high-performing, passionate Black women).

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music.

Urmi is a self-published author, speaker, blogger, and podcast host who works in the financial services industry in Canada. She holds both the CFA and CAIA designations and is deeply passionate about empowering women through mentorship, education, and public speaking.

Her book, Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth from Interracial Struggle, reflects her journey as a third-culture kid navigating questions of identity, culture, and belonging. Through her writing and lived experiences, Urmi aims to create spaces for honest conversations around representation and self-discovery. She also hosts the podcast Stories Beyond Borders, which amplifies diverse voices and stories on identity, migration, and language.

Outside of her professional and advocacy work, Urmi enjoys reading thrillers, practicing boxing, and staying active through running and HIIT workouts.

You can connect with Urmi Hossain on Instagram- @urmamio. Follow Urmi’s 3 Tips for how to break into the financial industry:

1. Connect with 100 Women in Finance.

2. Listen to the podcast, Leave Your Mark.

3. Check out the following Books Recommendations: “Leave Your Mark” by Aliza Licht and “Ikigai:The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life” by Hector Garcia.

Follow Pave Her Way Podcast on Instagram @paveherwaypodcast. Subscribe to Pave Her Way podcast on your favorite streaming platform on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music.