Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How a Career Gap Helped One Parent Launch a Nonprofit
Transcript
- Lucas: Sarah Chen spent six years as a full-time caregiver for her aging parents. When she was ready to return to work in 2024, she sent out 40 job applications and got exactly zero callbacks. Luna: Zero? That's brutal. But I'm guessing this story has a twist. Lucas: It does. Instead of waiting for an employer to accommodate her caregiving schedule, Sarah founded a nonprofit called CareBridge. It connects family caregivers with part-time, remote work opportunities at companies like Patagonia and Buffer. And it's not a side project—she's now running it full-time with a staff of five. Luna: So she turned a career gap into a social enterprise. That's exactly the kind of story our listeners need to hear. Lucas: Before we dive into the details—if this episode helps you think through your own career gap, and it felt worth a coffee to you, there's a link at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Listener support is what keeps this show ad-free and independent. Luna: Yeah, it's a small gesture that goes a long way. And honestly, knowing that people find value in these stories keeps us going. Lucas: So back to Sarah. She didn't just start a nonprofit on a whim. During her gap years, she was already doing the groundwork—talking to people, learning the landscape. Luna: What kind of groundwork? Let's hear the step-by-step. Lucas: First, she conducted 30 informational interviews with nonprofit founders. She used her caregiving downtime—those hours sitting in hospital waiting rooms—to research and reach out. Luna: That's a great use of fragmented time. Most people doom-scroll; she was building a network. Lucas: Exactly. She also built a personal board of advisors during her gap—four people she'd worked with or admired, who agreed to a quarterly check-in call. One of them had founded a nonprofit herself and became Sarah's mentor. Luna: So she didn't wait until she was 'back' to start networking. She used the gap as an active period. Lucas: Right. And then she wrote a grant proposal. The Skoll Foundation awarded CareBridge a $50,000 seed grant in late 2024. That gave her enough runway to launch a pilot program with 15 caregivers. Luna: Fifty thousand is a solid start. But the real breakthrough was landing those employer partners—Patagonia and Buffer. How did she convince them? Lucas: She pitched them on a talent pool they were overlooking. Family caregivers, she argued, are incredibly organized, resourceful, and empathetic. They manage complex schedules, medication regimens, and insurance paperwork. That's executive function stuff. Luna: And both Patagonia and Buffer already had remote-friendly cultures. So it was a natural fit. Lucas: Exactly. Sarah's own gap was the credential that made the pitch credible. She wasn't a consultant who read about caregiving—she lived it. Luna: I love that she turned what employers saw as a liability into a unique selling point. What about the broader trend? Are we seeing more people start organizations after a gap? Lucas: Yes. A 2025 study from the Kauffman Foundation found that 18 percent of new entrepreneurs in the U.S. had a career gap of two years or more before starting their venture. That's up from 11 percent a decade ago. Luna: So the stigma is fading—or at least people are finding workarounds. Lucas: Right. And a lot of that growth is driven by parents—especially mothers—who couldn't find re-entry roles that fit their caregiving schedule. They're building their own solutions. Luna: Sarah's story is a blueprint. But what about the listener who doesn't want to start a nonprofit? Can they apply these tactics to a traditional job search? Lucas: Absolutely. The core lessons are the same. First, use the gap to build relationships—informational interviews, a board of advisors, whatever. Second, frame your gap experience as transferable skills, not lost time. Luna: And third? You mentioned a third? Lucas: Third, create a pilot project. Sarah didn't launch CareBridge fully formed. She started with a simple website and a Google Form, matched three caregivers with jobs, and used that as proof of concept. You can do the same with a freelance project or a portfolio piece. Luna: That's smart. It shows initiative and bridges the gap on your resume. Lucas: Exactly. And here's the thing—Sarah's gap wasn't a vacation. She was dealing with end of life care, financial stress, and emotional exhaustion. But she channeled that into something productive. Luna: I think a lot of listeners will relate to that feeling of being overwhelmed and wondering if they'll ever get back. Sarah's story says: you can, but maybe on your own terms. Lucas: Right. And the market is responding. CareBridge now has 120 caregivers in its network. Companies are starting to see the value. Luna: What's next for her? Any expansion plans? Lucas: She's applying for a second grant to build a training program that certifies caregivers in project management skills. Her goal is to make CareBridge a pipeline, not just a matching service. Luna: That would be a game-changer for a lot of people. So if you're in a career gap right now, the takeaway isn't just 'start a nonprofit.' It's: use this time to build something—even a small one—that proves your value. Lucas: Exactly. And if you want to learn more about Sarah's journey, we'll link to her LinkedIn and the CareBridge site in the show notes. Thanks for listening.