In today’s rapidly changing work environment, the spotlight on diversity and inclusion is brighter than ever. Organizations strive to build inclusive workplaces and grow their pipeline for qualified resources, including elevating women to leadership roles. Amid the expanding conversation about inclusion and the future of work, one group remains consistently overlooked: mid-career professionals, often women, who have stepped away from the workforce for caregiving.
Untapped Potential is a trailblazing force changing this reality. More than just a workforce re-entry program, Untapped Potential is an inclusion-driven, results-focused platform that connects talented professionals with a gap, often women, with forward-thinking companies, helping them bridge the gap between personal transitions and professional growth. It provides both the structure and strategy to convert a career break into a launchpad, not a setback.
Untapped Potential is rewriting the story for women who have stepped away from work and ensures they are ready to step back in with purpose. It gets that life doesn’t always follow a straight path, and neither do careers. That’s why it meets women where they are, offering support, confidence-building, and real opportunities to reconnect with meaningful work. Whether it’s been two years or ten, Untapped Potential helps women feel seen, valued, and fully capable of making a powerful comeback on their own terms.
A Market Need, Met with Purpose
Women often step away from the workforce at the height of their careers—armed with valuable skills, institutional knowledge, and leadership potential. During their gap, they gain even more: empathy, emotional intelligence, logistical prowess. To ignore this talent pool is not just short-sighted—it’s an economic loss.
Untapped Potential’s mission is grounded in this truth: career gaps don’t equal value gaps. Its candidates are not just returners—they are professionals ready to contribute at high levels with fresh perspective, sharpened skills, and deep motivation.
This human-first approach isn’t about checking a diversity box—it’s about rewriting the rules. It’s about ensuring no one has to choose between caregiving and a career, and showing that with the right support, returners can thrive—on their own terms.
Candace’s vision for Untapped Potential isn’t just professional, it’s personal. As a working mother and engineer herself, she experienced firsthand the challenges of balancing career ambitions with caregiving responsibilities. That lived experience fuels the organization’s empathetic, solutions-driven approach.
Human Intelligence over Algorithms
Untapped Potential does not just encourage companies to “be more inclusive”—it gives them the tools, structure, and access to do so in a meaningful and measurable way It doesn’t rely on automated applicant tracking systems that inherently filters out those with a resume gap in years or keywords. Instead, it leverages Human Intelligence (HI)—evaluating transferable skills and matching them with in-demand roles, curated for readiness and cultural fit.
It shifts the hiring lens from “What’s missing?” to “What’s possible?”—challenging outdated ideas of who qualifies and why. This approach invites companies to look beyond chronology and see capability.
More than just placing candidates, Untapped Potential builds pathways. Through exposure events, peer accountability, and tailored upskilling, it walks alongside candidates on their journey. Whether the break was two years or ten, returners are met with empathy and empowered with structure.
At the heart of the Untapped Potential model is a reimagined return-to-work journey. The organization understands that coming back into the workforce after a career break can feel intimidating. That’s why it builds a support system, with wrap-around services, that goes far beyond job listings. Women meet industry mentors, gain access to skill-up opportunities, and have exposure to curated pathways back to meaningful work.
What makes this approach truly stand out is the empathy woven into every step. Untapped Potential knows that returning to work isn’t just a professional shift—it’s a personal one and a logistical one too. From confidence workshops to peer accountability partners, it creates a safe space where women can rebuild their sense of self along with their careers. It’s not about rushing back; it’s about coming back strong, supported, and seen. And that human touch? It’s what turns a returnship into a real, lasting comeback.
Building Confidence, Skills, and Community.
The journey often begins with community. Untapped Potential surrounds returners with a network of peers, mentors, and coaches who understand their challenges and help candidates overcome them. Through events, panels, and group discussions, women are reminded that they are not alone and that their professional experience is both relevant and needed. With Ladies Night Outs (LNO), Mentor Mingles, and coffee meet ups, Untapped Potential makes the steps in their journey something to look forward to rather than a dreaded chore.
Skill-building is another crucial layer. Many women returning to the workforce are highly capable but feel disconnected from evolving tools and technologies. Untapped Potential addresses this with targeted learning opportunities in areas like data analytics, Agile and Scrum methodologies, professional branding, and digital communication. These programs are offered in accessible formats, so that women balancing family responsibilities can still participate while delivering to their family’s needs.
What also sets the experience apart is those wrap-around services – the focus on soft skills, interview prep, crafting elevator pitches, and rebuilding professional confidence. These often-overlooked components are key to navigating a modern job market that prioritizes presence as much as performance.
Flexible Engagements That Work for Everyone
Once candidates are prepared, Untapped Potential connects them to curated job opportunities—not through traditional recruitment, but through flexible, low-risk engagements designed for mutual success.
Its signature Flexreturn™ model offers short-term, mid-career internships that allow returners to demonstrate their value in real time. These part-time, supported engagements help returners gain current experience—key to bypassing job board filters—and often lead to direct-hire roles.
Candidates who complete skillUP training in data analytics, for instance, can apply their new skills immediately through these Flexreturn™ engagements.
“OneDigital has benefited from Untapped Potential’s pool of qualified candidates to solve temporary and seasonal analytics needs. UP goes out of their way to connect employers with the right person at the right time for the right duration.”
— Jeff Cross, Principal, OneDigital Health & Benefits
These engagements restore confidence and validate capabilities, preparing returners to successfully compete for full-time roles.
Other engagement options include project-based engagements and direct placements when the fit is immediate. These options create a low-risk, high-reward environment for businesses and returners alike, easing both into a partnership that’s built for long-term impact.
Beyond Resumes: Skills-Based Hiring, Realized.
This model isn’t about compromise—it’s about transformation. Businesses are learning that they don’t have to choose between top talent and flexible hiring. By creating space for non-linear career paths, they gain access to professionals who are not only qualified but highly motivated to contribute.
Untapped Potential is also a strong advocate for skills-based hiring. In today’s workforce, many traditional credentials no longer reflect actual ability. Untapped Potential encourages companies to look beyond resume gaps and instead focus on what a candidate can actually do. This approach helps eliminate bias and opens the door to richer, more diverse hiring decisions. This vision goes beyond recruiting. It is a call to rewire how companies define readiness and reimagine how they measure potential.
It’s not just about filling roles, it’s about reshaping how we see as value in the workplace. Untapped Potential challenges the old-school belief that a smooth, uninterrupted career path is the only sign of readiness. Instead, it asks: What can this person bring to the table right now? Many women who return after a career break have navigated complex life changes, gaining problem-solving skills, empathy, time management, and adaptability—abilities that are crucial in today’s fast-paced work environment, but often overlooked by traditional hiring methods.
With its focus on skills-based hiring, Untapped Potential helps businesses look past the usual resume gaps. A break in employment doesn’t erase years of experience or the leadership skills built along the way. In fact, those returning often come back with a fresh perspective, a renewed sense of purpose, and a stronger commitment to contribute. Taking a break, growing during that time, and then intentionally re-entering the workforce is a deliberate choice—one that speaks to strength, resilience, and drive.
From Career Break to Career Acceleration.
Success stories are the best proof of concept. Untapped Potential has helped women step back into roles at leading organizations—often at levels equal to or higher than where they left off. One woman, after years away from IT to raise her children, returned to become a senior leader in a large corporation’s technology division. Another, with a background in marketing and product development, stepped into a director-level role and quickly drove significant business growth.
“At Motorlease, we recognize the tremendous value that Untapped Potential brings through its unique model for onboarding experienced professionals. Their focus on training, vetting, and professional development aligns with our commitment to building a high-performing, resilient workforce. Today, approximately 30% of our team has come through Untapped Potential, helping drive meaningful growth and success.”
— Jeff Perkins, President, Motorlease Corporation, a nationwide fleet management company.
These women didn’t just “get back to work.” They redefined what returning looks like—and proved that talent never expires.
What sets Untapped Potential apart is its deep understanding of the real barriers returners face. Confidence gaps are real, and so is the sense of isolation many women feel when they try to re-engage professionally. With taglines of “Let’s navigate this together” and offering a recognition of the real ‘work’ and value caregivers deliver to society during their gap – Untapped Potential builds that self-confidence. By addressing both the emotional and technical aspects of return-to-work journeys, Untapped Potential helps candidates stand tall—and helps companies see their true value.
There is also something deeply resonant about the way Untapped Potential reframes the narrative: these are not comeback stories—they’re momentum stories. And that subtle shift changes everything.
Supporting Women in the “Messy Middle” and more.
While Untapped Potential has become synonymous with the “return-to-work” movement, its work is expanding to support women through all phases of their careers. That includes professionals in the “messy middle” who have skill currency but need to downsize while raising young kids or those in transition after playing dual roles as working Mom, now ready to level-up— or simply those who don’t follow a typical corporate arc.
Whether they are shifting industries, seeking purpose-driven work, reimagining their role post-pandemic, or taking a leap into entrepreneurship, these women need the same support: confidence-building, skill-refreshing, and meaningful employer connections. Untapped Potential is increasingly positioned as the go-to ally for these transitions.
It is not just about reintegrating talent—it’s about reinvesting in it. And it’s not just about restarting a job—it’s about recharging a journey.
Scaling a Movement: What’s Next for Untapped Potential.
Looking ahead, Untapped Potential is laying the groundwork for even greater impact. The organization is expanding its reach geographically, forming partnerships to support talent across the broader regions. Collaborations with groups like the Employers Association of the NorthEast (EANE) and the Connecticut Technology Council’s Women of Innovation initiative are helping bring Untapped Potential’s model to more regions and industries.
The organization is also investing in scalable learning platforms—particularly asynchronous options—to ensure that career-building opportunities are accessible to women at any time, in any location. This flexibility is essential for caregivers and professionals managing complex life transitions. It also meets the growing demand for remote-first, personalized, and on-demand professional development. In addition, Untapped Potential is exploring new technologies and partnership models that could further increase the visibility and value of its returners in the talent marketplace.
As Untapped Potential scales its efforts, it is equally focused on ensuring the long-term sustainability of its mission. The organization continues to build on its strong foundation of mentorship, networking, and peer support—resources designed to help women not only re-enter the workforce but thrive and give back.. By fostering meaningful connections across industries, employers, and among successful returners, Untapped Potential is cultivating a pay-it-forward ecosystem where women can grow, learn, and support one another. This holistic approach ensures the movement isn’t just about getting women back to work—it’s about empowering them to build fulfilling, lasting careers and lift the next generation along the way.
The Future of Work Is Flexible, Inclusive, and Human
In a crowded D&I landscape, Untapped Potential stands out because it delivers outcomes, not just insight. Companies don’t get reports—they get talent. Women don’t just get advice—they get pathways to a career.
As Candace Freedenberg says: “When we give women a path back, we give businesses the power to move forward.”
That ethos drives everything Untapped Potential does. It isn’t about fitting people back into outdated molds. It’s about reshaping the mold altogether—where life experience counts, non-linear paths are valued, and every candidate is seen for who they are today.
Untapped Potential is reshaping the future of work—one returner, one company, one mindset at a time.
For more details visit https://www.upotential.org/
