As we welcome the magical month of May, it’s time to celebrate the power and wonder of motherhood.
Motherhood is often seen as a double-edged sword, with most moms finding themselves at a crossroads when it comes to growing their careers or taking care of their families.
While society dictates that a woman must choose one or the other, we at Her Second Innings are here to tell you that it is possible to have both.
Here is the inspiring story of our team member Prashanthini, who took a career break to raise her child and then returned to work as the IT Head for our organization.
Prashanthini’s decision to take a career break was rooted in wanting to be fully present for her child. At the time, she felt she needed to give more time to support her child’s growth.
“At that time, being a mother took priority, and I chose to step back from work to focus on nurturing and raising my child”, she said.
However, as her child grew, she felt increasingly compelled to resume her career and had a bigger mission in mind - to serve as an inspiration to her child.
“I began to feel passion towards my profession. Most importantly, I wanted to be a role model for my child—to show that it's never too late to return to what you love.”
When asked about transferable skills between work and motherhood, she confidently stated that motherhood sharpened her time management, multitasking, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
She added that she became more patient, better at problem-solving, and even more empathetic—qualities that have enabled her to become a stronger team member.
Of course, returning to work was not all easy - Prashanthini had extensive experience working with Java-based systems, but what she returned to required WordPress and PHP, which was completely different from what she was previously used to.
Even though understanding legacy systems in the new environment took time, and upskilling while managing responsibilities was not easy, Prashanthini continued to strive towards her goals, and with persistence and support, she began to gradually bridge the skills gap.
Through all these struggles, Prashanthini found that the main driving factor that enabled her to succeed was the support she received from her family at home and the team at work. She was grateful to her family and believed that their encouragement and understanding gave her the confidence to restart her career. Furthermore, she emphasized the value of flexible work and the important role that platforms like Her Second Innings play in helping women ease into the workplace.
With her career back in full swing, Prashanthini has gained incredible insight about herself. She found that the most incredible part of her second innings was discovering a version of herself.
She added, “HSI isn’t just about picking up where I left off; it’s about moving forward with clarity, courage, and a stronger sense of why. It’s empowering to build a career that aligns with both, my personal values and professional dreams. I’m deeply thankful to Manjula and the entire Her Second Innings team— her guidance, belief, and support played a huge role in making this journey possible.”
Today, Prashanthini is one of the core members of the organization, leading the entire IT support and development for HSI. Every job application, enrollment, workshop, or even just a simple click to see who we are - is enabled by her efforts!
Now a seasoned working professional adept at balancing motherhood and her career growth, here is Prashanthini’s advice to aspiring career moms -
“Believe in your worth. Don’t underestimate what you bring to the table—your experience, your maturity, your perspective. Upskill at your own pace, stay curious and surround yourself with people who uplift you. Remember, you are not starting from scratch, you are starting from experience.”
Prashanthini is a testament to us that hard work, patience, and a good heart can all shape your future into what you want it to be!
Her Second Innings supports women professionals on a sabbatical in their journey of getting back to work. The mission of HSI is to guide women to achieve financial independence. Support from HSI comes in the form of job interviews, reskilling programs in Automation, and, free Career Guidance Counselling. Sign up with us and complete your profile to get a call from our counselors to know your job fit.
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