Returning to the workforce after a long break is a challenge, especially in fast-paced go-to-market (GTM) teams. The solution isn’t to hide your career gap, but to turn it into a strategic advantage.
In a recent episode of the Go to Market podcast, host Amy Osmond Cook, co-founder and chief marketing officer at Fullcast and a Forbes contributor, sat down with Heather Nemelka. Heather is a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and founder at Heather Nemelka, LLC. She also serves as the founder and president of the Elavare Foundation, a board member at Stampin’ Up!, and chair of the Silicon Slopes AI Chapter.
After relaunching her own career following an 18-year break, Heather has become a leading advocate for professional reinvention. She offers a proven framework for reframing your personal narrative, mastering modern artificial intelligence tools, and using powerful human connection tactics to thrive.
The Mindset Shift: Turn Your Career Gap Into a Competitive Advantage
The first step in relaunching your career is to change how you talk about your break. What many see as a liability is a source of unique strength and perspective. Heather’s journey shows that potential, life experience, and a compelling story are more powerful than a linear career path.
Your career gap is a source of unique skills and perspective, not a liability. Frame your life experience as leadership experience to demonstrate your potential.
From Full-Time Mom to Tech Leader: Proving Potential Over Proof
Heather’s story begins with an 18-year break from the workforce to be a full-time mom. When she re-entered as a single parent, uncertainty was high. “I wanted to find a job but wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it,” she recalls. Her breakthrough came through an informational interview with KT Tape, a local company that hired her as a marketing coordinator.
What happened next demonstrates the power of embracing opportunity. “They gave me lots of responsibility early on, and it was fantastic for my career, so I grew as a marketer really quickly,” Heather explains. She immersed herself in marketing podcasts and any learning resource she could find to learn the industry. This approach propelled her through roles at Amazon Web Services and other tech companies.
Your recent work history does not define your future potential. What matters is your willingness to learn, your ability to take on responsibility, and your commitment to growth.
Embrace Your Story: Why Vulnerability Is Your New Professional Superpower
For years, Heather approached LinkedIn the way many professionals do. “I would post, like when I worked for Amazon, I would post their events. When I worked for other companies, same thing, we’re going to be at this conference,” she shares. The posts were safe, corporate, and forgettable.
Everything changed when she started telling her personal story. “It wasn’t until I started to tell my story that I really stepped into what marketing really can be when it’s the storytelling part of ourselves,” Heather reflects. This shift to authenticity and vulnerability built a stronger connection with her audience and established her as a thought leader.
Authentic storytelling is critical for more than just personal branding. “As we use more artificial intelligence and robotics, we’re gonna want more human interaction,” Heather notes. “Sometimes being vulnerable is the best way to connect with people, and especially not just individuals, but companies also.” In an age of automation, human stories are what truly resonate with customers and colleagues.
Translate Life Skills Into Leadership Experience
A common fear among those with career gaps is that time away means a gap in relevant experience. Heather challenges this assumption directly. You can frame the skills developed through volunteer work, community projects, and home management on a resume and in interviews.
“If you have opportunities just in life to be a leader and to grow that way before you actually get that managerial job, that’s ideal,” Heather advises. She recommends “asking for opportunities outside of even your work, where you can volunteer in the community and managing projects in the community, whether it’s church, even in your home, doing certain projects help you then manage more.”
These experiences build the same capabilities employers seek: project management, empathy, leadership, and the ability to navigate complex situations. If you want to build transferable skills, a revenue operations career provides a clear path for growth.
Navigating the Modern Job Market: Use AI and Human Ingenuity to Get Noticed
Artificial intelligence has transformed the job market, which can feel intimidating. But this shift also presents a new opportunity. The key is using technology as a strategic ally while emphasizing the human elements that AI cannot replicate.
Use AI as a tool to prepare for interviews and identify skill gaps, but differentiate yourself with unforgettable human touches like a video thank-you note.
Don’t Fear Automation. Use AI to Intentionally Build Your Skills
Many professionals returning to the workforce feel intimidated by the automation now embedded in sales, marketing, and revOps teams. Heather offers a different perspective. “I think of AI as a tool not to replace people, but to up-level us, and also to help us go to market faster, more efficiently and effectively,” she explains.
The shift is significant: instead of being the builder, you become the director and judge. “AI can build, but you have to still judge,” Heather notes. This means developing the skills to evaluate, refine, and direct AI output.
Her practical advice for job seekers is to leverage large language models like ChatGPT or Claude. “Give it a lot of context. Give it your background. You can even upload your resume. Help me prepare for these roles that I wanna get into,” she recommends. Use these tools to understand new job functions, identify skill gaps, and practice interview questions.
Heather practices what she preaches. Despite chairing the Silicon Slopes AI Chapter, she is currently taking an in-person AI builder course. “Because I want to be a better builder, and what I’ve learned is I do a lot with the LLMs, but I am kind of a little bit nervous about doing the building,” she admits. This commitment to lifelong learning helps her stay current. For those looking to apply AI strategically, conducting an AI GTM audit provides a tangible process for identifying and filling gaps.
The Unforgettable Follow-Up: Why a Video Thank-You Note Wins the Job
Standing out in a crowded job market requires going beyond standard practices. Heather shares a three-tiered thank-you strategy that has proven highly effective.
“The first one is just a regular email where you follow up and you say, ‘Thank you so much for the job interview,'” she explains. “The second one would be a handwritten note, which nobody does anymore.” But the third tier is what truly differentiates candidates: recording a personalized video message.
“Recording yourself on a video, just on your cell phone, uploading that video to YouTube, sharing that link in an email saying, ‘Thank you so much. Just wanted to share this video message with you,'” Heather describes. In the video, the candidate thanked the interviewer directly and explained how they could make a difference at the company.
Heather shares a powerful example from her own hiring experience. She was deciding between two candidates for a marketing role, and one who had worked at Amazon seemed like the obvious choice. “But this other gal, who didn’t have as much experience, she sent me an email with a video link of herself thanking me for the job and why she would be great for the company,” Heather recalls.
“I was so blown away that she would take the time that I ended up hiring her,” she continues. “I figured if she would put in extra effort in a thank you, she would put in extra effort in the job.” And she did.
Retain the Human Element in a World of Bots
While AI offers tremendous efficiency, both Heather and Amy agree on its limitations. “Ultimately, we oftentimes want somebody that can truly empathize with us, and we’re not there yet with AI,” Heather observes. “I can pretty quickly tell, ‘Oh, this is just some automated bot. Somebody that doesn’t really know what my situation is.'”
This principle applies directly to job seekers. While AI can help with keywords and resume optimization, over-automating your application materials strips away your unique human voice. “Companies think, ‘Oh, we’re gonna save so much money by automating everything,’ but then it actually can create a negative experience for the customer,” Heather warns. The same is true for hiring managers reviewing applications.
Your authenticity is your differentiator. As the 2026 GTM Benchmark Report demonstrates, AI-enabled teams are outperforming, but the human element remains essential for building trust and connection.
Sustaining Success: The Habits of a Lifelong Learner and Leader
Getting back into the workforce is one challenge. Staying at your best is another. The personal and professional habits you cultivate fuel resilience, continuous improvement, and long-term career fulfillment.
Long-term career success depends on a commitment to continuous learning, personal well-being, and finding purpose by helping others.
Commit to Continuous Learning and Curiosity
Heather describes herself as “an avid reader, learner” who is “always trying to learn more.” She follows podcasts, reads blogs, and pursues any resource that helps her stay current, particularly on artificial intelligence. “I’m always reading blogs and following podcasts and everything I can to learn more in that realm,” she shares.
The tools and tactics of today will not be the same tomorrow. A mindset of constant learning is non-negotiable for career longevity. Whether you are re-entering the workforce or advancing in your current role, intentional skill-building matters. For additional perspectives on career development, explore insights on cultivating your career in RevOps.
Prioritize Well-Being for Professional Performance
Physical health directly supports professional resilience. Heather lives near Y Mountain in Provo and makes hiking and gym workouts part of her routine. “I also am a very big proponent of getting exercise for my mental health, too,” she explains.
Navigating a tough job market or a demanding GTM role requires sustained energy and mental clarity. The practices that keep you physically fit also build the resilience needed to handle rejection, uncertainty, and the intensity of career transitions.
Find Your Purpose by Serving Others
Perhaps Heather’s most powerful insight comes in her closing reflection. “Any time I’m feeling like life is hard and things aren’t going my way, I do really feel like serving and helping others really gets me out of my blues,” she shares. “That’s why I think when I’m helping women, or really anybody, find jobs and just believe in themselves again, that’s really my happy place.”
This philosophy is the foundation of her nonprofit, the Elavare Foundation. It illustrates that true fulfillment comes from service, whether in your job or your community. When you feel overwhelmed, the fastest way to regain perspective is to help someone else.
Final Thoughts
Heather Nemelka’s journey shows that a non-linear career path is not a setback. It is a source of perspective, resilience, and authenticity that hiring managers increasingly value. Your time away from the traditional workforce has equipped you with unique skills that, when combined with modern job-seeking strategies, can make you a stronger candidate.
The real challenge is not just re-entering the workforce, but doing so with the confidence that your unique story is your greatest asset. By pairing that story with new tools and a commitment to growth, your return can become the most powerful chapter of your career yet.
To hear the full conversation with Heather Nemelka, listen to The Go-to-Market Podcast. You can find more resources for building a resilient GTM strategy and developing your professional capabilities at Fullcast.