Pleasanton-based Mom Relaunch was founded by Reena Gupta in 2018. Reentering the workforce after being at home with children can be a major challenge for women. Gupta started the nonprofit to help stay-at-home mothers return successfully to the workforce. Participants in the Mom Relaunch program gain professional certifications, soft skills training, and real-time, hands-on experience through involvement in internal and external client projects, meetings, and team collaborations.

"Our mission is to enable financial independence for all women," says Gupta. "The program we have created is intended to nurture women who are on a career break or career transition. We provide them with the essential skills required to unleash their full professional potential, facilitating their re-entry into the workforce. Additionally, we provide guidance on attaining a healthy work-life balance, ensuring that they are well-equipped for their future endeavors. We approach the relaunch journey from a holistic perspective."

Mom Relaunch offers their clients training and support for career tracks in Salesforce, IBM zSystems, Technical Customer Support, Business Analyst, Project Management, Quality Assurance, and Data Analysis. All of the members embark on a personalized journey that is called the "Seedling to Mother Tree Journey." Every stage in the program is designed to provide the necessary skills to move one step closer to the goal of re-entering the workforce, according to Gupta.

The five stages in the Seedling to Mother Tree Journey are Seedling, in which members  discover themselves and create an action plan; Sapling, in which members learn new skills and get certified, as appropriate; Growing Tree, in which members become career-ready by gaining hands-on work experience; Flourishing Tree, in which members learn how to achieve work-life harmony and unleash their skills; and Mother Tree, in which members cultivate new opportunities and inspire others.

"Our organization stands out for the fact that it is entirely run by moms," notes Gupta. "They handle everything from administration to internal IT support to real-time hands-on projects with external clients. Through their involvement, our program members simultaneously gain valuable experience and prepare to work in a professional setting."

Prachi Martin Mahendraraj is one of the mothers who have benefited from the services offered by Mom Relaunch. Coming off of a career break, she decided to transition to Salesforce from a previous career as an instructor, according to Gupta. The experience Prachi gained while working at Mom Relaunch enabled her to land a job as an Application Support Analyst. At Mom Relaunch, she sharpened her skills and earned three Salesforce certifications.

"Mom Relaunch taught me so many things," according to Martin Mahendraraj. "The onboarding session, events, and weekly meetings taught us a lot. Being in this program was very good and motivational for me. Prior to joining Mom Relaunch, I struggled with communication but after gaining experience here, I now have the confidence to talk and communicate effectively. The process of writing down requirements, user stories, and task management for each project gave me a lot to talk about during job interviews."

Mom Relaunch relies on allies and partners to support its mission. They provide training opportunities for moms to upskill, projects and job opportunities for moms to gain hands-on experience, and learning opportunities by speaking at the nonprofit's Mom Relaunch Power Hour events held on Fridays. The Mom Relaunch Power Hour features  professional speakers, experts on relevant topics, and authors. The second and fourth Friday Power Hours of each month are open to the public.

For more information about Mom Relaunch, please visit www.momrelaunch.org, www.linkedin.com/company/momrelaunch, www.instagram.com/momrelaunch, www.facebook.com/momrelaunch, or write to info@momrelaunch.org.