After nearly a decade of focusing on her athletic coaching career, it would be reasonable to assume Becky Bryant had some concerns about transitioning back to corporate life when she recently joined our company’s Engineering ReLaunch program.

But she knew better.

Bryant, who joined the ReLaunch program on the Davidson campus, began her career in an office. She holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering (along with an MBA) and worked for a range of companies in roles that included research engineering, project and team leadership, and quality certification. But a few years after leaving her career for family reasons, Bryant began her second act as a coach. A former athlete, Bryant found herself routinely helping others improve their running and cycling techniques. She earned a few training certifications and soon opened her own coaching service in Connecticut, helping athletes reach their physical potential.

Coaching and corporate America – the two couldn’t be more different, right?

“Surprisingly, there is a lot of similarity between owning a coaching business and being in a corporation,” said Bryant. “Both need to focus on the customer’s needs, effective communication, efficient operations, and talent development.”

A New Personal Best

Bryant first considered a return to the corporate world after reading an article about our Women’s Leadership Program. That led her to the company’s website, where she read about our Engineering ReLaunch program, a specialized 12-week, paid professional “returnship” designed to help engineers restart their careers. She said she was also impressed with the company’s commitment to battling climate change and encourage parity and inclusion.

Now she said she’s looking forward to helping the company meet some of its lofty goals, including the Paradigm for Parity and 2030 Sustainability Goals. And while that means reigniting her engineering career, it’s not all that different from helping athletes reach their objectives. And that’s the best part of her job, no matter what industry she’s in.

“My clients and I have to be able to trust each other in order to work on each of their specific needs, fitness, and situations,” explained Bryant. “Seeing them accomplish their goals, sometimes life-changing goals, is immensely rewarding.