“I enjoyed coming here [to Fresh Start]. I love everyone; the support, the communication. I couldn’t wait to come over here. I came in knowing that I was going to learn something new. It was a great experience.”
For more than a decade, Jade* followed a path that others wanted for her. Raised with the expectation that she would enter the healthcare field, she volunteered at a hospital for two years before spending 10 years as a pharmacy technician. Even though it was steady work, it wasn’t one she was passionate about.
“I went into the healthcare industry because of my parents,” Jade said. “They told me to pursue that route, and for a while I did. I thought I was going to be a doctor.”
Around the same time, Jade’s lack of career fulfillment reached its peak, and her marriage ended, leading to her separation from her ex-husband. She relocated from their shared home in Washington State back to Arizona, hoping to find work in pharmacy. The job search yielded nothing. She turned to cold-calling, then sales at a massage studio, just doing what she could to rebuild a life that felt increasingly uncertain.
The most painful chapter came when Jade learned that her ex-husband intended to seek full custody of their two sons. She decided to let them go temporarily so she could stabilize and grow.
“I am trying to be a first-time homeowner so that they can come back to me…I wasn’t growing as a person, and my kids didn’t know what was going on,” shared Jade. “We were all sleeping in one bedroom in my mom’s house, and I had to let them go and fly, so that I could fly as well.”
Jade’s sister had simply walked into Fresh Start one day and enrolled in their welding program, and that act of courage left an impression. When Jade began looking for a career change, she remembered what her sister had done.
“I looked into Fresh Start because I needed a career change. I saw the Women in Finance program and thought it was pretty cool,” Jade said. “I applied, got interviewed, did an essay, sent my resume in, and got accepted!”
The next seven weeks of the program proved to be transformative. The Women in Finance program did more than introduce Jade to the breadth of career opportunities available within the finance industry; it rebuilt the foundation of her confidence. One lesson in particular stood out: learning how to negotiate salary and advocate for her own worth.
That skill was soon put to the test. While still enrolled in the program, a former employer reached out and asked Jade to return to her old role on a part-time basis. In the past, Jade might have accepted whatever she was offered. This time, more confident, she held her ground.
“I said, ‘Well, I would like a pay increase, if possible,’ and I was nervous because she didn’t text me back until a few hours later,” said Jade.
When her former boss responded and asked what she had in mind, Jade was ready.
“I won’t take less than $23 an hour.”
Her former boss agreed. Jade’s hourly rate increased from $18 to $23, a direct result of the preparation, role-playing, and encouragement she had received in class.
“That was very brave of me. I’ve never said something like that. I felt like the ball was in my court and I had the confidence now to ask.”
Beyond the curriculum, it was the environment at Fresh Start that made the experience meaningful. Jade found something there she hadn’t expected: genuine community.
“I enjoyed coming here. I love everyone. The support, the communication. I couldn’t wait to come over here. I came in knowing that I was going to learn something new. It was a great experience.”
Today, Jade is employed as a Paraprofessional at J.B. Sutton Elementary School in Phoenix, a role that reflects both her resilience and her willingness to step into something new. She is working toward homeownership, with the goal of one day bringing her sons back to a home she has built for them.
For other women who may be hesitating, unsure if they are ready or worthy of the support, Jade’s message is clear: it is okay to ask for help. Fresh Start is a place without judgment, a place where showing up is enough to begin.