In Their Own Words
“Our calls get me in that mental space where I can be a good mom, wife and worker and forces me to focus on myself.”
Woman in early 50s whose employer hired me to help her grow her leadership skills so that she could be promoted to support the growing needs of her department
She was overworked and overwhelmed and losing sleep at night ruminating on her workload.
She thought her workload was the barrier getting in the way of her growth. But in fact it was that she wasn’t delegating. And we uncovered the reason for this very quickly: SHE WAS A PEOPLE PLEASER!
We worked through her longstanding patterns and beliefs as a people pleaser, both personally and professionally. And eventually she realized that her intention of “helping” people was actually “hurting them.” And herself.
So she practiced her new delegating skills, with our sessions as her safety net. And eventually she realized how much better off everyone was when she did this, especially her boss!
She’s starting to take on higher level work and…sleeping through the night!
“I was coming from a place of fear and anxiety and now I’m coming from a place of power.”
Man in mid 40s who wanted to leave his current job for years, but was so unhappy that he wasn’t able to motivate himself to take action.
He came to me to get unstuck. It was clear from the first call that he was not going to attract the right job until he transformed his limiting beliefs about him
“My sister was ‘the smart one’.”
Said by WAY TOO MANY of my female clients.
It has blown me away to hear this over and over again. Ranging from women in their 20s to their 50s. And at all levels of success, even executives.
These childhood identities & sibling comparisons get in the way of their professional goals (e.g., scared to start their own business, not networking with confidence, not asking for raises or promotions).
Once they make the connection that this has been unconsciously inhibiting them, they can accept that these identities carry no weight anymore.
They become lighter and become unstuck.
“I’m embarrassed to put #OpenToWork on my LinkedIn.”
Man in his 40s who experienced great financial success and rapid title growth in his 20s.
His identity was tied to that success and the way he was viewed by his family, friends & people in his industry.
But when his professional situation slowed down in his 30s, he got stuck. He wasn’t used to having to “put himself out there.” He had always been sought after.
He is able to give himself grace now and found ways to network and job search from a place of more confidence.
“I’m showing up in a different way. I feel good about my story. People will have their own reaction to my story and it is what it is.”
Woman in her 50s interviewing for executive positions, after her last role ended on a negative note.
She wasn’t interviewing confidently because she was unsure how to explain why she was looking for a new job.
But after looking at her last role objectively, she could see ALL the factors that impacted it. The same 3 factors that impact every professional experience:
ME
THEM
THE SITUATION
Now she accepts what happened, and recognizes what she needed to learn from her part in it.
“It’s all because you helped me understand what I do and don’t have control over.”
Man in his late 30s who was struggling to adjust to big changes at his organization, which was affecting his mental state both at work and at home.
He was sharing some unsolicited positive feedback he received from multiple people in the organization.
And he said this comment to me after I helped him reflect on the fact that he is MORE valued now in the organization, while working LESS.
He had been spending so much unnecessary time and energy before trying to change things that he had no control over.
“Her teacher said she is smart and usually knows the right answer, but scratches it out because she second guesses herself.”
Woman in her mid 30s (breaking down in tears) sharing what her daughter’s kindergarten teacher said.
It was like a mirror being held up to her own fear of failure in the workplace
But good news...the client is showing up so differently now!
She and I are both confident her daughter will have a great role model going forward!
“I felt like it was the best thing I had ever done with my time. How amazing it would be to feel more of that in a paid position.”
Recently divorced man in early 50s. He had been the primary caretaker for his kids, who are now in high school.
He wanted to get back into the workforce full time, but couldn’t imagine that there was a job he was qualified for...and would enjoy doing.
He made this comment when sharing a volunteer initiative he had been involved in for years. He was able to realize and accept that even though it wasn’t paid, it was actual WORK with transferable experience and skills. Next step was to build his confidence for the job search.
And now...he is working with a referral partner to go through all the potential job matches.