My Story
I began my career at a Fortune 500 company right after college. I chose a secure job and started building a life that looked great and mirrored what all of my friends were doing. I never even stopped to ask myself what I really wanted. I just began the climb. Within a few years, I was managing people and an executive at the company. Once the newness wore off and the day to day set in, I started worrying that I'd climbed the wrong mountain. I could see what the next ten years of my life would be like, and I knew I wanted more. There's a great quote from Anais Nin that says, "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." That's what happened to me.
Suddenly, I was willing to let go of anything and risk everything to follow a dream I'd had long ago of living in Los Angeles and working in entertainment. Letting everything go was painful, but I knew that to stay in the tight bud would be worse. I moved out to LA and started all over again at 31. I pushed through all of my fears that I was too old and that I didn't have the right experience to begin again. I laugh now, thinking about how much sleep I lost, believeing that it was too late to start a new career at 31!!
Almost two decades later, I'm happy to say that I landed the perfect job for me at that moment in time. I joined an incredible new entertainment company working in development, operations, and human resources. This time, I enjoyed the climb. I was old enough to realize what an opportunity I had been given and was hungry enough to take on everything that was handed to me. It wasn't long before I became the head of human resources and operations for this company that was now making Academy Award-winning films while doubling in size year after year.
I grew the company, and the company grew me. During that time, I realized that all the gremlins don't evaporate when you begin a new career in a different town - even if it is in sunny LA! I started working with an executive coach, started journaling, exercising, and meditating regularly. I read, watched, and practically ate everything on personal development, effective leadership, and communication. And speaking of eating... I even changed my diet.
In no time, I was coaching everyone that stepped into my office - whether they liked it or not! I started an accountability group out of my condo that met every Tuesday night for over a year. I even had a separate weekly meeting for the people that worked for me to focus on their hopes and dreams. I met with nearly every intern that worked for the company over the 9 years that I was the head of HR. I helped each student get clear on what they wanted and then we developed their action plan.
I noticed that no matter the level of the person, from intern to executive, they all had various excuses for what was holding them back. Some didn't know what they wanted, others weren't sure how to get started, and many were nervous that they didn't have what it took either with time, money, talent, connections, or all of the above. I realized that it was all different costumes and disguises for the same thing... fear.
The scariest thing about fear is that it's contagious. It’s why so many of us bond over being afraid and staying the same. We hide all of it under a lot of blaming other people and circumstances. That's what's going on behind the curtain – underneath the costumes.
The good news is that courage is contagious too. Ever sat down with a bunch of happy, successful people? They have problems too, but they never complain. They find a solution. They also don't ruminate for long. They do their research, weigh out the risks, and make a decision. Winners still feel the fear just like everyone else. They just do it anyway.
When I began to acknowledge what I was really feeling and taking action to rise above the fear, my life changed. My challenges became opportunities for growth. I started listening to my intuition more than my mind chatter. I trusted what felt right so much that I quit my fantastic job and started my own practice almost seven years ago. I am now an executive coach, leadership trainer, and strategic HR consultant. It's... dare I say... fun.
Now I coach executives from big media corporations to tech startups and everything in between. Having almost 20 years of senior-level HR experience gives me an edge with my clients. I'm immediately trusted with incredibly confidential information and quickly vacillate from coach to consultant as conversations range from corporate-level HR concerns to personal career advice.
I work with several organizations teaching college students how to go for plan A and train employees and leaders on how to be the owners of their career through various workshops at some of the best companies on the west and east coasts! I almost wrote that I never would have dreamed that all of this was possible, but I guess on some level that’s exactly what I did.
The rest, as Natasha Bedingfield so eloquently sang, is still unwritten…