Career Professionals

Career:

Most of us have bumps in the road in our careers, and many of us feel like our road has been more bump than it has ever been smooth. Our professional lives affect our personal lives whether we like it or not, whether our managers and bosses believe it or not. Just dealing with all the challenges in and out of the workplace can be overwhelming. I can help you think through the particular obstacles you face in your current role and where you want to be, and then together we can forge a path that works for you. We can tackle the root causes of that imbalanced work and life and figure out solutions that are actually “do-able” given your real-world circumstances. Maybe that ideal work from home situation isn’t as ideal as you thought it would be and you need to make some tweaks around the edges that will help restore boundaries and give you more separation between work and home. Whatever your career challenges that are limiting the joy and abundance you want in your life, we can work together to sort them out and develop real resolutions.

Transitions:

We all have heard about the Great Resignation, but what does that mean for you? Are you looking to make changes in your work life, maybe completely changing careers? Maybe you’re looking to move into a different company, or use your skills in a whole new way. What are you qualified for? More importantly, what are you looking for? What will bring you joy?

Maybe you’re feeling a sense of burnout. Maybe your boss has forgotten there are boundaries between work and home that you’d like to restore, or you want to find a new boss who actually respects that boundary. What changes do you have to or want to make, and are you equipped to make them?

Perhaps your transitions are more personal. Divorce, separation, or death of a partner are major life changes that cause us intense emotional upheaval. Maybe your kids are entering the teen years or leaving the nest, or retirement is just around the corner. Maybe your parents are aging, or you’ve lost a parent, or you’re now part of that sandwich generation. Family members might be leaning pretty heavily on you to help them through these transitions, all while you’re trying to figure out how to handle them yourself. How are you coping with these new realities, and what might your life look like now that these changes are upon you? What opportunities might be out there for you?

Dealing with change is never easy, no matter how much you might thrive on it. And if change is not something you like to begin with, it can be an even greater challenge, especially when more than one type of change is occurring at a time. As your coach, I’m here to help you sort through all those emotions and figure out what you really want. There are likely to be opportunities in each of these changes, but seeing them can sometimes be difficult. Even seeing the transition as an opportunity can be a major win that helps you reframe it and find ways to thrive through the change. I can help you reframe, shift your thinking, and find tangible solutions that make managing these transitions a bit easier. Whether you’re looking to change careers and need some help with a tool like aiming your CliftonStrengths assessment to help direct you, or you just need space to think and feel your way through an emotional personal change, we can work together to figure out your next steps.

Burnout:

The world has changed in the last few years. Has there ever been a bigger understatement? What we’ve experienced as employees, leaders, parents, children, families, and communities at the local, national, and worldwide levels has been—here comes the word of the early 2020s—unprecedented. How’s your energy holding up?

For many of us, it’s lagging. Pretty severely. Perhaps your tank is even empty. The question is, now what? How do I manage it? What can I do, and how do I dig my way out of it? Where and how can I find tranquility, and how do I carve out the time given my work and family obligations to help restore my energy, peace, and joy? Is that even possible?

Maybe your boss has forgotten there are boundaries between work and home that you’d like to restore, but you’re not really sure how to do it or even what you want that to look like. What choices are the right ones for you, and how do you make them happen?

The World Health Organization defines burnout like this: “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy. Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.

No disrespect to the WHO, but does it really matter to you whether these symptoms of exhaustion, negativism, and reduced efficacy only show up in a work context? Work affects home and home affects work, so the result is the same: we are exhausted. According to a McKinsey Health Institute survey of nearly 15,000 workers across 15 countries released in 2022, on average, a quarter of employees report experiencing burnout symptoms, and that number is even higher in the US.

So, what does that mean for you, and how do you overcome it? What are the root causes of your burnout? Where is your burnout worst, and how is it showing up for you across all aspects of your life? Understanding those will be critical to how you move forward, how you address your symptoms and challenges, and what your outcome could be. Using tools like the Energy Leadership Index™ Assessment (check out this link for more information on the ELI) can be a great way to identify where you biggest energy sucks are showing up and how you handle stress in your life. My coach training is specifically centered on energy. I’m a coach—not a therapist—which means we focus on forwarding your action. If you feel like your burnout has become or is becoming depression or another mental health condition, please reach out to a qualified, licensed therapist or other mental health professional.

As your coach, we start with where you are, figure out what’s troubling you and why, and then craft some ideas for how you can move forward to reclaim your energy.