Last summer, if you asked me what I wanted to be in 5 years I would have said a VP of Customer Success or Chief Customer Officer. I thought that's what I HAD to be. I said yes to every project & person that I worked with thinking that THIS will be the thing that gets me to that next step on the ladder.
I didn't get very far because I burned out. I felt emotionally and mentally exhausted and was stuck in this loop of doing what I thought I had to do vs what I loved to do. But, while stuck in this pattern, if you asked me what I did love to do, my answer would have been, "haha work." I realized that I needed to break this pattern because I was not liking the direction my life was going. There were many days when I was in back-to-back zoom meetings, eating my first meal at 2 pm, and wrapping up work around 7 pm with me crying on my office floor. This had to change.
So what did burnt out, stressed, overwhelmed, completely lost me do?
I messaged Alli Rizacos on LinkedIn, completely unaware of how coaching could help me. As a girl who never used to ask for help for fear of coming off as a burden or annoying - this was HUGE for me. I didn't know ANYTHING about coaching but, I had chatted with Alli about a year prior at a WISE (Women in Sales Everywhere) Fireside Chat and her advice from that session has stayed on a virtual sticky note on my laptop ever since. I also had been following her on LinkedIn and could relate to so many of her posts about also being a People Pleaser and Hyper-Achiever.
Coaching changed my life. Sounds dramatic and as someone who has been binge-listening to the podcast, Sounds Like a Cult, I get how this comes off but hear me out...
In the past year, I have accomplished so many things that old me would have never seen as possible. My biggest accomplishment has been, finding a new job that is more aligned with my values! I had been working at the same company for 4 years and over those years, I was a BDR, Account Manager, and Customer Success Manager. Given how long I had been there, I considered myself a product expert. There was so much comfort and security in that, but I wasn't being challenged in a way that was going to help me grow. Growth is a top value of mine! Starting a new role at a new company was the best thing I could have done for myself! Over the past 4 months, I have learned so much about this new industry and have grown much stronger in areas such as public speaking. I presented to the Movable Pink Group (company's Women ERG) last week and next month, I am the company's speaker at a Masterclass we are hosting in Atlanta!!!
Another two big accomplishments for me have been this blog & LinkedIn. When I started coaching, I NEVER told anyone personal things about my life or how I was really doing. I saw my emotions as distractions from being successful. I assumed that if I was always good and happy then people would always love me and want to continue to promote me! I have learned that that is not the case. I realized the more I read online from other people sharing their own personal stories, the quicker I felt less alone and afraid. I wanted others to look at me, read my story, and feel seen, connected, and understood because I know how powerful that can be.
Finally, my biggest and most exciting accomplishment happened last week!!!!!!!!
*drum roll please*
I AM NOW A COACH!!!!
If you can't tell I am so excited!
I told Alli a few sessions into my coaching journey, that I could see myself becoming a coach and after many many MANY conversations with Alli and other coaches, getting certified in Positive Intelligence, reading more self-help books than I would like to admit, and hours of getting coached myself, I am finally a coach!
When Alli asked me to work for her, I had one of those holy shit, is this my real-life moments! It has been a personal goal of mine to have more moments like this, this year and now I can't wait to coach others, to have some of these moments in their own lives! Coaching has changed my life and I hope you see what I mean now when I say it... and if you still can't read my first few blog posts and you might believe me then! I am more confident in myself and I have so much clarity about what I love to do and what makes me happy. I say this a lot because I wholeheartedly believe it, life is so short - it's important to have fun!
I am still continuing to work full-time at Movable Ink so I do have a limited amount of spots open! But that being said, if you can relate to my story and want more clarity and confidence in your life, book a call to see if there’s a fit to work with us!
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