Fear and Moving Forward

Posted on May 8, 2014 | 3 comments

“Have you ever been afraid?”  asked an incredibly articulate 7th grader from the Timilty Middle School in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood.   The question came via a letter about a month ago as part of a pen pal program that I participate in between the school and Simmons College, my undergrad alma mater.   He went on to share that his fears were rooted in the violence that plagues his neighborhood.   How could he walk home alone?   Not long ago a classmate at the Timilty, an honor student, was gunned down on the basketball court.   Fear?  Continue reading →

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Three and counting….

Posted on May 3, 2014 | Leave a comment

“I really want to work for …..,” earnestly stated my friend Beth.  She and I had worked together for many years.  She wanted to parachute from technology into the sciences.    The company she targeted was impressive although by no means alone in its field.   Beth knew she could get an interview. But a job?   She reasoned to herself that it was this company or nothing.   Ever been there?

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A network’s gift….

Posted on April 26, 2014 | Leave a comment

“I’m going to prove to him that I can,” shared a friend who was struggling with a decision.  She’d been in finance since we left college.  She was really interested in statistics and the insights it could provide.   She was thinking about going back to school for an advanced certificate in stats.   She’d sought the advice of a professor who was involved in the program.    He wasn’t encouraging when they met.  But, his negativity fueled her.   ‘I’ll show him’ she seemed to be saying.   I couldn’t help but wonder if this guy was a barrier or a catalyst for her?  Continue reading →

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Passion’s Gift….

Posted on April 19, 2014 | Leave a comment

“From running, I learn to be passionate,” shared Yujue Wang one of seven runners on Boston University’s 2014 Boston Marathon Team.  Wang’s story was part of a sea of media coverage this week commemorating the 2013 Boston Marathon tragedy.   The BU team is running in memory of 23-year-old grad student Lu Lingzi who was killed last year close to the finish line.   Miss Lingzi studied statistics.  She loved American culture; blueberry waffles, Godiva dark chocolate, a CD cover of an Itzhak Perlman violin concerto (The New Yorker 4/17/2013).    I was surprised and thankful to happen upon Miss Wang’s passion quest.  I hadn’t up until that point connected its powerful gift… Continue reading →

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Networking essentials…

Posted on April 12, 2014 | Leave a comment

“If you could pack a bag for a woman who was about to embark on a transition, what would you include?” I asked during an interview earlier this week.  I love the question.  It’s my favorite one to ask during Focus Groups.   As women we carry bags, large and small.   Brief cases.  Totes.  Shoulder bags.  Handbags.  If yours is anything like mine all manner of detritus can fit inside.  Her answer to this bag dilemma?  A mirror. Continue reading →

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When does transition start?

Posted on April 4, 2014 | Leave a comment

“Nancy, Nancy, wake up!” I screeched as I tried to wake my sister from across the room.  She and I had slept for an hour or two on chairs as we kept vigil at the hospital.   My dad, the patient whose hand I was holding, had been battling cancer.   Over the week leading up to that morning he’d gone from responsive and laughing to captive in a body fatigued by a long, complicated disease.   Thirty minutes earlier I woke up to his erratic breathing.  I knew it was time to say goodbye.  “Wake up!” Continue reading →

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Transitions derailed….

Posted on March 28, 2014 | Leave a comment

“Oh, you’re dreaming,” shared Margot, a forty something Focus Group participant.  She was relating a conversation with a family member who wasn’t necessarily embracing her transitional aspirations.  Margot had exited a job that was a poor fit, pivoted to a new industry and added a husband and three children along the way.   “What I’m investigating might not lead to a direct result,” she said.   “Or it might happen down the line.  You have to be comfortable with that….”  Clearly her relatives were not.   That evening we threw the relatives and several other issues into a bucket called derailers, those events that can cause us to stall or head for the hills while in transition.  Have you ever encountered any? Continue reading →

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Transition’s Interview Basics….

Posted on March 20, 2014 | 2 comments

“What am I doing wrong?” fumed Mary Ellen, a mid-forties parent of three who was seeking my assistance in a job search.   Her phone call came on the heels of learning that she didn’t make it to a finalist round for a sought after job.  She was furious.  Or was hurt a better description?   She reasoned that she was perfect for the job. Continue reading →

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Gratitude: transition’s enabler

Posted on March 13, 2014 | Leave a comment

Gratitude is a big word and stands on the precipice of overuse at the moment.   I’m always wary of such popular words because it reminds me of a former colleague who was a flavor-of-the-month buzzword type.  Have you ever met one?   One month, vulnerability.  The next, birth order, transparency, and on and on.   It never really served him well.   For example, I remember being corned once by an employee who had interviewed with this guy.  “You have to talk to him,” he appealed.  It seems that during his interview Mr. Buzzword had asked about this gentleman’s parent, a parent who had abused this guy as a kid.   After that little adventure I characterize myself as ‘duly schooled’ on the risks of trendy-word overuse.   Gratitude. Continue reading →

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Transition: a financial lens

Posted on March 8, 2014 | 3 comments

“The other big shift for me was just recognizing that security is all illusion,” shared a Focus Group participant.  We were discussing our lessons learned from transition.  The surprises?  “I started letting go or recognizing that what I thought was security really wasn’t gaining me the traction for joy or however you want to label it,” she went on.  “That was a big let go….(letting go of) going after  the paycheck because I thought I needed that security.”   Have you bumped into similar lessons? Continue reading →

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