MY STORY IN A NUTSHELL

When I started out, I was an idealist

I chased "success"

and when I achieved what I had sought, I realized I had lost my way.

So I took a step back. Got my bearings.

I redefined success for myself.

I'M AN IDEALIST AGAIN

See My LinkedIn For Full Details

MY CAREER WAS AN ADVENTURE

I taught on a small remote island in the Republic of Kiribati as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

I promoted study abroad programs for AFS-USA for a while.

I worked for 15 years at Jhpiego, a leading international public health nonprofit affiliated with Johns Hopkins.

I grew from being an administrative assistant to being the director of corporate and foundation partnerships, responsible for bringing in significant grant funding for innovative projects around the world
I lived in Kenya for several years, overseeing a range of innovative public health programs.
I traveled the world -- making pitches in boardrooms, visiting program sites, and leading lots of proposal teams.

After Jhpiego, I joined Namati, an amazing organization advancing social and environmental justice, to support their fundraising efforts.

I met and worked with the most amazing people. And I learned a ton at every step along the way.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS FOR ME WAS THAT THE "SUCCESS" I SO DESPERATELY SOUGHT AT WORK CAME AT A PRICE.

I started out thinking that success was linked to my title, or to a big salary, or a set of responsibilities. I pursued growth in my career -- and I got it. I was "successful" in the traditional sense.

But it caught up with me. I was chronically stressed out. I couldn't turn work off. I wasn't sleeping well. Increasingly, I noticed that I didn't like the person I was at work. I began to feel jaded. My sarcasm started to feel more and more sincere.

And outside of work, my life and priorities were changing. My wife and I had kids. My mom was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors said it didn't look good at all.

A TURNING POINT

The stress of COVID brought everything into stark relief: my wife and I were both trying to be at our best at work. We were caring for our young daughters around the clock and trying to be good parents. We were spending as much time as possible with my mom, and riding the emotional roller coaster that goes along with a terminal illness.

And then my mom passed away. The old adage "life is short" took on new meaning. I began thinking hard about what I was doing, and why.

I realized I was exhausted. Work was no longer as fulfilling as it had been.

I was burned out. I needed a break.

That was scary because my professional identity had become so central to my life.

But once my eyes opened, I knew I needed to make a change.

I didn't know what I would do in the next chapter of my career, but I had an incredibly important job I could do at home.

A few months later, I put in my notice and became a full time dad.

The time I spent with full time my daughters was amazing and incredibly rewarding. I'm forever grateful for the experience.

FINDING MY WAY

About 6 months after I began the full-time dad thing, I did a career development fellowship to help me start thinking about what I wanted to do once I went back to work. A key part of the program was gathering feedback from trusted colleagues.

I was shocked when many told me I should become a coach.

My immediate reaction to was to dismiss the idea -- partly because I had uniformed assumptions about what coaches do. Partly because the idea of becoming a coach scared me. I had always worked for organizations, never "for myself".

When I shared the coaching idea with others in the fellowship, one person in my cohort said right away: "I want you to be my coach."

I was stunned. But I saw she was being serious. And her belief in me -- that I would be a good coach -- made me start to consider that maybe she was right. (She wasn't trying to 'coach' me, but her approach was very coach-like!)

That brief interaction planted a seed, and a few months later, I began the process of pursuing my coaching credential.

That fellowship friend became my first client! She saw huge transformations in her life -- at work, and at home. I'm so grateful that she saw this potential in me, and said something.

IDEALISM RECAPTURED

As I coach more people, I'm inspired by the changes my clients are making. Coaching is having an impact on their lives. I'm feeling hopeful again about how I can best contribute to the world.

I'd love to explore whether coaching might be right for you, too.