I hear that everyone likes ‘tips’ — I’m not talking about tips in a jar– Tips on how to do anything are supposed to be useful to people. But I’m a little bit anti-tips. Here’s why… Tips are neat tidy packages of info and real learning doesn’t usually happen that way. Real learning comes from getting messy and going down a few different roads and then coming to a clearing where everything makes sense. I’m also little bit anti- ‘elevator pitch’ for the same reason…I prefer to engage with people in a more real way and that takes just a little more time than a 30 second sound bite. I know we’re a sound-bite culture, or that’s what we’re told, but really I think we’re all looking for meaning and having things make sense. Tips sound like they make sense, but then there’s that ‘chinese food’ effect of feeling empty… Read More
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Success Stories
I am so grateful to work with clients who are willing and interested in changing their lives as they make major or slight career changes. I will be posting success stories of my career coaching clients on an on-going basis. My aim is to provide hope and inspiration to others who are feeling stuck or discouraged. Life has a way of giving us what we want at odd times — and usually things don’t look exactly as we’d expected, but we get what we’d had in mind nonetheless. Sometimes we need to do some personal ‘resuscitation’ before any changes can occur in our work lives. Here’s a letter that I received from one of my clients shortly after we finished our work together: Where do I begin? To put it lightly, you’ve done nothing less than help me to change my life. When we met I had been fired from… Read More
JumpStart Job Search Bootcamp
Ready to get started and figure out what you really want your life to look like? Want to find the work and lifestyle that makes it easy to get out of bed for? Whether you’re just out of college, ready to retool yourself and your career, or looking to leave the ‘rat race’ completely, this workshop (done over the phone in teleclass * form) is for you! JumpStart Job Search Bootcamp – New classes starting As a result of years of working with clients to help them clarify their career direction and make the career changes they want to see, I’ve put together the tips and actions that can simplify this process — that’s what the JumpStart Job Search Bootcamp is about. Teleclasses are a somewhat new phenomenon in the education world, and they work wonderfully – I’ve done many and find them to be really effective. This teleclass… Read More
The Twenties Launch Teleclass
This class is over: but check out the current classes. Attention TwentySomethings: Are you frustrated and confused in an unfulfilling first or second job and wondering how to make the right moves to get somewhere that feels and looks right to you? Wondering what college was for and how to apply what you learned during those years? Not sure how to get the pieces to fit together? I’ve created The Twenties Launch Teleclass, a workshop (done over the phone in teleclass form) for you! The Twenties Launch Teleclass AKA How Did I Get Here and Where Am I Going? Career/Life Telelcass Designed for TwentySomethings Looking for Answers starting Wednesday, September 19th at 12PM or 7PM with Daisy Swan, MA, CPCC The Twenties Launch Teleclass AKA How Did I Get Here and Where Am I Going Next? Career Life Telelcass Designed for TwentySomethings Looking for Answers. I’ve decided to create and… Read More
Transitions of the 20's, 30's and 40's
The 20’s : I’ve come to think of the twenties as a truly trying time of life. I have worked with hundreds of clients in their twenties who, since graduating from college, have become frustrated, confused, disenchanted and somewhat disenfranchised. They often believe that everyone else has everything figured out and feel the pressure to catch-up and make all the right moves and decisions so they’ll know what they’re going to do “for the rest of their lives.” I was one of these twenty-somethings too — twenty years ago. And I know how overwhelming all of the decisions (choices?) can feel. Unfortunately, most of us don’t get the one-on-one support and encouragement that we need to realize what really clicks in terms of our work life. Not to mention all of the social and familial changes that may have taken place: parents who might have separated… Read More
Getting Creative
A couple of years ago I heard Bruce Mau, respected architect, talking about the creative process that he and his team work and live by. I found it very inspiring. Thought I’d share it with all of you. An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth Bruce Mau 1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them. 2. Forget about good. Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. Growth is not necessarily good. Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you stick to good you’ll never have real growth. 3. Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives… Read More
My version of a taxi ride
I’m just back from an inspiring trip to St. Louis for the International Coach Federation annual conference. For three days I was surrounded by people who, like me, love to support, encourage and inspire others to reach their potential. Can you imagine getting into an elevator with a bunch of people like that every morning and evening? They aren’t wild and crazy and over-powering you with their ‘stuff’ — they just radiate kindness and friendship. 1300 people were there — so that’s a lot of kindness in one spot. We coaches are a bunch of people who want to give the gift of seeing others expand their own gifts. That’s what I do with my clients; I meet them and quickly see what they have to offer — something they usually don’t see, which is why they are seeing me. That’s my gift: seeing what others have to offer. I’ve… Read More
Hello world!
I’m dedicating this blog to my Dad, Dr. Robert Spalten. My Dad was a dentist, architect, jewelry designer and artist, a boulder furniture builder, amazing chef and lover of books and music. He loved to sail and hang out with his various dogs and read everything from novels to medical journals to how-tos. He had several amazing gardens — giant garlic, fruit trees exotic fruits, and vegetable gardens. He built boats and ponds. If he was interested in something there was no end to what he wanted to discover. If he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t pretend to be…couldn’t. A lot of people thought he was a little nuts and a lot of us had a problem with him at times… I did for years. But as he mellowed with the love of his second wife and daughter he learned to love better — and to love me, his first daughter. Read More
