How did I get here?

Join me for the career reflections of Daphne Bernicker, emotional intelligence expert and Vistage chair. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Daphne's multicultural upbringing shaped her appreciation for diverse perspectives. Initially drawn to psychology, she pivoted to finance, earning an MBA and landing roles at two Fortune 100 companies. After a decade-long break as a stay-at-home mom, she re-entered the workforce, eventually discovering her passion for coaching. Through continuous learning and collaboration with emotional intelligence leaders, she developed innovative tools and now empowers high-integrity leaders to excel and uplift others. What's served Daphne best, two things: 1) being tenacious and thinking things are going to turn out well, and 2) being creative, finding a solution or different perspective to advance a situation. Words of wisdom that impacted her start with a quote from her mom: “Bloom where you're planted” inspiring her to create one of her rules “Being comfortable in my own skin wherever I am, deciding I belong wherever I am!”

Join me for the career reflections of Ilya Lyubimskiy, managing attorney at Premier Legacy Law. Born in Russia, Ilya moves to Colorado at age eight when his parents sought to maximize the opportunities available in the United States. Challenged with learning a new language and cultural norms, he's also driven by his parents' high expectations, taking IB and AP classes throughout high school. Inspired by the TV series Law & Order, Ilya set his sights on law school with the goal of becoming a prosecutor. As an undergraduate, he chooses to major in accounting as a practical "Plan B." His first professional experience was as an auditor for a federal agency, where he was required to obtain a CPA license. He earns his CPA while balancing his job and studying for the LSAT. His accounting career then funds his legal education. Eventually, he transitions to legal internships, culminating in his dream job as a prosecutor in Adams County. After five years the relentless workload and the emotional toll of working with people during their most difficult times began to wear on him. Through careful reflection and research, Ilya decides to shift his focus to estate planning. He starts this new chapter at an established firm, where he honed his skills, ultimately leading him to establish his own firm, Premier Legacy Law. What's served Ilya best is being able to adapt and working hard. Words of wisdom that impacted him are from a role model and mentor who was a judge and US Attorney. She talked about not letting your self-doubt get in the way, causing him to question: “Why am I putting these artificial ceilings up for myself – I have to get out of my own way.”

Join me for the career reflections of TJ Hovel, sales executive, and coach. At the young age of 8 TJ knew he wanted to be a coach in a small town, just like his dad, who coached TJ in high school. Even though school wasn't his thing, he earns a business degree and starts his own trucking business. After running it for 8 years, the 100-hour work-weeks leave little room for coaching, or anything else. He makes an aggressive life change -- sells his business, house, and car; gets divorced; and then couch surfs for a year while earning an associate degree in physical therapy. For about 3-4 years TJ loves being a PT. However, he can't shake the call to coach and starts seeing a limiting future as a PT. After talking to a friend about what he really wants to do, the friend connects him to a coaching gig – 8th grade basketball! It's a great start, where he makes valuable connections. Another friend connects him to a technology owner who is so impressed by “who” he is (values, work ethic, ability to transfer skills, etc.) that she makes an offer after 48 hours of meeting him.   Today, he's livin' the dream! Doing work he loves that's flexible for his lifestyle as a dad, strongman competitor, physical fitness trainer and coach of an elite high school basketball program! What's served TJ best, two things: 1) “Hard work and discipline. Growing up on a farm I understand how the world works, how you have to put in a whole lot of hard work before results are seen.” 2) “If you know what your path looks like and you want something different, you have to do things differently or you will get the same results you've always gotten.” His words of wisdom: “If you can really understand yourself -- understand what drives you both good and bad – and understand what you ACTUALLY want -- not what you THINK it is you want -- but what you ACTUALLY want to do with your life, then you can make the decision and start taking steps to move forward.”

Join me for the career reflections of Carlene Thissen, singer, songwriter & author. Her dream is to become a doctor, but then discovers she has an aversion to blood. Unsure about what's next, she drops out of college and gets a job as a secretary. Working as a secretary, and wanting to do more within the business, she becomes an expert in coupon bar code scanning. Leading her to bigger roles and ultimately to starting her own consulting business. Music has always been part of her life, but she never thought of it as a career until much later in life. After a successful 35-year corporate career, she leaves it all behind and begins searching for what's next. As someone who pays attention to signs, she discovers new opportunities prompting her to write her first book and song. And the rest is history. What's served Carlene best is: “My ballsiness!” Her words of wisdom she's got three: 1)  "Be Useful." -- A quote she likes from Arnold Schwarzenegger's documentary and book title. 2) “Do what comes easy.” 3) “Watch for signs.”

Join me for the career reflections of Shara Ruffin, clinical social worker, and consultant. Her dream is to be the next Mariah Carey, once reality sets in she shifts to becoming a lawyer, then to psychology and ultimately social work -- because what's behind human behavior is so interesting! She's the first born in her family, setting her on path of more firsts: first to go to college and graduate, first to get a master's degree, first to get a professional license and first to launch her own business. Her's is story overcoming far too many of life's major challenges: the death of a child and a brother, her second child diagnosed with only months to live, divorce, poverty, coming to grips with her own depression and mental health issues. What's served Shara best is: “My willingness to adapt, remain flexible and have faith -- which was hard. I always kept going, I never looked back. No matter what bomb was going on in my life – every hardship is to teach you something.” Her words of wisdom she's got three: 1) “She quotes a story from Will Smith's memoir about building a wall ‘brick by brick' – it's not thinking about the whole wall; it's thinking about one brick at a time.” 2) “Know that you're not perfect, be willing to make mistakes and take chances.” 3) “Live every day, not like it's your last day, like you are proud you lived it.”

Join me for the career reflections of Christine Clyne-Spraker, former co-CEO, board member and author. Her dream was to become a civil engineer, but after receiving a “C” in calculus she panics and switches her major to advertising. A bold move after college takes her to California where she's recruited by Enterprise Rent-A-Car into their management and sales training program. Which turns out to be a great fit, setting her up with skills she'll leverage throughout her career. She's drawn back to Colorado and at the urging of her dad, starts exploring the pharmaceutical industry which leads her into selling medical and surgical devices. Through her intense preparation and training, she becomes a trusted advisor in the industry. This is also where she meets her business partner. What's served Christine best? Three things: optimism, tenacity and naiveite. She credits her naiveite to not always knowing what she was getting into, she just jumps in; her optimism for knowing that things will work out for the best no matter what; and her tenacity to get through anything. It's a recipe that's worked well for her! Christine's words of wisdom are words from her dad: “A job worth doing is worth doing well.”

Join me for the career reflections of Amy Friel, program leader at a health tech start-up. Growing up in Detroit in the 70s & 80s she experiences the impact that both Japan and China have on the global economy, the car industry, and her family. These influences factor into her career choices. In grad school she earns dual degrees, her MBA and a masters in Asian Studies. She meets her husband in grad school who is also pursuing similar dual degrees. Both share the desire to work in Asia, which they achieve after a few career steps working for international companies in the US.  What's served Amy best is her player/coach approach; she becomes a subject matter expert herself and then facilitates excellence in others nurturing their talents so they can do their best work. Her words of wisdom: “Don't worry about ticking what you think are all the right boxes, think about being evaluated as a whole person, not just line items on a resume.”

Join me for the career reflections of Susie Moss, Regional Director of Development for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Mountain States Region. While she didn't always know her career path, she did know she was someone who needed to be engaged and connecting with people. In college the realization hits her that she is good at sales, which was also her dad's career, another positive indicator this would be a good path for her. Susie is not one to shy away from risk or challenges. After 25 years in corporate sales roles, she and her husband bought into an interior design franchise. New career paths for both and great timing for their family situation, but bad timing for the economy. This journey leads her to a series of steps landing her where she is today – in the right job for a cause she believes wholeheartedly in! What's served Susie best: “my gut instincts -- when making career decisions and as a parent.” Words of wisdom, she's got two sets: 1.  “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.” 2.  “When you're at a bad point in life, you need to ask for help."

Join me for the career reflections of Karl Peters, creative director & designer of Bluebird Branding. In the fifth grade his design for the cover of the class directory is the top pick! As a result, he knows that this is exactly what he'd like to continue doing but he didn't know what it was called -- until he's introduced to commercial art and graphic design classes in high school and college. He sees himself as creative versus artistic and as a problem solver. Someone who helps solve strategic client problems with words, visuals and video/sound. Self-described as a brand loyalist, he's only worked for four companies in his career and each one prepared him for the next and ultimately where he is now – partner at a branding firm. What's served Karl best: “I don't cry over spilt milk. I move on and don't get too frustrated; I move on in a positive way.” Words of wisdom, he's got two sets: “I never tell my kids ‘Good luck' if they've got a test or game. I believe in hard work not luck. My encouragement to them is usually something like: 'work hard and have a great game!' ." Quote from Arthur Ash: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Then he adds: “There's no crying over spilt milk. This isn't ideal but we'll get out of it.”

Join me for the career reflections of Jervis DiCicco, co-founder & CEO of ProsperBridge. At a young age he's fascinated by the stock market and investments because both his dad and stepdad are in the financial industry.   But he's bored with his econ class in high school, so focuses his college courses on international relations and theater, earning a bachelor's degree with a double major in political science and theater. His love for the theater and writing (plus a girlfriend) draws him to LA doing temp work while writing a screen play. He describes these early years as going where the wind takes him. Once marriage is on the horizon and the possibly of starting a family, he decides he needs a career with strong earning potential, pointing him back to the financial industry. It's not easy getting a start, but he finds the right opportunity where his hard work pays off. Unfortunately, the 2008-09 financial crisis hits causing the bottom to fall out of his market. Within one year his income is down 80%, his wife leaves him, and his dad dies. His faith, finding his purpose and collaborating with friends are what get him through this super low point. Applying what he learned from these experiences and continuing to learn and collaborate, he's now living his purpose leading ProsperBridge What's served Jervis best: collaboration & self-awareness. His words of wisdom: “Find what really activates your passion. What, based on your core values, do you want to go fix?”

Join me for the career reflections of Richa Singh, consultant for family-owned businesses. Born and raised in India her dreams as a young girl are to be a pirate -- eye patch and all! She's fascinated with the idea of being a rebel and traveling the world. As she approaches college, she gets more serious choosing engineering because of her aptitude in math. After graduation jobs are scarce due to a recession prompting her to go back to school for an MBA. This is where she finds her true calling -- organizational behavior and change management! Cultural norms cause her to quit a dream job after getting married. Unfortunately, the marriage doesn't work, leaving her without a job, feeling depressed and stuck. She wrestles up just enough energy to apply for a part-time teaching job, where she starts gaining confidence, pulling her out of her funk and setting her on a course of successes that ultimately lead to where she is today! What's served Richa best: "Hard work. Being humble saying I don't know. Willingness to learn and then applying what I learn.” Her words of wisdom when feeling stuck or in a crisis: “What is actionable – what can you do now? You can cry later, but right now what is the first step you can take?"

Join me for the career reflections of Kristy Yoder, founder/CEO of SMART VAs LLC. Born and raised in the Philippines, her entrepreneurial DNA kicks in at a young age helping in her mom's business doing whatever's needed to earn a living. She describes living her teen years as young, wild and free! So much so, she drops out of high school at 14. Through her mom's urging she passes a high school equivalency exam -- with little or no studying -- then goes on to earn a college degree. Still, she's more interested in her social life than her career, living paycheck to paycheck, and looking for that right person to complete her. After a six-year relationship leaves her heartbroken, devastated and feeling like she's not enough, she's finally willing to go to church with her aunt. This is when her life turns around -- she finds God! And discovers that she's perfect and complete just the way she is. God has been protecting her and has a plan for her. She meets her husband, moves to the United States and decides to start her own virtual assistant business -- which now has over 70 employees including her husband! What's served Kristy best is also a primary characteristic of the Filipino culture – Resilience! Words of wisdom that have impacted Kristy: “God will always come through. God comes through regardless. Even when I didn't know him or have a relationship with him, God comes through!”        

Join me for the career reflections of Chelle Johnson, executive career coach & fractional talent officer. Her dream to be a broadcast journalist is dashed in college with feelings of inadequacy after assessing herself against her classmates.   Not one to pitch a tent in pity, she switches majors to speech communications leading to opportunities in Spain, Japan and Mexico. While completing a master's in international management, she's exposed to courses and an internship in organizational development setting her on a career path in human resources across a variety of companies and industries. A couple of decades of corporate experience -- success & failures -- is why she is perfectly positioned as an executive career coach & fractional talent offer. What's served Chelle best: “Having grit and being persistent. Continuing to move forward.” Her words of wisdom come from her time walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain: “No matter where you are in life, there's going to be mountains."

Join me for the career reflections of Chris Natzke, life leadership coach & keynote speaker. At age eleven he knows that martial arts will someday be his profession. At age sixteen he's teaching adults martial arts, and then in his early thirties he opens his martial arts school. The martial arts school was a side gig as he already had a successful career in corporate sales. Until his wife made him pick between running the school and his corporate sales job because the family was getting the short end of the stick. Of course, his passion the school wins and he starts planning and taking steps to leave corporate. But that is when the panic attacks start -- taking him down hard. Find out how he bounces back and continues a lifelong journey of personal and professional development eventually leading him to discover his coaching and speaking genius. What's served Chris best: “Leading by example. And vulnerability is a big part of that. If people can see you're vulnerable, they can also see your potential & greatness.” His words of wisdom come from a boss early on: “You can come to me with any problem, just come with a solution and ask for feedback. This starts a dialogue versus conflict and causes you to think for yourself and have some ownership.”

Join me for the career reflections of An Ly-Tampere, business coach. Her journey starts in a tiny little city in Belgium, that doesn't exist anymore, traversing to France and the UK, then landing in Singapore right before COVID shuts down that city. An avid reader and excellent student, she works 2-3 jobs while attending college full time. She speaks four languages, holds a law degree plus a master's in finance specializing in mergers & acquisitions. After a bumpy start she's recruited for her dream job in London, best time of her life! Four years later, she's ready to start a family and decides with her husband to explore Singapore with his parents as somewhat of a sabbatical. COVID has other plans for them. Singapore locks down earlier than the rest of the world and her strategies for going back to work aren't exactly working out -- causing her major stress but results in a pivot she never would have expected where she's now coaching coaches! What's served An best is: “staying in curiosity – if there's a problem there's a solution and I'll go look for it!” Her words of wisdom: “There's always a way to get what you want. It's not a matter of IF I can open the door, it's HOW can I open the door.”

Join me for the career reflections of Nicole Zimmermann, founder & CEO of Zelocin & Partners LLC. Born and raised in Germany she's fascinated as a young girl with Agatha Christie novels and dreams of being an archaeologist traveling the world discovering new things. Her dad, the voice of reason, suggests that archaeology could be a hobby AFTER she finds a way to earn a living. Following this practical advice, she interns at a tax & accounting firm giving her some real-world work experience, but then she discovers marketing, right away she's hooked and decides to become a "marketeer". Leveraging both her accounting and marketing knowledge her career advances in the telecom and financial services industries. She continues learning & growing as a leader, then accepts an opportunity to move to Colorado. After some dream roles, and a few not-so-great roles, a company restructure caused by the COVID pandemic prompts her to leave the corporate world and start her own consulting firm. What's served Nicole best is her curiosity, resilience and her gift of being structured & process oriented – these three things helped her in her career, and life, getting know to cultures, people & countries. Her words of wisdom, she has two sets: 1) “I regularly remind myself of ‘Carpe Diem' -- to use the day to be present, to embrace and enjoy this journey – even in the negative and heavy times you need to trust yourself. 2) A quote by Allyson Felix, track & field superstar: “Use your voice, even when it shakes.”

Join me for the career reflections of Heather Hukari, owner of Video Service Hub. As a youngster she loves being in front of the camera, but her focus shifts after taking a multi-media & video production class. She discovers her real passion is making and editing videos. It's a passion throughout her career and something she always comes back to, even while taking a two-month road trip with a friend, she's feeling a bit anxious because she wants to be making videos. Through different roles and experiences, she gets a big ah ha when an intern shows her and her team up. He's the epitome of the “growth mindset” and she realizes she's the opposite possessing a “fixed mindset.” After shifting her mindset and embracing him and how she can be better because of him, they're now great friends. What's served Heather best is going with the flow, trusting that things will work out and seeing what the universe presents to her. Her words of wisdom: “Get really, really good at what you do, so good at it that people want to work with you, that you're the person they think of first for this work!”

Join me for the career reflections of Rachel Jenks, The Brand Boss. She achieves her dream of being a professional ballet dancer at age seventeen, but after a year into it she is heartbroken as her body starts failing. Depression sets in as she sees her dream slipping away. Close to hitting bottom a friend shakes her out of this funk, where new possibilities present themselves. Taking her on the road with rising authors, traveling internationally saving the world, and finally a journey into advertising, marketing, and branding. There are lots of starts and stops along the way, not all on her terms nor within her timelines, but she's now exactly where she wants to be! Two things have served Rachel best: 1) perseverance, keeping your eyes toward a better future, and 2) figuring things out, according to Rachel “life is figure-out-able”. Words of wisdom that impacted her are from Winston Churchill: “Success isn't final, failure isn't fatal: it's the courage to continue that counts”.

Join me for the career reflections of Jeff Pomranka, executive director of Meals on Wheels. His senior year in college, he switches majors from math to psychology after getting totally hooked from just one psychology class. Preparing him for a life-long career helping people. Midway in his career, after finding Simon Sinek's first TED Talk, Jeff discovers clarity about his “why” – helping people live their lives the way they want. He continues to follow Sinek on-line recognizing that staying true to his “why” is what helps him connect with people throughout his various roles and it's what helped him get the dream job he has now! What has served Jeff best, according to one of his colleagues, is his ability to stay calm when things get crazy. Jeff's words of wisdom: ”Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”

Join me for the career reflections of Tracy Graf, CEO of FUSE Igniting Communication. She picks communications as her major because it seemed the most useful and applicable. It suits her well -- leading her into careers in PR, marketing and now training. Tracy attributes a big part of her success to bosses & mentors who coach and connect her to opportunities. Of course, one of these new opportunities comes out of a fairly significant failure on her part. Find out she turns her failure into a new future – one she absolutely loves! What's served Tracy best, two things – 1) her drive and everlasting energy, and 2) her positive outlook on life. Her words of wisdom is quote from one of those great bosses, that at the time seemed cheesy, but it's something she uses regularly today: “Leap and the net will appear!”

Join me for the career reflections of Tonia Martinez, founder of Career Transformations. Find out how her love for helping people, a family value, leads her to a career in HR which ultimately becomes the foundation and expertise needed to start her own business. She loves learning about new roles and industries and was a pioneer recruiting veterans and diverse candidates before it was the popular thing to do. What's served Tonia best: “I'm truly blessed for my HR career. I understand interviewing, hiring, retention, turnover, training – so I can have meaningful conversations with hiring managers.” Her words of wisdom “Starting a business is not as easy as it sounds. It's important to have a reserve of income set aside to fall back on. Be patient and give yourself grace, especially in the beginning. It's a lot of work!”

Join me for the career reflections of Lori Hanson, The Success Whisperer. Her journey starts in business wanting to be like her dad running a hospital and secretly wanting to know what earning a bonus feels like! Her first roles are in HR in healthcare, shifting then to the insurance industry, another pivot into higher education & training, onto project management, and a stint in sales. All with loads of success -- ultimately preparing her to be an entrepreneur, coach and now “The Success Whisperer.” Find out how she overcomes some significant bumps along the way -- a handful of layoffs, no-to-low self-esteem, an eating disorder, negative mindset issues around sales and money and racking up a pile of debt. What's served Lori best: “Going into pit bull mode! I'm incredibly determined, I just never, ever, ever, give up. Never giving up is a choice.” Her words of wisdom “You have no limits! The only limits you have are in your head.”

Join me for the career reflections of Amanda HarNess, fractional COO & business growth "excelerator". Her journey starts as an occupational therapist, a transition to medical device sales, then discovering her true gift -- improving systems and operations. Ultimately leading her to start her own consulting business as a fractional Chief Operating Officer (COO) and business growth "excelerator" where she does serious work without being too serious. What's served Amanda best, two things: 1) being open for help; overcoming the mindset that when you open a business you should be good at everything; and 2) “once I've decided something, I'VE DECIDED!” I know how to push, persevere, and stay the course. Her words of wisdom, she shares two sets that have impacted her: 1) “A small phrase – asking what if? The idea that the other side is possible if you challenge thoughts with what if”; and 2) three rules for life that she learned on the ski slope: “don't panic; be tenacious; & party (celebrate!).

Join me for the career reflections of Shannon Saviers, VP Sand Cherry Associates. The daughter of an air force pilot, she travels the world growing up. Requiring her to move every two years, so to make friends as the newbie, she finds joining groups like theater, cheerleading and student council help break the ice. Her career aspirations are all about getting into business which she excels at in college and her first HR roles. At the encouragement of a mentor early on, she decides to pursue a career in technology and promptly gets her master's in information technology at a time when very few women are in the field. Once again, she excels and continues to manifest new opportunities for herself. Ultimately leading her to start her own consulting practice. A next logical step and one she designs, but what she didn't expect was the identity crisis that came with not being part of a bigger company. It's a great learning experience causing her to come into her own. What's served Shannon best: “feeling comfortable around others, giving others grace and pulling my own experiences into solutions.” Her words of wisdom: “I'm a big believer in being intentional, once I set my intentions -- I'm all in!”

Join me for the career reflections of Margot Zaher, life empowerment coach & author. A journey that starts with fulfilling her dream to live and work in Paris at a fortune 100 company. The ideal job, right? So why is she so unhappy, constantly doubting herself and feeling a lack of purpose? At the urging of her mom, a recently certified hypnotherapist, she embarks on a personal development journey which includes two weeks of hypnotherapy. It works wonders on her self-esteem, right away she feels different and within three months she's promoted. But the bigger discovery, is that it ignited a new energy within her to want to help others with their personal development like she was helped. She gets certified in hypnotherapy, leading her down a new path where she meets a life coach. Totally inspired by this role, she now knows this is what she wants to be. She gets certified as a life coach, begins coaching and continues to add other certifications & techniques to her toolkit over the years. What's served Margot best: “My willingness to confront fear, become friends with fear, accepting that fear is a part of life instead of thinking something's wrong because I'm scared. I think of it as an ally or friend, it's just a sensation.” Her words of wisdom: “a bit cliché she says, but she quotes Nike's “Just Do It!” Whenever I doubt myself, I think “Just Do It!” – there aren't really any wrong steps.”

Join me for the career reflections of Michelle Hoglan, visionary behind The Boob Report. The oldest of four, her independence and strong family commitments guide her journey. Working several part-time jobs in high school to earn money for the things she wants and then working full time jobs to support herself while attending college courses when she can afford them. After several successful office management roles which include marketing responsibilities, she and her husband start their own marketing firm. These skills and her natural curiosity help her navigate and survive a breast cancer diagnosis. At the urging of her husband, a Facebook page that starts as a means to update friends and family about her journey, ultimately becomes The Boob Report. An online website report for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her goal is to make women feel empowered with knowledge and the courage to get through their journey with as much grace and ease as possible. What's served Michelle best: her ability to try and stay positive, acknowledging when things are crappy, but knowing that it's going to get better if she just keeps moving forward, and that she can figure out what she can change to move forward. Her words of wisdom are a quote from Brené Brown: “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” Michelle tries to own her story every day!

Join me for the career reflections of Sarah Irizarry, marketing executive. Her journey is all about learning and growth, taking risks and really knowing her strengths and how she adds value. Typically, the youngest, and only female in the room, she learns how important it is to know her value. Knowledge she gains from her MBA program and developing relationships with mentors that help her succeed through stretch opportunities. What's served Sarah best: Perseverance and curiosity, she likes to go beyond the obvious to find the right solutions. She's found that while the first diagnosis of a situation is right, it usually is not the end, but the beginning. Her words of wisdom: “When you're in transition or stuck, don't just look inside. We always have inner work to do but check with mentors on next steps and for encouragement. We're not on an island, there's so much knowledge outside of us that others hold.”

Join me for the career reflections of Candice Kingston, leadership and success coach. A journey that starts with a dream of being a teacher, but it's swashed when her good friend and role model suggests she should do something else. She decides on psychology for her major because of her interest in human beings, but then when faced with the jobs associated with psychology she's not really interested in more school or listening to people's problems. Just getting a job becomes her priority, she finds a sales job selling medical devices, which kicks off a career of jobs that aren't a fit. Frustrated after being fired multiple times, she's depressed, lacks confidence and direction so she decides to see a therapist, who quickly recognizes she doesn't need therapy she needs a career coach. Which is exactly what she needed and where she discovers her genius and career fit – as a leadership & success coach! What's served Candice best: “Tenacity” but with a clarifying point that it is what is serving her best now, but it probably hurt her in the beginning of her career, because she never quit. She let others end her employment, even when she knew it wasn't a right a fit. Her words of wisdom: “It's not rejection, it's re-direction – keep going, you'll figure it out.”

Join me for the career reflections of Ann Wagner, executive director of Ann Wagner Live. At age 7 she knew she wanted to be surgeon and mapped out a plan to accomplish that. However, her grades in pre-med didn't support this plan so she needed a "Plan B". First on the agenda was attending professional baseball umpire school and becoming an umpire, which she still enjoys calling games today. Recognizing the need to make a living, and a desire to stay in healthcare, she lands a sales role in healthcare which leads to a successful and lucrative career in sales. Almost two decades later, after overcoming serious health issues, she's now reinventing herself and putting herself on-stage as a coach and speaker to help others overcome depression, anxiety, and self-limiting beliefs -- all inflictions she experienced and conquered. What's served Ann best is: persistence – getting through all the negative stuff and not giving up; moving forward, even when it's all going wrong. Her words of wisdom is a quote from Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself: everyone else is already taken.” And she adds: “Be yourself, do what really drives you.”

Join me for the career reflections of Darren Kanthal, leadership coach. He grows up quick when he's expected to take over his dad's business just as he's finishing up college. Great experience in the business world, but when another crisis hits, a house fire, he loses his home and the business. He resets and starts down the corporate path, which is littered with great -- and mostly not so great experiences. After losing the job he really wants, he's hit with an “ah ha moment” that he is the only constant in all the jobs and stories that didn't work out. A real turning point for him, he starts reading books, hires a coach, decides to become a consultant, then ultimately finds coaching is his sweet spot. What's served Darren best? He credits his up bringing that taught him self-reliance and independence. His words of wisdom, he's got three: 1) from Richard Branson: “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”; 2) “Practice Positive Intelligence – accepting life, staying neutral, trying not to categorize or evaluate events as good or bad, everything could be a gift!”; and 3) “Rely on yourself, but don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it!”

Join me for the career reflections of Julie Ulstrup, founder & CEO of Julie Ulstrup Photography. Her journey starts following her love of photography, but then she abandons her dream to get a “real job”, one in sales that ultimately leads to twenty years in academia and career counseling. Her love for photography continues to pull her, and with a leadership change at her school it's the right time to explore going out on her own. She then finds an incredible mentor/coach who helps her launch her photography business and she couldn't be happier! She even gets choked up talking about it! What's served Julie best is courage, following her heart into what she really knows & believes to be true. Words of wisdom, she's got two, one from her dad: “If you don't ask, the answer is always no, so ask for what you want.” And for the second she quotes Marianne Williamson: “When we let our own light shine, we give others permission to do the same.”

Join me for the career reflections of Andrea Andrews, founder & creator of salleejay.com, a travel & lifestyle blog. Her journey is one with themes in music, writing and community. After about a decade of career and life experience she discovers another theme -- that's she's living for other people, trying to fit into a mold that doesn't work for her, and focusing on making other people comfortable when she's miserable. Prompting her to make some big bold changes to her life all in one month -- March 2013! Fast forward to today where she describes her life as “awesome” and has big plans for travel and her blog -- inspiring others to travel solo (guided by her) to see the world! What's served Andrea best is passion, commitment and integrity. As a writer she has no shortage of words of wisdom: · “Good, better, best – never let it rest until your good is your better and your better is your best!” · “Begin with the end in mind.” · “Pay yourself first.” · “To thine own self be true!”

Join me for the career reflections of Riah Gonzalez, founder & CEO of Linq Consulting Solutions. A journey with various starts and stops, each leading to learning and growth and closer alignment with her areas of expertise until she finds her niche! What a cool and unique niche it is – she's a virtual assistant match maker, a delegation educator and an entrepreneur maximizer! Riah is a big idea person and loves working with people to expand their business. Tenacity (or maybe it's stubbornness she kids) is what's served her best. Riah's words of wisdom come from someone she interviewed on her podcast who said: “Any action is good action!” Then she adds: “If you take one step, one tiny step toward something, that is good action!”

Join me for the career reflections of Claudia Miller, career coach & workplace expert. For many of us, getting that first job is a struggle, but Claudia takes that experience and decides she's going to “figure this career thing out!” And figure it out she does! Not only does she successfully negotiate significant salary increases, she gets the jobs and roles she wants at the salaries she wants. Find out how she does it for her own career, then how helping friends and family with their careers reveals her expertise prompting her to start her career coaching business. What's served Claudia best: “Success favors the bold – I've been bold!” Her words of wisdom: “Do what others won't to achieve what others can't”.

Join me for the career reflections of Joyce Feustel, social media trainer. A journey with themes in education, health care, public information, non-profits, politics, public speaking, chambers of commerce, on-line education, and now social media. She's always been open to new ideas and learning new things, as evidenced by the variety in her career choices. It was at the suggestion of others that she even considered going into sales and starting her own business. What's served Joyce best -- perseverance, she's pleasantly perseverant, with kindness and friendliness. Words of wisdom that have impacted her are based on a quote from Henry David Thoreau: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined.” And her own words of wisdom: “Be open to opportunities, be willing to learn and embrace new concepts.”

Join me for the career reflections of Marla Press, transformational life coach. After adventurous college experiences following her passion in psychology, her first job in that field leaves her disillusioned and looking for something completely different -- which she finds in dental hygiene school. A flexible career she's still working in and still finds gratifying. That flexibility enables her to pursue other passions – being with her kids, writing and coaching. Marla references three things that have served her best: 1) having a really good work ethic & focus, she puts 110% effort into everything; 2) seeing the positive, focusing on the positive, and seeing opportunities and the good in people; and 3) being creative in problem solving, thinking out of the box. Her words of wisdom: “think bigger” and “everything is up for grabs.”

Join me for the career reflections of Kelli Dennehey Christina, CEO of two companies and international bestselling author. A journey where doing the hard work pays off -- success, promotions, new opportunities -- then the bottom falls out and she finds herself homeless and working three jobs. Not one to stay down, Kelli learns from her experience and uses her strong work ethic to reopen her business plus give back to the community with a non-profit she started. Kelli shares her “rollercoaster” story in her book and coaches people who are “flatlined” on how to build themselves back up. What's served Kelli best is having the ability to move forward, she has that go-getter attitude, she's willing to learn and willing to go that extra mile. Her words of wisdom are a quote from Abe Lincoln: “You should learn something new every single day.”

Join me for the career reflections of Marc Cherabie, director of sales for SiteStaff Chat. A journey with a plan to become a physical therapist working temporary jobs to support him through this plan, until one of his temporary roles is such a great fit that it becomes the new plan! He's constantly learning and growing from his peers, employees, bosses and clients. What's served Marc best is his natural ability to really connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. His words of wisdom come from a toast in the movie Cool Runnings: “Peace be the journey.” Marc adds his own wisdom: “When you're spreading a lot of positivity it has a funny way of coming back into your life.”

Join me for the career reflections of Carol Ross, leadership coach, healer & writer. A journey about transition and discovery revealing her natural leadership, coaching & healing abilities. Leveraging her engineering approach to solving problems and the trust she's built with her engineer colleagues, Carol discovers she's a natural leader when it comes to personal growth and development. So much so, she successfully makes the case to create a new role for herself as Retention Leader. What's served Carol best is “keeping a higher truth, always digging and digging for the truth, even if it might not be pretty.” Carol's words of wisdom come from a trusted friend: “We are all walking miracles, follow the miracles.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Molly Vaile, CEO & founder of her life! A journey using all her degrees (PR, marketing & management), taking her around the world, through multiple industries, culminating now into a career as a strategic accelerated growth consultant. Her career choices are based on where she could ski or bike, and contribute her unique skill set – which she describes is like a Swiss Army Knife. What's served Molly best is “trusting and listening to myself, really believing that I have the answer. I just need to sit quietly with myself, and the answer will come.” Molly's words of wisdom come from a card her mom gave her at a pivotal point in her life: “She put on her brave and decided to be amazing!” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Dave Johnson, managing partner of C Squared Solutions. A journey traversing many disciplines from farming, engineering, accounting, military service as a pilot, telecommunications, technology, operations, teaching, economic development and now business leadership/consulting. For his undergrad degree, he double majors in engineering & accounting, to figure out which he likes best and is best at, plus giving him more career options. After a stint in the military, he uses his GI Bill to get his MBA and then while working full time somehow finds time to get a master's in psychology. Later in life he earns his PhD in the economic development of Native American land. With such a versatile background it's no surprise that what has served him best through his career is the skill of being able to fit into high performing teams. His words of wisdom: “You have to believe in yourself, be humble and trust others.” One of his favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Beth Klepper, founder of Mainstream Video Production. Starting at an early age, she's obsessed with movies and how they influenced her perceptions of what's cool. After a BA in Speech Communications and master's in Film and Visual Cultures she lands at a national network (located in Denver!) producing reality shows, travel shows, celebrity gossip shows, etc. Then she's onto producing live concerts and music shows which came with lots of perks but also lots of stress. Prompting her to start her own business Mainstream Video Production where she's created over 800 videos for her clients in a variety of industries. What's served Beth best is having a really good attitude when things don't go your way. Her words of wisdom: “Don't ask for a lighter pack, ask for a stronger back.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Jennifer Kenning, CEO & co-founder of Align Impact. Initially her dream is to be a sportscaster because of her love for competing in and watching sports, but then her interest in finance, investments and economics drives her career decisions. An internship solidifies her love for investment banking, but then her first job is not a fit – way too much analysis and not enough people interaction. A serendipitous meeting leads her to her next role, company, long-time mentor and ultimately where she is today. What's served Jennifer best is discipline and always being able to speak up for injustice – both she started at the very early age of 5. Her words of wisdom are from a Howard Thurman quote: “Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Pattie Money, CEO of Pinnacle Leadership. Her journey starts with the pursuit of a music career but that gets diverted once she starts working at GE and finds she loves business. Her first job out of college introduces her to recruiting/staffing where she ends up running a division of the staffing company. Ultimately, she transitions into HR leadership roles in manufacturing and technology, building her expertise in acquisitions and IPO's -- a significant aspect of her coaching practice today. What's served Pattie best is her positivity and always believing we can make things better. Her words of wisdom: “What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail”, and “we can have it all, just maybe not all at one time.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Melinda Cross, communications specialist with an emphasis on book writing. A fellow storyteller, her journey is all about books and writing. She finds her way with an internship in politics, then a master's degree leads her into advertising, where she finds her niche as a communications specialist. Initially she works for advertising agencies, then goes out on her own contracting on projects for a variety of companies and across industries. Ultimately she lands where she really wants to be, book writing. Melinda shares two traits that have served her throughout her career: 1) Always doing her very best, taking great pride in her writing craft, and 2) being resilient. Her words of wisdom: “It's how you do the little things that reflects how you'll do the big things.” And, “Things aren't always going to go your way, but if you keep your eye on your work and just do the best you can, you're going to go places!” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Mary Gaul, business strategy & focus coach. A journey of “can do” and the courage to raise her hand to learn new tools and skills to solve problems. Routinely resulting in promotions and increased responsibilities. With urging from her coaches, Mary starts her own virtual assistant business and through her experience and exposure to helping so many entrepreneurs (plus some more encouragement from her coaches), she becomes the coach she is today! What's served Mary best: raising her hand when she saw a problem and offering solutions, which many times meant learning new tools and skills, so having the confidence in herself that she can learn new things and solve problems. Her words of wisdom come from a quote she loves: “There's two kinds of people in this life -- those who walk into a room and say ‘well here I am!' versus those who say ‘ah, there you are!'” She tries to be the later, she's here to connect, contribute and celebrate with people. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Kacey Kingry, life coach & yoga teacher. A journey with seeds planted as a young person but that don't fully develop until now when she's in her forties. A journey in pursuit of understanding the mind, body, spirit connection. Discovering that life is how you handle “getting dirty” and deciding to learn from the dirt rather than try to avoid it. What's served Kacey best is: being resilient; never, ever, ever, giving up on herself. Words of wisdom that have shaped her are from the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh: “No Mud, No Lotus.” Her added wisdom: “All of us are going to get dirty, not everyone is going to learn & grow from it. Use the dirt to flourish and thrive!” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Debbie Thibault, IT Director with the Office of Information Technology for the State of Colorado. A journey shaped by being the youngest of three girls and not wanting to be left behind and by an insatiable appetite for learning and building new things. She is exposed to early database tools and technology through a co-op program in high school in the early 1980s, prior to Microsoft products BTW, and figures out how to solve real business problems with them. Key bosses/mentors see her potential and keep giving her more things to learn, build and solve. She has the uncanny ability to manifest career opportunities for herself at start-ups and then her own consulting business, until 2008 when the financial crisis knocks her off course. Recognizing the need for a more stable stream of income she lands at the State of Colorado where she continues to learn, grow & build solutions. What's served Debbie best is her gut, but she says can also be a double-edged sword. Her words of wisdom: “Being cause in the matter,” a definition of leadership that she has adopted and lives by. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Lori Dubois, owner & chief storyteller at Marketing Troubadour, LLC. A journey guided by curiosity and learning, driven by a desire to learn things from the ground up. While she didn't become a librarian after earning a master's degree in library & information sciences, the skill set she learns is invaluable to her as a marketer. What's served Lori best is being curious and wanting to learn everything making herself more valuable to the companies she works for. Her words of wisdom are based a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Lori then adds her wisdom: “Being willing to do those things that scare you, you're going to get someplace else.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of ME! -- Kathy Lawless, life story curator & podcaster. A journey that starts with always saying yes to doing more and taking on more responsibilities, then with experience & wisdom shifts to being more intentional about what's next. Kathy finds the structure and opportunities at a fortune 500 company fits well with her natural leadership abilities and work ethics -- until it doesn't. Which happens to coincide with her 20-year anniversary at that company. Causing her to question “what do I have to show for 20 years of work?” Always one to celebrate the completion of projects and her team & colleagues' contributions, she decides to start her own business helping people capture & celebrate their career and life stories. Of course, transition is never easy. She talks about the challenges that most entrepreneurs face: having to do it all, knowing when you should be finished with something, dealing with the highs and lows of a new company, selling yourself, measuring success, sticking it out, etc. What's served Kathy best is: assuming positive intent, operating with a hand forward and hand back, and recognizing the difference between circumstances and what she is committed to. Her words of wisdom come from two Stanford professors who wrote Designing Your Life: “Be curious, talk to people and take action” – she adds her interpretation that: “you can only do it (figuring out what's next) for yourself, but you can't do it all by yourself (meaning, you have to get out of your head, talk to people and take action).” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Join me for the career reflections of Jeff Harry, international positive psychology play speaker. A journey inspired by the movie Big with Tom Hanks back when Jeff is in the third grade. Prompting him to start writing to toy companies at that age and through high school, asking about the types of jobs they offer. After following a suggestion from one of these toy companies to get a mechanical engineering degree, Jeff lands a job at a toy company! Only to have his dream crushed of what working at a toy company would be like. At 25 he starts sole searching, finds an opportunity to teach kids using Legos, which he loves – he then grows that company from seven people to 400! Next, he's tapped by Silicon Valley to lead a team building event. Taking him in a whole new direction and motivating him to attain a coaching certification acquiring the relevant positive psychology language to train adults. What's served Jeff best is connecting with people, he measures success by how deep and how many connections he makes every day. His words of wisdom are from a quote by Howard Thurman: “Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app