Every January and February, I work with clients to assess their current situation.
I ask the question, “How’s work working for you?”

The gut response is often…”I’m not sure...”

So we get more specific by answering the following questions - allowing my clients to get honest with themselves about what’s working, what’s not, and what actions they need to take next.

Growth:

1. Have you identified what you’d like to learn in your role?

2. And/or what would you like to learn in your career in general in the next year?

3. Are you on track to take on projects, attend workshops or participate in programs to help you get there?

4. What are your biggest obstacles to going after the growth you want?

5. What are you doing about those obstacles?

Energy:

1. What percentage of the time in your role are you feeling sparky, fully alive, in flow?

2. What are those things that make you feel sparky in your role?

3. Is there a way to do more of them or spend more time on them?

4. What are the things that are currently draining you in your role?

5. Is there a way to do less of them?

6. What would your work feel like if you could do more of the sparky things and less of draining tasks?

Life Fit:

1. Is your work aligned with your values?

2. What are your top life priorities right now? (Money you need to make, flexibility you need, etc.)?

3. Is your work in sync with your priorities?

4. Are you able to spend time with family and friends?

5. Do you have time for creative projects or the things that bring you joy?

Set aside some uninterrupted time to reflect on your own answers. And then, without judging any past decisions or current desires, ask yourself - how’s it really going? What grade would you give your current work situation? And if it’s a C or below…what do you want to do next?

Reach out to me at rachel@rachelbgarrett.com let me know what showed up for you and where you want to go from here!

Goodbye, January 2022!

I haven’t been this happy to release a month since March of 2020. 

Emotions ran high. PTSD from early pandemic days loomed large. Decisions became impossible to make, to get right and to stand by. 

I drew my energy and my peace from my new daily writing practice (I passed my one month anniversary!), my work helping more women identify and claim their career desires (we just wrapped an exciting 4-week group program), our family Wordle competition (That somehow my 10-year old is winning. I want 10-year old neural pathways!) and of course, you know me…my podcast addiction. 

Here’s a round up of podcast episodes that are giving me the tools and the inspiration to keep moving forward and doing my best despite the big expectations I had for 2022. 

The Happiness Lab: Stepping Off the Path of Anxiety
https://www.happinesslab.fm/2022-new-year-mini-season/stepping-off-the-path-of-anxiety

First of all, I recommend the entire 2022 mini season that dives into the tougher emotions we don’t like to recognize or talk about like anger, anxiety, grief. In this episode, Dr. Laurie Santos talks with Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Andrea Wachter about tools to acknowledge and quiet anxiety. Have a notebook handy for this one. I listened to it twice! 

On Being: Pico Iyer and Elizabeth Gilbert - The Future of Hope 3
https://onbeing.org/programs/pico-iyer-and-elizabeth-gilbert-the-future-of-hope-3/
This is part of a 4-part series of conversations around hope and I’ve enjoyed all of them. Having experienced the loss of her partner, Raya Elias, in 2018 Liz Gilbert connects lessons of surrender she learned from this loss to similar insights during the pandemic. I always find wisdom in Liz’s vulnerable observations and clear words that capture our humanity. 

Dare to Lead: The Great Awkward
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/the-great-awkward/

Brené always knows how to name the things none of us want to say. She and her sister Barrett discuss what “going back to the office” will look like and how inevitably it will be different than it ever was and we should expect it to be awkward AF. 

PS. This was the last episode Brené released before announcing she would hold off on releasing episodes until further notice. While she didn’t say it, this is clearly in response to Spotify continuing to give a platform to Joe Rogan and others who are spreading misinformation. Way to use your expertise and power to make change and stand in your values, Brené! 

CYG: Grief Companionship

https://www.callyourgirlfriend.com/episodes/2021/10/29/grief-companionship

This conversation is from the fall of 2021, but I thought it was so relevant as so many people are grieving both the people they lost in the past two years and also all of the things we’ve missed out on because of this damn pandemic. We have so little language and conversation around grief and this episode provides really practical things you can do for your people who are suffering alone right now. 

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Wordle is a daily dose of delight, despair, and sometimes smugness

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/24/1075352735/wordle-is-a-daily-dose-of-delight-despair-and-sometimes-smugness

For those of you who didn’t think you could create a new daily habit…you were wrong! If you’re like me and you haven’t missed a day since you started playing…I see you. This is some Worldle Nerdery that will make you smile all the way through. 

Enjoy this list and let me know some other favorites of yours that are getting you through! 

Quietly listening and wordling,

Rachel

While this moment in the pandemic feels different everywhere in the country and in the world, right now, in New York City we’re beginning to breathe out again.The number of covid cases in schools is coming down. The hospitals in the city are not reporting overwhelm. We’re not hearing about new cases every day. Or at least not multiple cases per day!

There’s a lightness that’s creeping into our tightly wound bodies.

The people in my circles and the women I coach are lifting their heads up with the question…

What’s that you were saying about starting 2022?

Oh yeah, it’s a new year. I had plans. I had goals.

Then my priorities changed in an instant. I focused on what was in front of me.

And now I’m ready to say all those things I want out loud again.

I want to think about what’s next in my career.

I want something that’s “for me” in my life. Not for my partner or my kids or my parents.

One of the best ways I know to get momentum with these changes you want to make in the new year is to….

Talk to other humans.

Start with your close-in people. Branch out to your wider network. Be clear about who you are, what you want and where you need help.

Now if this first step is feeling hard. If you feel like you have no idea what to say. Or if you’re dreading those four words, “Tell me about yourself.”

I got you.

I hear this All. The. Time. That’s why I created the Nail Your Elevator Pitch Mini Course.

With the Mini Course, you will create a memorable and authentic pitch that sounds like you, feels energizing and activates your network so they can help you with your next career move.

The course includes:

⚡️ Five short videos that walk you through:

...A welcome and setting you up for success

...Identifying your strengths

...The strategy and approach to writing your pitch

...The formula for 3 different types of pitches based on YOUR situation

...Getting into action with your pitch (How to start using it in networking)

⚡️ A workbook where I provide my specific formulas and provide examples so you can write the first drafts of your pitch!

ALL FOR $60!

Add a 45-minute 1:1 pitch feedback session with me for $125 and you’ll have a powerful positioning relaunch for $185 all-in. 🔥

Here’s the link to go get that course so you can be fully guided and supported in moving through this critical career shift step: rachelbgarrett.com/pitch

I’ll see you in our feedback session!

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is next week, the holiday movies are beginning to trend on Netflix, the Christmas Blend is brewing at Starbucks and the virtual and intimate in-person holiday gatherings are beginning to fill up our respective calendars.

For those of you who’ve been following along with me for a few years now, you may be able to predict what I’m about to say. It bears repeating.

The holiday season is MY FAVORITE time for networking and job searching.

I have clients who get new roles in December every year. I’m serious. Every. Damn. Year.

Are you ready to get your networking on at all of those holiday meals and parties?

It’s time to get your 🦆🦆🦆 in a row and I am so excited to have EXACTLY what you need to get there.

Next Monday, I’ll be launching my new - Nail Your Elevator Pitch Mini Course.

After this mini course, you will walk away with:

A memorable and authentic pitch, that sounds like you, feels energizing and activates your network so they can help you with your next career move.

I’ve got all the tools to get you there...quickly.

Short video how-to’s, three different pitch formulas to match where you are in your process (just starting out and don’t have the answers, actively job searching, or returning to the workforce after a gap).

A workbook so you can follow along with the videos.

All of this for only $60. Yes, I know. This makes me happy.

And I’m even offering a 45-minute 1:1 session to workshop it with me at a discounted rate of $125.

So if you’re motivated to test out your new pitch over these next holiday weeks, look out for my email on Monday.

OK, off to dot some i’s, cross some t’s and put some more love, compassion and joy into a process that most people dread. I’ll walk you through it, bring the fun...and you’re going to take career leaps.

Here. We. Go!

We discussed mindset shifting tools in my group coaching program this week. I like to dive into this topic early in the process because it’s often mental blocks that are keeping us stuck, rather than more tactical things like resumes and interview skills.

One of my favorites in this set of tools is forgiveness.

Identifying areas where you may be holding shame and offering up acknowledgment and compassion and forgiveness.

I often talk about how this shame showed up for me when I knew I wanted to make a change while in my marketing roles, but felt like I should stay in a safe, flexible role because I had two small children. I stayed in an “it’s fine” career for too long, even while I hungered for a change.

The truth is that this feeling of career shame wasn't new to me. I felt it even before I had a career.

College was not an easy time for me. I struggled to find my way. I transferred after two years, switched my major FIVE times and nearly took time off after my junior year. Finally, I decided to identify my easiest path to graduation and took it--rather than spending the time expanding my mind, learning, growing and challenging myself to think in new ways about what was possible for my future.

I held onto tremendous shame about this period of my life for many years.

Feeling like I squandered an opportunity.

Like I wasn’t smart enough or built for grad school.

Like I learned in pockets here and there, but don’t remember much.

After some deep work thinking about that kid I used to describe as flailing…

I now see her as a human who was grieving.

As you may remember, my parents died in a car accident when I was nearly 12 and while college came several years after this loss, I see now with adult eyes--I was in acute grief, untethered and in survival mode.

I did the best I could. So did all of the grownups surrounding me who were also grieving.

Would I do things differently with my own kids? Absolutely. I would love them where they are. I would advocate for their mental health needs knowing that achievement and credentials can wait. And that’s how I continue to re-parent that part of me.

I acknowledge her struggle. I show her forgiveness and compassion and love. I cheer her on for trying new things where she’s not an immediate expert. I remind her that lifelong learning is what keeps my mind active and alive. I can both fill in some of the gaps of what I may have missed and learn new skills that weren’t even invented at that time.

I can also be grateful that she/I prioritized putting one foot in front of the other in that tough moment. That I got the support I needed. That I was optimistic more would open up for me after graduation. And it did.

What shame are you holding onto in your career and in your life?
Where can you show that younger you some acceptance of her humanity? Some love? She’s ready and willing and very curious about what may come next.

A few years ago I found myself in a career rut while working in digital marketing. I had done all I could do to follow my own instructions from my post, Love The Job You're With. I was learning new skills and achieving improved results for the business, but something was still missing. I was hungry to do something completely new, after a long career with very similar roles. But what could it be? I was truly stumped. 

I decided to take a couple of career assessments to get me thinking in a new way. One of the assessments provided a roadmap of all the possible career paths best suited to my interests. Number one on the list—Career Coach! While I read my results with a healthy dose of skepticism, given my long career in Marketing (which was also on the list by the way), the idea resonated enough with me that I felt compelled to dive into a fervor of research in a short time. Within 24 hours I'd assembled a matrix of all the Coach Certification programs available in my area, my contacts that had gone through the various programs and the times of my calls to speak with them. The more research I did, the greater my conviction became. I quickly learned that my top choice program had a cohort beginning the following week. I wasn't expecting to be forced to make a decision this quickly about a size-able investment of time and money—and yet every cell in my body was saying, "You must do this!" I listened. 

I talked to my very supportive husband, my biggest advocate and cheerleader. "I know it sounds insane, but I feel like I need to do this. While I know it will be a lot of hard work, I know I'm up to it and I can't remember the last time I was this excited about my career and where it's going." This was a no-brainer for him. He agreed that not only did I need to do this, but in actuality, I'd been coaching my entire career—and this would make it official. 

My intuition was critical in moving me toward my current path of coaching and it continues to be my strongest driver in building my business. While I had some opportunities to hone my intuition in my corporate career, I found that it was not something that was often admired or respected, and in turn, I frequently kept my hunches to myself until they were validated with reams of data. It has taken time to unlearn this behavior and not only begin to reconnect with that intuitive voice, but also take risks in trusting it. 

I see this as one of the biggest challenges for my clients when they walk through my door. They come to me for advice, wanting me to make a slew of decisions for them and they quickly learn…I don't do that! My advice would come from my perspective and in coaching, I help clients tap into their own inner wisdom so they can find the solutions that are right for them. I find that when we are disconnected from our intuition, we're rudderless and stuck—looking to others to make decisions for us and following the paths of friends and family who have done the self-reflection that we have not done. In my practice, I help clients reconnect to their intuition so they can begin to experiment with trusting it and monitoring the results. 

In order to get a taste of how it works, you can try this exercise:

1. Close your eyes when you have five minutes of private, quiet time (even if you have to schedule it!). Say hello to your intuition. Acknowledge that you've neglected it lately. Take a deep breath and let your intuition know that you're open to listening now.

2. Every time you feel that strong gut instinct in your body, keep a journal (or note on your phone) of what it is, where you feel it and if you're going to follow it.

3. Try following it once a day for a week. Note the results in your journal. How did you feel when you followed your intuition?

All of this said, I think it's important to validate your intuition with data—and I continue to do this within my business. As an entrepreneur, I don't have time to do this for every decision. I have learned to go with my gut much of the time so that I'm constantly moving forward. While this may not be possible in many corporate cultures, there can be a balance where we practice leveraging this critical tool as a way to develop in our leadership and to grow in our expertise within an organization. As I develop my own intuition, I'm comforted to know I have an internal compass on which to rely—even in the most complex terrain. 

Four years into my last Digital Marketing role, I started to get a little antsy. My younger daughter was over a year old. I had steady childcare coverage and was in a healthy place with self-care (respect to my second born who came out of the womb a good sleeper. I heard this was possible, but never believed!). I was out of working mom triage mode (congrats to the former me!) and began to yearn for a more fulfilling and exciting career. Every time I thought of leaving, I came to the very sound conclusion, “You would be freaking out of your mind to leave this unicorn of a Mommy Dream Job.” I had flexible hours, co-workers I adored, respect, appreciation and a steady salary. So, there was all of that. 

When I looked at job descriptions for roles that would be a natural next step with Director of Digital Marketing titles, all I could see were gaps in my experience and reasons they might not hire me--not to mention the dreaded words “fast-paced environment” or “Must be good under pressure.” 

And then it came to me. Why don’t I make the job I have into the job I want? I’ve outlined some of the steps I took so you can try them out if you’re in a similar situation and ready to start evolving your role into the one you want.

1. Write an aspirational job description WITH a new title
Now is the time to get creative! How would you tweak your current role to become more exciting, fulfilling and more like the role that’s potentially next on your trajectory? Depending on your relationship with your leader and the culture in your organization, you may or may not share this with the team. Even if you never share it with anyone, it’s great for you to have so you know what you’re shooting for and so you can explain the more tactical tweaks to leadership. This may be controversial in some companies, but in smaller firms—tweaks to titles are absolutely possible. Choose a title that reflects the gravity of your new role and something that will be a closer connection to the next step in your career. 

2. Identify skills you want to learn
In my case, I wanted to better understand Digital Content Strategy so I could set the strategic vision for all of our digital and social channels—based on past performance data and strategic goals of the organization. I selected an online course that was well reviewed and requested that my organization fund it because I would be rolling out my new skills to the benefit of the company. Once the course and the strategy were completed, we rolled it out across our channels and tripled our social engagement. It was a win-win-win! What are the skills you want to learn that would also make an impact for the organization and your customers?

3. Earmark conferences you want to attend
Remember all of the times you turned down those invites to interesting sounding events and conferences because you felt like you didn’t have anything exciting to talk about? Instead, you hid out at your desk, optimizing your budget spreadsheet for the umpteenth time that week. Well, things have changed, friend! You’ve wrangled yourself a new role with new projects and opportunities to learn new skills. Now would be a great time to get out onto the conference circuit to be exposed to new ways of thinking and success stories from other companies. Start small with some free or low-cost events that may be two to three hours. Give your leaders the chance to see the impact this time is making on your engagement in your role and on your results before you ask for a ticket to SXSW. 

4. Delegate areas of your role you don’t enjoy (wherever possible)
This one has a few caveats for those who don’t have any direct reports, but in my case I had a few smart, capable employees on my team to whom I could hand over work that they enjoyed and I did not. I made a clearer separation between our roles and eventually was able to distribute that to the broader team. My guess is that there are some of you out there who have employees, freelancers, vendors or agencies to which you can delegate certain tasks, but you don’t because you’re either good at these things or you’re known for these things. Neither of these are good reasons to hold on. Delegating tasks is a great way to leave space for new skills and growth. It can be scary to give up the thing we know is a slam dunk in exchange for the thing we’re just learning—but it’s the only way to stretch our skill-sets and embody everything in our aspirational job descriptions!

5. Sell in your ideas to leadership
It’s one thing to put this all on paper, but within 99% of organizations you’ll need to sell this move to leadership to help them understand why it’s good for the company. Help explain why your new direction is in synch with the goals of the team and the broader organization. Promise to keep leadership in lockstep with your evolving vision and your learnings so that your new knowledge benefits a wider audience. In my case and in the case of many of my clients, the leaders involved were not only anxious to make the changes to roles to benefit the organization, but they respected the initiative and courage that came from the employee to bring it to their attention. This will not always be the case. If that is your situation, then you know where you stand and you have some deep thinking to do about your next step. 

By re-inventing my job, I was able to take on more of a leadership role at the organization because I was confident and proud about what I was doing day to day and the impact I was making for the business. Two years into that role, I discovered coaching, fell in love and the rest is history—but I credit this time in my tenure at the organization to helping me get my career mojo back after having my kids. It was one of those moments I was reminded—hey I’m the one in charge of my career! And man, did that mantra stick! 

Twelve years ago, I was part of a layoff at a company that was going through a dramatic downsizing process. I was given three months' severance that kicked in during the sunny first days of June. Instead of sulking and hiding out, I broke out my sundresses, bought myself a pair of pink Pumas and deemed it, "The Summer of Rachel." I took the time to explore my options AND do the reflecting I needed to do to land the right next gig. What did I like about my job? What do I want to do more of? Less of? While I didn't wear my Pumas to networking meetings, I DID talk all about the "Summer of Rachel." Everyone got it. The gift of time to do things I enjoy, spend time with people I love, the space to "not know" for a while.

When you're in the process of figuring out what's next in your career, a time of "not knowing" can be terrifying. My high-achieving, goal-oriented clients admit, "On top of hating that I don't know the answers, how in the world do I explain where I am right now to my family, my former colleagues, my mentors? I feel like a flake!" Of course you feel that way, because that's how you're choosing to feel. I don't know if it's because I'm an optimist or a former marketer, but my next question is always, "How would you describe this time if you had to make it sound exciting…or like a gift?"

The truth is that it takes courage to explore something new. The process can be exhilarating, but it can also be scary and leave you with (as the sage Brené Brown would say) a vulnerability hangover! Hangovers aside, this is the time when being honest and authentic in your relationships can bring your connections to a deeper level. You can admit you don't know the answers. This doesn't make you a slacker. In fact, it makes you a hero. I can assure you the people sitting across from you don't have all the answers either. They have been in your seat in the past or may be inspired by your courage because they are desperate to make a change. 

How do you want to own your career transition story? Let's start with writing a Career Transition Elevator Pitch with some examples from my own career transition from Marketing to Career and Leadership Coaching:

1. Own up to being in a career transition. How does this sound for you?: Example: After 16 years in Marketing, I decided to take a step back to figure out my next move. I looked at my strengths, what I've loved about past jobs and started putting the puzzle pieces together. I don't have the answers yet, but I'm enjoying the process of figuring them out. 

2. What are you finding exciting about this time?: Example: It's exciting to start considering the skills outside of past job titles and descriptions for which people have always sought me out. Motivation, mentoring, writing, career advice. I've done these things throughout my career and when I did them—that's when I felt completely myself. There's something there that I need to look into for sure! 

3. How can this person help you?: Example - Now I'm talking to people who have similar strengths and roles that they seem to enjoy. Would you mind telling me more about your role, how you got there and what you like about it? 

4. Now put it all together!: String all the pieces of your pitch together. You get bonus points if you come up with a fun and creative title for your exploration time. This can be a gem that emphasizes your personal brand AND a clue that you don't take yourself too seriously. 

5. Practice: Practice with friends, family and your close-in circle. Make sure it sounds like your voice and your personality -- not robotic. 

Now own it with the chutzpah it deserves! This is where you are right now. It's not where you'll be forever. Fight it, and you will continue to struggle. Accept it, and you will move through it with grace and a deeper understanding of who you are. 

If you’re looking for a little extra support in honing your Elevator Pitch, please consider the Nail Your Elevator Pitch Mini Course!

The Mini Course includes…

Five short videos that walk you through:

• A welcome and setting you up for success

• Identifying your strengths

• The strategy and approach to writing your pitch

• The formula for three different types of pitches based on your situation

• Getting into action with your pitch

Plus, a workbook where you can write the first drafts of your pitch.

All for $60!

Add a 45-minute 1:1 session to workshop your pitch with Rachel for $125.

Let’s get you out there networking with a pitch that will give you the momentum you need to make that next big career move. Take the next step here: https://www.rachelbgarrett.com/pitch