I’m very excited to share that today I signed up for the Berkeley Executive Coaching Certification cohort in July. The journey to this decision started 8 months ago, when a friend of mine shared on Instagram that she had just completed the program. Leading up to this point I'd been meditating every morning for months, thinking about what the next chapter of my life could look like. Her post came to me at a moment where I was receptive to new ideas and new possibilities outside of the traditional corporate ladder career path I've been on for the past 10+ years.

I have always been a high achieving person, which has historically caused me a lot of stress. However as I've gotten older I’ve come to accept that I am someone that needs variety and consistent challenge in order to be happy. This constant need to be challenged has taken shape in different ways, somewhat unintentionally in the form of a BIG GOAL each year:

2016: I quit my cushy job and tried to take on a full-time freelancer life (and was not successful - a story for another time)
2017: I completed a 200-HR Yoga Teacher Training program
2018: I started going to therapy to overcome depression and an unshakeable feeling of imposter syndrome. This was also the year I read a dating self-help book and committed to seriously finding a life partner (I'm now engaged to the man I met shortly after reading this book)
2019: I competed and placed in a national pole dance competition
2020: I got a promotion I'd been gunning for, and honestly, just survived (didn't we all)

Part of me believes that this appetite for challenge isn't specific to just me, but is rather a part of the human experience. This inherent push and pull that forces us to change, evolve, and grow - whether we want to or not. While constantly searching for challenge has inevitably led me to some low points, I always find myself more confident, more mentally resilient, and more sure of myself on the other side of challenge. It's my way of finding and stretching the boundaries of what I'm capable of, testing the edges of my own personal measure of greatness. And aren't we all searching for meaning and purpose in our own ways, whether it's in our work, our families, or the communities we keep?

Moving through the world purposefully and vulnerably has always been important to me, and this program is another step towards realizing the kind of leader, mentor, and coach I aspire to be - not just for my own personal development and growth, but to also further improve the way I show up for others as a manager and a leader. I’m so excited for this new challenge/opportunity, and I'm grateful to work for a company like Edelman that has tuition reimbursement as an employee benefit.

While I'm still a month out from the program, I can't wait to meet and share the version of myself that awaits on the other side.