While successful, she knew in her heart what she was doing was a job and not a career. She was paying the bills and earning promotions but she did not feel she was playing to her strengths since she had not yet identified her passion.

Good to Great

Friends had always told Robyn that she gave great advice and provided clarity in difficult situations. She was operating a perpetual Lucy Booth giving counsel to friends and colleagues who reported that they always knew what to do next after a conversation with Robyn. The big question remained – how to make a living at it!

The watershed moment happened the day a manager entered Robyn’s office followed by an employee in tears. The manager quickly handed-off the distraught employee since he could not handle the situation. Robyn deftly counseled the female employee about resources, options and next steps after she learned that the employee’s boyfriend held a gun to her head for 2 hours and then walked away.

It was then that Robyn realized that she was truly great at understanding complex and highly charged situations and her ability to break them down into succinct, workable pieces. This opened the door for career investigation and propelled Robyn to attend college with a passion to learn more about the psychology of people and how they interacted with others successfully, or not.

The Empowerment of Education

Growing up in rural central California, the oldest of 8 children, going to college directly after high school was not an option despite the fact that Robyn graduated at the top of her class. After 14 years in the corporate world, Robyn was hungry to continue her education and grow her career playing to her strength of helping people tap their potential even more by communicating well.

A lifelong athlete, Robyn was particularly interested in how sports teams worked together, or didn’t, as she witnessed all too often. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and then fast tracked a combined Masters/Doctorate in the Psychology of Organizations with a concentration in sport and performance. She learned that human communication, conflict, and performance are all intertwined. According to Robyn:

“It doesn’t matter if you are trying to achieve the most from your potential in the corporate world, on a sports field, or in life.  How we communicate (speaking and hearing ideas) and how we deal with differences of opinion is directly linked to performance and the use of our potential.”

An Opportunity Born Out of Frustration

Synthesizing her corporate, academic, and athletic experiences with strategies akin to organizational development and executive coaching, the newly minted Doc Robyn created a life changing message and success strategy for college students. Her company – Champion Performance Development was born out of the frustration that the needs of college athletes and coaches were not being met the same as they were in the corporate sector for team development and leadership coaching.

Robyn wisely understood that leadership and teamwork were skills that young athletes and college students needed to hone early so they could be well prepared and ultimately more successful in the world-of-work. She is now on a mission to empower students with the skills to address a problem, find a solution, implement it, and move on. Why should these emerging professionals have to wait 10-20 years into their career before addressing these crucial leadership and team development skills?

You Go Girls!

Robyn started her business focusing on the demographic she knew best – female athletes. There was a great need for resources and an opportunity for Robyn to distinguish herself and develop a niche. She knew that women athletes had to function in a team setting and that they were passionate about taking advantage of opportunities to give them an edge. Robyn finds it very satisfying to work with these young women who are hungry for the resources she provides and appreciative about the positive difference it makes in their lives. “Work doesn’t get much more rewarding than that.”  Robyn says it also doesn’t feel like work when you are doing what you love.

Stop the Drama

As her speaking and performance development consulting business evolved so did her Stop The Drama! campaign. This platform explains why women engage in backstabbing, gossip, and catty behavior (i.e. drama), and why it was reasonable to communicate that way a few thousand years ago, and why it doesn’t work anymore. Robyn provides the skills individuals and teams need to communicate more successfully and have productive conflict.

She finally discovered what she is really great at and has dedicated her career to make a difference in the lives of as many people that she can. Robyn’s book: Stop The Drama! The Ultimate Guide to Female Teams is now available and she has other products in the works to help illustrate her message.

Robyn helped me understand the reality that all teams, even great ones, have conflict. How a team handles conflict determines whether is grows through it or if the conflict ultimately tears the team apart. By teaching individuals how to be proactive and handle conflict, Robyn is empowering this generation of emerging leaders to be successful throughout their adult lives.

A Lifelong Learner

Since her formal college education was something she could not pursue until later in life, Robyn really values education. Always hungry for knowledge she frequently listens to webinars and participates in workshops presented by SCORE and the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO) to sharpen her business acumen.

Good old fashioned networking with mentors and business professionals in the know has also been a great resource for Robyn. She sees the classic networking lunch as an investment in herself and her company and also works with a personal coach to help fill the gaps in her business knowledge.

As an entrepreneur, Robyn really enjoys the ability to prioritize what she is most passionate about and strives to make a difference in the world with her business. The ability to set her schedule is also a perk but she says she loves what she does so much that time really does fly and it never feels like work. However, as a solo business owner, Robyn knows the reality of putting in a lot more hours than that of a traditional work environment in a 9-5 setting. Her labor of love takes time and she is committed to making it thrive.

Feeling Lost

Even though Robyn is thriving in her business now and her speaking engagements are ramping up as she anticipates the release of her new book, the beginning was rocky. When she finished graduate school she remembers the excitement she had to make a difference in the lives of people but she knew nothing about starting a business. The fear was daunting at first but it never stopped her from moving forward.

Learning by doing, Robyn is tackling marketing strategies to figure out what model serves her business best. It’s a bit of trial and error and she learns so much from every professional step she takes. She is so eager to get the message out fast that she has been frustrated by the reality of growing a business wisely in order to build a strong foundation and reputation.

Referrals come in regularly from people who have heard Robyn deliver a keynote or participated in one of her workshops. She speaks to students, athletes, parents, coaches, and faculty and has earned rave reviews from the NCAA Women Coaches Academy and the Academy of Athletic Trainers.

Be the Change You Want to See

Robyn is incredibly passionate about paying-it-forward to the next generation of leaders. She is committed to making as big a positive difference in the world as she can. Her message of communication empowerment for the 21^st century will help us deal with conflict and give us the tools for resolution.

A leader by example, Robyn wants to reach every woman (and man who interacts with women) who has a zeal to be more successful. If each person who hears her message takes away only one thing they can implement and use, then she will feel successful.

The reality of running a solvent business is financially scary but Robyn believes that dealing with that fear is worth it since the reward of having a dream and living it is priceless. A competitor and highly motivated and self-directed woman, Robyn is also tackling her fear of making mistakes. She has given herself permission to be human and learning from the mistakes she makes in order to move forward in her business and in life.

Like she tells her clients, “If you stand at a crossroad trying to decide which road to take – you are getting nowhere.  Choose one road!  If it turns out to be the wrong one, change roads!  Then you will know you are moving forward on the right path.  Very rarely in life does making a decision mean you are stuck with it.”

I am confident that Doc Robyn will soon become a household name with her inspirational book and speaking tour. She is on a mission to empower others with valuable tools for success in life and the professional world. Robyn is developing a Stop The Drama! boot camp for athletes and coaches. She hopes this experiential learning opportunity will also carry an accreditation that will carry her message nationally about the importance of effective communication and champion performance development.

Check out Robyn’s social media sites below to follow her progress and learn more about how you can Stop The Drama! on your team!

Robyn’s Advice and Action Steps:

Robyn has developed Nine Secrets to Great Teamwork and Seven No Fail Secrets to Stop The Drama! Here are just a few of her strategies – check out her website for the complete listing.

From: Nine Secrets to Great Teamwork

• Set expectations – you cannot expect someone to meet your needs or the needs of the team if you never tell them what those needs are.
• Hold each other accountable – if someone isn’t pulling their weight ask them what you can do to help them step-up to the responsibilities.

From: Seven No Fail Secrets to Stop The Drama!

• Speak from the “I” – own your stuff. No one can “make” you feel anything. You get to choose.
• Allow yourself space to feel – don’t let a conversation run away with you. Feel your emotions and label them before words are flying out of your mouth.

Quote:

“Have the kind of gusto you see in the eyes of a 7 year old when you ask them what they want to be. That kind of enthusiasm is what will get you through that scary place when you have to let go of one ring in order to reach for the next.” – Doc Robyn

Resources:

Champion Performance Development http://champperformance.com/

Stop The Drama! Campaign www.StopTheDramaNow.com

Champion Performance Topic of the Week Blog http://champperformance.com/topic-of-the-week

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ChampPerformance

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/StopTheDramaNow

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/DocRobyn

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard

A kindred spirit in the career development arena, Liz is also passionate about empowering women and her book Don’t Let ‘Em Treat You Like a Girl: A Woman’s Guide to Leadership Success is now in its 3^rd edition. This is a must-read for all women and really brings to light some of the ways we sabotage ourselves as women at work. Liz provides actionable steps to help you earn the respect you deserve so you can achieve the success you desire in the career world.

Liz starts off by setting the record straight about the gender issue. “You were hired to do a job because of the skills and talents you have. You were not hired because of your gender – so don’t make gender an issue at work.” Sage advice from Liz who is also known as the Dragon Lady of Leadership Accountability. She has given us permission to take charge of advancing our own careers and stop acting like girls!

Refreshingly direct Liz says women must:

• Be adult, be smart, and be prepared.
• Stand your ground and be aware of the facts.
• Go into negotiations prepared and don’t expect to be taken care of.
• Know that it’s your job to take care of yourself in the business world.

She admits that men have to cut the macho crap, and women have to gut the “girly” stuff. We all need to be aware of and control our behaviors that can cause disruption, confusion, or conflict in the workplace. It’s up to women to understand how to be equal players and leaders in the professional arena and Liz Weber will show you how.

I highly recommend this fantastic resource to help you identify your self-defeating behaviors so you can learn the strategies to overcome them. Liz provides excellent tips and guidance to help you figure out what you want and how to play the game. There is a strategy and you need to know the rules of the professional arena.

Check out Liz’s book and consider following her on Twitter and via her website http://wbsllc.com/ She has authored other great books that I will showcase at a later date on my blog but for now, be sure to check out her girl book – because every woman should be empowered with the ground rules to the professional career game!

Margie Warrell wrote a compelling piece in Forbes about what women can do more of to make their way to the top executive posts. While men are promoted on potential, women are promoted on performance historically. Men have more role models (other men) and women have very few female executives in leadership roles to seek out as sponsors and mentors. Some companies are making progress with family-friendly facilities and flexibility but women still play the most active role in child rearing so barriers often reflect making choices between family and career when men rarely have to choose between the two.

Warrell offers 3 crucial paradigm shifts for upwardly mobile career women to consider:

Mindset: a fundamental shift into a leader mindset. How we see ourselves determines how others see us. Create a vision that includes the type of impact you want to make incrementally from 5 years to 25 years and set your compass to move forward.

Capacity: intentionally cultivating habits that build resilience and grow leadership capacity. The higher you climb as a leader, the weightier your demands. Add to the do more with less by being more intentional about doing things inside your control so you can better respond to those which aren’t. Build upon your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual resilience, and stamina to respond with greater agility and flexibility.

Courage: a willingness to step into conversations with greater candor and boldness. Women are naturally strong in the dimensions of emotional intelligence – a strong predictor of leadership success. Be courageous in your conversations. Make bold requests, speak candidly, and learn to say no.

Women do make great leaders and as so aptly put by Margie Warrell, women who rise to the ranks of power will not be changed by that power but will instead change the nature of it.

How stepping out of your comfort zone may lead to exciting new possibilities!

This program included a full scholarship for Joyce to earn her Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Working as a Systems Engineer, she loved her job with the company and discovered she was better suited to program management than the theoretical design of engineering.

The Maytag Woman

Joyce worked in high profile defense corporations over the next several years flexing her muscles with testing engine and flight control systems for various aircraft. She was responsible for identifying/isolating problems, failure analysis, and communicating to engineers about possible fixes. She reported, while on field assignment, often she felt like the Maytag Woman searching for things to do at work since there were rarely problems to report on the fully developed system. She worked with other organizations that used the same system on their flight simulator and forged a new opportunity for the company in the area of field engineering support.

Joyce longed for more challenges at work and also yearned to be closer to her family in Virginia since her job at the time kept her in upstate New York. She left the avionics industry and moved to working with sonar systems on submarines. Later she moved into the corporate sector again looking for a better fit.

The Tipping Point

Joyce did all the right things trying to overcome the typical corporate promotion hurdles. She networked, earned stellar performance reviews, and even had an internal sponsor to help advocate on her behalf. Joyce shared that even though she had significant experience, the educational pedigree, and the commitment to grow within the company, she was never taken seriously or felt fulfilled in her career.

That was the catalyst that made Joyce seriously reflect upon her future and her options. For years, the idea of Medical School was gnawing at her psyche. Joyce was a nurturer and often took care of family and friends when they were sick. But could she leave a lucrative position and go back to school and start over?

A consummate planner, Joyce decided to explore the medical world before she made any rash decisions about leaving the technical field. She joined the local Fire Department as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) volunteer. She attended Fire Academy at night after work to train for her EMT certification and eventually began volunteering nights and weekends.

Joyce shared that her stress relief was going to the fire station and working EMT shifts. She loved the new adventure, camaraderie, and often slept at the station, showered, and then went off to her day job as an engineer. Sometimes after a full day in engineering land, she immediately reported to the fire station energized to work another EMT shift.

The World is Your Oyster

Up until this point, Joyce’s newfound desire to be a nurse was a secret she kept from her colleagues. But the light bulb moment finally happened when Joyce had the courage to say out loud: “I care about people!” She was more interested in working with people and focusing on the holistic care of mind/body/spirit than in fixing engineering/management problems. Joyce unlocked her true passion and enrolled in Nursing School.

She grappled with the idea of Medical School instead of nursing but realized that her strengths were in taking care of people, instead of focusing on the disease or injury as physicians do.  A woman of strong faith, Joyce has always relied on her spiritual convictions to guide her and she believes this decision was part of a divine guidance and provision.

Leaving a solvent position and a salary was a scary proposition so Joyce worked hard to save money before she took the plunge. She learned to live modestly and budgeted for a Bachelor’s of Nursing degree and the pre-requisite courses she needed before even starting the program.

Joyce knew her initial earning potential as a nurse would be much less than what she was making as a program manager. She learned to budget based on what she truly needed versus what she wanted and realized with “…planning, faith, and God’s provision she could make things work financially.”

Have No Fear

With her faith and the support of her family and friends, Joyce passed the 15 month academic nursing program with flying colors. Her EMT training really helped her in school and with the hands-on practical training of the nursing profession. She was passionate, regimented, and committed to helping others. Interestingly, Joyce was in good company as many of her fellow nursing students were also career changers.

When graduation came in December 2009, the economy was in a full recession and the job market had changed from when she had started the program 15 months earlier. Luckily, nursing jobs were still available and Joyce was a top student with EMT experience, and she had the professional savvy of a career reinvention to distinguish herself as a candidate. Her top three choices were to work in: Intensive Care, an Operating Room, or an Emergency Room environment.

Joyce took her dream job with a local hospital Emergency Department and is thriving in her new role. Still a consummate planner, Joyce is already envisioning her future career journey in the medical profession and is considering becoming a Nurse Practitioner.

While she is the new rookie nurse in town, Joyce is enjoying her new profession. She doesn’t worry about tomorrow since she is doing what she loves and has God on her side. For the first time in her professional life she is working with mostly women and enjoying the camaraderie of her co-workers.

Joyce knows she made the right decision every day when she works with patients who look up at her and say, “Thank you for being here.” with a knowing glance without even uttering a word.

Joyce’s Advice and Action Steps:

Joyce is inspired by the following scripture passages to get her through good days and bad.

• Psalm 23:1 – The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

• Matthew 6:34 (NIV) – Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

• Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Quote:

“Make sure your career is something that will fulfill you. Don’t get distracted by obstacles in your way. Be prepared and keep your eye on the prize. Find what you love and do it!”

- Joyce Boyd

Nooyi believes that leaders must balance their IQ with their EQ – or emotional intelligence to be effective. The EQ factor empowers women with an advantage to relate directly to their colleagues and customers because they can “…bring their whole selves to work,” according to Nooyi. This combination of empathy, active listening, strength, resilience, and ambition will serve women leaders well.

Sadly, only 12 women hold CEO positions at Fortune 500 companies at this time but the tide is turning and women stand poised to assume more leadership roles. Nooyi believes that women leaders have an advantage over their male counterparts because they can add humanity to a position and nurture without losing effectiveness.

At a recent conference, Nooyi shared her 5 C’s of Effective Leadership which we can all learn from.

Competency – stand out from the pack and be a lifelong learner. Remain ahead and stay abreast in your field.

Courage and Confidence – speak out. Establish your knowledge base and be confident as a leader.

Communication – over-invest in written and oral communication.  Leaders constantly need to motivate their troops.

Consistency – remaining steady, reliable, and determined allows for credibility and a baseline to measure your success and failures.

Compass – integrity is critical in leadership.

While successful, she knew in her heart what she was doing was a job and not a career. She was paying the bills and earning promotions but she did not feel she was playing to her strengths since she had not yet identified her passion.

Good to Great

Friends had always told Robyn that she gave great advice and provided clarity in difficult situations. She was operating a perpetual Lucy Booth giving counsel to friends and colleagues who reported that they always knew what to do next after a conversation with Robyn. The big question remained – how to make a living at it!

The watershed moment happened the day a manager entered Robyn’s office followed by an employee in tears. The manager quickly handed-off the distraught employee since he could not handle the situation. Robyn deftly counseled the female employee about resources, options and next steps after she learned that the employee’s boyfriend held a gun to her head for 2 hours and then walked away.

It was then that Robyn realized that she was truly great at understanding complex and highly charged situations and her ability to break them down into succinct, workable pieces. This opened the door for career investigation and propelled Robyn to attend college with a passion to learn more about the psychology of people and how they interacted with others successfully, or not.

The Empowerment of Education

Growing up in rural central California, the oldest of 8 children, going to college directly after high school was not an option despite the fact that Robyn graduated at the top of her class. After 14 years in the corporate world, Robyn was hungry to continue her education and grow her career playing to her strength of helping people tap their potential even more by communicating well.

A lifelong athlete, Robyn was particularly interested in how sports teams worked together, or didn’t, as she witnessed all too often. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and then fast tracked a combined Masters/Doctorate in the Psychology of Organizations with a concentration in sport and performance. She learned that human communication, conflict, and performance are all intertwined. According to Robyn:

“It doesn’t matter if you are trying to achieve the most from your potential in the corporate world, on a sports field, or in life.  How we communicate (speaking and hearing ideas) and how we deal with differences of opinion is directly linked to performance and the use of our potential.”

An Opportunity Born Out of Frustration

Synthesizing her corporate, academic, and athletic experiences with strategies akin to organizational development and executive coaching, the newly minted Doc Robyn created a life changing message and success strategy for college students. Her company – Champion Performance Development was born out of the frustration that the needs of college athletes and coaches were not being met the same as they were in the corporate sector for team development and leadership coaching.

Robyn wisely understood that leadership and teamwork were skills that young athletes and college students needed to hone early so they could be well prepared and ultimately more successful in the world-of-work. She is now on a mission to empower students with the skills to address a problem, find a solution, implement it, and move on. Why should these emerging professionals have to wait 10-20 years into their career before addressing these crucial leadership and team development skills?

You Go Girls!

Robyn started her business focusing on the demographic she knew best – female athletes. There was a great need for resources and an opportunity for Robyn to distinguish herself and develop a niche. She knew that women athletes had to function in a team setting and that they were passionate about taking advantage of opportunities to give them an edge. Robyn finds it very satisfying to work with these young women who are hungry for the resources she provides and appreciative about the positive difference it makes in their lives. “Work doesn’t get much more rewarding than that.”  Robyn says it also doesn’t feel like work when you are doing what you love.

Stop the Drama

As her speaking and performance development consulting business evolved so did her Stop The Drama! campaign. This platform explains why women engage in backstabbing, gossip, and catty behavior (i.e. drama), and why it was reasonable to communicate that way a few thousand years ago, and why it doesn’t work anymore. Robyn provides the skills individuals and teams need to communicate more successfully and have productive conflict.

She finally discovered what she is really great at and has dedicated her career to make a difference in the lives of as many people that she can. Robyn’s book: Stop The Drama! The Ultimate Guide to Female Teams will be released soon and she has other products in the works to help illustrate her message.

Robyn helped me understand the reality that all teams, even great ones, have conflict. How a team handles conflict determines whether is grows through it or if the conflict ultimately tears the team apart. By teaching individuals how to be proactive and handle conflict, Robyn is empowering this generation of emerging leaders to be successful throughout their adult lives.

A Lifelong Learner

Since her formal college education was something she could not pursue until later in life, Robyn really values education. Always hungry for knowledge she frequently listens to webinars and participates in workshops presented by SCORE and the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO) to sharpen her business acumen.

Good old fashioned networking with mentors and business professionals in the know has also been a great resource for Robyn. She sees the classic networking lunch as an investment in herself and her company and also works with a personal coach to help fill the gaps in her business knowledge.

As an entrepreneur, Robyn really enjoys the ability to prioritize what she is most passionate about and strives to make a difference in the world with her business. The ability to set her schedule is also a perk but she says she loves what she does so much that time really does fly and it never feels like work. However, as a solo business owner, Robyn knows the reality of putting in a lot more hours than that of a traditional work environment in a 9-5 setting. Her labor of love takes time and she is committed to making it thrive.

Feeling Lost

Even though Robyn is thriving in her business now and her speaking engagements are ramping up as she anticipates the release of her new book, the beginning was rocky. When she finished graduate school she remembers the excitement she had to make a difference in the lives of people but she knew nothing about starting a business. The fear was daunting at first but it never stopped her from moving forward.

Learning by doing, Robyn is tackling marketing strategies to figure out what model serves her business best. It’s a bit of trial and error and she learns so much from every professional step she takes. She is so eager to get the message out fast that she has been frustrated by the reality of growing a business wisely in order to build a strong foundation and reputation.

Referrals come in regularly from people who have heard Robyn deliver a keynote or participated in one of her workshops. She speaks to students, athletes, parents, coaches, and faculty and has earned rave reviews from the NCAA Women Coaches Academy and the Academy of Athletic Trainers.

Be the Change You Want to See

Robyn is incredibly passionate about paying-it-forward to the next generation of leaders. She is committed to making as big a positive difference in the world as she can. Her message of communication empowerment for the 21^st century will help us deal with conflict and give us the tools for resolution.

A leader by example, Robyn wants to reach every woman (and man who interacts with women) who has a zeal to be more successful. If each person who hears her message takes away only one thing they can implement and use, then she will feel successful.

The reality of running a solvent business is financially scary but Robyn believes that dealing with that fear is worth it since the reward of having a dream and living it is priceless. A competitor and highly motivated and self-directed woman, Robyn is also tackling her fear of making mistakes. She has given herself permission to be human and learning from the mistakes she makes in order to move forward in her business and in life.

Like she tells her clients, “If you stand at a crossroad trying to decide which road to take – you are getting nowhere.  Choose one road!  If it turns out to be the wrong one, change roads!  Then you will know you are moving forward on the right path.  Very rarely in life does making a decision mean you are stuck with it.”

I am confident that Doc Robyn will soon become a household name with her inspirational book and speaking tour. She is on a mission to empower others with valuable tools for success in life and the professional world. Robyn is developing a Stop The Drama! boot camp for athletes and coaches. She hopes this experiential learning opportunity will also carry an accreditation that will carry her message nationally about the importance of effective communication and champion performance development.

Check out Robyn’s social media sites below to follow her progress and learn more about how you can Stop The Drama! on your team!

Robyn’s Advice and Action Steps:

Robyn has developed Nine Secrets to Great Teamwork and Seven No Fail Secrets to Stop The Drama! Here are just a few of her strategies – check out her website for the complete listing.

From: Nine Secrets to Great Teamwork

• Set expectations – you cannot expect someone to meet your needs or the needs of the team if you never tell them what those needs are.
• Hold each other accountable – if someone isn’t pulling their weight ask them what you can do to help them step-up to the responsibilities.

From: Seven No Fail Secrets to Stop The Drama!

• Speak from the “I” – own your stuff. No one can “make” you feel anything. You get to choose.
• Allow yourself space to feel – don’t let a conversation run away with you. Feel your emotions and label them before words are flying out of your mouth.

Quote:

“Have the kind of gusto you see in the eyes of a 7 year old when you ask them what they want to be. That kind of enthusiasm is what will get you through that scary place when you have to let go of one ring in order to reach for the next.” – Doc Robyn

Resources:

Champion Performance Development http://champperformance.com/

Stop The Drama! Campaign www.StopTheDramaNow.com

Champion Performance Topic of the Week Blog http://champperformance.com/topic-of-the-week

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ChampPerformance

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/StopTheDramaNow

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/DocRobyn

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard

It’s Not Worth Losing Body Parts!

Law school is tough enough but Janet earned her JD while raising her two small children, who were 1 and 4 years of age during her first year of the program. A mother and top student, she succeeded at litigation and won several trial competitions and the esteemed American College of Trial Lawyers Medal, which led to a competitive summer job in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Post graduation, Janet was recruited to work at a prestigious Philly law firm where she discovered her knack for computers and was put in charge of automating a very high profile case.

While Janet was earning accolades at the firm she was also starting to get physical ailments that were taking a toll, not to mention trying to raise her kids with the stresses of a billable hour legal career. She developed pancreatitis and asked the senior partner at the firm if she could work part-time to take care of herself. The response was not favorable after it was put to a firm-wide partner vote and one of the partners remarked, “You can expect to lose a few body parts working in this profession!”

That was a deal breaker and Janet began working with a career coach, Doug Richardson to make a transition in a new career direction.

Just Because You are Good at it Doesn’t Mean You Like Doing It

Janet’s work with her career coach began with self assessment and a full scale reflection about what she valued in her life and career. Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and other assessment tools, Doug asked Janet to think back to her childhood and reflect on what she liked to do as a young girl. This strategy helped Janet come to terms with the fact that she did not like conflict, a conundrum for a litigator, and helped her realize that just because you are good at something doesn’t mean that you necessarily like doing it. Janet gave herself permission to let go of the parts of her work world that did not align with her values and move towards new positions that fed her passions.

She pursued several jobs playing to her strengths as a consultant, project manager and litigation support specialist. But these new positions required travel and were high stress, which caused Janet to lapse into an unhealthy lifestyle. Not having the time to prioritize her health, she was back where she started from by not valuing work/life balance and wholesome eating habits at work. In 2001, she was diagnosed with adult onset Type 2 diabetes. This was not a complete surprise as her brother was also diagnosed as an adult so the family history was clear.

First, Take Care of Yourself

Janet did not take her diabetes diagnosis lightly. She went to an Integrative Health doctor to turn her entire life around quickly. From her brother, she knew the frustrations many people have with controlling their blood sugar, planning for meals, and how difficult it can be to establish healthy eating habits. So, Janet was determined to succeed as her own change agent and begin a new and healthy life that she was in control of.

If you visit Janet’s home you will see 100’s of cookbooks adorning her shelves. She has always loved to cook and became a certified macrobiotic chef. Janet turned this passion for food into a plan for handling her diabetes. She developed a system of action steps to control emotional eating, utilize the power of whole foods, stock her pantry with healthy choices and develop strategies to handle the special event occasions when she was not at home.

Her doctor was so impressed with the speedy turn around and diabetes reversal that she started referring patients to Janet so she could share her healthy strategies and put them on a similar road to recovery. Janet quickly became known as a Change Management Coach.

A Door Closes and a Window Opens

This unexpected career opportunity turned into a part-time venture that Janet pursued on the weekends. She considered becoming a Registered Dietician to further credential herself in this new area but instead found The Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York and became a Certified Health Coach. This school was the perfect combination of teaching, counseling, and business building that Janet needed to launch her new entrepreneurial venture. Guest lecturers included leading health care and mind/body/spirit experts like Andrew Weil, MD and Deepak Chopra.

Janet has since become an ambassador for the school and in this role spreads the word about the program while sharing her personal and professional journey to good health. While Janet was able to reinvent her health and well being, her day job took an unexpected turn and she was laid off from her firm over a year ago due to cut backs in the economy.

As the saying goes, a door closes and a window opens and this serendipitous opportunity gave Janet the freedom to pursue her passion full-time. Now known as The Diabetes Coach, Janet has built a business to provide hope and resources for those who struggle with this Type 2 diabetes.

It is projected that without a change in current obesity rates, 0ne in three children born after the year 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes at some point in their life, and Janet is on a mission to give a human face to this disease and empower her clients to live fuller lives. She is tapping into her former life as an attorney to write a novel called “Diabetes on Trial” to give a voice to those who live with this disease.

The Mission of a Great Life

Janet’s current book “The Diabetes Coach Approach” is an easy to follow, self-paced program that shows her clients how to unleash the power of whole foods to control blood sugars, how to manage weight without dieting, and how to make healthy lifestyle changes. Her eight steps to change management, empowers those with Type 2 diabetes to live fuller, healthier lives.

But Janet’s career transition was not effortless. She utilized two business coaches to help her visualize her Diabetes Coach business and determine how she could make her livelihood from this new venture. She worked to develop a brand and multiple streams of income including her coaching sessions, e-books, recipe cards, public speaking and webinars. Her latest product, the Diabetes Tool Kit is targeted to become a sought after resource for national health care providers.

By walking the walk herself, Janet is living her mission of a healthy life. She is the ultimate role model for her clients and can relate from experience to the day-to-day challenges and realities of this disease.

A Team of One

For her entire professional career, Janet worked in large organizations with sizable teams so the transition to being her own boss took time. She is celebrating her passion for helping people and enjoys having control of her own time but the challenge in the beginning was finding the discipline to treat this new venture like a job. Janet enjoys what she is doing so much it often seems too good to be true that this is her new profession.

There are emotional ups and downs to starting a business as well. When Janet gets stuck she calls on her team of coaches to find solutions and plan a strategy. At the end of the day, she says looking out her home office window onto her beautiful garden brings her great joy. She never looked back to the days of the billable hour and is focused and determined to make this new business a success.

Janet to Janet

You never know who in your network will turn out to be influential. Janet Sanders had been watching Philly TV news anchor, Janet Zappala for years before she had the opportunity to meet her in person at a charity event. Zappala is also on a nutritional mission and authored the cookbook “My Italian Kitchen” featuring delicious and healthy foods. Janet Sanders was showcasing a diabetic friendly chocolate product at the event when Janet Zappala approached her booth. The two Janets became fast friends and ultimate colleagues and they feature each other on their respective websites.

Building a personal advisory board has been very helpful to Janet as she launched her business. She continues to tap into this valuable resource and also looks to pay-it-forward to others who can utilize her strategic alliance.

The future is bright for Janet Sanders and she has new programs in her pipeline for stress eating solutions and stress management for lawyers, among many other projects. A career reinvention and a health renovation have given birth to Janet’s great new life.

Janet’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Develop a plan, and assemble your advisory board of mentors, resources, and people who will share candid feedback.

• Be good to yourself.

• Make yourself accountable for all your actions, it will motivate you.

• Join networking and social groups for support and camaraderie.

• If you aren’t ready to go “full time” with a new venture, start slowly while employed, with the goal of building your business with a phased plan for success.

Quote: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi

Resources:

The Diabetes Coach www.diabetescoaching.com

The Institute of Integrative Nutrition http://www.integrativenutrition.com/

Janet Zappala http://janetzappala.com/

Carey Peters: Wellness Career Coach www.coachtoolstogo.com

She Bought the Farm!

As a graduate student, Anne studied Linguistics and specialized in Arabic which led her to an interesting, but according to her, “dead end” job at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC where she worked for 5 years. Willing to retool in order to make a living, Anne enrolled in a vocational computer programming school and taught ESL (English as a Second Language) on the side in addition to waitressing to make ends meet. She took a course on the Internet and fell in love with web development where she still works as a freelance consultant developing sites for small businesses, non-profit and government clients. She also teaches web design at the local community college and has a flexible schedule which permits her to fit in her other passion – animals.

Anne first moved to the suburbs from the metropolitan life of Washington, DC so she could adopt a dog. In 2002 she bought a farm in Maryland after experiencing the realities of this lifestyle when she served as a “farm sitter” for a friend who has a 150 acre farm in Virginia. She found it invigorating to work on the farm and with the animals and turned her farm into a non-profit she named Star Gazing Farm where she takes in abused, stray, and unwanted animals in need and provides them with a permanent home.

Tending To Her Flock

Anne believes that farm animals are every bit as affectionate, interesting, and in need of loving care as other domestic animals and there is a real need in her community for more compassionate farm animal care. With 50+ animal residents on her farm, including a small flock of sheep, Anne discovered that it was very difficult to find sheep shearers so she went to sheep shearing school and now adds this to her list of transferable skills.

Word leaked out than Anne has become a fine sheep shearer and she travels to other farms in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania to shear small flocks.  She has since learned to shear Angora goats, llamas and alpacas and has turned this into a thriving little business to supplement the farm operational expenses.

Pay-it-Forward

As a non-profit organization, Star Gazing Farm has an education and outreach division. Every year they teach children and young adults about the humane care of farm animals and help them build physical and moral strength through actual hands-on farm work. In 2007 they began a program tailored to local at-risk youth.

With Anne’s sheep shearing skills, she offers experiential classes and demonstrations with wool and fiber, showing participants how to shear, wash, card, and spin the wool they grow. The local community is made up largely of urban and suburban residents and Anne has invited them in to visit and volunteer to befriend the sanctuary animal residents and develop a greater compassion for farm animals.

Between sheep shearing and website design, it’s still difficult to make ends meet on the farm with the high cost of food, veterinary care and appropriate housing for the animals. So Anne offers opportunities for animal sponsorship, contributions, and volunteer work to make Star Gazing Farms run efficiently. Since Anne can’t take in every stray or abandoned animal she also runs a farm sanctuary network through her website to help find permanent homes in other locations for animals in need.

The Challenges of Running a 501c3 Organization

While Anne believes that she graduated from the school of hard knocks and admits to being very stubborn and determined, in the beginning she found herself out of her element knowing how to care for her many different farm animals. She bought books on farm animal caretaking and joined discussion lists online about caring for ducks and sheep and quickly became familiar with the local veterinarians.

The future goal is to have a larger corps of volunteers for her non-profit that can assist the Board of Directors with fundraising and development for the organization. Anne believes there are many private donors that would support Star Gazing Farm if they knew it existed so her goal is to be financially solvent so she can continue to develop more education and outreach programs.

By day Anne tends to her sheep, goats, birds, dogs, cats, horses, cows and pigs – 50 in total. At night, she works on her web development business and often stays up past 2 am well aware she has to be up at dawn to tend to the animals. Admittedly, she has the biorhythm of a “Web Vampire” and is able to keep these taxing hours because she is doing what she loves.

Follow Your Heart

While work life balance is often impossible, Anne is doing what she loves and shared that she has found her calling. After many career changes it’s refreshing to hear Anne talk about her work with such passion and enthusiasm. Working in the Saudi Embassy as a Linguist, I’m sure Anne never envisioned being the Founder and Director of a non-profit, a freelance web developer and a sheep shearer. It pays to follow your heart. Check out the Star Gazing Farm website and consider sponsoring one of Anne’s animal residents today. Their full bios and histories are posted on the site and your generosity will be much appreciated by the likes of Newman the goat and his friends.

Quote: “Attitude is more than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.” W.C. Fields

Anne’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Don’t be afraid to explore new careers but do your research, pursue informational interviews and inform yourself.
• Follow your heart.
• Have a vision.

Resources:

Language Works www.language-works.com

Star Gazing Farm www.stargazingfarm.org

The Power of a Personal Coach

Debbie utilized the expert resources of a personal and executive coach, Silver Rose, whom she first encountered when she brought in Silver as a consultant on a project while she was still working at the firm. Debbie hired Silver personally and began exploring an exit strategy and new options for her career future.

Her professional reinvention began with weekly 1:1 calls with Silver and detailed homework assignments on self assessment and personal tracking. She conducted informational interviews with business peers and joined a mastermind group that works as an advisory board of sorts to provide motivation and accountability – all under the tutelage of her coach. Debbie also joined Toastmasters and a few networking groups for outreach, education and the personal growth purposes.

Silver gave Debbie permission to explore and she realized that golf – her passion – was also an educational tool and a business opportunity ripe for developing. Her knowledge about how to generate business through golf empowered Debbie as a resource others wanted to learn from. She also saw a tremendous opportunity to build confidence in businesswomen through strategies incorporating golf.

Move Over Boys – Women Are Playing Golf, Too!

According to Debbie:

“It’s a known fact that women, as a group, don’t participate in the game of golf to the extent that men do. For the most part, they see the game of golf as a mystery to which only men hold the key. Yet, the message businesswomen hear today is that golf is a widely accepted playing field for conducting business and they are missing out on opportunities by not participating. The golf community has created women-only golf clinics targeting the female executive. Statistically, women are the largest new group coming to the game of golf today. Yet, often frustrated with their skill-set, they are also the largest group that leaves the game and does not return.”

So Debbie capitalized on demystifying this critical business skill that can be used successfully on the golf course. Her business – Golf for Cause teaches women (and men) how to use golf as business tool, to create opportunities, to forward relationships because it’s more than just about going out and hitting golf balls. Golf for Cause provides the keys and the tools to demystify the game.

In her new role, Debbie enjoys being 100% responsible for the success and failure of each strategic decision in her company. She has control over her schedule and her work product matches her integrity and is a more accurate and rewarding reflection of who she is and what she wants out of a career. Debbie also appreciates the opportunity to set a positive example for her children by doing something that makes a difference and by giving back to her community.

Making Money Playing Golf

While the new career sounds too good to be true, Debbie has learned a lot over the years. Her initial business plan was not realistic and included programming that does not fit her business model today. That took some tweaking and adjusting over time. With a small staff of only two (including Debbie) she doesn’t have a large team to rely on as she did back at the firm. Debbie has learned that she can only control so much and that delegation is not always an option. A perfectionist by nature, Debbie also learned that delivering the perfect program was unrealistic. “At some point you need to step up to the ball and hit it off the tee!”

Since golf is now her livelihood, another important lesson learned was to identify which programs work well and which generate meaningful revenue. The economy has also been a challenge and the meeting & events industry has taken a particularly hard hit. Many companies have cut training and professional development budgets entirely. Debbie learned quickly that she needed to stay flexible and open to new ideas and partnerships in order to grow her business.

A personal goal for Debbie was to keep her schedule free enough to travel with her daughter, a student athlete to national tournaments and college recruiting trips. This was a liberty she gave herself with the new business that would not have been possible at the firm. She also set up administrative systems to enable the business to run smoothly in her absence.

“I set up systems such that I have an assistant who works remotely and maintains my database, follows up on various tasks as needed, brings forward ideas, keeps me on task, etc. Finding the right person was an incredible challenge as I spent a lot of time and money getting systems in place and then checking, redoing, and re-educating.  With the right person in place – I’m free to work “on” the business and not “in” the business.”

Mission Accomplished

The mission of Golf for Cause as an organization is to develop and deliver products and services that move others to use golf as a dynamic strategy to achieve their objectives, focusing primarily on business professionals new to the game, especially women.

While Debbie benefited from the expert counsel of her coach, Silver Rose, she also suggests that women seeking a career change develop a support network to help stay properly focused on goals and to provide a level of accountability.

She suggests that new entrepreneurs work with a good accountant from the start to better understand which strategies are effective and meaningful tax-wise for the business.

Birdies, Bogeys, and Business

Debbie’s repertoire of golf educational opportunities provides a myriad of topics such as:

• The secrets even successful business owners and managers don’t know
• Create an even more rewarding business environment
• See how your business success and your golf game are a reflection of who you are
• How to improve both your business and your golf score

Participants usually spend half the day in the classroom using golf as a metaphor to learn what differentiates being an entrepreneur, manager, or technician and the how this applies to the business world. After the classroom session, participants hit the course and play 9 holes of golf in a strategic format. All levels can participate, even never-played-before beginners. The day ends with a facilitated de-brief session, awards, and refreshments. An ideal group size is 6-40 participants and Debbie customizes programs to fit an organization or individual’s needs.

The reviews are in and Debbie consistently scores big with her clients!  The programs are experiential and golf anchors the learning. Debbie’s repertoire of golf educational opportunities provides a myriad of topics such as:

Mental Mulligans: A fun and enlightening team-building workshop for your group that reveals how you show up in and out of the office, on and off the golf course. Learn to understand different behavior styles on the golf course and how they impact your game and your success in business!

Get in the Game – Business Golf with On-Course Mentoring: A great way for business professionals to add golf to their business tool boxes.

Tee Off Program: A half-day outing designed to prepare the newer (or non-golfer) who wants to make a positive impression when playing in a charity or industry golf tournament.

Nine and Wine: A golf mentoring program offering a casual golf experience, designed especially for new golfers (men and women) to help them feel at ease on the tees. Golf up to nine holes with a mentor with facilitated debrief, networking and hosted happy hour after golf (“wine” not “whine!”)

Birdies, Bogeys & Business – Success On & Off the Course: a program that Debbie co-created and delivers with Joyce Friel from Peak Performance Consulting (www.peakperformancecorp.com).  This half-day program uses golf as a metaphor to learn what differentiates being an entrepreneur, manager and technician – and the implications for you and your business.  Explore your ownership mentality and create an even more successful business environment.

All Golf for Cause programs are designed so that participants at any golf skill level can participate, even never-played-before beginners.  Ideal group sizes range from 6 to 40 participants and Debbie customizes programs to fit an organization’s or individual’s needs.

By discovering new fairways and approach shots for defining business objectives, relationship development, and marketing strategies, Debbie Waitkus has turned golf into gold.

Favorite Quote:

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is that you’re the pilot.”

Michael Althsuler

Advice and Action Steps:

• For all the perfectionists – let go already and just do it!
• Consider a professional career coach and/or a resource team to assist you.
• Find a good accountant early on if you begin a new business.
• Really think about what you are passionate about doing – your next career may be right under your nose.

Resources:

Golf for Cause www.golfforcause.com

Silver Rose, Coach  www.silverspeaks.com