After earning a Bachelor’s degree from Dominican University with a major in Communications, Nancy knew she wanted to pursue a career in public relations or advertising. She described herself as the classic people person but when she landed a job in an ad agency, she soon learned that this was not an ideal fit. It was through trial and error, tenacity, and some incredible mentoring that Nancy forged an amazing professional journey that has given her opportunities to work in a myriad of career sectors. [Read more...]
Career Coach • Author • Speaker
The 5 G’s of Effective Communication
June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Kathleen Oliver, COO of Oliver Winery shared her 5 G’s of Effective Communication. These quick and easy tips will empower you to communicate more wisely with your colleagues in and out of your organization. May the communication force be with you!
Anne Shroeder, Star Gazing Farm/Language Works Websites/Sheep Shearer
June 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Anne Shroeder has been through many transitions in her life but at age 50 she has now found her passion and peace with a dream career that will warm your heart. She splits her time between her web development business, Language Works and caring for 50+ animals in need of a home. Her animal sanctuary: Star Gazing Farm is also a non-profit organization and if that wasn’t enough, Anne is also refining her skills as a sheep shearer. [Read more...]
Vici Prodromitis and Donna Sandvig, Co-Founders-CanswerLink
January 9, 2011 By 6 Comments
The power of the sisterhood is indeed alive and well and I am always inspired by women who help each other deal with adversity. This is a story about two women who found new best friends and new careers along the way to create a meaningful second act in their lives. Vici Prodromitis and Donna Sandvig met while working as temporary holiday associates at Macy’s because they were both looking for a new start. Their individual paths are unique so let me bring you back to how they met. [Read more...]
Applying Eat, Pray, Love to Your Life
November 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
If you haven’t read Liz Gilbert’s book Eat Pray Love or seen the blockbuster movie with Julia Roberts, the nutshell version is that it took Liz (the protagonist) a full twelve months and three countries to strike a balance between pleasure seeking and inner spiritual peace. Liz ultimately found her authentic self and although traveling the world to do it may sound enticing, it’s not realistic for most of us who are questing for our own authenticity closer to home.
There are some basic strategies from the book/movie and a recent Oprah Magazine article that I believe we can all apply in our quest to find authenticity in life and career.
- Write down what you want. A wise mentor asked me to write down my very specific career dreams and goals sharing that if I could not put it into words on paper, I could not realize the dreams. There is something magical about putting these visions into words. No matter how big or small – write it down so you can make them happen. Check back on this dream list regularly so you can revisit your goals, take a step forward, or readjust as need be.
- Be alone. In this fast paced, hectic world I know it seems impossible but try and carve out 30 minutes of each day just for you. Whether that is quiet time to meditate, read a favorite book, or enjoy a glass of wine, treat yourself to a half hour of doing whatever YOU want.
- Pay-it-Forward. Life gets overwhelming and seems to crowd our psyches with thoughts of what needs to be done. Take a step back and consider how you can help others. Being altruistic may feed your soul and give you a sense of renewed purpose by giving of yourself to those in need. Volunteer, mentor, or do something generous of spirit that gratifies you while helping others.
Quite often we need to let go of the stresses of the day to rejuvenate and focus on our authentic path. Life is always going to be hectic so be sure to carve out the time you need to focus and ponder your dreams so you can take action. You deserve it!
Alicia Sable Hunt, Founder & President of Sable’s Foods
June 21, 2010 By 2 Comments
Alicia Sable Hunt, known to all as Sable, grew up in the Hamptons in the 1980’s during the height of materialism, big money, and a recreational drug culture that was rampant in this affluent east coast community. She benefitted from the very strong grounding of a religious household and ended up in nursing school, an anomaly in her group of friends, most of whom pursued high profile and high paying corporate careers. Sable attributes her passion for helping people to her mother who instilled strong values in her at a young age.
A Nurse in the Kitchen
Always comfortable in her own skin when working with patients, Sable experienced a variety of settings in the medical field from bedside nursing to intensive care, and outpatient clinics. But, she developed a love for oncology care working with cancer patients. With 15+ years under her belt as an oncology nurse, Sable understood the immense struggle of those fighting cancer and the nutritional challenges they uniquely face. Proper nutrition is paramount during cancer treatment but many patients suffer from loss of appetite and taste preventing them from receiving the nourishment they need. Sable feels strongly that patients should be able to thrive while continuing with their daily lives during cancer treatment and recovery. Championing the cause in 2006, she stepped into her kitchen and began baking up a solution, and Sable’s Foods was born. [Read more...]
Pay-It-Forward
April 5, 2010 By 1 Comment
I believe it takes a village to develop a career in the professional world and the first step is to surround yourself with people you respect and trust. The next step is to be conscious of how you can pay-it-forward and help others in return. We introduce new relationships into our lives every day whether consciously or not, and having the awareness that you can help others is not only good for the karmic circle of life, it’s just the right thing to do.
Angela Jia Kim, CEO and Founder of Om Aroma & Co. and Co-Founder of Savor the Success has built her business on the Give, Give, Get rule when networking. Nothing is more of a turn off than someone who is in it just for themselves. When you are a genuine networker and operate from a position of authenticity people are more apt to help you. After all, business is all about human interaction so considering how you can help others will increase your personal capital.
Paying it forward is not just applicable to networking. I have interviewed 100+ women across the country for my career transition book and the majority of them talk about their commitment to giving back. Whether it is volunteering your time and expertise or donating a percentage of targeted proceeds towards a worthy cause, generosity and the spirit of community is being celebrated on a grand scale.
Careers are a life long journey and we’ve all had people that were instrumental in helping us along the way in good times and in bad. Make an effort to be conscious about how you are helping others because what goes around really does come around. It may require some new mindsets, behaviors and strategies, but at the most basic level, all it requires is that you make a choice. By giving back, you just might be a role model for someone else and help make the pay-it-forward behavior the norm for everyone.
