Talking with Career and Executive Coach Deborah Brown-Volkman in this Smart Conversation opened up a lot of ideas for me. She’s sharing a wealth of experience and advice for entrepreneurs, executives, and folks who are still employed, also. It’s all about finding your soul’s work. And sometimes, that’s part of the work you do as an employee. But mostly, it’s about being happy with whatever ‘job’ you’re doing.
Deborah talks about her purpose in life, her soul’s work, as something that came to her later on, after working in corporate for 12 years. She wasn’t happy. The work wasn’t fulfilling and she knew there had to be something else out there. Watch (or listen) to her tell the story of how she came to choose coaching.
Coaching, she says is all about being there for the client, and about accountability. It’s about understanding how to ask for help.
The story here is about journey. About starting a journey to discover who you want to be. A journey a coach can help you travel along, avoiding some of the pitfalls and rocks in your path.
Deborah shares tips on how to get yourself moving forward – always forward, in a positive direction. “Listen to yourself,” she says. You have an intuitive understanding of what you really want.
Put yourself on a journey. A journey of self-discovery. Put yourself out there – until something clicks. Until the goal you’ve been pursuing shows itself to you.
Truth is, you won’t just wake up some day and know it. It rarely happens that way.
You have to explore and research. I really appreciated that part, where she talks about research. Whenever I meet someone who wants to start something new, I always ask, “Who else is doing it?” You have to find out who else is doing it, they are your competition, but more so, they are people you can imitate. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Not copy, imitate. There’s a difference.
Deborah says, ask yourself, how can I expand this – this ‘thing’ you like doing but aren’t sure how to turn into a career. Maybe it’s a hobby. We all have them. Is yours something you’re so passionate about you could at least consider turning it into a career path? Will people pay for it? Once again, how are people getting the product or service now? How will you be different?
Deborah reminds us that one of the biggest and most used search engines today is TikTok. She should know. She’s becoming quite popular on the platform. It’s not something I’ve tried – oh the fear of it all! – but she did ! And her success is remarkable! Not because she’s a woman over 50, and proud of it, but because she saw this new ‘thing’, tried it out, wasn’t sure how it was going but kept at it, and is now seeing results.
Her TikTok videos are informative and educational. She never wastes those 30 seconds. And oh boy, the amount of content she fits in is amazing! And that’s why I find her work on TikTok remarkable.
Deborah’s work helps people test their limiting beliefs.
- What’s holding you back?
- Why?
- For how long has it held you back?
Then, she says, you research. But, don’t get lost in the research – you’ll never accomplish anything if all you do is spend time researching.
“Don’t do that,” she says. “Break your goals into smaller pieces. Don’t let them overwhelm you!”
That’s what good coaching is about, she says. Having someone to help you along the way.
Don’t be the Lone Ranger!
Be more like peanut butter and jelly or Adam and Eve. Truth is, even the Lone Ranger had a sidekick. And you should have someone, too!
Watch to learn how she made TikTok work for her. Learn how she brings authenticity to every video she makes.
Listen to her talk about stretch goals, for herself and her clients. It’s all about the coaching. All about the client results. I promise, this video will keep you watching till the very end. There is that much great content and more.
I am truly delighted to have met Deborah this year. She and I belong to a Think Tank that is outstanding and Deborah is one of the most outspoken members. She doesn’t hesitate to ask for help or to offer help. Connect with her at the links below.
Click the image below these links to get to the video.
Website: SurpassYourDreams
Connect with her on LinkedIn here
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