What’s your missing piece?
“When I first started coaching with Christina, I was in what many would call an enviable position: a well-paying corporate job with stability and growth opportunities. But despite these successes, I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but I sensed a disconnect. I used to be super passionate about my role but the passion started to fade.”
Laura* had been in this kind of role for years, and often got rave reviews from teammates and stakeholders. She delivered successful outcomes, built healthy teams, and was well respected. On the outside, it looked like she was thriving.
But by the time she started coaching with me, she wanted out. Like, yesterday.
How had things gotten this bad?
Like so many of us, Laura had continued down the path she had been on, one that had worked for her in the past. And like so many of us, she hadn’t realized that the path no longer resonated for her until things got bad.
She tried working through it on her own, but her lack of progress only made her feel worse. Finally, she decided she needed some help. An external perspective who could help her figure out what wasn’t working, and how to get her career and her life back on track.
That’s when she reached out to me about coaching.
Where do we start?
Our initial coaching brought to light a few of the values most important to Laura. Some were obvious, but there was one that surprised her. Initially, she wasn’t sure the value actually resonated, but the more she sat with it, listening to the wisdom of her inner guide, the more she realized that this value actually held a key part of the puzzle.
“Christina’s ability to listen with intention and ask the right questions helped me uncover what was out of alignment in my work and life.” Even though the work was a good fit on paper, the environment wasn’t set up to allow her to fully live into her most important values.
Ok, so now what?
From here, we focused on two key areas where Laura was feeling a disconnect.
First, we explored where Laura had control in her current role, and where she might be able to make iterative adjustments in her current situation to create more alignment. There were a few things - an ask of her leadership, an adjustment to her schedule. But Laura still had a suspicion that it wasn’t going to be enough.
From there, we explored experiments that Laura could run to create a new path - one that allowed her to fully embrace the value that had surprised her when we first started coaching. She created a roadmap of experiments she could try to see if this new path was viable.
“Christina guided me in identifying practical ways to create more happiness and alignment in the job I had at the time. It was like a lightbulb turning on, I could see the adjustments I could make to feel more at ease, even in my current role. But it also made me see where my role was starting to deviate from what I wanted in my future.”
How did things turn out?
Through these experiments, Laura started to see more clarity around her future, and a path towards the value alignment she craved.
“As we continued working together, Christina and I began to explore deeper layers of my career drive. Pretty soon, I’d made a huge leap: I left my corporate job. I had found the clarity around the values and passions that I wanted to pursue. Thanks to Christina’s coaching, I started my own business, where I work with clients in my local community. It's a role that brings me fulfillment and a sense of purpose I didn’t know I could have in my career.”
So what made the difference?
Laura did the work to uncover and honor the values that drive her. She took a hard look at her current path, and iterated with intention to create a new path - one that allows her to live in alignment with what matters most.
Laura credits coaching as a key part of her journey. “Christina’s approach is unique because she allows for real, honest processing. She created space for me to verbally process my emotions, and in doing so, she was able to mirror back what I hadn’t let myself fully hear. She didn’t just focus on career goals but also helped me address the underlying fears and internal barriers that had held me back. I redefined what it meant to be successful, looking at it from a more holistic perspective that considers both career and personal fulfillment.”
And how are things going now?
Laura herself says it best: “It's so amazing. It's like a whole other world is available to me. So all and all, I'm thriving!!”
Does Laura’s story resonate with you?
Is there a gap in your life between where you want to be and where you are right now?
Let’s talk. Book your free strategy session and let’s dig in.
How will you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
* Shared with permission. Name and identifying details changed to honor client privacy.
December 12, 2024
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
Book your free strategy session.
