Athena M. - Career & Mindset Coaching
6-Month Program & Continuous Sessions
“Insightful, supportive, encouraging, challenging, and reassuring! I'd recommend to someone that wants to work on mindset and wants help job hunting. Kristy's experience networking helped me make tremendous strides during this process.”
Before 1-1 Coaching Session - Biggest Obstacles Before Joining?
I was struggling with my transition and decided that it was time to seek out help. I'm the type to try to figure it out on my own, but this was a major step. After our first meeting in January or February, I remember feeling incredibly motivated for the first time in months and thought we were a great fit.
Finances were the only thing stopping me from investing in the coaching program. I had to take time to consider if I could afford a career counselor, so when I reached back out and saw that there was a payment plan option it really helped with my decision to hire Kristy.
What mindset beliefs did you overcome?
I challenged the timeline I set for myself throughout the program, and recognized that most of the pressure I'm feeling is internal. I also know that I compare myself to my peers, which can be debilitating. Allowing myself to feel whatever I do in the moment to let it pass and monitoring my social media usage/taking a break from it has really helped!
Prioritizing my mental space, realizing that it was necessary for an effective job search, and that I couldn't put off doing things I enjoy/body until "after I figured everything out," it wasn't productive and was something that worked against me since I didn't have energy to put into my career development. Also had to challenge my habit of negative self-talk! I've done it for so long that I didn't even notice. Changing the way I talked about myself and my situation made me feel a lot lighter.
What made the biggest difference (or had the biggest impact) for you during the coaching program?
Kristy helped me to slowly build my confidence back up after feeling like I took major steps backwards on my career trajectory. She challenged my over-critical nature and helped me see the positives in the steps I was making -- even when they felt pretty small to me. It's also helped me to start doing that for myself, but it's always nice to hear it from someone else! I don't have many friends around and I don't talk to my family about these things, so I fel very supported during these three months.
Having support and knowing someone that I had someone who understood my situation. Feeling heard. Consulting with a coach helped fine-tune my interviewing skills and build up my confidence. Kristy also helped recognize the qualities she saw in me for myself!
If you could describe the coaching experience in a few words, what would that be?
Insightful, supportive, encouraging, challenging, reassuring, and fun!
After 1-1 Coaching Session with Kristy
I chose to work with Kristy for three months during one of the biggest transitions I've had to make during my post-graduate career. We connected through an event crafted to help former members of the JET program with their next steps. After our first consultation call, I felt encouraged and excited to get started. In our first session, she got an assessment of my goals, provided me insight, and helped me lay the foundation for working on my mindset.
I'm continuing to establish new goals, and I feel like I have a lot of new tools to help me achieve them! She made herself and resources available throughout the week for whenever I needed counsel or encouragement. When we first started together, I felt that I had taken major steps back but her reassurance slowly brought my confidence back up. Her experience networking helped me establish a connection that I thought was out of reach before we started the program. I'm grateful for our time together, and can't wait to continue to work with Kristy.
After 1-1 Coaching Session Cont. - Monthly Calls
She helped me rearrange my priorities, and after years of putting my academics and career ahead of everything else, I realized how important it was to work on myself and my headspace. This coaching program was beneficial to me and this ongoing journey that I decided to extend.
Kristy made herself available throughout our months together to establish routines, offer support during all the rough patches of the job search process, and celebrate my successes.
Kristy showed me how to utilize my resources through networking and helped to expand my connections. She encouraged me to apply for a position at a dream company I categorized as a reach.
I was convinced it would remain that way, but I’m proud to say I’m starting there next year! I’m confident Kristy’s programs will benefit anyone going through a career transition or who wants guidance through a mindset shift.
Athena and Kristy continue to be friends after the coaching experience, thanks to the JET Alumni connection.
She’s now working for Nintendo! So proud of her!
