What does Empowering Women in Industry mean to you? Empowering Women in Industry means providing access and opportunities for women to work and thrive in industries that are seen as being traditionally male. It starts with removing that label "traditionally male" from jobs and acknowledging that every woman has the ability and right to work in the field she chooses. In order to be empowered, women need to be allowed to fully embrace their power and cast it upon the world.
How did you get started in your field? My transition from Higher Education to being a life and success coach was natural. I loved working with students who were in process of transformation. They were finding careers, finding their path, finding themselves. After more than 20 years working at universities across the country, I started planning the next phase of my life. I thought of a career that would allow me to continue to experience the joy I felt while working with students. Life coaching give me that and more.
What do you love most about your job? What are you most proud of? My job is extremely rewarding. There is an immense joy that comes with seeing clients begin to live the lives they only once thought were dreams or fantasies. When clients are empowered and make choices that move their lives forward, I feel like a proud parent.
What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work? Take the time to do the work of honing your craft and listening skills. Education! Training! Curiosity! All are needed to be a good life coach. Many think that being a life coaching is easy and simply means that all you do is tell people what to do. It is not that at all. Like any field, life coaching requires getting the proper foundation in order to be a powerful resource for your clients.
Anything else you would like to add? Shelia lives in the Chicagoland area where she mentors youth through her work with Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Southside Growing Places. She’d gladly chat about healthy priorities and bringing joy back into your life while trading crafting ideas. She’ll bring the glitter.
A special thank to Shelia for donating coaching sessions to the #EmpoweringWomen2019 raffle.