Professional Roots
Hairdresser to CPO
Professionally, it all starts as listening to clients in my salon chair. It evolved into nurturing people at all levels of their careers. I’ve spent 26 years working with people who have entrusted me with their most personally expressive and vulnerable moments. In hairdressing, facilitating professional development, and as a team coach, I’ve uniquely understood people’s hearts by listening for the real problem inside the situations. Looking for the solution that makes the difference.
Personally, I’ve always been an observer. Curious, wondering what else is around me, what else don’t I see. My favourite book as a child was the Casual Observer by Elizabeth Whitson. It features a small person wearing a large bonnet wandering around observing the world around them. Sometimes when I need a reset, I’ll go for a walk and imagine I have the big bonnet on and just observe the world around me.
In my early 20’s, I worked in a shoe store in a mall. On my breaks, I would walk through the mall and I look at all the clothes in the store window. I used to like to imagine what kind of person I would be in different clothes. (I still do this). It was mid 90’s, and the power suit was a thing. I remember thinking, “when I get to wear those to work, that is when I have really made it.” That would be the mark of success.
15 years later, I accepted a position as a corporate trainer. As a hairstylist, I had already built a full clientele, bought a condo in downtown Toronto. I was married and had my daughter, but this was it - I had arrived!
(Sadly, the power suit was not required or in fashion)
Fast forward 10 years with that company, I learned and experienced A LOT. I had been given the chance to do so many cool things. I did all the things well, so I was given more opportunities and challenges. Looking back, I can see that it became a habit to say yes to whatever was put in front of me because it had become my identity to be the yes girl; it had become my value in the whole world, not just at work.
I stopped checking in with myself to ask if this was valuable for me? Interesting to me? Is this where I would like to spend my time?
Because I kept saying yes without checking in, I took on more than I was able to do, and the work became more and more robotic and less and less impactful, and as a result, less and less fulfilling for me.
I was felt tired, over-stimulated, underwhelmed, guilty for not doing a “good job,” and resentful for not being taken care of. In a word, I felt like a mess.
New Decisions
The last project I said yes to turned out to be key in making a new decision. I was part of a team that launched a worldwide initiative to bring more empathy to service and to the workplace. I had been trained and was training thousands of individuals in 3 countries in practices for more empathy with themselves and with others at work. It was sinking in deep for me, but I was having trouble living it because I was so caught up in the hustle and bustle of meeting external expectations. I was holding this tension of opposites because I believed everything I was sharing and saw the impact of it all around me while struggling to live it for myself. I saw myself in others and but still felt alone.
When I questioned my authenticity, I knew it was time to take a leave from my position.
I had misplaced my natural sense of curiosity and natural inclination to follow my intuition, making decisions from my gut and heart. I needed to pull out my Casual Observer Bonnet.
I took time to reflect among other things, how I wanted to work. Who I wanted to work with. What I wanted to do for work. Where I wanted to spend my time. And really ask myself, what would feel authentic to me?
Here’s what I chose next:
Collaboration, Contribution & Curiosity are how I work with teams.
Now I spend my days purposefully doing what I am best at, using my natural ability to gather all the pieces to see how they fit together, so individuals can see themselves as individuals, part of a team and contribute to the whole without losing themselves.
I chose to focus on professional development with small businesses because I believe in the impact it can have on a business and individuals both in and out of work. Integrating anything new, products, tools, locations, policies, systems, technology, people takes vulnerability, empathy and practice.
The workplace has built in boundaries that make it possible to try different things. Starting with small practices and growing from there until empathy spills out into your whole life.
