5 Stages to Design Your Dream Career

Let me share a story of a current client that is in my 5 Stages to Design Your Dream Career program. Her name is Dee.

Dee came to me feeling overwhelmed. She had just lost her job courtesy of the pandemic. Now her days were spent searching, for countless hours, trying to find the “perfect” job.

On the day we chatted, she said some familiar phrases I hear during my free discovery calls.

I have no energy and my motivation to keep looking is shrinking.

How can I have so many skills and yet I don’t know what I want to do; I feel stuck and overwhelmed.

Should I just look for a job that doesn’t pay as much but I am at least happy?

She had come across my name after doing yet another middle of the night google search. She landed on the post how I reinvented my career at 45. It caught her attention as she too was middle-age. When she read my 5 stages to design your dream career, she knew she was in the right place.

Many of us can relate to Dee. We desire confidence and clarity around who we are and what lights us up. Our life is seasoned and shouldn't we know these answers by now? Then we get to the space where we know we should be able to uncover our superpowers and our gifts but how in the world do we do that?! I can't even figure out what to wear in the morning!

I can tell you from experience that once you are clear on your Who, the doors start to open. Opportunities start appearing. You are now conditioned to look for them. What might have appeared before and slipped right on by is now showing up again and again.

The Design Your Dream Career Program

This program is for so many different types of midlife women. Here are just a few examples that you might be able to relate to.

• I want to look at entering a new career field, but I don’t know how to start.
• It's time to make a pivot and move my career forward where I currently work and keep getting unnoticed for promotions.
• My energy and mojo are gone, I need to get it back!
• I am so overwhelmed at my job. I feel like I am starting to head down the wrong path and I don’t know where else to go and still make this salary.
• After taking some time off work, I am ready to get back into the industry and have no clue how to get started.

My 5 Stages to Design Your Dream Career program will prepare you and ensure you are ready for what's ahead. All while remaining accountable, focused and unstuck. It consists of thought-provoking coaching sessions, assessments, and various tools to set you up for success.

This image gives you a birds-eye view of the program and all five steps.

Want more details about this program? Keep reading below for a glimpse into what you will gain from each step.

Stage 1 - Mindset

We start here, with our personal mindset. Many times, we are the ones that are in the way. So, for all of you out there, who are just like me, and want to blame someone else for this situation – so sorry but we need to pull out a mirror and look right at ourselves.

VALUES | Gaining confidence and clarity starts with defining your values. Are you living and thinking into them or are they causing you to feel a bit out of place?

ENERGY | I have always known about the power of energy but getting certified as an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP) took that to a whole new level. Don’t let the fancy title scare you away. The assessment we do here is a GAME CHANGER! Ask EVERY one of my clients and you will hear the same thing. Knowing how you show up energetically under normal and stressful situations is highly impactful. And then learning how you can shift this, and pivot conversations and relationships will change your life. This assessment will guide you in new ways of thinking for yourself and others.

BRAND | You are likely influenced by lots of brands, but have you stopped and thought about your personal brand? How do others perceive you? Is that in alignment with what you want them to think and feel about you? Being conscious and intentional about who we are, where we are going, our likes and dislikes will help prepare us for what’s ahead.

Stage 2 - Motivation

Motivation and mindset hold hands nicely. We feel motivation when we know what we like and want. And we know what we like and want when we are connected to our Who - a perfect marriage!

INFLUENCERS | Being influenced today is pretty easy to do. Just hop on social media and you will be inundated with options. And just when you think no one knows what you are thinking, an ad shows up in your feed – amiright?!?! Getting clear on the items that are motivating our career change positively and where we need to maybe reign it back is helpful. And getting clear on where you are settling (I can’t learn new skills as well as the younger generation) vs where you could maybe get stretched.

VISIONING | What do you want your life to be like a year from now? Where do you want to be five years from now? Is what you are doing helping or hurting that vision? Only we can define what we want our legacy to look like at our job. Let’s be clear on what we want that to be.

 Stage 3 - Mission

As your coach, my job is to hold you accountable. We will define goals and get clear about what your dream career looks like. We will customize a roadmap that works for you and no one else.

GOALS| Goal setting for many of us is either working or it is not. You either have drank the cool aide for a favorite planner or you feel a surge of agitation listening to other people brag about what they have done. I haven’t met too many people who say “Ya, I set goals but don’t really care if I get achieve them or not.” We are going to construct a plan that works for you and allows for accountability with me, your coach.

ROADMAP | Not sure if you can get anywhere without knowing the path. Here we will define the path for your journey. Together, we will ensure change and growth occur as well as establishing a plan.

Stage 4 – Mechanics

Our roadmap will help us establish what we need to do to achieve the dream. This customized game plan will only set you up for success. Whether you need resume help, interviewing tips or networking strategies, we will cover it all here.

RESUME | Has it been awhile since you updated your resume? Are you even sure what to add and what you can delete? I can help. We don’t need to over complicate this piece. The resume will help along the way and likely assist in getting you an interview, so it is vital. And the good ol’ cover letter – do people still send those? No worries, we will cover it all here.

INTERVIEW | The interview process doesn't need to feel scary. Preparation is key. And knowing yourself well helps. Because we will have defined your superpowers and gifts, you will have content for days to share and showcase. We will take this piece as slow or fast as you need to gain the confidence desired.

NETWORKING | Whether you are networking in person or virtually, there are many pieces we can set up (or update) so you feel confident. The interview process is changing, and we will cover how to stay up to speed in this new virtual environment.

Step 5 – Momentum

It’s fine and dandy if I set you up for success, but what about ensuring you stay focused with a full gas tank? This step is CRITICAL and often overlooked by career coaches. You visit them, update your resume, gain your confidence and then off you go. Only to be back in the same spot way too soon.

PITFALLS | Reality is, you will have some setbacks and pitfalls along the way. Maintaining a focused mindset, having someone to discuss the situation when it doesn’t make sense, and staying par for the course are all critical steps I will support you through.

WINS | Big, small or medium wins are “wins” enough to celebrate in my book! You can either sit in the victim seat because you didn’t get another job, or we can shift the mindset and find the lesson we just learned. I want to ensure we celebrate all wins – small to big!

Still unsure if these 5 stages to Design Your Dream Career would help you? Let's hop on a call and chat. Once I hear more about your needs, we can determine if this program is a fit for you!

If you are feeling stuck or unsatisfied at work and have no clue where to start, click here and I will send you my 5 tips to help you transition from an unfulfilling job to a career you LOVE. ??