Career Confessions

Leadership is not about changing who you are to fulfill someone else's expectations of what a leader looks like. Leadership is about showing up as your authentic self and inspiring people in your own way.

So, what does it look like to 'claim your crown' as a leader?

Kat Parker is a leadership coach who helps women of color confidently secure their seat and use their voice at the table. Kat's coaching practice serves entrepreneurs and executives, teaching them her signature CROWN METHOD for stepping into their power as a more confident, authentic leader.

On this episode of Career Confessions, Kat joins me to share her five principles of leadership, challenging us to let go of perfectionism and own our mistakes.

She explains why it's crucial for higher-level executives to support diversity and inclusion efforts and describes how to demonstrate professionalism without abandoning your authentic self.

Listen in for Kat's insight on building confidence in your personal leadership style and find out what it feels like to step into your power as a leader!

Key Takeaways

Why Kat left a successful career in the auto industry

How quickly Kat climbed the corporate ladder in her new company

What Kat did to build confidence in her personal training style

Kat's 5 principles for 'claiming your crown' as a leader

Kat's advice on letting go of perfectionism and owning your team's mistakes

How to demonstrate professionalism as your authentic self

Why it's crucial for higher-level execs to support diversity and inclusion efforts

Kat's take on imposter syndrome and why it's normal to feel it

What it feels like to step into your power as a leader

Connect with Kat

Kat's Website

Kat on Facebook

Kat on Instagram

Email [email protected]

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

Valerie Oswalt on Changing the Dynamics

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review Career Confessions on Apple Podcasts

We tend to glamorize big wins, celebrating the next-level promotion or the multiple-six-figure income.

But success doesn't just happen. It takes years and years of consistent daily action. Baby steps that add up over time.

So, how do we commit to doing one thing each day that will inch us closer to our goals?

On this episode of Career Confessions, I look back at the last three years of my life, reflecting on what inspired me to start sharing career advice on Instagram and how my online presence gradually morphed into a business.

I walk you through the steps I took to build momentum in my corporate career as my family grew and describe what fueled me to go all-in on my coaching business—even though it was insanely challenging with two kids under the age of two!

Listen in for insight on taking consistent baby steps to achieve your big goals and find out if Success Blueprint is the support YOU need to grow into the leader you're meant to be.

Key Takeaways

What moved me to start sharing career advice on Instagram

How my mom inspired me to go after my dreams with no excuses

The steps I took to build momentum in my career while my family grew

How my online presence gradually morphed into a business

How protecting my family fueled me to build my consulting practice

The challenge of growing my business with 2 kids under the age of 2

What my schedule looked like once I went all-in on being a career coach

How taking consistent baby steps is what gets you to your big goals

How Success Blueprint provides support and accountability

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Text (424) 610-8471

Resources

Andrea's IGTV Letter to My Past Self

Join the Success Blueprint Group Coaching Program

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review the Podcast on Apple

I'm conflicted about the term imposter syndrome, and I have boycotted talking about it for over a year now.

It bothers me that every conference for women includes a session about overcoming imposter syndrome, but only addresses the issue from the perspective of trying to fix your mindset.

If you think back to the times you felt like you didn't belong at work, were you the real problem?

On this episode of Career Confessions, I discuss the 1978 study where the concept of imposter syndrome originated and argue that being in an environment that's not conducive for growth is what makes us feel like we don't belong.

I explain how I stood my ground in a situation where I could have felt like the odd one out and weigh in on what to do if a lack of clear instructions is giving you a case of imposter syndrome.

Listen in for insight on addressing imposter syndrome in a new way and take on my challenge to cultivate pride in your abilities by celebrating your WINS every week!

Key Takeaways

The 1978 study where the concept of imposter syndrome originated

How imposter syndrome is defined as the belief that you're not bright despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments

How being in an environment that's not conducive for growth makes us feel like we don't belong

What to do if a lack of clear instructions makes you feel inept

My challenge to list your top 10 wins and accomplishments for the week every Friday

How I stood my ground in a situation where I was made to feel like the odd one out

Why I'm passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging

The problem with trying to fix women's mindsets but not the workplace

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Text (424) 610-8471

Resources

1978 Study on Imposter Syndrome

Apply for Private Coaching with Andrea

Book a Career Intensive with Andrea

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review the Podcast on Apple

What does it take to be a true leader?

No doubt, you've had supervisors who may have been in charge, but they didn't influence or inspire you.

So, what are the characteristics of a strong leader? A leader you remember and respect?

On this episode of Career Confessions, I describe the intentional work it takes to become a leader, challenging you to reflect on what good leadership looks like and determine the kind of influence you want to have on those around you.

I explain why empathy is a key component of my leadership style and discuss how strong leaders understand what motivates people and challenge them to be better.

Listen in for insight on why it's crucial to lead as your authentic self and learn how to take steps today to embody the kind of leader you want to be tomorrow!

Key Takeaways

What distinguishes a supervisor from a true leader

The intentional work it takes to embody the characteristics of a leader people remember and respect

How to determine the kind of influence you want to have on those around you

Why empathy is a key component of my leadership style

Why it's crucial to lead as your authentic self

The benefit of identifying how you react to stressors now so you're ready to handle high-stakes situations later on

How strong leaders understand what motivates people and challenge them to be better

The question good leaders ask when there's friction

How strong leaders connect on a deeper level

How communication and leadership skills translate across industries and into every area of our lives

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

Apply for Private Coaching with Andrea

Book a Career Intensive with Andrea

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review the Podcast on Apple

We love to stay safely in our comfort zone. We're wired to avoid risk, and routine makes us feel like we're in control.

But we have to push ourselves out of that comfort zone if we want to see greatness.

On this episode of Career Confessions, I explain how our brains are wired to analyze risk and point out what could go wrong, weighing in on the what-ifs that stop us from getting out of our comfort zone.

I walk you through my decision to leave my corporate role, describing why it's more challenging to make a career change the longer you're with a company and how having kids changed the way I think about taking risks.

Listen in for my exercise for determining what you really want, tackling the what-ifs that are holding you back and taking the first steps outside your comfort zone!

Key Takeaways

How our brains are wired to analyze risk and point out what could go wrong

What makes us doubt our ability to make good decisions

The what-ifs that stop us from getting out of our comfort zone

Why it's more challenging to make a career change after six-plus years with a company

How having kids changed the way I make big decisions

The milestones I recommend my clients hit before they step away from a corporate job

Why we love to stay safely inside our comfort zone

Why we have to push ourselves out of our comfort zone to see greatness

How taking a risk will put you in the spotlight and why you should celebrate that

My exercise for tackling the what-ifs that are holding you back

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

Apply for Private Coaching with Andrea

Book a Career Intensive with Andrea

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review the Podcast on Apple

Do you have dreams that go beyond climbing the corporate ladder? Are you curious what it might look like to build a business that would set you up to step away from your 9-to-5?

For the last seven months, my career coaching business has surpassed what I make at my corporate job. And that gives me the freedom to decide where I want to go from here.

On this episode of the Career Confessions, I share my decision to step away from my corporate role to focus on my consulting practice and two new family franchise businesses.

I walk you through my journey to becoming a career coach, explaining what inspired me to get certified and how I navigated the criticism that came with sharing my wins online.

Listen in for insight on leveraging negativity as fuel for further success and get inspired to dream BIG and share your own ambitious career goals with the world!

Key Takeaways

How I broke a worldwide record on promotion cycles early in my engineering career

How having direct reports inspired me to hire my own coach

What inspired me to become a certified leadership coach myself

What prompted me to tell my corporate boss about my growing coaching business

My decision to share my success online in order to inspire others

How I navigated the criticism that came from sharing my wins online

The choice you have to let negativity shut you down or fuel further success

What factors influenced my decision to step away from my corporate role right now

My goals for my consulting practice and our new family franchise businesses

My plans to support companies that truly want to change their culture so that women can thrive

My challenge to dream big and make your ambitious goals public

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

Book a Career Intensive with Andrea

What I Learned from Quitting My Job with No Plan B on Career Confessions EP001

Andrea's Feature in Yahoo Finance

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review the Podcast on Apple

There's many things in my career that if I had the chance to go back and change, I would. If I would have known certain things, I would've done them so differently.

I realized I was so eager to please my job and be a top performer that I was missing some really big red flags and undervaluing myself as a person.

Some of the things you tolerate, you have all the power in the world to make decisions to make sure that your best interest is being met.

The moment you acknowledge that your voice matters, the less power you give to other people.

So how do you learn to use your voice early on, gain respect and be confident in who you are, no matter the position you're in?

On this episode of the podcast, I share with you the three biggest lessons I learned in my career over the past 12 years and how they have become some of the most important things I stand for, to this day.

Listen in for insight on how to save yourself time and energy in your career by making sure you know how to stay true to yourself and receive the bigger things you've worked for, whether that's staying where you are and using your voice, or moving on to the next best thing.

I challenge you to realize your core values and the respect you deserve, in order to truly meet your full potential and hit your peak performance in your career.

Key Takeaways

Learning to identify red flags

Why it's important to advocate for yourself and create boundaries

How to voice what you need and not settle for less

When to know if an environment or situation isn't worth tolerating

How to emanate an effective leader

The importance of knowing your core values

How to earn respect regardless of the title

The value of staying true to yourself in every situation

Using your voice and not being silent for anything

The importance of finally deciding to meet your full potential and hitting your peak performance before you feel ready

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

Secrets to a Successful Marriage EP010

Grab the Free Core Values Exercise (DM "I'm interested in doing the exercise for core values" to receive this exercise)

Join Success Blueprint Vault Group Coaching

Apply for Private Coaching with Andrea

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

There's a lot of contradictory career advice online, especially for the young professional. And a lot of those voices say, 'Don't work too hard. You'll get burned out.'

But achieving next-level success DOES require sacrifice. If getting your dream job was easy, everyone would be doing it!

So, how can you build the self-discipline to show up and shine consistently? How do you motivate yourself to work through seasons in grind mode—without compromising your health and wellbeing?

On this episode of the podcast, I explain why it's crucial to consistently outperform everyone around you to reach ambitious career goals, describing how intentionally working toward something you're passionate about cultivates discipline.

I challenge you to do an audit of how you feel about going in to work, getting clear on what your options are and working through any fears that are stopping you from claiming bigger things.

Listen in for insight on making sure your hard work has PURPOSE and learn to develop the consistent habits necessary to stand out at work as you commit to your career development.

Key Takeaways

The sacrifices we have to make to achieve next-level success

Why it's crucial to consistently do the things others aren't willing to do

How to make sure your seasons in grind mode are intentional

Why it's important to set boundaries around what you're not willing to sacrifice (e.g.: health, family)

How working toward something you're passionate about cultivates self-discipline

Why I call BS on stories of overnight success in business

How to work through the fears that are stopping you from claiming bigger things

How to understand your job options via a LinkedIn search for openings in your position

How to develop consistent habits that become part of your DNA

The value of looking at yourself as your own corporation

The power of bringing a career development plan to your boss

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

What I Learned from Quitting My Job with No Plan B on Career Confessions EP001

Join Success Blueprint Vault Group Coaching

Apply for Private Coaching with Andrea

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review the Podcast on Apple

In the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, few of us pause to focus on our career development. Eventually, we get to a point where what we're doing doesn't work for us anymore.

And while know exactly what we don't want, we struggle to see a clear path forward.

So, how do we get unstuck and decide what's next?

Dr. Norma Reyes is the creator of Manifest Your Career, a coaching practice designed to help Latina women gain clarity so they can plan the next move in their career growth. Norma is also trained as a licensed therapist, and her 9-to-5 role is that of a Clinical Manager, leading a team of licensed professional counselors that assist clients with behavioral health needs.

On this episode of Career Confessions, Norma joins me to share her expertise with helping people navigate career transitions, discussing when to take advice from other people and when to make your own way.

She describes her research on Latina's in higher education, walking us through the five skills for a successful career associated with John Krumboltz's planned happenstance theory.

Listen in for Norma's insight on feeling an inner alignment with your external goals and learn how to get clear on what you DO want as you take the next right step forward in your career!

Key Takeaways

Norma's expertise with helping people navigate career transitions

How to determine what advice to take from other people and what to let go

Norma's approach to getting her PhD and starting a family at the same time

How we cause ourselves extra stress when we worry about the future

Why so many of us lack clarity around the next step to take in our career

Norma's research on Latina's in higher education and the planned happenstance theory

John Krumboltz 5 skills for a successful life and career

Why it's crucial to feel an inner alignment with your external goals

How Norma brings a coaching mentality to her 9-to-5 team

How to determine your next career move by focusing on what you DO want

How to leverage a manager's willingness to foster your growth

Connect with Norma

Manifest Your Career

Manifest Your Career Podcast

Manifest Your Career on Instagram

Norma on Instagram

Norma on Facebook

Norma on YouTube

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

Norma's Career Clarity Guide

John Krumboltz's Planned Happenstance Theory

Luck Is No Accident: Making the Most of Happenstance in Your Life and Career by John Krumboltz and Al Levin

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review Career Confessions on Apple Podcasts

We all know that the best way to get what you want is to ask for it. But when it comes to getting paid, most of us don't bother to negotiate the salary we deserve.

So, what is the best way to approach a salary negotiation? And how do you develop the confidence to advocate for yourself successfully?

Eliana Goldstein is the Millennial Success Coach behind Eliana Goldstein Coaching, a practice dedicated to supporting young professionals in navigating the path to personal and professional success. Eliana is on a mission to help people stop settling and design a career they love.

On this episode of Career Confessions, Eliana joins me to discuss the power of a successful negotiation, challenging us to create an empowering more-money story and advocate for the salary we deserve.

She explains how feeling guilty for wanting more money plays into a salary negotiation, describing how to structure the conversation as an exchange of value.

Listen in for insight on the relationship between preparation and confidence and learn how to couple market research with an accurate assessment of your skills to get what you want in your next salary negotiation!

Key Takeaways

Why so many of us operate around the narrative that we can't love our jobs

How Eliana helps people find fulfilling work they're excited about

The power of a successful salary negotiation (and why so many of us don't do it)

Why mindset and confidence are the biggest roadblocks to getting what you want in a negotiation

Eliana's insight on creating an empowering more-money story

Why there should never be negative consequences for advocating for yourself

The danger in negotiating from a place of desperation or scarcity

How feeling guilty for want to make more money plays into a salary negotiation

How to frame a salary negotiation as an exchange of value

What general market research you need to do to prepare for a salary negotiation

The relationship between preparation and confidence in a salary negotiation

Connect with Eliana

Eliana Goldstein Coaching

Eliana's Career Upgrade Course [Discount Code CC40]

Eliana on Instagram

Eliana on LinkedIn

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

Download Andrea's Free LinkedIn eBook

Review Career Confessions on Apple Podcasts