Maria looks for the following soft skills in new hires: resiliency, persistence, curiosity, kindness, and a love for working with children!

There are lots of opportunities for growth in the childcare industry!

Measures of success for childcare teachers include:

• Meeting safety standards - the most important (and non-negotiable) achievement
• Effective interaction and communication with children
• Accurately identifying children's interests and needs. Can the teacher identify what the child is interested in? What are they curious about? What do they need?

We talked about what education is necessary:

• A bachelor's degree in childcare is not necessary. An associate's degree is really valuable! The center has staff from a variety of backgrounds.
• There is a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship available in some states. In Wisconsin, you have the option to get a leadership credential as well!

Leap Academy has a strong set of core values. Valerie recommends identifying what your personal core values are as well (link to a good resource is below).

COVID was a challenge for Maria:

• She had to adapt quickly and support parents in different ways (i.e., offered a course, preschoolers could pick up activities, created a Slack board, etc.)
• It ultimately made Maria a stronger leader who could adapt and be decisive about what needed to be done.

Resources:
Leap Academy
RISE Conference (Rachel Hollis)
Core Values
T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship

Thanks to “Our Friendly World” for the review:  So good to listen to and think about strategies on creating a future world and know we are not alone.  

In this episode, we highlight:

Lupe Prado’s interview:

• The importance of a safety net.
• The Identity Mindset and the power of identifying yourself as what you want to be.
• The Abundance Mindset and how Lupe overcame a scarcity mindset struggle.

Aden Nepom’s Interview:

• The importance of playfulness and fun in the workplace.
• How communication issues cause stress and ultimately disease.
• How it can be comfortable to be uncomfortable.

 Download the weekly worksheet at valeriezaric.com

#Ad (affiliate link): Shop Instacart

Resources:

Our Friendly World Podcast

Lupe Prado Coaching

Lupe’s new podcast! Paid Vocation

Art of Change

The Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant

Future-Proof Career, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Meet Aden
Aden's Nepom's goal is to bring joy to people she interacts with. The daughter of a self-improvement author, Aden found herself struggling to choose a career path. After a few false starts, she decided that the common denominator among her many interests was that she liked problem-solving and helping people.

She joined her father's business, called Art of Change. He developed tools and techniques to have better workplace experiences and improve communication. His goal was to reduce stress (and ultimately disease).

Playfulness
Aden draws from her background in improv comedy to help clients solve problems creatively and flexibly. She emphasizes the need for businesses to allow for pivoting, shifting strategies, and being open to change. Playfulness will help you get there because it helps open your brain to see things in a different way!

Aden has let go of the need for stability which has given her many freedoms. She doesn’t recommend it for everyone, but it works for her.

Take Action
Here are three ways that you can try today to start seeing the world differently today:

• Relax and remember to breathe! 
• Try brain exercises like pointing to objects and saying another name for one minute.
• Check your mantra before you join a meeting. Try something positive like, “I’m going to offer so much value.” 

Resources Mentioned (may include affiliate links):

Embracing Change: Making New Choices Instead of “Safe” Choices TEDx talk

Changed, Aden’s Podcast

Artofchange.com - Contact Aden directly

On Your Feet in Portland, OR

Merlin-Works in Austin, TX

Infinite Improv

The Insider’s Guide: The Art of Persuasion by Dr. Rick Kirschner

Dealing with People You Can’t Stand by Dr. Rick Kirschner and Rick Brinkman 

Lou Radja - inspirational speaker and coach 

Future-Proof Career, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Lupe’s Background

• Lupe worked as a CPA at a large accounting firm.
• She went that direction because she wanted a career with stable employment.
• Even in the midst of layoffs in the Oil & Gas industry, Lupe had peace of mind about continued employment because accounting is a very transferable and demanded skill.

Coaching Strategy

• She works on mindset strategies with her clients, such as Abundance and Identity.
• A coach is an expert who helps you define career or life goals and take the actions to get them done
• Lupe may point out patterns of beliefs in her clients and strive to achieve positive mindsets (i.e., Identity and Abundance).

Taking the Leap

• Investing in your own development is so important. 
• Lupe finds conferences to be energizing experiences that promote personal growth
• Lupe recommends taking risks, but making sure to have a safety net. 
• Don’t feel pressure to compare yourself to others!

Resources Mentioned:

Website: Lupeprado.com

IG: @lupepradocoaching

LinkedIn: Lupe Prado

HopIn App

You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World by  Adam Grant

Future-Proof Career, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This week on the first Friday Weekly Recap, we discuss the highlights from the week's interviews with Lizzie Brayton and Mary Grace Gardner.

• If you want to future-proof yourself, set up multiple income streams.
• Lizzie explained that in order to make any big changes, you have to look within first. Mary Grace talked about how you should try to get exposure in an industry by taking a part time job, volunteering or conducting informational interviews.
• Lizzie led a helpful guided meditation in episode #1, and Valerie recommends going back if you haven't listened already.
• Lizzie recommends being careful of what you allow into your mind.
• Mary Grace offers insightful and fresh mentoring and networking tips.

#Ad (affiliate link): Shop Instacart

Visit here to read additional show notes and download this week's worksheet. 

In this episode, Mary Grace Gardner teaches us how to choose your path, how to network in a genuine way, provides some unique mentorship tips, and stresses the importance of having financial stability through having multiple income streams.

Resources Mentioned:

www.theyoungprofessionista.com
pathwaytopersonalmastery.com

In this episode, we set the foundation for creating a future-proof career.

I am so happy that Lizzie Brayton (an English teacher, podcast host, reiki practitioner, and Extraordinary Life coach) agreed to be the first guest on FPC! In this episode, she provides insightful guidance on how to find peace in times of uncertainty.

Some key points are:

• If you wear many hats in your life, a planner is absolutely necessary. She also recommends a gratitude journal to help instill a mindset of abundance. 
• Meditation will help you find your true purpose and allow you to look within. Lizzie recommends joining an in-person group to get started. 
• If you want to make some big changes, you have to start by developing inner-strength and confidence. A foundation of self-love will help get you where you want to go.
• Lizzie was in a situation where she could have been laid off from her teaching job. She did the best work she could and just realized you can’t control the future, but you can control what you bring to the situation. 
• Lizzie recommends ditching self-deprecating humor and being careful about what we allow in our minds.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

“Sometimes Life Just Sucks the Life out of You” Living Your Best Vibe episode 

Living Your Best Vibe podcast

You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

For more guided meditations and information on the Fall Extraordinary Self Course with Lizzie, visit livingyourbestvibe.vipmembervault.com 

Welcome to Future-Proof Career! If you are looking to regain control of the future of your career, this is the show for you.

I'll be interviewing inspiring guests Mondays and Wednesdays and recapping our takeaways on Fridays.

Happy listening!

For more from Valerie, visit www.valeriezaric.com

Follow Valerie on Instagram: www.instagram.com/valeriezaric

Follow Valerie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriezaric/