Amy sits down today with Kirsten Beske. Kirsten does a deep pivot not matched by many of Amy’s previous guests. Follow how she builds a skill set that allows her to make a big career move that fulfills her and takes her in both new professional and life directions.

Kirsten was a government major at Harvard. She had a real desire to understand how cultures and societies have come to be and what makes them tick. She pursued this field until graduation when she thought about going to law school. Not yet fully committed, she decided to defer studies for a while to get some hands on experience. Fresh out of Harvard, she went to work as a paralegal for a small Boston law firm.

She immensely enjoyed the experience as it introduced her to litigation. Kirsten is a highly competitive individual. She played tennis at Harvard, and she had learned there how much she likes to win. Litigation seemed like a natural choice for her, and so she locked in her intention to go to law school.

Following her time as a paralegal, she took off with a friend for Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a year. Besides skiing, she waitressed and found a love for nature and the mountains. She applied for law school following her Wyoming adventure and ended up somewhat regretfully heading back east and to city living at Boston University School of Law.

Law school was challenging for Kirsten. As a quick study, she found embracing critical thinking somewhat laborious, but it helped her further clarify her professional goals. She enjoyed the competition of moot court and that too confirmed her desire to be a “hands on” attorney. Eventually her law degree led her to her first position at the large Boston firm of Peabody and Arnold.

For 3 years she had a “dream job” at the elite law office. She had everything she had worked hard for, yet there seemed to be something more she was seeking. When her husband, a corporate attorney, wanted to follow a desirable opportunity in Vermont, Kirsten thought this might be fate moving her toward that something more that had so far eluded her.

Vermont and Massachusetts did not have bar reciprocity, so for their first year in Brattleboro, Vermont, Kirsten made a commute to Springfield, Massachusetts to practice there. Eventually, her husband’s Vermont firm needed a litigator, and Kirsten had gained the needed credentials by then to join him at his firm. Kirsten’s ability to learn quickly kept her in good stead, and she became a partner. Again, she had achieved what would seem to most to be an ideal career. But there was more in store.

This was the point in their lives when Kirsten and her husband decided to begin their family. With typical enthusiasm, Kirsten looked forward to taking on the additional new role, but she was not truly prepared for what was to come. First her daughter was born after a difficult pregnancy and was diagnosed with serious issues at just three weeks old. Caring for a sick infant was exhausting, especially with a work role that demanded so much focus. Kirsten was having trouble managing and was completely overwhelmed when she became pregnant with her son, who was born three months prematurely. He weighed a little over a pound and had complications. It was during the time period following 9/11/01 as well. Thoughts of protecting and nurturing her fragile children in the world after that event pushed her to reframe her thinking. With all she had been through, she had lost her enthusiasm for litigation. Her focus turned more to social justice issues more often at that point.

Her growing questions and concerns sent her in search of a life coach. It was then that she accepted she didn’t have to continue to be an attorney. She received “permission” to move in a different direction to find career fulfillment that was compatible with the attitudes and beliefs she had finally let come to the surface. She formed a plan. It was one that would send her back to school yet another time.

With thoughts of being a psychotherapist, she began a master’s degree program in psychology so she could work one on one with people. She was successful with this, and so she thought she wanted to help others who had faced the desire to make a big career pivot as she had. She began a coaching business while still seeing individual psychotherapy patients. She attained a certificate in positive psychology with its emphasis on helping healthier individuals learn to thrive and “uplevel”. By the time she received her coaching certificate, she had moved from her law career to her practice as a psychotherapist, and then on to mindset coaching. Her business today has two arms: one in which she works with individuals, and the other where she helps businesses create positive work environments. She’s planning to open a third concentration later this year focusing on groups.

Topics in this episode:

• Recognize that discomfort is the first stage of change
• How to decide if making a pivot is feasible
• How to choose and enhance self-discovery
• The need for value clarification and how to go about it

Links:

www.apropositive.com;

https://ww.facebook.com/groups/youbecomingboundless

Kirsten Beske | LinkedIn

Erika Parker Price has a story which will sound familiar to those who have a major employment gap in their resumes and have experienced the resulting fallout. She speaks to how determination and focus helped her recoup her long-term goal to be with a cutting edge tech company after leaving the workforce for 13 years.

Erika received her bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University in business administration. She later earned an MBA from Washington State University Vancouver. Her first job after undergraduate school was working on the sales floor at Nordstrom’s. After a year, she landed an entry-level position with inside sales at Microsoft. She was promoted to marketing manager as she increased her responsibilities and knowledge base. At this point she married, and that decision, would influence the direction of her career. Her husband was studying to be a physician and it became necessary to relocate in order for him to continue his studies. She pitched a remote working situation to her Microsoft supervisor who favored the proposal, but unfortunately, the supervisor’s superior was not so enthusiastic. Faced with the dilemma this presented, Erika left Microsoft in 1995 after a productive and successful 3 year stint.

Eventually she landed a position as a product manager at Symantec where she stayed for a year and a half before a better opportunity came along at Intel. There she and her team managed the top 500 solution providers in North America. Eventually she transitioned to Intel’s inside program where she promoted most of their major products. At this point she was working remotely from Nebraska while her team was based in Oregon. Of course, this necessitated a lot of travel for her. She also had two young children by this time, and they were only two years apart in age. Erika’s plate began to overflow with her family and work responsibilities. The family moved yet once more to Seattle as her husband was now practicing cardiology there. Erika was stressed, overwhelmed and feeling like she wasn’t doing a good job at work or being a mom. It was at this juncture she decided to step back and take some time off to destress and sort things out.

When she made her decision to separate from Intel, she had no plan. Slowly though her life and career came together to follow a new course. She soon realized her career outside the home was not over. It was just on pause. Although Erika left employment, she didn’t stop working. She had always wanted to have a podcast, so she made that happen. (Check it out: Ready Pause Go) She did a variety of other things from home too including writing children’s books and blogging, as well as starting her own marketing business. As it happened, she did marketing for a friend with a construction company and handled that business for a couple of years. This job, along with her podcast, became her work focus. Eventually she worked for the contractor full-time and put a lot of energy too into producing dynamic, relevant podcasts.

During the period of 13 years at home, her kids grew while her desire to return to the tech world remained. After much effort, she was able to break back in by jumping over lots of hurdles, some of which she’ll describe. And this is what is so special about Erika’s story. She will share with you how there was power to be had in that lengthy hiatus she took. She will explain how if you choose to leave the marketplace for a period of time, you can continue your professional growth and develop additional marketable skills. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

One year ago, Erika rejoined Microsoft. Her own inspirational podcasts continue to be her side gig. Listen as she shares her journey with Amy, and if you are entering into, or are in the midst of a resume gap situation, perhaps you will gain some helpful insight today.

Topics in this episode:

• Realize that a resume gap is often a bigger deal to you than it is to a potential employer
• How to find ways to keep up to speed
• How to network and why it’s important
• When to start your own business if that’s your goal
• How you can turn frequent job moves and travel into a plus

Links:

• Erika Parker Price | LinkedIn
• About | Ready Pause Go

Luke Tonge studied graphic design at Falmouth University in Cornwall, England. He completed his studies in 2007, and he assumed he would find a good position immediately, but it didn’t happen that way. Even though he had written many letters of inquiry to design agencies, it wasn’t until a coworker at his hopefully temporary job at Woolworth’s offered to help him. She said her ex-husband was in graphic design and she could ask him to give special consideration to Luke’s CV at his agency. This kindness led to Luke’s first position as a graphic designer. Networking does pay off!

Luke was enthusiastic as he took on his first professional graphic design job. The agency was somewhat overwhelming as it was large and Luke was assigned many tasks which, as a neophyte, he had not expected to encounter. But the exposure to the firm’s many artistic endeavors gave him varied experiences that helped him narrow and refine his true design interests. It was in this way that he found he retained his youthful desire to work with poster and magazine design.

In order to do that sort of work, Luke began seeking side gigs. After three years or so of balancing his agency position with his outside work, Luke was ready to pivot. Not yet ready to go out on his own, he decided to change jobs. Not only did he move from one employer to another, but he also changed his bachelor status to that of married man. In doing so, he relocated to Birmingham. He was hired by another large agency which was similar in many ways to his previous firm. He continued though to expand his personal portfolio and his favorable reputation. His side work had also become more lucrative. But now the longer Luke stayed with the agency business, the more he realized his desire to work independently. Sometime during his seventh year at the Birmingham firm he determined the time had come to strike out on his own. Ten years at two large design agencies gave him the confidence to know he was capable.

Fortuitously on his final day with the Birmingham agency, he was offered a part-time visiting position at Birmingham City University. Although he had planned well and felt he could manage financially in his own fledgling business, the teaching job would provide a steady income stream to count on regularly. This reassurance prompted him to accept the offered position, though the idea of the act of teaching was daunting to him.

What followed was surprisingly fulfilling. After his initial tentative efforts, Luke found he enjoyed the type of interactions he had with students and faculty at Birmingham City University. He discovered teaching and consulting there to be rewarding. His new, independent freelance business was doing well too. His days were full, but now a third appealing opportunity presented itself. He became part of a team promoting, directing and encouraging art and cultural events in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. This work tied in readily with his professional projects as well as his educational duties at Birmingham City University.

How does he manage these three demanding facets to his career? He says it’s a constant balancing act, and he shares with Amy some of the habits needed to keep everything running smoothly. He describes himself as a “funlancer” rather than a “freelancer”. He believes that if you are following your passion, you will experience joy in your work. He is glad to share his thoughts on this with groups and individuals, and consequently Luke is often sought out as a speaker. He shares some of his career advice with Amy today, and you will want to listen to his story for some good tips if you’re considering freelancing yourself.

Topics in this episode:

• How networking proves vital and why you must “put yourself out there”
• How to build a case to yourself for a pivot out on your own
• Don’t disqualify yourself if asked if you are able do something
• How you can establish balance and boundaries
• Honing organizational skills and time management tips is essential
• How to prepare to take on work you may not want or like to do in order to advance
• How to plan your freelance work in order to maximize success
• Plan, think, and plan some more

Links:

• luketonge.com
• Luke Tonge | LinkedIn
• @luketonge on all social platforms

Today we’ll meet Sheila Murphy. Sheila always wanted to be a lawyer. As Sheila approached her college years, she elected to attend Binghamton University. She completed her coursework early there, so she worked for a year before starting at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. After earning her JD, she was ready to meet her early vocational goal. She was now an attorney.

Sheila went to work for the firm of Thacher, Proffitt and Wood, and with much consternation, became a litigator for them. She had a fear of public speaking and was certain she didn’t belong in the position, but she decided she had to give it a shot. To her surprise and relief, she became increasingly better at the work as time went on. Her successes gave her a new confidence and maturity, and she enjoyed her career at the firm until it was time for a change when she and her husband began their family.

Thus, Sheila’s first professional pivot came after the birth of her child. Though she loved her work, she found herself looking for another position that might be more accommodating to her family needs. She had established a sizable professional network, and she began searching out leads for an opportunity to take her career in the new direction she wanted. She found that opportunity at MetLife. There she worked again in litigation along with business advising and some oversight of regulatory attorneys. Her years there were both happy and fruitful as she once more gained great experience and learned from the work she did.

It was during these years that Sheila had a realization and epiphany that made a huge difference to her career. Listen as she recounts to Amy what occurred and how that event caused her to assert herself in her work and thus move forward professionally.

She spent many happy years there, but she began thinking about what she should do next. As she thought over her idea of a bold move, she began what she calls an “interview tour”. She networked with knowledgeable individuals to gain clarity and insight into her possibilities. She did a verbal needs assessment to see where her skills might best serve. Then she pondered the “what ifs”. “What if I decide to do this? How would I go about it?” She refined her list of possibilities and made the decision that she wanted to continue to work with other attorneys. She tested her business concepts on many of them and they gave her great feedback. Eventually she was ready to resign from MetLife and become her own boss with her own business.

Her business now focuses on working with two groups. The first group is comprised of women attempting to gain control over their careers. She helps them find their way to the next level and/or develop their own book of business. The second group is made up of business professionals who are not lawyers. They gain guidance on climbing their own career ladders and navigating the corporate climate. In her new role as a career coach, consultant and advisor, she is helping professionals shortcut those hurdles she maneuvered. She works to help her clients find their own path to forging the careers that they deserve. Though her life remains full of challenges, she says her happiness is now “through the roof”.

Topics in this episode:

• Methods for attracting clients to your business
• How to meticulously build career and business models
• How good networking strategies enhance a career
• How to plan for a successful outcome
• How self-evaluation is an important first step
• Why careful financial planning is essential before starting a business

Links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilamurphyfocusforward/
• focus-forward-consulting.com

Today Amy interviews David “Rev” Ciancio. This quick-paced episode is going to introduce you to a man who so far has gone from a motivated college radio station manager to a restaurant marketing guru and media influencer with 650,000 Instagram followers. Pay attention to how his ability to evaluate himself honestly has taken him far. His passion and energy will inspire you to get up and get going with your own career ASAP.

“Rev” as he’s known, went to Michigan State University and majored in communication and media studies as well as telecommunications and sociology. To make his parents happy he earned his degree, but his real desire was to be a DJ. He found a job at Michigan State’s East Lansing radio station and by the time he finished school, he was the station manager. He loved music so in 1996 after graduating, he began to work for another local Michigan station. He only stayed there four weeks realizing that working weekend nights for little pay was not what he wanted in a career.

He still enjoyed an appetite for the music business, so he found a job on the east coast promoting records for college radio stations. Eventually this led to interesting and fun employment with rock bands. He promoted and managed many of them over a period of 9 years or so, and was successful. Eventually he co-owned an agency with some like-minded friends. Over this period, he learned the recipe for steering bands to success. He tells Amy that successful talent learns and understands the business component of the music industry. After this long stretch of time, Rev made a decision. He knew he was not providing value at the level he wanted to since he could not always teach talent the concepts that were necessary for them to absorb in order to be successful. After some introspection, he realized it was time for another career pivot.

All along his career journey, Rev had kept his hands in several different businesses. He and some friends from the music business shared ownership in a New York establishment, and after shuttering the music promotion and management agency, he decided to invest more time in the bar venture. Another side gig he had going was a very popular blog he wrote about great hamburgers and where to find them. His blog, “Burger Conquest,” was one of the top 3 on the topic internationally. At the urging of friends, his wheels started turning. How could he utilize the skills and experience from his previous years as a music promoter to promote his bar and food interests? Rev explains how he brought it all together.

He found his many friends in the music business were delighted to patronize a bar that happily welcomed musicians and their supporters after performances. The place also hosted record release parties, and other music related events because of Rev’s close ties. Unfortunately, they closed after 6 years, but not without Rev consuming quite a few lessons to carry forward. Most importantly, he realized how skilled he was at marketing and branding. Learning this about himself changed the direction of his career because he realized he could apply his marketing talent to businesses other than his own bar. In the future, he would spend his time focusing on bars and restaurants, helping with brand awareness, acquisition and retention in marketing location-based hospitality.

Rev also explains the genesis of his current consulting busines. He was working as the Chief Marketing Officer of Single Platform, a software company when Trip Advisor bought out Single Platform. Initially Rev thought this might be a great thing for him because Trip Advisor was huge in comparison to Single Platform. Unfortunately in the shake up, Trip Advisor dismissed 60% of the senior staff at Single Platform and Rev was among the newly unemployed. Here again the occupationally agile David Ciancio reflexively pivoted. This was February of 2020, and he recalls the day’s events vividly to Amy. It was on that same day that he landed some a client as a hospitality marketing consultant, providing support for awareness, acquisition and retention for restaurants and software providers. This consultancy became the seed of his new and present business.

His latest venture was nurtured during the early months of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Thousands of restaurants have been tested during these challenging times. Those which have managed thus far to survive have specific problems to grapple with, and Rev is there with help and support. One major tool he has developed is a 4 week course for restaurant owners to give them solid strategies for surviving the current uncharted Covid waters.

Rev provides he insight on where the restaurant industry will go from here. Whatever happens to the future of the restaurant industry, count on David “Rev” Ciancio to be fully engaged. His passion for food and the establishments that serve it drive him every day. His career story is a testament to how finding and embracing your passion can propel your career forward even through an unforeseen future. Grab a snack and have a listen!

Topics in this episode:

• The importance of honest self-evaluation
• How to take calculated chances
• Why networking should be ongoing
• If you treat your work as a hobby, it will pay like a hobby
• Don’t linger; know when to move on

Links:

• yeahmanagement.com
• Instagram: @Fun with Fries; @RevCiancio
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/revciancio/

In this solo episode, Amy gives advice on how to answer the job interview question, “What is your greatest weakness?” Many people have a hard time answering this question. You might be thinking “Won’t sharing one of my weaknesses put me out of the running for the job?” or “Would it better just to say I don’t have any weaknesses?” How about answering with a weakness that is really a strength? Amy addresses these concerns and more in this episode. She also shares a simple formula for answering this question, so you can prepare for interviews ahead of time. Two complete sample answers are provided.

Topics in this episode:

• Why interviewers like to ask about weaknesses
• Why it’s important to prepare for job interviews
• Two sample answers to the question “What is your greatest weakness?”
• A formula for answering the question “What is your greatest weakness?”

Thom King is like some of the other guests we’ve met in our series of interviews. He is a career explorer-an adventurous soul who sees lots of possibilities and isn’t afraid to take a side road if it looks promising.

He initially worked in broadcasting. Eventually he managed 5 radio stations and this led to a position with Clear Channel. There he became the regional vice president of sales for the integrated marketing and online division of Clear Channel Worldwide. Though anyone would think he was following a great career path at this point, Thom was yet to feel fulfilled and discover his passion.

One evening he was with a friend who had just returned from South America. His friend asked him if he’d like to sample some of a sticky green paste he had brought back with him. Thom was game, and this was his introduction to stevia (stevia rebaudiana), a plant native to Paraguay. Thom became curious about how he might introduce this more natural alternative sweetener into the market, so he began playing with formulations at home every free moment he had. You will hear Thom describe why he was convinced stevia would prove to be a superior product.

As he progressed, he found himself immersed and driven. What he was doing was far more engaging to him than the broadcasting and sales work he was doing during his “real” daytime job. As he tells us, his interest and involvement became a “rabbit hole”. He was more and more involved in learning about, and experimenting with stevia. Eventually, he felt ready to start a retail brand.

Initially he had to sell his products as supplements as stevia had not yet been approved by the FDA. This meant he could not market it as a sweetener to be displayed with other sugar/sugar-like products. Determined, he went from store to store to do product demos to gain wider exposure. He actually used home recipes and sample baked goods to promote his products at demos.

When at long last the FDA finally approved stevia, the possibilities for Steviva, King’s brand, opened up. The journey to that point had been long and hard though. He tells Amy there were plenty of times he wanted to quit, but unlike anything else he’d done, this business had given him purpose. He had found career fulfillment.

But at one point as his star rose, he felt he needed to “walk the walk and talk the talk”. He was enjoying the good life and packing on pounds. He was advocating for healthier living through use of his products, yet he himself was overweight. It was time for a lifestyle change. He examined what he needed to do by collecting data on his habits and journaling his daily food intake. After a year making modifications to what he was putting into his body, he had lost the extra 35 lbs. he’d been carrying. He decided to turn his journal, and Guy Gone Keto was the result. It was popular, and for a short time, was a best seller on Amazon. The book also lent the extra benefit of boosting sales of his stevia products, and gave Thom “expert” status to those who were inspired by what he had shared with them.

Thom King has lots of good advice to share with listeners about pivoting from work that is seemingly mundane to that which one finds exciting and inspirational. You will want to stick around to hear how his open mind, curiosity and marketing skills have led him to self-growth and a harmonious relationship with his world.

Topics in this episode:

• On career happiness: how to create your own “hour of power”
• How to meditate with intention
• Why personal data collection and journaling are important tools for personal growth
• Why giving back and philanthropy matter
• How harmony makes us feel fulfilled and some ways we might achieve harmony in our own lives.
• How writing a book has helped his business

Links:

• guygoneketo.com
• Guy Gone Keto on social media platforms
• iconfoods.com

Theresa Bradford pivots from scientific field work to parenthood to high school teaching. She has found all three stages of her life to be fulfilling and today will tell you why. Currently she is greatly enjoying her role as a high school teacher, even during the pandemic.

Theresa graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in crop and soil environmental science and an accompanying minor in geology. Her desire was to work outdoors with soil applications. She did several jobs for her first 3 years out of school, the most interesting of which was a stint with the AmeriCorps Program.

AmeriCorps is a voluntary civil society program that matches adults with public service projects.  As part of an AmeriCorps endeavor, Theresa worked in New Hampshire at Lake Winnipesaukee on a watershed project. She did adult education and water monitoring and in addition to a lot of new experience, she received a living stipend for her efforts. The work was also a great addition to her resume.

Following this field work, she found something closer to home in Virginia. She began a job in community development and enjoyed the interaction with others involved, learning in this way about several fields related to her own. But soon, another career came into view, and she followed a new path.

Theresa and her husband started a family. They determined they wanted to be hands-on parents and so Theresa ended her formal employment, and for twelve years, she became a stay-at-home mom. This pivot is one that we often see and is one that everyone approaches in their own way. For Theresa, she became totally immersed. Once the children were old enough, though, she began to explore the job market once again.

A friend suggested that she try substitute teaching. With a degree but no teaching credentials, she gave subbing in an elementary school a try. This was not her cup of tea, but she liked working with junior high age students better. Finally, she moved into subbing at the high school level. Here she felt at home and decided to move forward with credentialing and a master’s degree. In her third year now, she has a lot of enthusiasm, and a big challenge. Working with students during the pandemic has proven to be quite an experience for students as well as their fledgling teacher. She can see how different learning modalities impact student learning. All the same, she’s enjoying her latest career and its challenges, and though she liked what she did in her post undergrad years, she would not go back.

Theresa advises to research thoroughly when you are pivoting. She says it’s important to talk to people and get out in the field to observe and/or experience. She says that perspective is important. To be able to see things from every angle makes all the difference.

Topics in this episode:

• If parenting is in your life plan, there is more than one way to do it and still have a career
• How parenting can provide meaningful job experience
• How the Covid-19 pandemic has affected teaching and learning
• How testing the waters can help you to refine your preferences
• How continued academic studies and experience can sharpen perspective

This is a great story for neophyte entrepreneurs. If you are fearful of striking out on your own, or if you believe there are no new niches to develop in the current marketplace, think again. These motivated co-founders will explain how hard work, a strong sense of responsibility and a passion for creating an outstanding customer service environment can take a committed young entrepreneur a long way.

First, let’s introduce Miles Adams. Miles received his undergraduate education at George Washington University with majors in Economics and History. He followed up with an MA in International Relations at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). His first jobs in banking and consulting left him unfulfilled and uninspired, so he began the hunt for something that would excite him. He thought he might be interested in becoming involved with a startup, thus he began to research. He ended up networking with a couple of British entrepreneurs who offered him a position with their startup cremation business, Tulip Cremation. Miles became their operations manager with no previous experience, but with an abundance of enthusiasm. He was impressed by Tulip’s commitment to customer service as well as their desire to restructure pricing and to challenge similar but outmoded business models. The company was eventually bought, and Miles moved on to create his own cremation business. He had absorbed a great deal and was confident he was now ready to begin a startup of his own.

Max Lemper-Tabatsky started out consulting after he finished school at Connecticut College where he majored in Economics and Sociology. He met Miles when they were consultants for the same company. Max, too, felt that consulting work was underwhelming. And while Miles moved on to the cremation startup, Max thought he wanted to travel for a while and explore other possible opportunities. He was looking for something that offered more mobility, and would draw on his creativity and need for independence. He wanted work that would lend itself to personal growth. He left his steady job for those purposes, but then Covid-19 hit. His immediate travel plans needed to change. He got in touch with Max and well, as you’ll hear, the rest is very recent history.

Together Miles and Max, with their company Loyal, have reimagined a business that many don’t like to think about. It is also one that up until lately, has not changed much in many years. As Max says, “It isn’t sexy.” But with fresh eyes, some newly acquired experience and knowledge of modern technology, Miles and Max have created a new niche in an old industry. With the unfortunate onset of the pandemic, they are now truly utilizing their skills to help many families deal with the end of life process for a loved one.

They both pivoted early on in their careers into jobs they now find fulfilling and challenging. Listen to them describe how their business has caused them to stretch, grow and learn. You will be energized by their enthusiasm and sincerity. Listen to this success story and you might come to believe there’s a place for you too somewhere in today’s new e-commerce world.

Topics in this episode:

• Why making mistakes early can be a good thing
• How to choose a business partner for the right reasons
• How mindfulness can help your business
• The importance of synergy in working relationships and with customers
• How e-commerce can revitalize old industries when you think outside the box
• What does it take to move out of your safety zone?

Links:

www.trustloyal.com

www.oaktreememorials.com

@LoyalMemorials on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-lemper-tabatsky-10a35b69/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesmadams/

Today Amy sits down with Mary Anne Hardy to discuss the relatively new area of Patient Advocacy. Mary Anne details her journey through a variety of health care roles which, over time, prepared her to begin a patient advocacy business.  

Mary Anne attended Oberlin College in Ohio. She majored in chemistry with the intention of becoming a doctor. Although she received an A.B., her grades were not strong enough to warrant moving on to medical school, so she made the decision to take two more years of classes to achieve a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

Her first job as a nurse was working in a hospital unit dedicated to patients suffering from postpartum depression and other pregnancy related problems. Following that, she worked in adolescent medicine for a short time before taking a position helping women with high-risk pregnancies. These early experiences helped her decide to focus her career on preventive medicine as she saw that patients could greatly benefit if they received earlier intervention. After doing some serious research, Mary Anne chose to study for a Master’s in Public Health. She enrolled in the highly regarded Public Health Program at Johns Hopkins University where she completed her degree. Shortly after, she and her husband made a move to New Jersey.  

She began a search for a new position. Using word of mouth, she let her contacts know she was looking for something in the public health field. In discussing her history with her new doctor, she mentioned she was looking for a position suited to her skills. Her doctor suggested she should call someone she knew at the New Jersey Health Department about a new position there that might be of interest to her. She landed the job, and it was as a Community Coordinator for a Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Program. Again, she had a great learning experience, but after a year, she and her husband returned to the Washington, D.C. area.  

This time Mary Anne would find a position as a nurse-consultant for a health information service. This was an early version of what would later become known as “patient advocacy”.  Working in this position provided her with an introduction to what patient advocacy was all about. Mary Anne found that she had missed working with people one-on-one and this position gave her the opportunity to return to that gratifying role. She was highly successful in assisting her patients navigate through their difficult decisions. She often expedited red tape and helped with difficult communications. She wanted her patients to understand all aspects of their case as fully as possible so they could make sound decisions. The job also gave Mary Anne a look into corporate culture. She was able to observe and learn about the business of health advocacy.  

After 7 or 8 years, the company’s business model changed, and Mary Anne moved on to work with the Lupus Foundation as a health educator. The patients she worked with there often had rare and/or complicated diagnoses. These cases presented Mary Anne with more difficult challenges and tested her ability to really assist with problematic casework. Again, she learned a lot from her work and her focus on her career continued to sharpen. But as often happens with working mothers, it was that time when Mary Anne felt the need to stay home with her children, and she did so for 11 years. 

Returning to work after her time at home found her involved with the FDA and reviewing/ evaluating medical devices. In this position, she helped patients who had problems learning to use their particular device. Sometimes they had questions and sometimes there were malfunctions. Mary Anne was able to assist the patient and also give accurate feedback to the FDA about issues her patients encountered. She enjoyed once more working with individuals and advocating for them. Mary Anne was now at a point of much experience. She knew she wanted to pivot into a business all her own where she helped individuals navigate the often confusing and circuitous route to confident medical decision making that many people could not do alone. She wanted to build her own patient advocacy practice and she wanted to take all she had learned in her career to provide the best services possible.  

Mary Anne describes to Amy the many steps she has taken to build such a business, and the many services she performs to help her clients. From attending doctors’ appointments to working with her clients and their families virtually, Mary Anne describes how the many services she provides help her clients to benefit fully from the healthcare provisions available to them. For many listeners, patient advocacy may be a health-related field they were previously unaware of. For others, it will be a lesson on how to prepare meticulously to open a business as a service provider. Either way, listening to the career journey of Mary Anne Hardy might very well provide you with some inspiration for your own career planning.  

Topics in this episode:  

• The importance of “putting away” your work at night  
• How to use a variety of methods such as meditation to destress  
• How relocating often can be disruptive but it also offers opportunities
• The value of networking and media exposure  
• Evaluating if you are cut out to work for yourself  
• How to be flexible when building a business during a pandemic   

Links:

www.montgomeryhealthadvocates.com 

As They Became Seniors, They Started Businesses for Them - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryannehardy/