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