About

My preparation as a career counselor actually began with 18 years in business development and marketing supporting companies ranging from AT&T to the American Cancer Society. 

These years were filled with interesting projects and people. I learned a lot about how to uncover company needs, identify and communicate value, and navigate the workplace. I made good money. But life changes. I became increasingly dissatisfied as my career grew farther away from my values and family needs.

It took a lot of soul searching and research to figure out what to do next. I knew I still loved so much about my field, but I yearned for more flexibility, meaning and personal connection.

My first step was to recognize and honor my lifelong interest in personal development and counseling. Then I considered my fascination with what kinds of people fit into the range of roles and industries I had witnessed in my career. I also thought about the ways I had always successfully helped friends and family with their resumes and interviews, the natural result of my years of experience marketing products and services. Then I took a few graduate level classes to experiment with my options.

And you know where I landed! Career counseling is the fascinating intersection of psychology, marketing strategy and business acumen in the dynamic mix of economic and social trends. Even though I certainly have my bad days and bad moments, I can't imagine myself doing anything else since completing my master's degree while working full time and opening my practice in 2006. 

I deeply appreciate the highly individualistic nature of this work. Over the past 18 years in private practice, I've worked with hundreds of clients in hundreds of professions and industries, leaving, entering, and developing their careers in organizations ranging from startups, nonprofits and family businesses to Fortune 50 companies. I can testify that every career and job seeker's challenges and career change strategy is unique.

That's why while I implement the best practices of career transition (self-exploration, research, targeting, story telling, goal setting and the "inner game") I am committed to being an agile and resourceful practitioner. I add to my tool chest continuously through ongoing professional development.   

I'm also committed to being out in the workplace. In addition to individual career counseling and career and job search workshops, I also provide corporate outplacement and talent acquisition consulting to keep me in close touch with local employers. 

But every person is larger than their job. I'm also a wife, mother, volunteer, spiritual seeker, and enthusiastic hiker, baker, and biker. 

And there's one other thing you should know about me. I believe that meaningful productivity (paid or unpaid) is redemptive – and that work is a basic human right. Consequently, I donate a regular portion of my practice income to local nonprofits such as Crossroads House, Goodwill, Future In Sight, and The Krempels Center that offer career development and job search support to community members who lack the resources to pay for private career counseling.