We're Turning 8! And Taking a Break
Next month (June 16th to be exact!) marks our eight year business anniversary. That was the day I began my first independent consulting project, starting down the path to what would become Careers for Social Impact.
Reaching this point feels like a huge milestone. Over the past eight years we’ve run 24 group programs and over 50 public events and workshops.
We’ve rebranded, relocated, defined our values, and built an amazing team. We’ve supported over 4,000 people through our coaching programs and events, and we’ve built an alumni community network of hundreds of social impact changemakers who continue to support each other in their careers.
And most importantly, we’ve made a meaningful impact on the lives and careers of so many people who are making our world a better place.
I could not be more grateful to everyone who has helped us achieve this impact over the last eight years: our team, our clients, and our many supporters.
Starting and growing this business has been an incredible experience full of joy, challenge, and lots of learning. It’s been exhilarating, and at times exhausting. Over the last three years, I’ve had my second child, moved across the country, and of course, navigated through the pandemic with small kids and a business to run.
Just like for all of us, the last few years have been a lot. While there have been many bright spots along the way, I can tell that I have dipped deep into my reservoirs of energy and resilience, and that it’s time to refill them.
So I’m excited to share that as I approach my eighth year of leading Careers for Social Impact, I will be honoring and celebrating this accomplishment by taking a sabbatical this summer to rest, reflect, and reconnect with the things that light me up.
In the coming weeks I will be transitioning aspects of my current work to other members of the team in preparation for this time away, and we will be modifying and streamlining our services this summer to enable our team to also take some much-deserved time off.
As we prioritize rest this summer, there will still be several ways to work with us:
Our Job Search Bootcamp course will continue to be available as a resource and will be the primary way for new clients to work with us during this time. This self-paced program will allow you to work on your job search wherever and whenever it works for you this summer! Participants in this program will also be invited to join our private client community and will have the option to add 1:1 coaching sessions with our team.
We will offer a limited number of 1:1 coaching sessions this summer to support our current and past clients. We’ll be sharing more details about how to schedule these sessions in a follow up message to our clients.
I will also be leading a small group coaching series in June through Tide Risers, a women’s leadership community, which is a way to work with me directly prior to my sabbatical.
If you are interested in working with us later this year, please join our interest list for group or individual coaching and we will follow up with more details when we’re ready to resume these programs. Over the next few weeks we'll also be highlighting some other terrific coaches and programs you can check out this summer.
While I’m excited to take this time off, I’ll be honest that it also feels a little scary. My usual reaction to success is that we should do more - offer more programs, support more people - not less. I’m finding I have to actively work to resist that impulse, along with the urge to set specific “sabbatical goals” and a detailed schedule for my time off.
It feels a bit unsettling to have a big chunk of time that is unplanned, with no specific results or outcomes tied to it. But that’s the whole point - to create space for new ideas and growth. So despite the uncertainties (they will always be there!), I am choosing to trust my gut, which is telling me that taking a break is what I need to really recharge.
I know that this time away will help me think more creatively about what’s next. And as we continue to experience unprecedented changes in the world of work, I’m excited to re-envision the role we can play in helping mission-driven professionals grow in their careers.
Thank you again for your support of our work and for helping us reach this eight year milestone. I wish you a restful summer and look forward to sharing my learnings and insights when I return!