"I moved to Chicago in August of 2018, and continued working for the company I had been with in Atlanta - only now I was remote. I loved it at first; setting my own hours, working at my own pace, leading my own projects. However, as the year progressed, I found myself questioning my career path and questioning whether this was something I truly wanted to continue doing. Should I find something more permanent in Chicago? Was this even the industry (digital marketing) I wanted to continue in? What is it that I can really be good at? It being my first job out of college, I had a lot of questions and not a lot of internal grounding.

Meeting with Gina and working through her Career Vision Guide really opened my eyes to her gift. She asked me about my current work and personal goals and pretty immediately tuned in to who I am both personally and professionally. As a female in the business world, I find myself questioning the way I process things and whether I have a 'strong' enough leadership style. Gina opened my eyes to the fact that 'quiet leadership' and 'feminine leadership' should not be overlooked, but are essential components of the workplace. Even more, she pointed out that I should be honoring my true self and enhance that to truly excel. Gina has a quality about her that is both worldly and mystical. She could sense my personality along with details I didn't verbalize. I really felt like she understood who I was without me having to explain myself away. As a perfectionist, I can be intensely hard on myself and find myself in paralysis by analysis. Gina had me take a step back and realize that not everything needs to be perfect; that a lot of beauty if actually lost in the pursuit of perfection. To test this out, Gina suggested I give some things my 60% instead of my 100%. It has been so freeing, and I've found myself with a lot more space to think clearly about my long-term vision instead of obsessing over every detail.

Right now, 5 weeks later, I'm still working for the same company, but I've taken solid steps to find a good fit - a true fit - in the city. Meeting with Gina gave me the confidence to trust my gut and pursue opportunities that make sense for who I am. In the right conditions, I am creative, tireless, and inspired, and I'm excited to find the right fit in my next role. Gina closed with us defining a word of the year, a word that would encompass my 2019 Career Vision. I was drawn to 'thrive,' because it's a word that is less about perfection and more about natural, organic, yet exponential growth. I trust myself to thrive this year. Thank you, Gina!"