Career Coach and Life Coach Lisa Renee Anderson, MA

Lisa has helped me take an idea that I have dreamed about for years—improve education back home in Ghana–and bring it into the realm of reality . . .Her deep listening and reflective conversation allowed me to articulate my goal… Lisa is a provocateur. She provokes and challenges you to dig deeper within you until you put your finger on it . . . The most wonderful thing about Lisa is that, when all is said and done, I feel I have done it myself. Now, that is real coaching! “July 06 update: I have Lisa to “blame” for helping me bring my dream into the realm of reality. I have launched an organization,Partnership for Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education in Ghana (PAMBE-Ghana) , whose goal is to establish a new, alternative approach to promote mother tongue and bilingual literacy in the Ghana education system. The dream is to start with one preschool class. Then add a new class and new teachers every year up to Grade 6 level.Updates: April 07: received 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. First pre-school class to start September 2008. July 07: Moving to Ghana in August ! Aug 07: She’s there! June 09: first pre-school class graduated. Nov 10: 90 students and growing. 2016 Update: Our school has grown in these 8 years to encompass 16 teachers, a head of school, 200+ students — all thriving in a campus of 7 classrooms, a kitchen, offices, a library and computer lab. The fist students who started in 2008 are now graduating into junior high school (which we hope to have ready by fall).

I came to Lisa unsure about the next step for my career. I had completed quite a bit of education but I felt I was at a dead end on how I could utilize my schooling. Lisa helped me realize how valuable my education and skills were. She helped me identify which types of jobs I would be good at and best of all ones that I would enjoy. I soon began networking and several months later I landed the job of my dreams.Lisa was supportive but challenged me constantly to set high goals for myself. Lisa has been an amazing help on my career path.

I was stuck. That’s the best way to describe it. My chosen industry (newspapers) was slowly dying and very few companies anywhere were hiring.I had stayed in my comfortable job for far too long. I was no longer passionate about what I was doing, and it showed. The quality of my work was adequate, but I was by no means a star. Had I been more inspired, I might have been able to do the work that would allow me to write my own ticket. But I wasn’t doing that. My work no longer felt like a calling. It was just a job.My job paid well, gave me good benefits and rarely required more than 40 hours a week. I realize, now, I was a little too comfortable. With no promotions or other job opportunities on the horizon, I had no incentive to work harder. I could continue showing up, collecting paychecks and feeling slightly unfulfilled indefinitely.

Still, there was something nagging me to get out. About once a year these feelings would overwhelm me and I’d launch a job search. Then summer would come, I’d lose my motivation after one too many rejection letters or I’d simply decide I was happy enough where I was.

After several unsuccessful rounds of this, I called Lisa. She came highly recommended from a colleague who had managed to execute her own escape from the newspaper industry. On a whim, my wife and I both signed up. To read the rest scroll to the end.

Being cynical newspaper people, we were both a little skeptical about the whole career coaching concept. We were not the type of people who frequented the self help section of bookstores, and the idea seemed a little bit too “Oprah-esque. But we told ourselves we’d buy into the program, wholeheartedly. After all, my current strategy was obviously not working.

While my wife had almost instant success with Lisa, it took me a little longer. I spent a lot of time asking myself what I really wanted to do with the rest of my life. After all, I hadn’t thought about those kinds of big issues since college, a decade earlier.

This was the first area where Lisa really helped me. I had taken “What Color Is Your Parachute”-type tests before and always felt frustrated by the results. I’d be left with a list of potential jobs, but I had no idea whether they were really right for me. Lisa helped me draft a description of my ideal job. It’s amazing how closely my new job resembles that description.

By encouraging me to do informational interviews, Lisa helped me build the web of contacts that would eventually lead me to my new career.

She gave me the confidence to approach anyone. Instead of blindly sending in cover letters and resumes, I was targeting the jobs and employers I wanted. For the first time I really understood the meaning of the word “networking.” People wanted to help me find a job, and the more people I added to my network, the greater my chances of finding something.

Lisa was invaluable in helping me keep up the momentum. In the past, I had always run out of steam, but with her there pushing me forward there was no giving up. And I was able to use her as a sounding board.

At one point, I found a job that was almost right for me. Left to my own devices, I might have been more confused about the opportunity, but with Lisa there, I knew instantly that it was not the perfect match.

When I finally did find the job that was right for me, Lisa shared in my celebration, and with good reason. In the three months we spent together, she became nearly as invested in the job search as me.

And that skepticism I had in the beginning? That didn’t last. I’ve become a convert to the idea of career counseling, and I don’t think I’ll ever undertake another job search without Lisa by my side.

When I started working with Lisa some 8 months ago I knew there were things in my life I needed to change. I was very unhappy with where I was in terms of my career. Upon awaking up each morning my first thoughts were about how depressing the day was going to be. I felt like I was wasting my life while my talents were going to waste, unused. I knew I wanted bigger and better things for myself along with the ability to substantially provide for my family. I also wanted to have the satisfaction of doing things on a professional level which were personally rewarding, as well as financially rewarding.While I knew the destination I wanted to arrive at, I was lacking a roadmap. I knew I had the unending support of my wife and family to follow my dreams and ‘just make things happen’. But everywhere I turned I ran into brick walls and dead ends. Fueled by the external recessionary environment I felt like I was not going anywhere, not building, not moving. Something had to change.

Together with Lisa I worked on building that roadmap. We sharpened my thoughts on destination – ‘where I wanted to go’, and then went building the map – what tools will I need to get there, where will I get those tools, what will I do with those tools once I have them. By clarifying what I wanted in my life, and what my ultimate goals were, I was able to build a set of primary goals to focus and work on which were then broken up into manageable tasks to be completed on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis. Using these goals as an always-updating guide I have been able to get closer to achieving my goals.

Along with defining my goals I learned many personal skills. At this point I am using my newly formed skills on a daily basis. Whether it be at a networking event where I use my relationship building (“small talk”) skills to make contacts (and am no longer shy to do so), or using time management techniques to ensure that I get the most out of every possible hour. Also, together with Lisa I was able to focus my complete attention to the ‘need to haves’ in my life and ensure that it is those things that I am working towards.

It’s a long process, and I am still far from where I want to be. But now thanks to Lisa I have the confidence and skills that will enable me to get there. I now wake up with excitement and anticipation knowing that ‘today could be the day, big things can happen’. I feel more guided and focused, optimistic, and much more confident. I know I am on the way to achieving my life goals.

Hi Lisa. Happy new year!

I wanted to let you know on December 9 I started a job with Bank of XXXX Financial. I even got a 7K pay increase and 4 weeks vacation!

As you may recall my main concern was preserving my income and I felt I might best do that by sticking to claims. You encouraged me to pursue what I really wanted, training. At XXXX I am a trainer working with the sales side of the bank (lenders).

I know I have you to thank. Without your help with my resume, job scan, LinkedIn, and overall coaching I would have never known how to highlight my 15 years in training on paper so that I could get through the computer systems and get noticed. It took 5 interviews at XXX but in the end I landed the job of my dreams!

Thank you for everything! Best of luck in 2020!