My parents arrived in NYC in the 70’s – difficult years for the city. And much like the city they adopted, which transformed and reinvented itself many times over, they showed me that it was possible to personally reinvent yourself. They cultivated my relentless curiosity of people and the world around me, along with my independent streak and appreciation of things off the beaten path. These have all served to shape my life’s work.
From my early interests in the sciences and math, to my curiosity about languages, the performing arts and esoteric subjects like magic and astrology, my journey of reinvention has had a circuitous path. Working in my parents’ textile business exposed me to the complexities of running a business, working with artists and designers while also teaching me about costume design and the world of fashion designers. Rather than follow the road already traveled by others and become a doctor or a lawyer as my parents preferred for me, my journey included more experimentation – opportunities presented themselves to me to teach English, to work in television production, work as a paralegal and, later, as a marketer. Running through these experiments was my desire to find a career that would incorporate all parts of me. This led to my pursuit of a counseling psychology degree with a focus on career development. Throughout this journey, I have met and interviewed wonderful people who have helped clear a path for me as I made these transitions and have helped me refine my interview skills – one of my superpowers.
The next twenty years took me from designing vocational programs to leading global talent acquisition for a fortune 100 company and to being an entrepreneur. These experiences reinforced the value of curiosity, being open to new ideas and being willing to take a non-traditional approach to solving problems. One of the highlights of my career was leading a cross-functional initiative to incorporate marketing tools into recruitment. Now only did it require some risk taking, but it forced me into the role of learner and novice since I had little experience in market research. I was fortunate to have partnered with a strategic marketer who was only too happy to have a new student. This is just one of many examples where being an expert was irrelevant. Throughout my entire career, I have received coaching from wonderful informal and formal mentors and have had the opportunity to offer it as well. It is hard to underestimate the impact these conversations had on me and it has made me become more passionate about helping individuals find their mission. My approach to solving problems is integrative and wholistic and it incorporates many tools including non-traditional ones like astrology, meditation and Taoism. Given the radical changes being driven by automation and AI, we will need this wholistic view so we can help individuals unleash their tremendous creativity and potential and help them thrive with change.