What I Learned From A Week On My Own

What I Learned From A Week On My Own

career coaching, updates
By Erin Ewart For the past week I've been on my own. My husband and kids went out of town, and I stayed behind to work and finish prepping for a trip we have coming up. The cat and dog are staying with family - so I was truly on my own, for the longest stretch in over nine years.  That's right: for the first time in almost a decade I had a whole week with no one to wake up, feed, take on walks, put to bed, drop off, pick up, or clean up after.  No one else. Just me.  Everyone I shared this with had the same reaction: their eyes got wide and they asked “what are you going to DO?!”  And I did a lot! I checked…
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Our Top 5 Summer Career Reads

Our Top 5 Summer Career Reads

career coaching, job search, LinkedIn, networking, strategy
By Erin Ewart Summer's here and we know you're probably ready to kick back with a page turner or an easy beach read. But along with those purely-for-fun books, we encourage you to spend a little time this summer reflecting on your career or building your skills with some of our favorite new career reads. 1. If you're ready to boost your management skills with an equity lens: Management in a Changing World: How to Manage for Equity, Sustainability, and Results by Jakada Imani, Monna Wong, and Bex Ahuja. This book from the team at The Management Center gathers some of their best tools and techniques specifically geared toward managers and leaders working toward social change. 2. If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's career dream and start chasing your…
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Announcing Our Summer Coaching Specials!

Announcing Our Summer Coaching Specials!

career coaching, strategy, updates
By Erin Ewart Summer is a time when many people put their career plans on pause. “I’ll pick this back up in the fall,” we often hear from potential clients.  But summer is actually a great time to focus on your career. Hiring is still happening and you'll have less competition this time of year as other job seekers take time off. And even if you aren't planning to make a career move until later in the year, this is the time to get prepared so you're not starting from scratch in the fall.  Summer is a time when we all need a little more flexibility, and we’re excited to share that we’re offering THREE special coaching programs this summer to help you keep your momentum going and get the…
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Staying Focused on Your Career During Down Times is Critical – Here’s Why

Staying Focused on Your Career During Down Times is Critical – Here’s Why

career coaching, job search, strategy
By Erin Ewart With more layoffs in the news recently, it might feel like the outlook for hiring right now is bleak. If you're currently job searching, this may be creating anxiety and making you wonder how long it may take to land something new, or how much you'll need to compromise. And if you're unhappy in your current role, you might think it makes sense to hunker down and stay put until the economy improves instead of looking for something new. These are valid concerns during challenging economic times. And the reality is that despite all the predictions out there, no one knows for sure what this year will bring. When times are tough, it can seem logical to put off thinking about your career and just focus on…
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The Power of Rest

The Power of Rest

career coaching, strategy, updates
By Erin Ewart If there's one thing we’ve learned these past few years, it's that rest is essential to persist through the challenges life consistently throws at us. Especially for those of us working in social impact, it's important to find a balance between taking action and supporting others and taking care of ourselves. And yet it can feel hard and scary to actually take a break, even when you know deep down it’s what you need.  That was true for me when I was planning my sabbatical - I knew it was absolutely what I wanted and the right thing to do, but it was still terrifying to think about stepping away from my business for an extended period of time.  I feel so fortunate that I was able…
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We’re Turning 8! And Taking a Break

We’re Turning 8! And Taking a Break

updates
By Erin Ewart 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…
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2022 Update On Our Anti-Racism Commitments

2022 Update On Our Anti-Racism Commitments

updates
By Erin Ewart One year ago I shared a post outlining our 2021 anti-racism commitments, and I’m writing today with an update on how we’re doing and what we’ll be focused on in the year ahead.  Why I’m sharing this update One of our organizational values is Trust & Transparency, and I believe this is especially important when we are talking about this work.  I want to share where we’ve made progress along with the places we’ve struggled or not met our goals. This work is an ongoing journey and commitment and we have a lot to learn from each other, which can only happen when we share transparently.  For clients who may be considering working with us, I want you to know that we are committed to creating inclusive,…
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Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions (And What I Do Instead)

Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions (And What I Do Instead)

career coaching, strategy
By Erin Ewart How’s that fresh start going for you?  I don’t know about you, but I’ve had lots of ups and downs this first week of the new year: bursts of energy and motivation as well as exhaustion and mental fog.  Coming back from time off is always challenging, and I tried to cut myself some slack and go easy on my schedule this week (which I’m immensely grateful for).  But one thing I haven’t done this week is set New Year’s resolutions. There are a few reasons why:  I haven’t had time: December was busy wrapping up for the year, and my holiday break was very full with two young kids at home full-time. So while I did start to capture a few ideas (more on this below),…
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The Power of Reconnecting With What You Love

The Power of Reconnecting With What You Love

career coaching
By Erin Ewart This past weekend I ran my first race in over three years. It was something I used to do a few times a year in the time I think of as BC: before Covid and before having my second child. And while my husband jokingly said that for me and most of the other runners it wasn’t really a "race" since we had no chance of winning, I disagree. I certainly wasn’t in it to win it, but I was racing against myself and trying to prove that I could get back out there after several years of de-prioritizing my own health and fitness. It did make me wonder though: why did almost 8,000 people join me on Sunday to get up at the crack of dawn…
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You Don’t Need To Have It All Figured Out

You Don’t Need To Have It All Figured Out

career story, strategy, updates
By Erin Ewart Seven years ago this week, I stepped into the unknown and started my first independent consulting project. At the time, I thought I’d just be doing a few projects as I looked for my next full-time role; I had no idea that I was planting the seeds of what would become Careers for Social Impact and the next chapter of my career. Looking back, there were a few hints I might go in this direction: I went to business school, and from time to time I’d imagined it would be fun to start a coffee shop or wine bar (not a career coaching business!). But did I actually have a concrete goal to launch a small business seven years ago? No. Did I have a business plan? No. Did…
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