Career Transition Case Study: From Farm Owner to Special Education Consultant

Career Transition Case Study: From Farm Owner to Special Education Consultant

"I have returned to being that driven and motivated woman I knew I was capable of being".

When Melissa found us, she was very confused about where she should take her career next. She generally considered herself very motivated and professionally driven—someone who would never need a career coach—so this was a very uncomfortable place to find herself in! 

Melissa had been an entrepreneur for 15 years, working in the innovative farming industry, and found it very difficult to figure out what to do next. She had some general ideas of career paths she was interested in exploring, had read books like What Color is Your Parachute, and had taken career matching tests online, but they weren’t offering her meaningful insights relative to her particular situation with all of its moving parts.

Prior to investing her time, energy, and money into the program, Melissa’s biggest concern was whether she could justify the expense and whether she would be rushed through the process just to get it done quickly. She was pleased to learn she could co-create a pace that worked with her lifestyle.

When Melissa did make the decision to invest herself, she was ready for a clean slate and to pivot into a completely different direction. However, she was stuck figuring out how to translate skills gained from her past career into a completely unrelated field and felt daunted, thinking she might need to start at square one. 

Through the Career Clarity Method, we were able to leverage her career successes, skills, specialties, and talents towards something greater and identified what she wants to bring into her next role as well as those she doesn’t (even if she is good at them).

In the Explore & Refine phase of the program, we were able to tease apart the idea of a possible career from what it might actually look like. We could blatantly see how much her values had changed over the years and realized that her next step needed to support her need for financial security and good work/life balance.

Melissa shares, "The most impactful part of the process was discovering my core strengths and transferable skills and identifying my personal and professional values. I had been operating on a lot of outdated assumptions, and the coaching process really helped by challenging my beliefs." 

With a clear understanding of what she’s naturally good at, we can now see which skills she’d need to develop moving forward. She shares, "Because Kori didn’t know me in my past professional life, she was able to offer really wise and unbiased insights. I have a solid foundation now and have returned to being that driven and motivated woman I knew I was capable of being."

With her newfound clarity, she decided to go back to school to gain a Master's degree in Cognitive Science in Education. This would be a step towards fulfilling her goal of working in Product Design to support diverse learners, something very near and dear to her heart.

She applied to two Ivy League graduate schools and got accepted to both programs, along with some funding! She simultaneously launched her own Special Education consultancy company while pursuing her graduate studies to fill gaps in her technical skill set, develop professional connections, and create job opportunities in her new field.

Melissa was finally able to find closure, acceptance, and meaning in the value of her professional past. She says, "I needed to do this work in order to free up the mental and emotional bandwidth to figure out where I wanted to go next." She feels like she’s reconnected with her motivated self and is back on the path to successful, fulfilling, and well—paying work.

Melissa’s recommendation for those considering the Purpose Driven Career program is, "I would recommend this program for those looking to approach their career change creatively, even if what they are looking to do isn’t exactly a creative field. Even more so if that’s the case, Kori understands how it all works and knows the rules but isn’t bound by them. If they are in a career pivot looking to understand better what they do and don’t want to recreate in their next professional chapter. Understand that Kori won’t have all the answers for you. Still, she will support you in understanding what it is you need and want to do, and without hesitation, I can say the program was a good investment."

Are you curious how the Purpose Driven Career program can help you? Schedule a free 15-minute Purpose Driven Career Brainstorming call. On the call, we’ll dig into your 1-year career vision, what your current reality is like, and any obstacles standing in your way from designing a purpose-driven career.>>> Schedule here.

P.S. And, whenever you’re ready… here are 3 ways we can help you get unstuck and grow your purpose driven career: 

1. Download my "Purpose Driven Career Quiz" workbook

If you’re struggling to figure out what you want to do next career-wise, then download my new workbook "Purpose Driven Career Quiz" to see just how far (or how close!) you are to landing a purpose driven career!>>> Click Here 

2. Join our FREE Purpose Driven Careers Facebook Group and connect with other driven professionals who are learning how to make the impact, earn the income, and create the freedom they desire in their life and career>>> Click Here

3. Work with me privately

If you’d like to work directly with me to build a career of your dreams… just schedule your complimentary Career Strategy Breakthrough Call with me so we can clarify your fastest path to finding and landing your dream role and create a strategy for you to make it happen… Apply for your FREE call with me here>>> Click Here To Apply