Career Change: Investment Bank Operations Analyst To Life Coach

Editors Pick
I’m a passionate guy. My world is surrounded by entrepreneurs.  This interview took me from Editor to fan. I found myself underlining so many of Hilary’s comments. Things that I absolutely connect with. Things that I agree with. Words and sentiments that I had in my corporate days. I hope you will find inspiration, motivation and validation as you read this interview. Enjoy.

“I realized that if I was still doing the same thing in ten years, or even five years that I would be really upset with myself.”

Hilary Harwell
Professional Life Coach and Founder
An Inspired Mind, LLC

What was your previous job?
I spent the first six years of my professional life as an Operations Analyst at a major Investment Bank.  Yawn…..right?!   I landed the job through an acquaintance who was already working at the company.  Being young and eager to start earning a living, I didn’t stop to question if it was something I really wanted to do.

The job itself was very analytical and process oriented.  I was able to utilize my communication and ‘people’ skills to earn the role of supervisor within my team in a short amount of time.  While steadily working towards a managerial role my husband and I were faced with a tough decision.  He was offered a position in Atlanta and we decided that it would be a great opportunity so he accepted.  Upon discussing the change with my manager, I was offered the opportunity to keep my position on the team but work remotely from home in Atlanta.  I happily accepted the offer not realizing what was to come.

As the type of person who needs to be around people and interacting all the time, working alone in the house all day was not an ideal situation.  That, coupled with the fact that I was in a new city with none of my own friends or family, made for a difficult couple of years.  I have to be honest – I did a whole lot of whining and complaining before I decided that the only way my situation was going to change was if I chose to do something about it.  I did a great deal of reflecting and getting back in touch with what makes me tick. I realized that I do not want to work for anyone but myself.  I realized that I love working with people and using my own positive outlook on life t o support them. I love to exercise my creativity via the written word (and sometimes through my art too).

What was an average day like?
Without revealing too many specifics, the average day was essentially broken down into various funding deadlines.  These deadlines were hard & fast – any deviation resulted in costs.  A specific process had to be carried out in order to obtain the accurate funding projections for a given day and trades then had to be booked to cover the projected cash positions.  All in all, an average day was very busy, highly stressful and involved a lot of interaction via email, phone and in person.

To use industry speak there was a lot of cleaning up messes and putting out fires…  I couldn’t wait to escape.  Had I known that I was signing up to be a glorified janitor, I would have never accepted.  All jokes aside, for what it was the job served me very well and enabled me to recognize and hone a number of different skills.  Had it not been for my discovery of all the things I disdain about Corporate America and working for incompetent bosses, I may have never uncovered my own purpose in life.

What is your new career?
My current career is one in which I am able to help people fearlessly follow their dreams and develop a greater sense of purpose in life. The label most often associated with this is life coach.   You can also tack on entrepreneur as well which is a label that I absolutely love.  I wake up every day curious to see what’s in store.  I feel that I have grown more personally and professionally in the last nine months than I had in the last six years combined. I live with a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment knowing that I am contributing to the betterment of people’s lives and of society as a whole.

• Engages with you to understand and assess your abilities and skills
• Helps you to identify and clarify your interests, values and goals
• Adheres to your agenda
• Identifies and helps you change patterns of self-destructive behavior into healthy, productive habits
• Guides you through transitional periods in life including career change and starting a business
• Identifies the obstacles you face in your personal & professional life
• Works with you to create an action plan for success
• Keeps you on track and accountable for your progress
• Cheers you on when you accomplish that which you set forth to accomplish!

What is an average day like?
My days are filled with variety and flexibility.  I have clients scheduled during the day and in the evening.  I write articles, blog and actively network online during the day.   I try to set aside one day a week for in person networking events.  I work on business development strategies and program/product development as well.

I am able to see my kids off to Montessori school and pick them up at the end of the day.    I can work as I need to and can be completely in tune with creative sparks, giving them the necessary attention as they arise which is so critical to my overall satisfaction.

Why change?
I chose to change my career because at the end of the day my job in finance left me totally unfulfilled.  I didn’t feel as though I was contributing any of my gifts and wasn’t realizing my passions – creativity, helping others and my constant quest for new knowledge.

I realized that if I was still doing the same thing in ten years, or even five years that I would be really upset with myself. Essentially I didn’t leave myself that option.  I held my toes to the fire and decided that it was time to make something of myself.  I want to leave my mark on the world by contributing to the greater good and helping people better themselves.

How did you make the leap?
The first thing I did was get my husband’s buy-in, which thankfully was a piece of cake.  I shot him an email, telling him I was thinking about starting up a coaching practice and asking if he thought it was something I could do.  He replied with, ‘you’re good at everything you do.’  That was all the validation I needed and I set out researching, planning and determining how I was going to get this thing up and running.

I kept my day job, got a certification from a coach training school that was certified by the International Coach Federation, and set about establishing my business.  I was quick to realize that there was an abundance of free information available and was fortunate enough to stumble upon some really excellent resources in my start-up phase.

How did you fund your business?
My business was a bootstrap special.  We had a decent savings account that I was able to tap into in order to fund it in the initial phases.  Thankfully, there was very little overhead and the start-up costs were minimal when compared to some other types of businesses.

Silliest thing about your former occupation?
Corporate Management ‘speak.’  I came to the realization that managers at my company defined themselves by developing and using a particular jargon.  Phrases such as ‘ramping up’ and ‘becoming redundant’ were some that I found most amusing.

Misconceptions about what you do now?
The most common misconception people have of coaching is that we tell people what to do.  This couldn’t be further from the truth!  Coaching is all about helping the client find their own answers.

How do you stay motivated?
I use my dissatisfaction with my previous career as motivation. I also look to the freedom and passion I have now about what I am doing to get the fire going.

How do you deal with jealousy?
I’m not typically a jealous person and feel that while some other people certainly have achieved more than I have, I realize that where I am in my own journey is exactly where I need to be.

How have you dealt with failure as an entrepreneur?
I don’t take failure too personally.  I don’t let it get me down.  It’s only a failure if you don’t learn from it and move beyond it.  I make it a point to find the learning opportunity in the things that don’t work.

What would you say to those who believe they need a formal education to change careers?
You can certainly change careers without getting further education.  It really depends on what you are looking to do in your new career.  If you are looking to start your own business for example, a formal education is definitely not a requirement.  There are a number of successful entrepreneurs who didn’t go to college.

If you could share one brief nugget of wisdom, what would it be?
When you find yourself frustrated, overwhelmed and anxious because life isn’t doing what you want it to, practice being less attached to the outcome of the situation and learn how to enjoy the moment.  Trust that you are exactly where you need to be.

Resources for people looking to change jobs?
www.micromentor.org Excellent mentoring site that pairs experts with people looking for assistance.  For free!

How can we learn more about your business? To learn more about my business, please visit http://www.aninspiredmind.com.  While you’re there, be sure to sign up for my free e-newsletter which is full of inspirational tips and insights designed to help you live a more purposeful life.  I offer free coaching consultations to let prospective clients experience the power of coaching firsthand.  These consultations help lay the groundwork for future exploration and goal-setting.

If you are interested in self-development products please visit my online store at http://www.yourinspiredvision.com.  I am currently authoring a book entitled ‘Live Your Inspired Vision:  A Practical Guide to a Purposeful Life.’  You can get a sneak peek at this book by signing up at the store. A special discount of 15% off is available for readers of HWIC.  Simply enter HWIC09 at checkout to claim this discount.