My Story

After a couple of false starts, I settled into a career in software technology at the age of 30. I ended up getting a Master’s degree in computer science a few years later, and spent 35+ years working in a variety of contexts as a manager and senior consultant, mostly involving software process development, enterprise technology training, and software quality assurance. But about midway through, I found myself burning out and wondered whether I should consider transitioning to a different career. So I worked with a career counselor, who had me take a preferences test. It suggested (among other things) counseling or clinical psychology as a field I might consider. That was way outside my current experience and education, so I shelved the possibility as an interesting one (but impractical at present) and continued on in my high-tech career. Better the devil I knew than the devil I didn’t know, I thought.

That’s where I became interested in the relatively new field of life/executive coaching, which I hadn’t heard of before. Several of my coworkers and I started a lunchtime group where we researched and discussed coaching, and shared our experiences in taking training in coaching techniques. I went on to become a Board Certified Coach through the Center for Credentialing and Education, the same organization that had licensed me as a therapist. I ended up returning to a high-tech position and coached individuals who were looking at career transitions as a sideline. 

In my 50s, I put away as much in my 401K as my budget allowed, taking advantage of my employer’s matching policy. When I hit my early 60s, I started thinking seriously about retirement for the first time in my life — researching Medicare, Social Security, and developing a detailed retirement budget — deciding where I wanted to live in retirement, and what I wanted to do. My goals were to develop my coaching process as a “retiree” (a word that may have outlived its usefulness for many of us), and get back into writing nonfiction. I learned a lot in the process — and my experiences have been invaluable in working with clients like yourself.

So I’m living my own post-retirement life today, working with clients who are looking at career transitions, and retirees who are looking to design a meaningful retirement, and doing some writing on the side. I bring my own experiences, struggles and successes, to my work with my clients, as well as the skills I learned in my years as a clinical counselor. You can plant your own success, and I’d love to be the one to help you do it!