About Michelle
Many people ask me why I do what I do. The simple answer is to inspire executives to find inspiring work so they can transform their future. Working as an international headhunter I often found myself coaching candidates. Now I get to coach my executive level clients as a career. I know from experience how hard it can feel to be existing in an unfulfilled professional life.
10 years ago, my husband (a qualified accountant) was on the career trajectory to become the Finance Director for the international pharma firm he was working with. The career progression had been solid, growing in a very successful company, operating in an industry unaffected by the financial crisis. The monetary rewards created a comfortable living for us both.
Despite all of this he was miserable and felt stuck. He had no connections outside of finance and no idea how to change his life. I worked with him (using an early version of my career decision canvas) and we came to the conclusion that he was existing in a career that had little or no relation to his authentic work self.
We sold our house and he went back to college. To see him now working as a family physician, and the joy and satisfaction it brings him, helps me realise that with a clear vision, guidance and hard work, we can all do more inspiring work and live a more fulfilled life.
I’m an executive level career strategist and personal development trainer with over 15 years corporate, strategic, executive search experience. I’ve taken this knowledge and expertise to create the career decision canvas – a tool to help executives create a strategy to achieve a more fulfilling and joyful career & life.
My Method
The majority of my clients are at a crossroads in their lives & careers and want to take positive action to ensure the next phase is the best yet. By working with me one-to-one or through my online programs, clients do this quicker and more effectively than trying to do it alone.
By combining my skills as an internationally recognised ICF coach; I empower my clients to transform their futures. Together we create a strategy aligned to your vision of your unique life & career. With a renewed confidence and sense of control you get crystal clear on what you want (strategy) & how to make it happen (tactical plan). If you want to step up into something new, step out & do something different, or even start your own business, I would be honoured to work with you to bring your vision to life. My clients get results.
We will begin with a step-by-step thorough review of your objectives, goals, strategies and measures to achieve not only the career you want, but to balance and integrate that professional agenda with your personal life goals and responsibilities. I know that everyone is unique and my method and process has helped many individuals out of seemingly blocked situations. As a Career Strategist I will enable you to convey your unique story authentically to decision makers and influencers with clarity and conviction.
Using my method, I have successfully helped high-calibre executives transition within their organisation, join a new company, and in many cases enter a new sector. I draw on my own experience as well as constantly refining my method building from the subject matter experts I encounter on a daily basis.
When you figure out your career, you experience more joy & inspire others to do the same.
Testimonials
Michelle helped me steer myself down the right path for me – I wish I’d done this work years ago. She is an excellent mentor, listener & supporter.
Daire
Director
Michelle offers a thorough root and branch approach to examining your career history and aspirations and makes the seemingly impossible, both realistic and achievable. If you’re stuck at a cross-roads let Michelle be your guide. She will intuitively know the correct path to take.”
Ger
Mangaging Director
Working with Michelle has been one of the best professional decisions I have made. With the benefit of her intelligent and warm manner, Michelle helped lead me on a journey of self-discovery and insightful reflection – not always painless! Through doing the work, I learned as much about what I didn’t really want as much as what I did. Michelle also offers very practical assistance that played a key role in landing my new role.
James
Managing Director USA & Canada
GP
Free Download of Michelle’s Career Decision Canvas
The Career Decision Canvas™ is a mind mapping tool to help you capture the factors influencing your decision making.
Client Stories
Here are four real-life success stories from our clients that could help you visualise the outcome you too can experience in using our Career Decision Canvas™ (names changed to respect client confidentiality in these examples)
My client wanted to stay in the same company but was going nowhere in his role. Michael had slowly begun to realise that he had reached the limit of his marketing role. Marketing was not a central function in his company and his job prospects were limited. He was at a cross-roads. He loved what he did but knew he needed to evolve. Through using the CDC™ he set about identifying that he needed to retrain to make the next move in his role. Part-time courses paid for by himself enabled him to create more opportunities to show how important his role was for the company. He was eventually promoted in his role to a new title and salary grade. As well as increasing his salary he found he got a deeper sense of fulfilment and happiness than he has previously found.
Michael, Marketing Director
My client wanted to stay in the same industry but had a ‘’block’’ in where to go and how to do that transition. He found himself not being himself and feeling more and more introverted with his family and friends. Sean used the CDM™ to evaluate his current role and what he liked and didn’t like about it. He refined his positioning in the market place and accented his best skills. He adopted a strategy to raise his profile in his industry and within 12 months had found a new role with more career progression and international opportunities for growth and development. Equally important he got his confidence back and his interactions with family and friends improved considerably.
Sean, CEO
Siobhan felt she wanted to work in a faster and more dynamic industry. Using the CDM™ she set up a strategy and a plan to highlight those skills sets and experience which she had in her current role that could be useful and transferrable to a more dynamic industry. She methodically went through the CDM™ process and together with one-to-one coaching with Michelle in person, she made the move to a more entrepreneurial, more fast-paced environment where she felt she made a profound difference and was more fulfilled and inspired with each passing month in her new role.
Siobhan, VP Global Communications
James had received a generous pay out from his firm when redundancies were announced. He went on several interviews and was surprised that he didn’t get any of the roles. He began to feel a bit panicky as he became concerned about paying the bills, especially with a young family. He almost took any role that came before he applied himself within just one week to the CDM™ process. It made him realise that in fact, he had the perfect skill set and experience necessary for a new venture and set about the journey to set up his own company. Filled with a new enthusiasm and purpose, he embarked on a networking focus for his new business. Impressed with his entrepreneurial attitude, he was approached by a company to be a full-time employee. In the end he parked his new business venture in order to ensure his financial stability but expects in a few years to revisit the new venture opportunity.
James, COO