As part of our ongoing reinvention success series, we asked client Kendra Cunnigham to share her story. Kendra attended our Reinvention BootCamp intensive earlier this year and then joined a Reinvention Team Action Group. Here's what she had to say about her journey:
What was going on in your life before you came to The Reinvention Institute?
Before I attended The Reinvention Institute, I was working at a hedge fund full-time at a job that was unfulfilling and rewarding in only a financial nature. I was performing stand up comedy occasionally and attending graduate school for Forensic Psychology part-time. I had been trying to write a spec script but could never seem to get started.
How did BootCamp and the Reinvention Team Coaching Group help you?
The BootCamp Intensive helped me to realize that goal setting and achievement was really up to me and within my reach. It also helped me to see that the roadbumps and procrastination issues I was dealing with were more universal and far less of a personality problem than I had viewed them.
The support and accountability involved in the [Reinvention Team] weekly coaching group forced me to get out of my head and into the real world. Within the duration of the group [three months], I completed a 37 page spec script for Entourage and clarified and prioritized my goals. I found a great script doctor who referred me to a terrific writing group. Besides that, I met some incredibly creative and inspirational people.
What was the most difficult and challenging part of your reinvention process?
The most difficult and challenging part of the reinvention process was letting myself verbalize the things I wanted to accomplish. Prior to the group, in some way, I felt like I was not entitled to want all the things I secretly wanted to accomplish. Through hearing other people’s dreams and milestones, I came to realize that I can ask for whatever I want from life. Not only was I allowed to verbalize what I wanted but suddenly I had to take action and report back to the group about it. Although taking those first steps was challenging and frightening, it was also a confidence booster.
What's going on in your life now?
My life now is completely different than my life “before Reinvention BootCamp”. I perform and write comedy on a consistent basis. I just completed and performed the first rendition of a one woman show with an amazing group of women. ( the script doctor referred me to this group and I would have never contacted the script doctor had I not finished the script and I would not have finished the script had I not taken the Reinvention [Coaching] Group). I quit my job and am bartending so that I can pursue auditions and complete my externship in order to complete my Graduate school program. I FINALLY signed up for MySpace so that everybody can see my stand-up comedy schedule as it changes on a daily basis. I have an audition for a comedy manager coming up. And I got new headshots!
What are the top three benefits you got from participating in the group?
I feel I benefited so much from The Reinvention Institute it is difficult to narrow it down to just three, but here goes:
1. I learned how to simplify and prioritize my goals.
2. I gained a ton of confidence by completing my requests in the timeframe decided upon.
3. Most importantly, I became proud of my dreams and goals for the future instead of scared and embarrassed to name what I wanted.
Check out Kendra's MySpace page here to learn more about her and find a schedule of her upcoming appearances. And if you want to join the ranks of successful reinventors, the next Reinvention Team Action Group is starting on Wednesday, January 30th-- just in time for your New Year's resolution! More details coming next week....
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