The Reinvention Coach

For those who want a concrete game plan to weather this market downturn...

A reminder that our Reinvention Team Action Group starts next week! (Tuesday, Jan 27th, to be exact).

This group will:

• Get you unstuck
• Help you find your niche
• Get you on the road to your new career
• Give you inspiration that you can reach your goal
• Connect you with a network of friends to assist you

You might be wondering how all this can be done in nine short weeks.  I'm going to be honest: if you're looking for a 'magic bullet' easy street to reinvention, this isn't the group for you.  But, if you want (or need) a new career and you're willing to do the work and put in the effort, you will have RESULTS. 

Will you have found your dream job by the end of the nine weeks?  Again, honesty is best: there's a slight possibility, but most likely no.  This is because we don't control WHEN opportunity shows up-- only life does!  What can be controlled, though, through effort, is the chance of it showing up and how ready you are for it when it does.  This group gives you the strategies to MAXIMIZE your probability of opportunity and make sure that you're ready to take full advantage of opportunity when it comes.

This is an intense, results-driven group with lots of personal attention.  Because of that, I only run one at a time.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, because of my book project I won't do another one until the end of 2009.  I've also decided-- since I'll be juggling this group and the book at the same time-- that I'm only going allow 3 more people in.

This is the FINAL note about the January group-- so if you want one of the 3 spots, act now and sign up here.

Reinvention Success Story: Joe Bologna

On the eve of the start of our next Reinvention Team Action Group, here's the next in our series of Reinvention Success stories. 

Today's story is from Joe Bologna (shown with Buster), who took our Reinvention Team Action Group earlier last year.  Joe's a talented technologist, engineer and philosopher who has worked for big companies like Motorola and AT&T.  He came to us seeking ideas about how to combine his technology skills with his passion for helping people live productive and fulfilling lives.

I like Joe's story because it illustrates the importance of working through the emotional pattens that can block your reinvention.  It also show that with creativity, consulting in your previous career arena can provide a financially stable launching pad to explore options in your new one (NOTE: Joe's starting a new venture helping people organize their technology to run an effective job (reinvention!) search. Check out his website to learn more:  www.focusedforsuccess.com). 

Here's what he had to say:

What was going on in your life before you came to The Reinvention Institute?

Before I came to The Reinvention Institute I was constantly worried and preoccupied with how to succeed in life, which I interpreted as being successful at my job. I had lost my passion and my "dream job" for the 2nd time in my career. My personal relationships were strained very badly. I was being treated for all sorts of stress related disorders.

How did the Reinvention Team Action Group help you, specifically?

The team helped me understand how I was burying my emotions and trying to live my life intellectually vs. spiritually. It helped me to understand how my quest for perfection had developed into compulsions, which I told myself were necessary to develop highly rewarded (and highly compensated) skills.

It helped me manage my "gadget addiction" and start to rebuild my relationships. It gave me the tools I needed to attract and surround myself with business owners and executives who I could learn from and which I badly needed to make a life independent of my 25-year career as a corporate citizen.

What did you find to be the most difficult and challenging part of your reinvention process?

The most difficult part of my reinvention process was connecting with my feelings at an emotional level. My definition of success was tied to pride in my accomplishments and monetary rewards. I craved freedom, but was trapped trying to save enough money to retire someday, all the while wasting my life on things that really didn't matter.

 What's going on in your life now?

I am a small business owner and independent consultant. I am working side-by-side with a college friend who owns two companies. He shares all of the details of how he became successful and remains successful AND how he became financially free.

My personal relationships are better than ever and I am almost completely free of worry. I have also realized that my lifestyle matches my definition of "retirement", which is very satisfying.

I have realized that I am more of a Designer than a traditional Engineer. I have not found my "calling" yet, however I know it has something to with helping people run their personal or business lives more efficiently. I am doing my 2009 goals with Pamela’s help and I’m excited to see how this will shape the coming year of unlimited opportunities.

Name three results you got from the group:

1. I learned how to manage my compulsive behavior.

2. I learned the emotional skills required to become passionate about my life's work and keep this passion despite obstacles.

3. I created a corporation that has given me the freedom and flexibility to answer the question: "What will you do in your retirement?"

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Our next Reinvention Team Action Group starts next Tuesday, Jan 27th.  There are only a few spaces left; so apply here ASAP to grab yours!

Reinvention Team Action Group starts next week!

The next session of our popular (and incredibly effective) Reinvention Team Action Group starts next Tuesday, January 27th!  If  you feel scared about market turmoil, trapped in your existing career, confused about what to do next or defeated by past attempts, the Reinvention Team! Action Group is your solution.

What happens in this group?  We help you nail down your reinvention goals, define an effective action plan, and motivate you to take each step.  You gain clarity, accountability and validation.  You have a team of people to help you dream bigger and move further, faster.

The cost?  An extremely low $297/month, for 3 months. The results?  Priceless; just see the stories of Orelon, Kendra, Jeffery and the others for proof (stay tuned for yet another Reinvention Success story later this week!) 

If you're on the fence about joining this round, two things that may help you make the decision:

1.  I am taking a break from running groups to finish my book, so this will be the LAST Reinvention Team Action Group until October.

2.  My advisers say that the level of personal attention team members get and the results they experience are worth 5xs the price of the group.  Not saying I'm raising it to that level(!), but this will be the LAST time the group is offered at such a rock-bottom price.

**Sign up ASAP; spaces are limited!  Details and application here.

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P.S. Group calls take place from 8:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M, Eastern Daylight time.  All calls are recorded and assignments are posted on the online class bulletin board, so even if you have to miss a session you can always keep up.

P.P.S.  More questions about the group?  Email me.

PSA: "The Open Book" on Broadway this Thursday, Jan 15th

One of the reinvention strategies I suggest is to adopt a 'media mentor'.  A media mentor is a famous person that you may not have met whose story inspires you.  One of my early media mentors is Terrie Williams, who wrote The Personal Touch, one of my favorite career strategy books (if you haven't read it, check it out). 

Long before I became a Reinvention Coach®, I loved Terrie's story about how she navigated from the field of social work to become a PR agent to the stars (so much so that I will be profiling her in my upcoming book).  In recent years Terrie sold her PR company and reinvented herself yet again as an activist.  “The Open Book” is a national campaign she started that explores the silent mental health epidemic of depression in minority communities. 

This Thursday, January 15th, The Open Book will hold a screening at Symphony Space on Broadway, in New York City.  Notables slated to speak include Mo'Nique, Ruby Dee, John Amos, Terry McMillan, and the Rev. Al Sharpton.  For more information about the event, go here.

The lesson of this blog post?  If life gives you an opportunity to do a favor for one of your media mentors, DO IT!

Reinvention Success Story: Orelon Sidney

Happy 2009!  Decide that no matter what's going on in the news media or your life, that you have the power to take control and make this your best year ever.

For inspiration, we're kicking off the New Year with another Reinvention Success story.  Orelon Sidney had a high-powered career in TV news as a meteorologist for CNN.  She'd left CNN but was still freelancing in her old field while struggling to figure out what her next career move might be. She did the teleclass version of our Career Reinvention BootCamp and then joined our Reinvention Team Action Group last fall.  Through her work in the group she decided to explore the music industry.

I like Orelon's story because it shows that reinvention is an evolutionary process.  You don't have to leave the old behind while you explore the new.  Here's what she had to say:

What was going on in your life before you came to The Reinvention Institute?

Utter confusion!  I quit my job at CNN in April 2005.  Since that time, I have been struggling with the idea of rededicating myself full-time to TV news/weather or moving on to something else.  But WHAT else?  Since I was a child, I have been fascinated by and in love with weather.  I'd worked so hard to get to "the mountaintop" and was having a really hard time with the idea of throwing it all away....

How did The Reinvention Team Action Group help you?

The Action Group-- and winning the lottery!-- acted as a catalyst for me. (note: Orelon won enough money in the lottery to be able to continue her search for a year)  No longer was I content to just sit and do endless "thought experiments" about what my future career would or should hold.  I had to get busy!  I felt driven by the successes and decisions the other members were making to strike out, even if it turned out to be in the "wrong" direction.  Any choice would move me farther along toward owning my future. 

I felt pressure to have something new each week when I reported in to the group, so I redoubled my efforts.  I am externally motivated and having this accountability really helped me move forward.

What was the most difficult and challenging part of your reinvention process?

As this is a work in progress, I can only say that the most difficult part to me is what I strive NOT to do-- and that is second guess myself!  I tend to be "obsessive-impulsive"; I turn something over and over in my mind until I have to make a move-- any move-- or go crazy!  Then, when I finally make a move, I tend to wonder endlessly if I've made the "right" decision.

I am learning that there may not be any one "right" decision.  A decision is a decision and that's it.  The outcome can be positive or negative, but it's not the decision's fault!  There really is something to the phrase "Just do it"!

I also think letting go of my identity as a television personality is a bigger hurdle for me than I thought it would be.

What's going on in your life now?

Strangely, slowly, step-by-step, it's happening.  I am a manager-in-training for Liz Melendez, a local musician, and there are some aspects I like and some I am neutral about.  Nothing that I hate so far.  I am not sure that artist management really has what it takes to hold my interest long-term, but we shall see. (note: love this picture of Orelon with legendary musician Richie Havens-- she's fully stepping into her reinvention!)

Surprisingly, I have been enjoying TV weather again.  I still do it on a freelance basis, but I don't think I'm enjoying it enough to rededicate my career to it.  But it's nice not to hate it all the time, since that's where the money is coming from until I get something else going!

What are the top three benefits you got from participating in the group?

1. Validation. The biggest benefit for me was the validation I got from being in a group with similar dilemmas.  I am not really alone in this!  I also felt validated by Pamela's knowledge of the reinvention process.  So many of the questions and feelings I have had seemed crazy, but it was nice to know that it's really just part of the process of reinvention.
2. Accountability.  The external pressure to produce is strong for me and that's why I signed up for the Action Group in the first place.  Accountability really does seem to get me moving.
3. Camaraderie and acceptance.  It can get lonely when you feel like what you want to do is crazy, so it was great to cheer for the successes and breakthroughs of the other members and have them in my corner. 

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The next Reinvention Team Action Group starts on Tuesday, January 27th.  Applications now being accepted; apply this week and qualify for the early bird discount!