Kristine Carey
The BackgroundI'm from Texas, and moved to California in 1988. Texas A&M is my alma mater, granting me a degree is History; if you're familiar with the school you'll know it's not exactly known for it's Liberal Arts departments - it's more of a math and science school. Thus began the story I made up of not fitting in to the dominant culture; my working at the college radio station only emphasized this fact. How could I make it in the structured, corporate mainstream when what I was doing didn't quite fit?
Once I arrived in California I spent two years in Los Angeles running a record store and working for a music marketing company. They moved me to San Francisco, and I thought my dream of working in the music business was really taking off. After seven years, however, I realized I was unhappy with the way the industry was structured, the general attitude of those I worked with and around, and again was struck by how much I didn't seem to fit.
Leaving the music business I went to work in the wine industry. I spent 10 years there, working for wineries and distributors, feeling like this would be 'it'. However, I began to feel the familiar 'not fitting in' and began to seriously to wonder about myself; was I ever going to find job satisfaction, a sustainable career, all those things I'd heard of?
I had always been interested in personal growth, and while still in the wine industry I continued my norm of taking workshops and reading books. This path led me to hire a coach for the first time; I had never even heard of a coach or the profession of coaching until a friend told me about it. I was intrigued; shortly after working with the coach I took a workshop that used a lot of coaching, and I began to wonder if there was something more here for me.
Meanwhile, I was increasingly unhappy at my wine job. On paper it looked great, but I was miserable. I remember asking a friend of mine what a person with my skills and interests could do for a living, and he replied that I should be a coach. I didn't really pay much attention to him - me, be a coach. However, the idea stayed with me all through that summer and into the fall, and by the time the end of the year approached I began conducting informational interviews with successful coaches, learning how they were trained, what they liked about their work, their thoughts on who makes a good coach, and much more. I took copious notes, and with each interview I was more and more hooked. One fateful day the following January I woke up clear - this was a clarity I had never before experienced. I knew I had to be a coach, and I had to get started right away. I jumped out of bed and immediately called the Academy for Coaching Excellence, where I had taken the earlier workshop, and signed up for all their coaching classes, in a row; by May I was a trained coach. That fall I entered the certification program at the Academy, and ultimately I received the designation Certified Coach. This was the first time in my working life I felt I was using my skills to their fullest. I felt alive. I fit in. I used my creativity. I even had the capacity to be a leader in the community. My transformation was almost complete. Once I was trained as a coach I began building my coaching business while continuing to work at my wine job. I eventually quit the day job, and finally had the job I'd wanted all along - the job of working for myself.
Now
Today I work solely as a coach and enjoy being an entrepreneur. I love working with people who are lost in corporate America, unfulfilled in their work and thinking of working for themselves, people who are wanting to take their first steps toward entrepreneurialism, and are looking for the clarity and courage to begin. I provide these "lost" souls with hope and confidence that they can change their work, live the life they want, and wake up happy.
One example of how this looks is an elementary school teacher I worked with who was unhappy in her job. She had the desire to do what she really loved, but felt paralyzed - she didn't know where to begin. Together we designed small, achievable steps that took her closer to her dream; by the time our coaching concluded she had decided not to renew her contract and instead pursue work in her passion of designing and delivering workshops.
Professionally I hold the designation of Certified Coach from the Academy for Coaching Excellence, as well as PCC from the International Coach Federation (ICF). I continue to further my education by taking classes, workshops and trainings, reading books, attending professional conferences, and the like. I am past co-President of the San Francisco ICF chapter, and am actively involved in the coaching community.
Coaching has made and continues to make a huge impact on my life, and the more clients I work with, the more writing I do and workshops I deliver, the more I see the positive affect of coaching on people's lives. This truly is a powerful transformational tool, and I am grateful that I am able to do for a living. I fit. I'm me. I use my skills. And I wake up happy.
