Lana’s Story: From Despair and Uncertainty to Optimism

In my career coaching practice, I have had the privilege of guiding many people. Lana was a young mother who came to me feeling despondent. She had a good job but felt that the work and the environment weren’t conducive to her well-being. She was unsure of what she wanted to do next.

Eight years in project management, and I felt like I was nowhere. The firm I worked for turned out to be a toxic workplace. I was feeling harmed there. I needed to get out. I spoke with my friend, and they said to call this career guide at the agency downtown, that they could help. I trusted my friend’s recommendation.

I phoned the agency to start. It sounded like it was worth an initial meeting. I felt a little bit nervous, and although I had worked with counsellors before, I was unsure what this would involve. The guide said that it wouldn’t involve testing and that we would sit down and talk about my work and needs. That sounded like a good start to me.

I came out of the first meeting with this career guide, and a few things came to mind. It felt safe. So that was important—you know—I felt comfortable there. I felt heard, that the guide listened to what I had to say. So that was helpful because I wasn’t sure. I’ve talked about my work problems with others, and they were too quick to give an opinion. I have often felt that others did not want to hear what I had to say. Getting all the issues that I’m really worried about off my chest was good. I felt like, okay, I have support, and I would go back and see this person again.

One of the things that came up was that the career guide asked about things I did well and things I had done well in the past. At first, it was hard to think of stuff because I was so overwhelmed.  After some nudging, I remembered a few stories.  The guide shared back the things they heard about my strengths. It was helpful to hear that I had a creative streak.

One of the challenges was that I had to do some homework. I was unsure at first. I said I’m busy with the job, I’m busy with my daughter, and I’ve got lots of things going on over the next few days. We talked about the challenges and my desire for change. Somehow, I found the energy to fit the homework in.

The main thing I found was that I had some hope for the future. And I’m like, okay, I can get out of this environment, and I will be something else out there. I didn’t know what, but I believed it was possible. That was a different feeling for me; I felt listened to and had a sense of hope. I was ready to take the next step, whatever that may be.