Meet Marianne
I’m a career transition coach who took a mid-career leap into the work I do today. By my late 40s, I was ready to get real with my life after working hard and successfully in a field I had outgrown (see My Story below).
I know from experience that work that’s worth getting up for each day combines our gifts (what we innately do well), our passions (the issues we care most about), and our values (the active expression of our deepest beliefs). Identifying and finding that work is possible no matter our age.
My coaching work is based on the Co-Active model, a globally-respected coaching framework that helps clients deepen self-awareness and confidence, move toward greater fulfillment, gain fresh perspectives, and take action grounded in who they are.
I have training in Leadership Embodiment and somatic coaching.
My clients include senior leaders, mid-level administrators, scientists, nurses, performing artists, and students.
In addition to my coaching work, I am a trainer and facilitator, specializing in communications and supervisory skills such as difficult conversations, giving and receiving feedback, time management, resilience, and managing up.
I’m described as authentic, warm, funny, courageous, insightful, motivating, and compassionate.
I’m also a cabaret singer and teacher, theater lover, and new grandmother! I love to read, knit, and spend time in nature with my husband and our dogs.
My Story
I worked for many years in communications and public affairs in associations and, later, in the federal government. I worked hard and did well, earning promotions and awards, all the while raising a family that later became a blended family.
I looked happy and successful, but inside I felt trapped, like I was in a box that I had outgrown a long time ago. I felt like an imposter in my job because despite my success, I felt little passion for my work. I was going through the motions and spending too much time wishing for something more.
Right after my youngest daughter left for college and I was ready to discover what was next for me, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Once I finished treatment, I knew that it was time to stop wishing and to start creating what I’d always longed for: a career that fit me—not one that I fit myself into. A career in which I could use my innate talents and skills to develop and empower others. A career that made me feel like I was living on purpose.
I moved forward slowly, gathering information from people who were doing the type of work I thought I wanted to do. Meanwhile, my inner critic was working overtime churning out reasons why I couldn’t do this. “You’re too old to change careers.” “You can’t afford to start at the bottom now!” “Just stick with what you know–it’s comfortable, it pays well, and it’s only ten years until you can retire.” But I’d seen plenty of people in my organization “wither on the vine” as they waited for retirement, and I knew I wasn’t going to be one of them.
I decided to hire a coach and our relationship was the key to my progress. She created a safe and courageous space in which I could bring all of me–my confidence, frustration, my doubts and fears, my dreams and values–to help me move toward my goal. Within six months, I had found a detail in another government agency, developing communications trainings for their employees, all while my current job paid my salary. I was finally doing the work I had dreamed of doing, and the detail allowed me to try the work on and learn new skills. I had found my “tribe.” When a full-time position opened up, they hired me. I was on my way.
About a year later, I became a coach so I could help others awaken to and move toward their goals. It was one of the best decisons of my life!
As your coach, I will…
Create a safe and courageous environment for our work
Explore where you are and where you want to be, and how to close the gap between them
Help you uncover and examine your default perspectives and empower you to create new ones
Support you, challenge you, champion you, listen deeply to you
Empower you to make intentional choices
Challenge you to dream bigger
Celebrate your wins, losses, breakthroughs, and successes
Professional Certifications
