Mid-Life Leaders Career Switch: An Interview With ICF South Florida Chapter…

Let no one define what Success means to you. Define it for yourself

@Dr. Shelly C

It was a pleasure sharing my background and coaching experience with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) South Florida Chapter Host, Eric Goeres, PCC. Listen to the Podcast recording or read the details below to learn more about my Journey.

My Journey

How did I become, what was your journey to, how did you wind up becoming a coach? What is your background?

I worked with a major global pharmaceutical company for over 14 years in a HR Strategic Leadership role where I held HR responsibility for countries in the Caribbean reporting into USA/Latina region. I coached and advised business managers on managing their people. At the height of my career, having led the project to successfully achieve the employer of choice award, I decided to go in a different direction. The goal was to make a difference in healthcare and the wider community in the USA.

Even though I already had a masters in HR Management, I enrolled full-time in the Masters Health Administration program. On completion, I got my dream role to manage a group of medical practices located throughout South Florida.

I eventually partnered with the Institute of Caribbean Studies in Washington DC, where I am Chief Judge for its Flagship 30 Under 30 Ignite Caribbean Initiative recognizing the changemaking efforts of outstanding individuals under 30 years old.

As I reflect managers I have worked with kept reaching out to me at major crossroads in their life. Ethics, trust, and confidentiality were always my standard and I guess it followed me. People would reach out to share and talk with me confidentially about their next steps. After noticing the pattern and giving myself to any opportunity that arose, I realized that coaching was something I was passionate about but never considered officially. It was then I decided to take the leap into becoming accredited. That’s how my formal accreditation journey began early 2022.

Leadership Coaching

What kind of coaching do you do? And who do you work with?

My focus is on Leadership Coaching. I work with 40+ Mid-Life Corporate Leaders in Transition. This niche was perfect for me as my experience included several global mergers and acquisitions and was formally trained in change management. On top of that my doctoral studies focused on organizational leadership. I later published Journal article titled: The Leadership Challenge: Success Strategies of Immigrant Leaders in the USA. This was also published in books titled Success Strategies as well another titled “Your Career: Ditch it Switch”, which I now use to help coach leaders in transition.

Coaching Style & Philosophy

What’s your coaching style? How do you coach? What’s your coaching philosophy?

Versatility, depending on the needs of the client.

Special Project

Is there anything specifically you’d like to talk about?

My writing is something that is special. I write to satisfy my curiosity or personal growth and development. It then turns out that others seem to have the same issues as me, so I share, and it inspires. So, I will continue my publishing journey. I also talk a lot about Fear because it’s something that holds us back. My philosophy is to “do it in spite of your fear”.

I have partnered with Dr. Indiana Robinson to publish book titled Women Immigrants and the Challenges Faced: Perspectives on Higher Education in the United States.

Growth of coaching in organizations and its link to change management

The Future of Coaching

What do you think the future of coaching looks like?

The market is filled with many who call themselves ‘coaches’ but are untrained. I believe with the rise of credentialing; the world of coaching will become attractive to organizations and individuals who are credentialed and stick to ethical standards of the ICF. Accountability will be the gold standard for success.

With the influx of the pandemic changes, I was already coaching individuals for years across borders, but the pandemic made the process official. Individuals liked the flexibility of being able to meet virtually on zoom at times convenient to them.