I launched career transition services at Lucy Todd Coaching in Summer 2023. But I could have launched months or even years earlier — if I had just hired a career coach or business coach for myself.
Here are the top 3 ways career coaching could have helped me launch a lot sooner — and how it can help you move faster on your career development goals, too!
1. Career Coaching Can Help Identify Your Priorities
My career transition process was… lengthy. I took my sweeeeeet time getting to this point.
I was in a corporate career for about a decade, and I always knew it wasn’t my perfect job. But I figured no one really had a dream job, and that truly fulfilling careers didn’t exist.
Because of that, it took me years to realize that I could change my career path — and that a fulfilling career not only existed but would be totally worth going after.
My Career Transition Journey
The timeline went something like this:
Professional Epiphany (December 2020)
I decided that, after nearly a decade at my job and under increasing stress, it was time for a change.
Sought Guidance And Started The Process (April-May 2021)
I reached out to our team’s former business coach to discover what drew him to coaching. Instead, during our short consultation, he had an idea for me — a “personal offsite” where I would develop my own definition of career success and create an action plan to make it happen.
I knew that I needed to act fast — otherwise, I’d lose momentum and stay stuck. So within weeks of talking to him, I hosted my own offsite — and through a full day of exercises, I decided to become a career transition coach.
Quit and Recovered (July-December 2021)
In July, I resigned from my job, mired in a mix of burnout, defeat, and excitement for change.
After quitting, I gave myself permission to lose momentum for a little while. I didn’t need to jump into a new role right away, but I knew the path ahead might be even harder than the one I left behind — and I had to gear up for that.
So from August to November, I decompressed from work burnout the best way I knew how: rewatching the entirety of Grey’s Anatomy (18 seasons) at an alarmingly fast rate.
Enacted My Action Plan (January 2022-January 2023)
Shortly before the new year, I peeled myself off the couch and started building my future. I spent the next year-and-then-some on these 3 things:
- Completing my coaching certification program
- Providing freelance content writing services
- Absorbing a lot of information about coaching and entrepreneurship — we’re talking blogs, courses, videos, email newsletters, summits… you name it
In January 2023, I graduated with my Certified Professional Coach credential and officially registered my LLC!
Solopreneur Baby Steps (February 2023-September 2023)
In February 2023, we adopted a puppy — which may seem like odd timing, but it unexpectedly boosted my productivity!
I think it was the time scarcity. Any time the puppy wasn’t actively demanding my attention, I couldn’t just sit around — I had to take advantage of that time.
In my corporate career, time scarcity would create anxiety. But time scarcity when working from home (when the “return to office” debate was just beginning to rage), with a cute puppy, on career goals I was excited about? That was a satisfying new feeling.
In March, still mired in the backend processes of branding, process and systems setup, and other sort of tedious stuff, I grew impatient. I attempted to “soft-launch” my career transition coaching practice to friends and family.
I suspected — and can now confirm — that having a random sale before positioning value does not, in fact, lead to sales. Truth.
So I put my head back down. At last, in July 2023, I officially launched Lucy Todd Coaching to the world — a mere 2½ years after deciding to change careers.
By September, I was still figuring out how to, you know, gain an audience. But despite all of that, the pride, peace, and personal fulfillment of defining my own success has been MORE than enough.
Click here for more of my story.
2.5 Years Or 6 Months? It Came Down To Priorities
In another life, I could have become a Certified Professional Coach and completed my career transition coaching journey in as little as 6 months.
There are a lot of reasons why moving that fast wouldn’t have been right for me. Still… a little faster would have been great.
But, I didn’t have a dedicated career coach to help me prioritize my goals.
So, I bought into my own excuses — and postponed my career plan over and over again.
I did work with several peer coaches as part of my certification program. But I didn’t have many sessions about my business — and we’re all better coaches for it. (Imagine if we spent the whole program coaching coaches about coaching!)
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2. Coaching Can Increase Your Accountability
A few years ago, I thought I would never want to be a solopreneur.
As a chronic people-pleaser, I was exceedingly accountable to everyone … except myself.
I not only took pride in being a dependable employee — I needed to be one.
The sense that someone else was counting on me gave me this unstoppable motivation — and I couldn’t seem to replicate that for my own priorities.*
So IMO, the idea of being my own boss seemed MORE stressful.
Plus, with the demanding busy schedule of corporate life, I could never seem to find the time or energy for personal development. It seemed like I was always working, thinking about work, doing errands or chores, “relaxing” (see also: scrolling social media), or sleeping.
So, new career? I don’t know her.
But a career coach could have:
- Helped me work through my imposter syndrome and limitations
- Accelerated my awareness and realizations that not only did I want a career change, but I actually wanted to be a solopreneur more than anything, despite my fears
- Given me that sense of external accountability I was craving
- Supported me to move to action more quickly
- Asked thought-provoking questions like, “And what does watching Grey’s Anatomy for an entire Tuesday give you?”
- (Answer: decompression and escape… but… maybe for a little too long.)
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By the way, the coaching process can’t force accountability — and your career coach isn’t responsible for your progress between sessions.
But career coaching services can help you stay focused on your career development objectives as well as overcome doubts and obstacles.
3. A Career Coach Can Give You Support From Someone Who “Gets It”
Even though coaching sessions are focused on the client (not the coach), there’s still something special about working with a career change coach who’s been in your shoes.
Maybe they come from the same industry, had a similar career transition journey, work through the same challenges, or have the same interests.
While your coach’s own experiences may not come up directly in sessions, they can lead to more profound observations and targeted questions.
And that sense of connection can help you make progress more quickly and with more confidence.
I’ve been lucky to meet some incredible small business owners in my journey already.
And I can’t help but think how much further I’d be — and how much more joyful the process could’ve been — if I’d proactively sought out other career coaches and like-minded people who are on the same journey.
Especially if I’d worked with a career coach who shared my story — someone who was the “After” to my “Before.”
Career Transition Coaching FAQs
Get answers to some big questions about navigating career transitions with a coach.
What does a career transition coach do?
Career coaching is often associated with leveling up concrete skills, like:
- Networking skills
- Optimizing your resume
- Creating a better cover letter
- Updating your LinkedIn profile
- Interview preparation
- Navigating your job search
But what about everything that comes before it? How do you identify what industry is a good fit for you? How do you discover your perfect job (if there is such a thing)? How do you create career goals — and achieve them?
After all, having a polished resume and amazing interview skills is useless if you’re looking at the wrong jobs.
That’s where a career transition coach comes in. Self-discovery should come way before leveling up your skills! So we support you through identifying and pursuing your ideal career path.
Is it worth it to pay for a career coach?
If you’re having trouble picturing your future, getting started on your career goals, or staying on track to achieve them, a career coaching service could be the right support for you.
You’ll want to vet potential coaches and choose the right coach for you, of course.
But what makes it truly worth it (or not) to pay for a career coach?
Your willingness to prioritize and commit to that change.
Here’s what we mean:
Most coaches can help you move through procrastination and help you identify support systems. However, you won’t get anything out of the coaching experience if you can’t or won’t bring:
- An open mind
- A willingness to do new things
- A commitment to action in between sessions
Craving A Career Transition?
The “Before” state can be terrifying. Should you even be thinking about a career transition? Could a career coach really help you?
Maybe you’re just being dramatic. You’ve been here this long; why not just stick it out longer?
It’s ok to be on the fence for awhile.
But eventually, it’s better to hop off of it and decide — one way or the other.
So if you think you’re ready to get off the fence, we have a resource just for that!
The Career Clarity Workbook can help you move from indecision to action.
Maybe you’re ready to learn more about what it’s like to work with a career transition coach? If so, check out my current offers here:
*Having read Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies, I found out I’m an “Obliger”… and now everything makes sense. From her site: “Obligers meet outer expectations, but struggle to meet expectations they impose on themselves—‘You can count on me, and I’m counting on you to count on me.’”
I’m not affiliated, but you can take her quiz to find out which of the four tendencies you are: Getting Started: The Four Tendencies.
