Hi! I’m Emily Smith, and I’m a career coach for people who are feeling stuck, unhappy, or uncertain about the direction their careers are headed. I spent 3 years in law school and another 12 years as a lawyer being really unhappy most of that time. But, I am who I am, and I was determined to make it work. I was "successful" in the eyes of my employers, clients, family, friends. Logically, my brain told me I should be happy, and I figured my heart would eventually catch up. It never did, and working with my own career coach helped me figure out why.

It really boiled down to two important things: strengths and core values. As a lawyer, I wasn't focusing on work that showcased my unique personality strengths. A lot of what I was required to do as a lawyer conflicted with my natural personality and behavioral style, and working so hard to resolve the conflict was exhausting. I didn't have the awareness to understand that my natural personality weaknesses weren't character flaws or failures. That took a serious toll on my confidence.

Also, I didn't understand what deeply motivated me. I didn't know my own core values, or my own personal definition of success. I thought I knew those things, but I had them confused with what other people valued and what I thought I should value.

I now realize that blindly taking new jobs without comparing them against my strengths and core values was a big gamble that I never won! And lacking that awareness prevented me from ever being able to establish long term career goals. It was truly a snowball effect.

It wasn't until I hired my own career coach that I understood the importance of those self awareness tools among so many others. Through that process, I realized I didn't want to practice law anymore. And learning the importance of those tools made me want to help others learn them too.

So I decided to become a career coach and start my own business - although it certainly didn't happen overnight. It took a couple of years of planning, saving money, and a lot of support from my husband, two kids, and other family and friends to help keep me on track. But I stepped out of my comfort zone and embarked on a different career path that has enabled me to truly honor my core values.  I love helping people figure out how to they can do the same.