Career Success Coaching

After three years at a top three law school and four years practicing securities litigation at two large law firms in New York, Paul (not his real name) had reached the end of his rope.

His hours were long and unpredictable. The work was stressful and unfulfilling. He was 30 years old and this was probably his last chance to veer off the “safe” career path he had followed since college and take a real risk on a more suitable career that would afford him work-life balance and a better outlet for his creative and entrepreneurial skills.

Through his online research Paul discovered career coach, Mino Sullivan. Within two weeks of hiring Mino, Paul had the longest, most stressful work week of his legal career.

Even though the conventional wisdom was to keep his current job until he found a new one, Mino helped Paul build the confidence to realize that he did not need to take such a conventional path and that it was in his best interests to stop torturing himself and leave his law practice right away.

With a strong educational and employment background, a few months’ savings, and an open mind, Paul quit his job to focus full-time on building the career he wanted.

Over the next few months, Mino shepherded Paul through a bottom-up reassessment of his life values, his skills, his interests and his work style.

Paul explored a variety of possible careers, from interior design to fundraising for nonprofits. In the end, however, it became clear that Paul’s interests were too varied to fit easily into a single career path. Leveraging his pre-law school experience running operations for a family-owned technology company and his knowledge of music, acoustics and design, Paul now spends about half of his time building a consumer electronics start up that he hopes will soon provide him with a steady income.

Using the networking skills that are central to Mino’s approach, Paul also secured a part-time management consulting position through an alumni contact, which covers his expenses while he builds his new business. Paul finds his new work more interesting, better suited to his skills and far less taxing than law practice.  He has broken out of the pigeonhole in which many litigators find themselves and has successfully moved from the world of legal practice into the business world.

Paul says that he could not have made this drastic life change without Mino’s help:

From the start, it was clear that Mino is incredibly well-trained and knowledgeable in a variety of personality-assessment and career planning techniques.  The worksheets, the self-assessment tools and — above all — the insight that Mino provided gave me a sense of clarity that I never before had about my true wants and needs.  Mino is much more than a career coach, and following her approach has set me up on a path to fulfillment and happiness in all aspects of my life.  Perhaps most importantly, she has helped me to build a toolkit that will allow me to navigate life’s inevitable twists and turns even now that my work with her has concluded.