Career Coaching
Based in Portland, Maine, USA. Offered virtually for clients around the world.
“Rebecca has a true gift for coaching. At the time that I hired her, I knew I needed to find a new career, but had no idea what I wanted to do next or what the possibilities were. I had been feeling very stuck, and very lost, for quite some time. A mere ten minutes into my first session with Rebecca, I felt excited and hopeful about my future working life, for the first time in years!”
“Rebecca was like a life raft for me when I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with my career, and how to get there.”
My Coaching Focus Areas
I work with clients through any or all of the following phases. “The full arc” of career change consists of all three phases. Some clients decide they want or need to focus in on just one or two phases - it’s your choice!
Phase a: career direction clarity & confidence
Feeling unsure what you want next out of your career? Design thinking and the Pivot method that Rebecca is certified in provide a structured, grounded approach to figuring that out.
Clients in Phase A often describe themselves as feeling “lost,” “confused,” “stagnant,” or “unfulfilled.” They want support addressing questions like:
Should I stick with my current career trajectory or should I make a change?
I know I need to make a substantial change in my career and/or life trajectory, but where do I want to go? How will I be certain the new path is the right fit for me?
Is there a way to make powerful incremental changes rather than a giant, life-altering change? How do I decide which route is going to work best for me?
It typically takes about 6 to 10 sessions of coaching to gain grounded clarity about the direction in which a client wants to go (assuming the client commits to doing Action Work between sessions).
Phase b: job search strategy
Is it time to change organizations within the same career path - or to make a bigger pivot into a brand new career? Either way, creating and executing a thorough job search strategy custom designed for your situation is key to getting the best offers in your hand.
Clients in Phase B often describe themselves as feeling “nervous,” “overwhelmed,” and/or “frustrated” about job searching. They want support addressing questions like:
What is the most effective and efficient way to get a job these days?
Are my application materials - cover letter, resume, and LinkedIn profile - strong enough to get me noticed?
What is my narrative? How do I explain my background in a new way to move in the direction I want to go or how do I explain circumstances and issues from my work past that I’d rather have overlooked?
How do I dive into networking in a way that feels authentic to me when I hate it/it didn’t work for me in the past/it feels slimy?
How do I get more comfortable and effective during interviews?
The number of coaching sessions it takes to complete Phase B is highly variable. It depends on a combination of the “heat” of the particular industry, the client’s background, the general state of the job market and economy, the warmth of the client’s network, and other factors.
Phase C: job crafting for optimal engagement, impact & fulfillment
Do you “like” your career but feel like something is missing? Career coaching can help with identifying the missing link and capitalizing on the career you’ve already built through the process of job crafting.
Clients seek out job crafting coaching because they want to make the most of the careers they’ve chosen and to make a positive, powerful impact in the process. They desire support addressing questions like:
I feel like I could do so much more in my career but I’m stuck. How can I be more impactful, confident, and strong?
I thought this was the perfect career for me, but lately I’m feeling uninterested in my work. How do I make changes to increase my engagement in my work again? Do I need to change organizations or can I do this within my existing role?
I’m taking on new responsibilities and I’m feeling overwhelmed. How can I better manage my time, work more thoughtfully with co-workers and/or direct reports, find a sense of balance, and/or delegate more effectively?
I’m a leader in my organization but I’m having a hard time living into the role fully. How can I overcome imposter syndrome, become much more effective in my interpersonal interactions, and be the type of leader I want to be?
In sessions we work together to brainstorm and strategize about solutions to your questions and then serve as a thought partner you as you try out and troubleshoot implementation. Progress is best made by bringing real world, current work situations into sessions and then generalizing the solutions to a variety of future situations.
Phase C takes a variable number of coaching sessions. Many clients in Phase C opt for ongoing support on a monthly or quarterly basis. If a client is starting with Phase C, I suggest we hold at least two sessions on a biweekly basis to set up a foundation working together before lengthening the time between sessions.
Many of my clients work with me through all three phases because they result in optimal career engagement and fulfillment: you gain clarity and confidence about the career you want, search for it in a thorough and systematic way, and, once in that job, make the most of it! That said, some clients decide they want or need to focus in on just one or two phases - it’s your choice!
“Rebecca is the best! Truly instrumental in navigating career ambiguity and helped me tremendously in honing in on what gives me energy, passion, and purpose. For anyone (of all ages/career stages) looking to make a next step that provides meaning and fulfillment in their career, Rebecca will help tremendously. ”
My Coaching Philosophy and Approach, in audio form:
“Rebecca’s warmth, attentiveness, and expertise made me feel at ease, and she helped me identify my core values and strengths, aligning them with my career goals. Her focus on career fulfillment and the impact was refreshing and inspiring, and with her guidance, I developed a clear plan of action.”
“I discovered myself again because of Rebecca. I only wish I found her sooner.”
my process:
I have been trained in the four-step design-thinking-based Pivot Method to change, created by author Jenny Blake, which is used iteratively on both a micro (within session) and macro (across sessions) level:
Plant: Who are you and what do you uniquely bring to the table?
Scan: What opportunities or approaches are out there that fit who you are?
Pilot: In what low-cost ways can you actively test out the opportunities or strategies that seem like the “best bet” for you?
Launch: How do you dive all-in on a direction that you’ve found to be promising through both introspection and real world testing?
Populations:
I’ve worked with people of all genders and just about every ages and career stages, but most of my clients are mid-career professionals between 29 and 59 years of age.
Over the past decade I have worked with hundreds of coaching clients from a wide range of backgrounds, in addition to thousands of college students and alumni who were figuring out their career paths. The professionals with whom I have worked include:
Creatives, like novelists, essayists, composers, editors, and visual artists who have been reviewed widely, including in the NYTimes, and who have been featured at major events like SXSW
Executives through interns in countless fields, working at or transitioning into small to large corporations, including Apple, Meta, Spotify, PayPal, Citi & Goldman Sachs
Employees & executives at nonprofit organizations and in social services & health, including at national nonprofits like Planned Parenthood and Teach for America
Entrepreneurs & business owners
People from all walks of life taking an intentional sabbatical
“This woman is incredible! Rebecca coached me through an intense period in my career and helped steer me into my dream job, into the perfect role at exactly the right time in my life. She doesn’t have magical powers, but what she does have is a seemingly endless supply of compassion and empathy, backed by FACTS and research (which she shares with you). I have honestly never felt so supported or “heard” before.”
Other key notes:
I do not have an industry focus; the methodology to change is the same across all industries - and the true experts in the ever-changing fields of work are the people doing the work. Given this, if you’re exploring a new industry to you, I work on helping you identify and utilize your network to talk to people doing the work you’re most curious about.
I am an expert on the “how” of change and deep career engagement. You are the expert on you, what’s available to you, and the people and opportunities that are around you that can help you. I help you unlock your own expertise and empower you to act on that knowledge.
During coaching you must put in the work - and it is a good deal of work. No coach is going to offer an array of jump-right-in career opportunities and lay them out before you. Coaches simply can’t do that, to start. Even if I could, you’d be no stronger for it the next time you needed to make a change (which is often in a long lifetime!). My goal in coaching is to help you learn and utilize an “efficient and effective” skillset and mindset that you can rely on repeatedly - whether as you change careers, move up in your professional track, settle into retirement, adjust to variations in your family unit, or deal with unforeseen events on a personal or global level.
Coaching is markedly different than therapy, both in its structure and in its goals. I am trained in psychology but NOT in clinical psychology, nor do I hold a license in therapy or counseling. Most of my clients are in therapy at the same time that they undergo coaching, and the combination is highly effective for making meaningful changes.
All in all, this is coaching for working - and living! - well. If you’re looking for the “something that’s missing” in your work, the Pivot method to change and my personal approach to coaching can benefit you.
My coaching was featured in Business Insider:
“Career coaching left me feeling empowered to go for what I want professionally. It helps to have a cheerleader. Over the course of coaching, I learned that, for the most part, no one knew how much “extra” work I was putting in — except Fraser-Thill, who congratulated me at the beginning of every phone call for making inroads on the action work and wrote things like, “You are on fire!” in her follow-up emails. She couldn’t see me, but I grinned every time.”
Read an unbiased overview of what it's like to go through my career coaching, according to a Business Insider reporter!
How I Work
45-minute sessions on the phone or Zoom video, held every two weeks
Each session is jam packed with clarifying questions, brainstorming, strategizing, prioritizing, accountability, and emotional and logistical support
“Action Work” between sessions
Throughout the call, we discuss the steps you can take between sessions, quantifying and concretizing your most effective next actions
Action Work might include responding to writing prompts about your vision and goals, taking a personality or values self-assessment, or finding a certain number of people to informational interview to see how they’ve crafted their lives to be maximally fulfilling and impactful
At the start of the next session, we check in on how the Action Work went and troubleshoot the process as needed
In-depth and personalized coaching processes:
Application of design thinking and the Pivot method to change and improvement
I was a member of the inaugural Pivot method training cohort of five coaches, through which she became skilled at supporting clients through the design-thinking inspired stages of plant, scan, pilot and launch created by sought-after author and career coach Jenny Blake. Pivot is a method I genuinely believe in because it's natural and intuitive while also being thorough and pragmatic.
Suggestions of resources as needed, including worksheets, self-assessments, books, and templates, carefully chosen for your particular situation and approach to the world
I sift through the overwhelming abundance of information available online and in bookstores and offer you just the ones that will help you make your vision a reality. Think of me as your personal curation machine!
“Rebecca has done nothing short of changing the course of my career. I cannot recommend her highly enough!”
What You'll Gain
Clarity - and the amazing sense of direction and purpose that come with it
Enhanced meaning and purpose in your work - which will enhance your life, too!
A tactical, strategic plan for both short-term and long-term progress toward your goals, including crafting your existing life and work to better fit your needs and desired impact
Accountability so that every goal is reached - and troubleshooting to get back on track when things aren’t clicking
“I cannot recommend Rebecca enough for anyone who’s struggling with their professional trajectory. You will not regret it! I only wish I had thought to work with her sooner.”
There are a zillion coaches out there. How am I unique?
I constantly draw on my research-grounded background in psychology. I taught in higher ed for two decades and hols a master's in Developmental Psychology from Cornell. Science is my foundation.
I use design thinking to guide my process of coaching, taking a methodical and directed approach to the process of moving from where you are to where you want to be. My approach is grounded and intentional.
I am one of only 10 Pivot certified coaches in the world, trained directly by esteemed author and coach Jenny Blake.
My work has been covered in a variety of outlets, including Bloomberg Businessweek, The Oprah Magazine, The Zoe Report, The New York Post, and others.
We work together to devise concrete and specific "Action Work" to be completed between sessions so that you move forward as efficiently as possible.
I have had clients around the world - in nearly every inhabited time zone!
“When speaking with Rebecca, it feels like she ‘gets’ it. She is an amazing listener, she is engaged, and she always asks thought-provoking questions. I felt that I was at a standstill, and working with her has helped me regain some momentum as she has helped me set short-term goals and keeps me accountable.”
“Rebecca is a great career coach. She helped me clarify my career objectives and brainstorm next steps that are aspirational but still reasonable. After four productive weeks with her, I feel much more confident about where I am heading with my career. I definitely recommend working with her.”
Testimonials Are Available Here
Pricing
$497 for every 2 sessions of coaching, with discounts available for multi-session packages and a Buy Now, Pay Later option available from PayPal.
Holding Intro Calls for Spring 2024. Click here to fill out an interest form
we’re happy to bill employers
Do you have access to professional development funds to pay for coaching?
Many of our clients pay $0 out of pocket because of them!
Check out Rebecca’s Forbes ARTICLE on the topic of professional development funds if you’re not sure if you have these funds available
“I highly recommend Rebecca for anyone feeling “stuck” and in need of someone to talk to / help structure their approach to their next pivot.”