AWL Alumni Spotlight

Describe the benefits of the AWL Experience.
For me, it was gaining an inner perspective about myself that I had never taken the time to get clear on. If I had any idea how much self-discovery I would have to do, I may not have signed up for it!

Describe the benefits of being a part of the post AWL community.
Having the community and the connections has been meaningful. We all come from different perspectives. But having been through the AWL experience connects us at a different level.

What did you get out of the Executive Coaching sessions?
My coach was fantastic.  She really helped me stop and think about different perspectives. She helped me slow down and listen, instead of trying to fix everything for everyone. I realized I was never really listening - that was a perspective I needed. I realized through working with my coach that I was probably frustrating the heck out of people, and that fixing everything isn’t leading. Coaching was so valuable to have someone to hold up a mirror to show you how people see you, in ways you may not be aware of.

What would you say to someone else considering this experience?
It is a totally different experience than any other that you may have undertaken. I signed up originally because I thought, “I’m going to learn more things to improve productivity and I’m going to learn how to be better at work.” But what AWL does is to help you discover who you are and how to be the most authentic you wherever you are. It sounds cliché but, initially I thought, “this is so different, why am I here?” And then after a couple of sessions, I realized that this was something I had to dig deep into. I couldn’t wait to get to into the next session, and I gave myself the space to do it.

What was it about AWL that made you feel you had an ROI from the experience?
For me, it was truly coming to a realization that I had built a lot of walls around who I really was and was not showing up for the people in my life in the ways that I really wanted to. I was worried about letting people in and being vulnerable, and didn’t realize how I was isolating myself and not letting the people around me understand me on a deep level.  And I never realized that was how I was coming across. It has helped me immeasurably in all of my relationships, not just my work relationships.

I feel like I am fulfilling my purpose when I am… professionally and personally, when someone wants me to pitch in to support them, I feel like I’m living my purpose.

My favorite way to spend an afternoon by myself is... I love to create! I love to make candles. I love to paint. I make cards of all sorts. I love to create flower arrangements. Having an artistic outlet calms me.

One of my favorite role models is… my number one role model is my grandmother. She would be 119 if she was alive right now. She was smart beyond her era; she was the smartest woman I knew. She always told me, “you never know what someone is going through.”

What gets you out of bed in the morning? My zest for life. Even when I feel really overwhelmed, I go outside and get grounded so I can continue to live my life with joy, people and connection every day.

To me leadership is… standing shoulder to shoulder with people, and really listening. I really believe that I’m there to serve with the people in my life, and for us to shoulder things together.