Kerri Richardson

This is the column where, each week, I’ll be answering one website visitor’s question in hopes of supporting all visitors through shared (and likely, relevant) challenges, triumphs, and struggles.

Dear Kerri,

After being laid off in this difficult economy, how do I avoid hopelessness, in what seems like an impossible job search?

Signed,
Discouraged in Dallas

Dear Discouraged,

I’m so sorry to hear you were laid off, and in such a challenging job market. Thanks for writing in, as I know lots of people can relate to what you’re going through.

In a time where there are so many more applicants for any given job, it’s easy to feel hopeless. What’s important to remember is that, while action is one of the best remedies for discouragement, you also want to refuel just as you would while working at a job that requires a lot of your time and energy. As I’m sure you know by now, job hunting is full-time work!

People who are currently unemployed and on the job hunt often feel as if they don’t have permission to rest, relax, or replenish, but it’s so necessary in order to stay on the hunt day after day. By remembering to take care of your spirit during this time, you’ll be much more apt to be creative, innovative, and open to opportunities.

To help you along your journey, I’ve listed some suggestions below — both for job hunting and for replenishing. I hope you find them helpful!

• Take frequent breaks as you pore through the online listings. Step outside and get some fresh air. Go for a walk. Go see a movie alone. Give your mind a break. Doing so allows your right brain to jump in the driver’s seat for a bit, and that’s where we come up with some great ideas.

• Send an email to select people in your world — family, friends, old colleagues, etc — letting them know what you’re up to these days and asking specifically if they happen to know anyone in the fields you’re interested in. If you’ve done this already and you’ve been out of work for a while, consider sending it again so people realize you’re still looking.

• Social media. Post a similar message to the email you wrote on your Facebook page to broaden your reach. If you’re not already on Twitter, sign up. Start by finding people and organizations in your local area and/or preferred field to follow and correspond with. This way, you can have your finger on the pulse of your industry, and make connections you wouldn’t have otherwise.

• “Network” doesn’t have to be a dirty word. A search in this economy takes creativity, perseverance, and lots and lots of networking. Years ago, a career coach I know talked about how jobs are much more often found through word of mouth than from newspapers or online postings. While that was certainly true at the time, it’s even more relevant now. Many jobs are found through who you know, so network, network, network. Get creative in how you network to find an approach that you actually enjoy. Social media, as mentioned above, is one way, but you want to talk face-to-face with people, too. Yes, you can check out traditional networking groups or events through the unemployment office, but also remember that every social gathering you attend is an opportunity to make contacts. This doesn’t mean you show up to a friend’s dinner party with your resume. What it does mean, however, is that you show up with a positive attitude and some clear ideas on the fields you’re interested in exploring so when you’re asked the inevitable question, “What do you do?” you can be prepared with a response along the lines of, “I was recently laid off, and am exploring any and all opportunities in (fill in the blank).” Most people immediately start thinking about any connections or suggestions they have, so you’ll be surprised at what you can learn!

• Spend some time with that part of you who feels discouraged and hopeless. Journal a bit about how you’re feeling so you can honor the emotions around your current situation. Often times just by acknowledging how you’re feeling instead of trying to resist it can help you to feel better sooner.

By combining practical action steps with good soul care, you’re bound to find an opportunity that’s right up your alley while preventing suffering in the process.

Best of luck to you,
Kerri
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To read the archive of Ask the Coach, click here. To submit your question, go ahead and send an email





Interested in blogging, but not sure where to begin? Have you set one up and then abandoned it? Are you interested in jazzing up your blog’s look and functionality? Then this workshop is for you!

In my new offering, Blogging with WordPress: A to Z,  I’ll walk you through the entire process — from determining your intention to finding topics to write about; from set-up to design selection; from the ins and outs of the behind-the-scenes functionality to publishing and publicizing. You’ll learn every aspect you need to know in a step-by-step easy to follow webinar. At the end of the series, you’ll have your very own blog all set up and ready to go!

In the classes, I’ll be using software that will allow you to view my screen, without your needing to install anything, so you can see exactly where I’m navigating and what I’m clicking, making it that much easier to learn to do it yourself. At the end of each teleclass, you’ll have homework to complete before the next call, with the assignments relating directly to what we covered in that class and preparing you for the steps in the next one.

The workshop, which is limited to 20 people, includes four teleclasses, followed by a 15-minute, one-on-one phone consultation for each participant, scheduled at a time convenient for you.

Check out the outline below:

Homework will be announced at the end of each class.

BONUS: Register by September 30 and receive a free recording of my previously held teleclass, “Blogging 101,” where I share even more vital information on creating and maintaining a successful blog.

I was having tea with a Twitter friend and coaching colleague, and we were talking about how we don’t adhere to a lot of the old school coaching training, such as “Don’t offer your client advice. Simply help them pull the wisdom out from within.” Or “Never share anything about yourself during a session.” The conversation got me thinking. For the eight years that I have been coaching, people have asked if they could do “as needed” coaching with me. My answer has always been no — that coaching is about establishing and building a relationship to work on laying a solid foundation and not about putting out fires. While I still firmly believe that, I also have opened up to the fact that sometimes people just need a skilled coach to offer a fresh perspective on a specific situation from time to time.

As it usually happens, as I was contemplating this, I received a phone call from a woman inquiring about my services. What did she want? As needed sessions. OK, Universe. I get it.

So, I’m happy to announce that starting immediately, I’m now offering 45-minute Laser Coaching Sessions!

• Have you ever found yourself in a particular situation and you can’t seem to find a doorway out?

• Do you need to have a difficult conversation with a friend or family member about a specific subject and you could use some help with the language?

• Has it become clear that you need to set a boundary, but you don’t know how to go about it?

Then a Laser Session is for you.

In our 45-minute session, I will help you step back from your situation and suggest some best ways to handle it as well as provide input on how to do just that. We’ll not only handle the particular scenario you come to the call with, but we’ll also touch upon the possible sources, or deeper issues, of what is going on.

The key to these sessions is specificity, hence the term “laser”. A specific, targeted situation with which you could use some objective help is what is best served. When you book a Laser Session through my website, you’ll receive an email requesting a detailed description of your situation, as well as some days and times that work best for you. Please note, Laser Sessions are offered Monday-Friday, between 9 AM and 4 PM, as availability allows.

To book your session,

Do you feel like you need help putting the pieces together? Having worked with hundreds of people, I can tell you that a key ingredient to any success is having the right support. When you partner with a coach, you quickly see how much easier your ability to change and improve your life becomes. Through years of experience as a coach, combined with my intuitive approach, I offer fresh perspectives, accountability, evaluation of where you are expending your energy unnecessarily, and support in letting go of blocking beliefs and setting boundaries. Let’s chat and see how we can rock your world!

Life Coaching

Are you living with the nagging feeling that there’s got to be more to life than this? Give yourself the gift of a supportive partner who will help you get back in touch with your dreams and desires. Only when you feel truly nurtured and cared for (by yourself) can you then give freely — out of true joy and surplus instead of guilt and obligation. Your time is now. Don’t put it off any longer. Get in touch for a complimentary exploratory conversation. I’m here to support you, challenge you, and guide you. Oh, and we’re sure to have lots of fun, too!

Thoughts from past clients:

“I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your talent, devotion, and skill at what you do. What a godsend your clarity is! … your focus was so helpful, and you somehow came up with such helpful, practical/spiritual, strong messages and reminders. I am often agog at the surgical precision of your words, just the right thing at the right time. It can feel like water to someone in the desert. You made a big difference in my life.” — Ruth L.

“Since working with you, my life has changed in so many positive ways. It has been wonderful to have your guidance, support, and wisdom along with your upbeat personality guiding me along this path. I hope you know what an impact you’ve had on my life. I am very excited to see my life unfold.” — Laurie M.

“I know that every professional athlete, business person, creative artist and human being can benefit from working with the right coach and working with Kerri helped my business immensely! I have seen vast improvements in every area – financial, organization, clarity, focus and general peace of mind. Kerri asked my permission to be ‘tough’ on me and we went back to the basics right away. This cleared my head and helped me focus on laying a solid foundation for the future. I know I’m ready for every opportunity that comes my way now. I *loved* having Kerri on my team! “

Sandy Grason, author of Journalution

How I Work

I do all of my coaching via the telephone – during daytime hours (EST). I speak with my clients either two or three times per month (depending on the chosen plan) for 30 minutes each. In between calls, the support continues via e-mail (as needed). Through their work with me, clients find that they are able to see situations in new and different ways, and together we come up with appropriate action steps to move them in a direction that is aligned with their desires and values.

The main components of coaching that clients really appreciate is the ability to work with a supportive partner – someone who will hold them up when they struggle, and give them a gentle “kick in the behind” when they fall behind. Someone who will help them to set better boundaries so they can honor their needs and self-care. The support and accountability are both key components in anyone’s success.

There are many coaches out there who require a minimum three-month commitment to start. I understand why that is the case, as in the coaching world, we are told it takes a solid 90 days to see the far-reaching effects of coaching (although I would like to humbly admit that I find clients I work with see results sooner than that . I don’t require clients to commit to a certain number of months simply because we may find, in a month or so, that I am not a fit for you. I am then happy to refer you to someone else. Conversely, I have an ideal client profile I go by and may find that a client I started working with is not a good fit for me. For coaching to be successful, there must be an energetic match. This is why I offer the flexibility of working on a month-to-month basis. I am proud to say I have yet to have a client ask for a referral, and I credit that to my commitment to only take on those clients who I have a strong sense that we would work well together.

Fees for Private Coaching

Three, 30-minute calls per month, with email support in between, as needed: $400 USD.

Two, 30-minute calls per month, with email support on the off weeks: $275 USD.

Are you someone who has always longed to write, whether it be for your own personal pleasure, in hopes of being published in a magazine, or a secret desire to be a bestselling author? Do you have random notes in drawers and journals and would love to put them together to see what they could be? With 15 years as an editor and 8 years as a trained coach, I’ll help you to see your resistance as an important collaborative partner and not something that needs to be “pushed through.”

Having worked with many writers over the years, I help clients see that the journey to their goal of being published must include lifestyle and belief shifts, in addition to identifying and developing a writing process. And together, we do just that.

“Kerri gave me hope and practical tools after I thought I had exhausted both in years — more than fifteen years — of half-finished drafts, unrevised stories, tons of classes and writing books. Now I find myself using some of the knowledge I gained from all those years, because Kerri’s philosophy of small steps, self-encouragement and gentleness have finally released my inner saboteur. I almost didn’t call her because I thought I had tried everything, but clearly her coaching is the piece that makes the rest of the puzzle work.”

— Amy L.

How I Work

I do all of my coaching via the telephone – during daytime hours (EST). I speak with my clients either two or three times per month (depending on the chosen plan) for 30 minutes each. In between calls, the support continues via e-mail (as needed). Through their work with me, clients find that they are able to see situations in new and different ways, and together we come up with appropriate action steps to move them in a direction that is aligned with their desires and values.

The main components of coaching that clients really appreciate is the ability to work with a supportive partner – someone who will hold them up when they struggle, and give them a gentle “kick in the behind” when they fall behind. Someone who will help them to set better boundaries so they can honor their needs and self-care. The support and accountability are both key components in anyone’s success.

I invite you to get in touch, get the support you deserve, and start living the life of your dreams!

Contact Kerri

Email Kerri

Phone: (978) 358-7614

Fees for Private Coaching

Three, 30-minute calls per month, with email support in between, as needed: $400 USD.

Two, 30-minute calls per month, with email support on the off weeks: $275 USD.

A few years back, I visited Miraval Resort and Spa –- a beautiful, luxury destination that focuses on physical, emotional, and spiritual health. I knew, in planning my trip, that I wanted to test my limits.

The most obvious test came when I decided to tackle The Climbing Wall, one of Miraval’s Challenge Course activities -– an outdoor wall that’s meant to mimic rock climbing. Standing back from the wall and looking at it as a whole, it looked relatively easy -– despite the 32-foot height (gulp!). OK. Yup, I see pegs that I can stand on and hold, foot holes in the wall where I can step. So it’s just a different kind of ladder. No big deal.

There I am, all geared up, on belay and ready to go. I start my ascent. I climb with such grace and ease –- for the first three feet or so. I now find myself right up against the wall, only able to see the pegs and foot holes directly in front of me. Hmmm. Talk about not being able to see the forest for the trees. Yeah, yeah, I get the metaphor.

So here I am, in a pretty vulnerable position (not a comfortable state for me!), hanging from a rope, held by a complete stranger –- who, by the way, is acting as a belayer for the first time in her life -– and I must trust those on the ground to tell me where to step next. Oh, yeah, great idea, Kerri. You couldn’t have just challenged yourself to get an extra massage today?

I continue my ascent, ever so s-l-o-w-l-y, where I then reach a point where I feel like I can go no further. No, literally. I can’t see any nearby peg or foot hole to go after. Ohhh, so here’s the trust part. Yuk. The helpful classmates on the ground below are doing their best to convince me that there is a peg right at my left knee, and if I can shift my weight and push myself up by my right leg, while simultaneously reaching for a hole above my head, I can get my left foot on that invisible peg. Did those instructions sound unclear to you? Try being the one on the wall! Here I am contemplating my next move:

“No,” I say. “This is it for me. I can’t go any further.”

“Are you sure?” says Jim, the really wonderful instructor (truly).

I pause. “OK, that pause tells me you’d like to keep going,” Jim says.

Damn pause.

I stand still for a moment, doing some deep breathing on Jim’s suggestion. “Just try it, Kerri,” I tell myself. “Just give it a shot.” OK, here I go… Shift my weight, push up with my right foot, reach, and….. I slip right off the wall.

The good news? The rookie belayer doesn’t let me plummet to my death. The other good news? I now have solid evidence that I can trust her. I’m now more determined than ever to try that next step again.

I get myself to the same spot and get really quiet. I breathe and start pumping myself up in my head. “I’m not giving up. I’ll get to that peg I can’t see. I’m not leaving this wall until I do.” I make the move again and find my footing weak, so come back to position. I pause for just a second or two and lunge once again. I shift, I push, I reach and … I did it! Everyone down below cheers. I feel fantastic! I both can and can’t believe I really did it.

Although this was the end of my climb (I was physically and emotionally exhausted), I got to the point on the wall that was my minimum goal, so I was pretty darn impressed with myself.

Jeanette (aka, “the rookie belayer”) eases me down off my perch until I’m safely back on the ground. High fives all around as Jim says “So what did you learn up there?” The first thing that comes out of my mouth is, “Well, I can push myself further than I thought I could.”

“That’s great,” Jim says. “I encourage you to remember that statement in all areas of your life.”

And I do. Whether it’s during a workout on the elliptical or taking the risk to deepen a friendship by bringing conversations beyond chit chat, I try and remember to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone because the feeling on the other side is always worth it.