How Britt Michaelian Found Her “Aha” Moment
As with many of my “Aha” interviewees, I met Britt over Twitter. But it wasn’t until we started chatting that we found out that we lived blocks from each other and had friends in common. I’m telling you, one of the craziest things that I have seen happen since I found my own aha moment in work is how I have met all of these people who I connect with and otherwise may have never met.
But I digress. Britt Michaelian is one very cool lady who has built an awesome business helping entrepreneurial moms. She is an author, a speaker, an artist and a coach and she has had multiple careers to get her to where she is now.
What I have noticed that almost all of my interviewees have said is that they love what they do but it is perfect for NOW. I think that is such an important distinction. So many of us worry, will I love it forever? Don’t worry about that. What would you love to do now?
Here is her story:
Tell me about what you do for work.
I am a lifestyle coach who works with mom entrepreneurs to look at the big picture of their personal, family and professional values and goals so we can create an action plan to make the right things happen.
What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?
About a year ago, a little bell went off in my head that although I had achieved a fairly significant level of success in my work as a child safety expert, I was not doing life purpose work. So, I went on a little self-discovery mission and found Work Smart Mompreneurs.
What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?
Well, one thing is for sure, I was never very good at being an employee. I had too many ideas and too much ambition for a 9 to 5 job. Looking back now, I can see that with both my art business (I am an exhibiting artist of mixed media paintings) and my child safety business, the big piece of the picture that was missing was the service aspect.
Service and relationships are two of my top values and my business now is a great vehicle for letting me dance with my values while accomplishing my goals. When business owners are not working from their values or are not crystal clear about their goals, they will feel frustrated, overwhelmed or even depressed.
How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?
That’s a great question. To uncover your life purpose, you really have to be conscious and look at the natural skills that you posses, the experiences you have endured and the passions that make you feel alive. To know what we were meant to do, we must focus on what inspires us and what makes us truly happy.
To find my purpose, I took a 2 week vacation and meditated, looked at old photo albums, exercised, made art, spent time with my family asking questions and really went inward. What really made me see that this is my calling was when my husband said to me, “You already have people coming to you for this service. You just aren’t charging for it… yet.” It was like… “Oh yeah! You’re right.” A month later, I had a new logo, a new website and Work Smart Mompreneurs was born.
Having said that, I can’t say that this is what I will do forever, but it is certainly what I am meant to be doing RIGHT NOW.
What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?
Oh my gosh, it’s more like what fears didn’t I overcome! LOL. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of not having enough money, fear of not spending enough time with my kids or my husband, fear of looking stupid, fear of flying (not sure I have totally overcome this one, but it comes up when I have to travel for work. I’m fine when traveling with my family)… Really, I am not someone who let’s fear get in the way of anything. I know it’s there, but when you know it’s right, why not go for it?
What do you love most about what you do?
I love supporting women and helping them see and feel the power that they have inside. I love it when my clients experience the joy and power of accomplishing the goals that they never thought they could achieve. Every client has different gifts and strengths that they bring to the relationship, but when they get their first taste of success or when I can just be there and support them through growth or through challenges… that’s why I do what I do. It’s awesome. I am very lucky.
What is a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
I have different days scheduled for different activities. Mondays are my team days, so we have phone calls and track progress and goals.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are my coaching days (and I may also do a bit of writing or video). Wednesdays are radio show and teleseminar days. Fridays are for fun (and maybe a little social networking).
When I pick my kids up from school, the rest of the day is about the kids. I may sneak a phone call or a tweet chat in once the kids get home, but for the most part, I am on mom duty after 3 pm and I love it.
If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?
If you are thinking about changing careers, that means that you already know that what you are doing is not in alignment with your ife purpose. Listen to that little voice telling you to move on. Then, spend some time getting very specific about your goals and dreams and create a 30, 60 and 90 day goal sheets to move you ahead in the direction of not only your goals, but your life purpose! Why do anything else?
Tags: aha moment, blogger, Britt Michaelian, career, career change, career reinvention, community, entrepreneur, how to change career, inspirational, mom, moms, personal branding, san francisco, wahm
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Aha Interviews
My mission is to inspire others to find what they were made for.
