On November 30, 2018, lightning struck me – I met Julie Ketover. Rare we would have friends in common – no; rare we would both love and adore Michelle Obama and want to see her book tour – no; rare we would sit next to each other and talk as if we had been friends for years – absolutely; even more rare that I would share that I was at a crossroads in my career and feeling incredibly unfulfilled and unhappy – no doubt. And so what would have been a phenomenal evening turned magical.
Days later, Julie and I started our journey together. I shared my discontentment in my job, my boss, and my decisions. I blamed myself. I was hard on myself. I had very little faith in myself. But the thing about lightning bolts is that it is an electric discharge, it gives you energy. As did mine. And week after week we worked on me. What I brought to the table – my true essence and I grew more confident. I found my voice again and I started to develop a plan.
Within 3 months of working together, I changed jobs. I am now in a role that I love, working for someone that I admire and emulate. I am passionate about my company and I finally feel fulfilled. That, in and of itself, for me, was transformative, but Julie continued to strike.
During our sessions, I went through a terrible family crisis. Julie listened, provided me resources and comfort. She did not judge me, she did not try to fix me. She was exactly what I needed when I needed it most and for that I will be forever thankful.
Julie is truly remarkable. She delivers coaching that is so far beyond coaching it should be called therapy for your soul. Yes, she can navigate the complicated terrain of corporate America. Yes, she will help you develop a project plan to achieve your desired promotion and sought after goals. Yes, she will achieve all the things you want a typical coach to do for you. But it is the intangible things that make her truly extraordinary. She listens – not in the way your partner listens but in the way you listen to your children when you are trying to uncover the true meaning of their words. She co-creates with you. She is invested in your thoughts, ideas, plans and you feel it when she talks and looks at you. She empathizes with you when you hurt, when you are raw and open. She lets you feel all of your emotions however you feel them. She does not apologize for them or make excuses for them nor does she allow you to – she just lets you feel them. They are yours after all. Most remarkably, she doesn’t shy away from pushing you into the hard stuff and questioning the things that you keep dancing around. If we don’t face our fears we cannot conquer them. She helps you battle them, she may even put on armor and join the war!
So according to the National Geographic, the odds of being struck by lightning in any one year is 1 in 700,000. I guess I am pretty lucky Julie Ketover struck me.