From Anxiety…

Anxiety can present at any age. I was an anxious child, from being afraid of the dark, to the constant fear of my parents dying, to being ashamed of walking across a room to sharpen my pencil in school. That anxiety became social anxiety during my teen years (although I wouldn’t know this for another 20 years!).

And college was was worse. Ugh!

I went hungry my first two days of college because I was too afraid to go to the cafeteria alone. I didn’t realize I was an introvert, and fitting in at college was extremely challenge for me.

My Career, the Early Years

When I graduated with my degree, I was also commissioned a 2LT in the US Army. Because I had social anxiety, I found it challenging to network. Self-promotion very difficult with my managers and senior level staff.

As an introvert, I was guarded and I warm up very slowly to people. So slowly, that many times people assumed I was incompetent. My own anxiety and self-doubt, and impostor syndrome made me feel insecure as a leader. As a human being I felt incompetent!

Early in my career after spending 6 years in the U.S. Army, I decided to leave the military. I received many job offers from large corporations that wanted to put me into leadership roles.

I turned them all down.

For years after that, I continued to be offered prestigious promotions within the companies I worked for.

I turned them all down, too.

I felt terrified of speaking up in meetings. the thought of being responsible for other people paralyzed me. And taking the lead on a new project? Forget it.

I was convinced that I wasn’t really a leader. Besides, there was no way I had enough experience or knowledge to excel in an advanced position.

This led me stay stuck in jobs, bypassed for promotions, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of dollars of income each year.

The Breaking Point…

I was exhausted from living with the constant weight of anxiety and fear. To put it another way, I was fed up with feeling like I was on edge all the time, waiting for the next bad thing to happen. The next failure waiting for me around the next corner.

It was like I was powerless to control my own emotions. I was tired of sneaking food at night and eating it in secret, trying to numb the pain. It was all utterly exhausting. There had to be a way out of feeling disgusted with myself, my body, and my life all the time.

At the end of the day, I was tired of fear holding me back. And done with the disappointment of being bypassed for promotions.

Anxiety Breakthrough

Then I had the most amazing breakthrough.

While doing research for one of my classes, I came across the definition for something called social anxiety.

I was stunned.

As I read it, it seemed like this person had been following me around all of my life, knew me and wrote my entire life history in that article. They knew everything Id been feeling and going through.

This was my aha moment! That’s when I started to research and research. Which lead me to reading dozens of books.

I knew then that realizing what I had, social anxiety, I could now take definitive action to beat it.

Resilient instead of anxious, I…

was able let go of the toxic guilt and shame I’d carried for years

let go of perfectionism

learned strategies to manage my anxiety

let go of self-doubt

learned how to use fear to take calculated risks

started setting and achieving my own goals and visions for my life

Ultimately, This All Resulted In…

increased self-confidence

elevated sense of self-worth

more easily speaking up for myself

feeling empowered because I was in control of my life

completion of 2 graduate degrees

career transitions with several promotions and increased salary

starting my entrepreneurial journey

My Career Today

I now support women to achieve their full potential by helping them build confidence in their own self-worth, manage stress and anxiety, speak up, and let go of fear and self-doubt. I empower them to dream big and take leaps towards their next best level.

Learn about my journey through anxiety 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

Do you feel anxious and insecure about your career?

You’re not alone. I’ve been there, and I can help.

Request a free 30-minute Career Solution Call with me today.

I’ll help you:

• Identify the causes of your anxiety
• Develop strategies to manage your anxiety

• Create a strategic plan to achieve your career goals

You have a right to feel enthusiastic and empowered about your career.

I can support you in living a better life with a career you love.

You only live once, so make it your best life.