From childhood I was seen as smart, thoughtful, and analytical. I spent many years putting these qualities to work, in various technical and business roles, often by devising and managing the systems by which humans work together to do a thing. I was a total process and systems nerd who could talk your ear off about lean principles or efficient enterprise architecture.
After doing this in some big jobs, with a lot of responsibility, I finally recognized one pattern in myself: I kept burning out. With the benefit of hindsight I came to realize that I had burned out a few separate times in my career.
This realization led me on a journey of discovery. Through tons of reading, coaching and therapy, I have developed a new, powerful skill of awareness. It slowly became clear that hustling and grinding for external validation of my worth was my jam, my default mode. And thankfully I have also realized that self-worth is something I can have inside of me vs. searching for elsewhere. I no longer need to prove myself with hard work inside a system that isn’t set up to help me thrive as a person.
Now that I have had this insight, I have realized that what makes humans tick has been the perennial interest of my analytical brain this whole time! I was focused on human systems in the past, and now I have a passion for helping other thoughtful and analytical people have this same epiphany and develop their own sense of awareness. I am now in my phase of nerding out about the human experience, and this is why I find coaching so interesting and rewarding.
In my technology career I managed teams through times of great change and upheaval, including mergers and acquisitions, and both business declines and crazy growth. I did this while holding senior executive positions, leading teams of 400+ people, with revenue accountability for $300M+ and managing operating budgets in excess of $100M. My roles were in technology product development and operations for brands like HBO, Getty Images, Unilever and many startups.
I coach internationally, either virtually or in-person. I spend my time in Palm Springs, CA and Whidbey Island, WA or traveling around in my camper van with my husband and dog.
Check out my LinkedIn profile for all of the detail! https://www.linkedin.com/in/rrockafellar/
