Member story: Expanding my perspective

When she began working with BetterUp, Loretta was happy in her role but wanted to improve her work-life balance. With her Coach, Loretta began to clarify her career and life goals and achieved a whole new level of strategic performance that led her to an unexpected new internal position.

“The way I once was...”

I began my BetterUp journey not knowing what to expect and honestly, not expecting much! In my first session intro, I wrote that my top goal was to improve work-life balance. I almost laugh thinking back on how limited my thinking was and how expansive my experience became.

In our first meeting, my Coach opened with sharing a few actionable work-life tips. Yet before the first session was over, she had transcended my narrow initial topic and began to broaden the lens to my career priorities, life goals, and mission. 

She constantly challenged me in ways that my coworkers and managers never have. She routinely asked me such challenging questions that I actually printed them out once and discussed them at dinner with my husband — proving the point that our career decisions are so intertwined with our personal lives and how important it is for the two to be aligned.

How did your Coach help you build accountability or mindfulness around your goals? 

During this period of remote work, with back-to-back Zoom meetings, my Coach urged me to think about how I wanted to feel ... at the end of a call, at the end of the day, at the end of a week. 

From there, she helped me build mindfulness into a busy calendar. She urged me to pause for a moment between calls — to regroup, think about who I am speaking with, and what is the purpose of the meeting. Another simple piece of advice that helped me tremendously was creating calendar blocks for weekly activities, like catching up on industry news. These blocks provide an enjoyable respite and increase my impact in my role.

What one goal did working with your Coach help you achieve? 

My BetterUp experience helped me gain clarity on what parts of my role fulfill me and how I want to spend my day. Instead of focusing on an exact job title, I used this framework to identify a role internally at my company that fit my aspirations despite not being an obvious next step. Throughout the process of considering internal teams, applying and interviewing, my Coach helped me take a broader career perspective than I was capable of on my own. 

I’ll never forget our session two days before my final panel presentation for the new role! We went over every piece of the requirements, and she helped me dispel any internal narratives where I doubted my qualifications. When she asked me how I planned to spend the evening before the interview, I sheepishly admitted that I had been invited out on a friend’s boat and planned to take them up on the offer since I felt sufficiently prepared. 

My Coach replied with such positive encouragement that I was caught off guard! She shared that she was so proud of this balanced work-life decision since social connection and rest are two important pieces of the Whole Person Model. 

What can you do today that you couldn’t necessarily do before having a Coach? 

With my Coach, I’ve learned how to operate at a higher level, lean into my strengths and work with my weaknesses. My Coach helped me be more prudent and strategic at work. She helped me become more intentional, not just completing tasks and following processes but pausing to question why we’re doing such tasks, look for efficiencies, and bring new ideas to my team. 

What advice would you share with others who are considering coaching? 

Leave all expectations at the virtual meeting room door, and get ready to be honest and vulnerable!