Happy Holidays!
 
As you enter the holiday season and move closer to year’s end, you may find yourselves going within and feeling reflective. Certainly, the election has left us, and continues to leave us, with much to think about! Beyond that, in our personal and career lives – in these last months of the year when darkness falls earlier and earlier and a chill is in the air – it’s not unusual to think more about the level of meaning we currently feel in our work and relationships, and perhaps even experience some melancholy and sadness. It can also be an extremely busy time, with many events on the calendar and visits with family. More introverted personalities can become overwhelmed or exhausted and need to carve out, and be firm in protecting, times of rest and recharging.
 
As I think back on 2016, it’s been a year of growth and gradual expansion for Navigating Transitions! I wanted to share some updates, then later, in the spirit of winter reflection, offer resources for the “inner game” of career transition. These include articles about breaking through self-doubt and self-sabotage, and a tool I share in the career counseling process to help clients combat persistent negative beliefs and self-talk.
 
One area of business growth this year was investment and time in my Oakland office. As my client load grew and remained consistent in the East Bay, I made a shift from renting office space by the hour, to paying monthly rent for regular office use. Benefits of this arrangement include feeling more connected to my colleagues who share the Dahlia Therapy Center space, having my name on the signage at the door, and consolidating my trips to Oakland. I am available by phone or Skype appointments on other days when clients prefer, as well.
 
I have also been enjoying seeing a smaller number of clients in Concord. One intention for 2017 is to reach more introverts and professionals in the Concord/Pleasant Hill/Walnut Creek area seeking meaningful career change, and to increase my number of clients and events in this area.

 On a personal level, I have continued to enjoy living in Martinez and frequenting the local businesses and restaurants in the friendly downtown area, walking my Boston Terrier, Zoey, around the neighborhoods, and attending local events such as the Zombie Crawl for Halloween, “Holiday Frolic” activities, and a thriving Farmer’s Market every Sunday. I enjoy attending some of these events with my housemate who moved in last July – it’s wonderful that she loves dogs, too, and enjoys spending time with Zoey when she’s home!





Most recently, Navigating Transitions growth has involved gathering new templates and tools around the “inner game” of career transition… So, more specifically, what is the “inner game”?
 
Well, most people at points in their career find themselves mired in fear, self-doubt, or self-sabotage; however hard they try and regardless of what goals they set, they can’t seem to develop and maintain momentum forward. This is the “inner game,” we must all successfully work through if we want to expand our horizons and achieve bigger career and life goals. More specifically, this pattern can look like that voice that keeps telling you you’re too old or not qualified for that job you want. Or becoming caught up in all the “what ifs” so powerfully that you feel paralyzed to take action. It can also be the less conscious part of ourselves acting out to recreate familiar dynamics and circumstances we learned long ago but that no longer serve us, or channeling anxiety into behaviors that sabotage success and assure we won’t have to take the risk to change or face our fears.

Most of my clients encounter these blocks sooner or later in the career counseling process. One tool I offer them to combat negative beliefs and self-talk is a process I first discovered when I was in graduate school called, “The Four Questions,” from the work of Byron Katie.  These negative beliefs or judgments might sound like the self judgments mentioned in the paragraph above, or cognitive beliefs such as, “I'm not talented enough to do that job” or “If I stop saying yes to everything that’s asked of me at work, I will lose my job and my family.” For these thoughts, I suggested reducing their power by reality checking them with Byron Katie's Four Questions:

1. Is it true?
2. Do I absolutely know it's true?
3. How do I react and what happens when I believe that thought?
4. What would I be without that thought?

Next time you find yourself wrestling with negative beliefs, give these a try, and let me know how it goes!
 
In the last few months, I also came across several articles about self-doubt and self-sabotage. To start with, I read an article in O, the Oprah Magazine, called, “Martha Beck’s 3-Step Plan to Defeat Self-Sabotage”. If you want to understand self-sabotage, check out this article. It says our logical self, “builds a sort of cage of obligations and beliefs” that traps our more primal self inside. Self-sabotage is our animal self trying to, “ease its distress while living in that cage.” She then shares ways to consciously break out!

Here are a few additional articles of value:

• 10 Things You Can Do Today To Overcome Self-Doubt A list of key strategies to use when self-doubt rears it’s head, including: “Let go of negative self criticism”; “Set small, attainable goals...and then crush them!”; and “Get professional support” because the days are gone when there was a stigma to seeing a therapist, mentor, or coach. Yes! The Huffington Post, 4/27/16.
• 4 Ways to Stop Sabotaging Yourself Offers four common reasons we place limitations on ourselves that keep us from living our dreams, plus an inspiring message from Jim Carrey. Psychology Today, 7/21/2014
• 3 Steps To Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Career 3-step process to re-wire your brain for success, including responding to, “What would I do if I knew I would succeed?” HealYourLife.com, 5/18/2016.
• How Harnessing Your Insecurities can Boost Your Career For a totally different perspective, reap benefits from embracing your insecurities! To a point… FastCompany.com, 9/14/16.

Continuing with the theme of the “inner game” and conquering self-doubt and self-sabotage, the Conscious Career Transition Success Meetup I lead in the East Bay focused on this topic in Albany on December 13th. Each month, I offer supportive career guidance and tools around our theme, as well as structured networking. We have a lot of fun and make meaningful connections. Our next Meetup is January 19th, please visit!

Lastly, can you think of someone you know who feels stuck or unhappy in their career? As a holiday season special, I am currently offering several free 30-minute “Into Your Dream Career” Strategy Sessions, in which I help people get clear on what they want, what’s holding them back, and share expert guidance to help them get there. Click this scheduling link for you, a friend, family member, or colleague to book one of a limited number of winter sessions. You can also call or email me today to reserve a time. And please share this newsletter with anyone who might benefit!
 
I wish you much success and joy (and times to rest and recharge) this Holiday Season!

Warmly,
 
Kristina


Kristina Bennett, MA
Career Counselor
Navigating Transitions Career Counseling
www.HelpNavigatingTransitions.com

Happy Summer from Navigating Transitions! There seem to be summer festivals and gatherings happening everywhere I turn, and the big one that recently happened for me is my high school reunion in Eugene, Oregon. It was wonderful to see great friends I haven’t seen in a very long time, and I look forward to staying in better touch going forward. I took the opportunity to spend time with family, including my nieces and nephew, as well.
 



















My high school chums before the Saturday night event (men have not changed into their evening attire!).
 
Navigating Transitions continues to grow and evolve, supporting new clients around the issues of meaningful career success for Introverts and professionals who want to love their work and make a big difference. Please visit my website, pick up a free Career Clarity Questionnaire, and say hello! Clients I’ve worked with over the last several months or a year have graduated on to new career – or in some cases educational – opportunities. I am thrilled to celebrate these successes together!
 
In the last month, I’ve begun working with a couple more clients at my new office, near Concord and Walnut Creek. Both of them are Introverts who, after struggling in jobs that burned them out, are interested in finding careers that fit their strengths and give them a greater sense of purpose. One said recently after taking recommended personality and interest assessments, “I see now that I was really in the wrong career for me!” For those who live in or near this area, I am happy to meet in person at this location, as well as continuing to meet with folks in Oakland and remotely over phone and Skype.
 
Another representative career exploration example I want to share is about my client in New York. She just bought a home, so she doesn’t want to make a big education commitment at this time. Thus, we have narrowed the possibilities down to two careers that use her talents and only require short-term training programs she can complete while continuing to work. It was a breakthrough for her to realize she could find a rewarding career she loves and not need to finish a higher degree. She is also considering creating two simultaneous streams of income, allowing her to build theatre education experience, while supplementing income through a higher-paying job that incorporates other interests within areas of expertise.

My New York client is not alone in building multiple income streams. I see more and more people making the choice to earn a living through multiple income sources, and lots of valuable information about this topic is popping up in the news and on social media. The people who have chosen this path, including I and many of my colleagues and clients, have discovered that multiple income streams can give you more stability because you don’t have to rely wholly on one employer, and it can grant the opportunity to use more of your talents and interests in your work life. It can also lead to more flexibility and free time during the 9-5 work day to spend with family or outside, and allow you to develop a business or one career stream while being financially supported by another income stream. For example, when I began building my business, I continued part-time college teaching and counseling, which I enjoy and which pays well.

Lastly, this strategy can also allow you to accumulate wealth at a faster pace, once debt is paid down. According to research conducted by Thomas C. Corley for a Business Insider article quoted in the article, “Smart People Separate Eggs to Avoid a Scramble,” on smallbiztrends.com, “…65 percent of self-made millionaires had three streams of income. 45 percent had four streams of income. And 29 percent had five or more income streams.” 6/3/2015

As a caviat, of course there are also those who have to work multiple part-time jobs but would prefer one full-time job, which is a separate category, especially when the part-time jobs are low-paying and without benefits. What I’m referring to in this newsletter is making the choice to develop multiple income streams, which may include part-time jobs in different sectors but also passive income streams that, while requiring a surge of effort and time up front, over the long run don’t require a lot of effort. These include real estate and stock investments, intellectual property, and online products and businesses, among other things. For coaches and consultants for example, while they may see clients one-on-one, they may also offer workshops and group programs, as well as home study programs, webinars and e-books, as illustrated in the article, “7 Simple Income Streams (That you can actually create),” by Dave Navarro, The Launch Coach.

Adding to this perspective, Pat Flynn, who blogs at Smart Passive Income, defines passive income in the Forbes article, “Smart Passive Income: 10 Top Tips From Expert Pat Flynn,” as “building online businesses that take advantage of systems of automations that allow transactions, cash flow and growth without requiring a real-time presence. We don’t have to trade our time for money one to one. Instead, we invest our time upfront, creating valuable products and experiences for people, and we reap the benefits of that time invested later.” Here is the full article, if you would like to read more. 8/26/2014

If your excited to know more about the multiple income stream career choice, here are a couple more articles and resources of value. And let me know if you would like career counseling support around building a career with multiple sources of income; I would love to work with you!:

• Create Multiple Streams of Income In Case You Lose Your Job. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! The basket might suddenly be lost or stolen. 2/27/2015
• 8 Money Mistakes to Avoid on Your Way to Being Wealthy. In this Entrepreneur article packed with solid money advice, Grant Cardone suggests you pay attention to your money because …”nothing multiplies without attention.” Also, avoid common mistakes like depending on one income flow or saving just for the sake of saving. 8/11/2014
• Here is an article by Amandah Blackwell in the Huffington Post that speaks to eight simple ways to create passive income streams, including starting a freelance business, affiliate marketing, and earning royalties. 1/31/2014

Finally, I continue to enjoy leading the East Bay Career Transition Success Meetup group every month or so, sharing career development information and meeting great new people. The last Meetup event in Albany included:

• A short career assessment, called True Colors and a career matching exercise.
• Career tips for how to develop experience when making a career transition to a new field.
• Low-key paired and group networking activities.

I will be offering another Career Transition for Introverts workshop in early fall at Rudramandir in Berkeley and will continue to host monthly low-key, high-value networking gatherings in Albany. Here is the link to the East Bay Career Transition Success Meetup page. Please visit us!
 
I hope you enjoyed and received some value from this newsletter. I welcome your feedback or input on topics you would like to see in future newsletters. I invite you, a friend, family member, or colleague to try a free, half-hour “Into Your Dream Career” strategy session this month. Please call or visit my website today to learn more!
 
To Your Happiness and Success,
 
Kristina

Kristina Bennett, MA
Career Counselor
Navigating Transitions Career Counseling
www.HelpNavigatingTransitions.com
(805) 540-1942 (please text first)

Hi there,
 
Happy Spring! The flowers are blooming in California, and I am enjoying the sights and smells of the roses in my yard. Navigating Transitions continues to bloom as well, supporting more clients around the issues of meaningful career success for introverts and professionals who want to make a big difference doing work that requires and values their strengths.
 
In the last couple months, I’ve taken on several new clients, including one previous acquaintance from New York! I work with some clients remotely, and I am happy to discover that we are able to achieve the same success that I achieve with clients I meet with in my Oakland office. For those who live locally and prefer meeting in person, I have another, brand-new office – located in Walnut Creek! A colleague referred me to Regus, a great place which allows me to book office space as needed – helpful as I continue to grow my client list in this area.
 
In a recent session with my New York client, I discovered she had tried once to start her own theater education business, but had given up that dream when it hadn’t immediately taken off. I shared what I’ve learned over recent years, that it takes serious skills to launch a successful business; skills we are not born with, but skills we can learn! It may not happen overnight, but it can happen step by step. She’s now reignited with passion and commitment for her dream and we are working on a plan and action steps she can take now, while continuing to earn good money in a “stair step” job.

I also see more and more valuable information about career choices and leadership roles for Introverts. As I know well, the wrong career or work environment can lead to day-to-day misery on the job, especially if the environment is geared for extroverts only. The Sentinel & Enterprise had a thought-provoking article recently, Businesses Bloom as Opposites Attract, that referenced the book, "The Genius of Opposites: How Introverts and Extroverts Achieve Extraordinary Results," by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler. The book says that "Opposites can produce exponential results." She says teams that respect the differences in style and approach that introverts and extroverts bring to a team work “like bifocal lenses that can see both up close and at a distance.” This results in "improved morale, surpassed company goals and the (shared) high that comes from satisfying work." 3/29/2016

Here are a few more articles and resources of value:

• Introverted leaders often deliver better outcomes… Interview with Susan Cain about Introvert leadership qualities. She says research shows the best CEOs are quiet, shy, unassuming people. 2/9/2016
• Why You Need an Introvert in Your Life. It’s time to shift the conversation from the negative to the positive side of introversion. Introverts bring a bounty of gifts to the table, including calmness, deliberation, and loyalty to friends and colleagues. Huffington Post, Quiet Revolution, 10/22/2015
• Best Jobs for Introverts, a blog post from “The Adventurous Writer,” names a few potentially appealing jobs for Introverts and quiet types – writing, self-employment, artist, scientist, stock broker – but wisely \says that the company and work environment are key factors to Introvert satisfaction.

One of my favorite activities continues to be the East Bay Career Transition Success Meetup group, which I lead. In April, our Meetup event was a Career Exploration for Introverts workshop at Rudramandir in Berkeley. I shared:

• Career assessment and exploration activities to find a rewarding career - that fits Introvert strengths.
• Career tips especially for Introverts from the book, "Quiet," and the my experience counseling Introverts and as an Introvert myself.
• Optional Introvert-friendly structured networking activities at the end.

I’ll host another workshop every few months and will continue to host monthly low-key networking gatherings in Albany. Please visit!
 
I also assisted for the first time at the Client Attraction Summit with Jesse Koren and Sharla Jacobs at Thrive Academy, which helps businesses like Navigating Transitions to help more people and to grow. It was a lot of fun to be on the team and learn a wealth of knowledge about what goes on behind the scenes at a big event like this. Many of us intend to offer similar events in the future.
 
A bonus was seeing the event participants come in with low energy, keeping their guard up, then transform through the weekend into lit-up excitement, commitment, and heartfelt exchanges with their fellow entrepreneurs. I remember going through that transformation myself! I continue to translate these lessons for clients, as well.
 






Kristina and Friends Assisting at Thrive Client Attraction Summit in April
 
I’ll be following up this newsletter with an invitation for you, a friend, family member, or colleague to try a free, half-hour “Into Your Dream Career” strategy session this month. Will you take a moment to think of someone you know who might need my services? Please refer them to me or call or email me and I will follow up. Thanks!
 
To Your Happiness and Success,
 
Kristina
 
Kristina Bennett, MA
Career Counselor
Navigating Transitions Career Counseling
www.HelpNavigatingTransitions.com 
(805) 540-1942

Happy Spring!
 
Navigating Transitions is off to a strong start in 2016! This is our second newsletter, after the first edition at holiday time. A lot has happened, and awareness of “our” issues – meaningful career success for introverts and professionals who want to make a big difference – continues to grow.
 
Since the end of last year, my client list has tripled, including clients who work with me through several progressive phases, including career exploration, building a bridge to a new, rewarding career, and successfully tackling inner blocks and job search strategies with my help. There’s still room for growth, but the changes so far are thrilling.
 
I also see more and more valuable information about successes and challenges for introverts in the workplace. The New Yorker had a wonderful article recently, “The Open-Office Trap”. Open offices are all the rage, as we all know, but they can hurt the “attention spans, productivity, creative thinking, and satisfaction” of employees. Not only that, “But the most problematic aspect of the open office may be physical rather than psychological: simple noise… noise has been repeatedly tied to reduced cognitive performance.” And introverts are more easily disrupted by noise, which interferes with their ability to reach optimum flow state in their work.
 
Here are a few more articles and resources of value:

• 6 Steps Introverts Can Take Now… Focuses on the holidays, but useful to manage any particularly busy time of year. Huffington Post, 11/17/2015.
• 7 Totally Practical Career Tips For Office Introverts. Reminder to “Just be yourself,” and that “Facts are an introvert’s friend!” among other helpful tips. 1/11/2016.
• Will an Open Office Work Environment Help Your Employees Succeed? Answer: It depends. Content Standard, 2/5/2016.

 
And I can never stop recommending Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain, from Broadway Books, January 2013. This wildly popular book has changed and continues to change public perception of introversion and is so encouraging to all of us who are introverts in the working world.
 
One of my favorite activities is the East Bay Career Transition Success Meetup group, which I lead. We share coffee, tea, or a glass of wine; do a quick career assessment or exercise; discuss successes and challenges; and identify next steps in our career growth. I’m able to demonstrate, in real time, what an introvert-friendly meeting feels like. We have a lot of fun and make meaningful connections. Please visit!
 
I also attended my fourth weekend intensive with the dynamic duo of Jesse Koren and Sharla Jacobs at Thrive Academy, which helps businesses like Navigating Transitions to help more people and to grow. It was a lot of fun to once again experience the supportive community with other thriving entrepreneurs. Not only do I use what I learn at Thrive directly; I translate the lessons learned for introverts and professionals in my career counseling sessions, as well!














Kristina with Lesley at Thrive Academy in February
 
Lastly, I'm extending an invitation for you, a friend, family member, or colleague to try a free, half-hour “Into Your Dream Career” strategy session during the month of March. Please call or email me today to schedule your session!
 
To Your Success and Happiness,
 
Kristina