Featured Member: Angela Shank

Tell us your work story : Who are you and what do you do?

I am an Associate Certified Coach and ICF accredited specializing in Relationship Coaching.

 

 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Creating a successful full time coaching business within one year of certification

 

 

What is the hardest challenge you’ve faced, work-wise? 

Understanding where to get clients, what clients are really looking for and how I could be an expert in that field

 

 

What advice do you have for other women looking to make a career change but are afraid or lack confidence? 

Build on your strengths and manage your weaknesses

 

 

 

How do you negotiate the balance between life and work when you are the one setting the boundaries?

When i’m not working i’m not working – I stay in the present moment

 

 

How do you make work work for you? 

Making a list of my top 3 priorities everyday and accomplishing them

 

 

 

If you would like to be considered for Featured Member spotlight please fill out this form: 

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Featured Member: Jennifer Beatty

Tell us your work story : Who are you and what do you do?

 

I am a seasoned communications leader with skills in corporate communications, investor relations, crisis management and media relations. I have a passion for capital markets and for telling a company’s story to audiences via traditional and digital channels. I enjoy connecting the dots on how a news headline or economic data release could impact financial markets and organizations each day.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

 

Successfully launching an initial public offering (IPO) for a company that was splitting up its businesses.

What is the hardest challenge you’ve faced, work-wise?

The pandemic: Overnight work tripled and work posture changed. Not to mention the additional demands faced with kids home schooling …

What advice do you have for other women looking to make a career change but are afraid or lack confidence? How is it on the other side?

Trust yourself and push yourself towards something new. Ensure you find the right fit culturally as being fulfilled and happy in a career has carryover benefits for your personal life.

Do you have any advice on how to craft a winning pitch?

Be authentic about your experience. Sell yourself more. Try to show your passion for the gig as that will shine through.

What continues to draw you to your chosen field and what do you hope to accomplish in the years ahead?

I’m passionate about telling stories, whether it’s for a company to recruit investors or sell its product. Explaining the hard numbers is required, but the story behind the numbers is what makes people listen.

What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?

 

Believe in yourself. Try something new. You’re ready.

How do negotiate the balance between life and work when you are the one setting the boundaries?

To be honest, it has been challenging to manage a good work like balance over the years. Sometimes, you can give more to work and other times, especially during the pandemic and beyond, I’ve found myself needing more time for my personal life. And I’m actively trying to find work situations that allow for that at this point.

If you could tell your younger self one thing about what this professional journey would be like, what would you tell her?

A cliche but oh so true: it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Expect windy roads and dead ends and the need to change course a time or two. But that will ultimately make the journey more rewarding.

How do you make work work for you?

 

It has been an evolution. Prior to the pandemic, I had a head-down approach to work and outsourced things in my personal life to make the job work. Post pandemic, I can no longer unknown the importance of work flexibility and I’m actively seeking those opportunities that allow me to utilize my skills but in a more flexible operating environment.

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Featured Member: Rebecca Raphael

Hi Rebecca! We are so excited to showcase your unique talents and career path. To start, tell us your work story : who are you and what do you do?

 

I am a writer/editor who has worked in daytime TV, magazines, book publishing, non-profit consulting … any and every medium involving storytelling and/or content strategy.

 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

 

I was Dr. Phil’s writer and editor for more than a decade (for many of his books and all of his columns for O: The Oprah Magazine), and I recently co-authored my first book, “Family Values: Restore Trust, Boundaries, and Connection with Your Child.”

What continues to draw you to your chosen field and what do you hope to accomplish in the years ahead?

 

Words have endless power to convey ideas and stories — I cherish being the brains behind any impactful story.

If you could tell your younger self one thing about what this professional journey would be like, what would you tell her?

 

Self-promotion may make you want to vomit and feel disingenuous, but it’s an essential part of marketing yourself and building out your business as a freelancer. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. You’re really good at what you do.

How do you make work work for you? 

 

I feel incredibly grateful that I am able to pick projects that are meaningful to me and have a flexible work schedule. When sh*t hits the fan, as it inevitably does as a parent of three and a dedicated freelancer, I never lose sight of how fortunate I am to have a talent that can be put to use part-time and that I can be selective with my clients.

If you want to be a Second Shift Featured Member please fill out this form! 

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Featured Member: Michelle Diamond

 

Hi Michelle! Please tell us your work story: Who are you and what do you do?

 

I am the female CEO and Founder of Diamond Executive Resumes , an executive and Board resume and bio consulting firm and Elevate Diamond Strategy, a growth strategy development and execution independent advisory, consulting, and interim executive firm (in business for over 17 years, that I started when I was 29 years old)

I am also the author of the book, 10-Step Guide To Creating Your Own Growth Strategy For Your Company: The Secret To Unlocking The Mystery Of Achieving And Sustaining Profitable Growth, specifically designed for current or aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners.

 

What advice do you have for other women looking to make a career change but are afraid or lack confidence? 

Do it…Now!!!! We all only have one life to live. If you stay unhappy by not taking a chance, will that kind of life be worth it?

 

What continues to draw you to your chosen field and what do you hope to accomplish in the years ahead?

I love taking people and companies to the next level. I hope to greatly expand Diamond Executive Resumes and Elevate Diamond Strategy, as well as have millions of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs read my book, 10-Step Guide to Creating Your Own Growth Strategy For Your Company, so they can learn how what growth strategy is and how they can develop one for their companies.

 

What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?

Be prepared. My favorite motto is “It’s better to be prepared and have no opportunity, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”

 

How do you negotiate the balance between life and work when you are the one setting the boundaries?

I think it is easy to work all of the time, so I have to make sure that I give myself non-negotiables in terms of time to stop work for the day, exercise, fun, relaxation, etc.

 

If you could tell your younger self one thing about what this professional journey would be like, what would you tell her?

Be confident and always choose the best option. There will be ups and downs, but as long as you continue, you will completely break through and achieve success.

 

How do you make work work for you? 

I make sure that I am doing work that I enjoy, that I build a foundation that can be replicable, and that I consistently plant seeds for long term business relationships and financial success.

 

Michelle generously offered her services at a discount to The Second Shift’s community. You can email her directly at info@diamondexecutiveresumes.com  and mention The Second Shift in the subject to get the Affiliate Pricing discount. 

 

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Success Story!

 

 

The Client:

 

Breakthrough M2 is a health and Wellness company focused on a proprietary weight loss and supplements program. The founder wanted to expand her business by creating a franchise sales model. She needed help structuring an incentive driven sales model driven that ensured success for the salespeople and the company while retaining brand control.

 

The Quote:

 

“I had not worked with someone like Sandy before and she was great!  I hired her because I didn’t know what I needed and she wasn’t waiting for me to keep telling her what to do.  She gave me ideas, took the lead on looking things up, researching, asking friends for input, and letting me know she was doing a few extra things to add to what we were doing. ”

 

The Hire: 

 

Breakthrough M2 hired Sandy Nuwar, an expert in sales and business development with a background in  packaging and cybersecurity start-ups. Even though her experience was not in the wellness space, Sandy understood how to redesign a sales team and create process and procedures to roll out the new model while strategically re-thinking margins and the technology needed to ensure success for the salespeople and the company.

 

 

The Quote: 

“The M2 Breakthrough project was a great chance to work on revising a sales structure, marketing and overall strategy. Second Shift allows me the freedom to discover new challenges and think creatively for clients.”
The Second Shift Member Sandy N.

 

 

Want your own success story? Post a job now! 

 

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Featured Member: Rachel Brown

Featured Member Rachel Brown is a seasoned digital marketing and communications specialist who is also a holistic nutritionist and yoga instructor and in her free time launched a corporate wellness consultancy. Nothing says Second Shift member like a turning a personal passion  into a side gig turned entrepreneurial venture. Go get it Rachel!
Tell us your story : Who are you and what do you do?

 

I’m Rachel. I’m a born and bred New Yorker who loves to travel, connect, soak up culture wherever it lives, and spend time in fresh air. My career story isn’t entirely linear. But whose really is? My expertise falls under the umbrella of digital marketing + communications specializing in influencer marketing, content marketing, artist management, corporate communications and public relations. I have 10+ years on the agency side, in addition to regularly volunteering with organizations such as I Give a F*ck, Frontline Foods, etc. where I spearhead strategic VIP/influencer partnerships and grassroots community collaborations. The other hat that I proudly wear is that I’m the co-founder of The Wellness Project NYC, a creative corporate wellness consultancy.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

 

 

My company: The Wellness Project NYC! When we first launched in 2012, bringing creative holistically focused wellness programming to companies was unheard of. We were early adopters in the space, took on enrollment conversations with confidence, and built a company that allows me to truly connect with thousands of individuals on a daily basis, while getting paid to do so. Along with my co-founder, we self-funded and built a profitable small business that not only changes peoples lives for the better, but we have developed a solid reputation amongst Fortune 500 companies around the world in doing so.

What is the hardest challenge you’ve faced, work-wise?

My conviction to use our collective creative voice with intention and to be a force for positive change is the driving force behind much of my career path and personal journey. My success in building TWP and running global advertising campaigns stems from my ability to delicately balance client expectations, maintaining alignment on business objectives, and producing meaningful, human-centric experiences for the shared end user.  This conviction is perhaps my greatest asset, but also presets me with my greatest challenges. It means that often times, I’m pressed to look deeper at the “why”, not just at the “how”, question the status quo and do things differently — and often times without a roadmap.

How do negotiate the balance between life and work when you are the one setting the boundaries?

 

I know that when I’m depleted, my work will be too. When I’m feeling personally inspired, connected, confident and healthy, that is the energy I bring to “the office”. The truth is, we don’t have a “work life” and a “home life”. We have one life and who you are in one area of your life will most definitely show up in all areas of your life. To me, boundaries are not something to be ashamed of. They help to bring priorities into focus and hone in on the things we truly want to achieve in life, and are an integral part of managing personal and professional expectations. When things slip up and feel chaotic or out of alignment, I think checking boundaries and priorities is a great first place to look.

How do you make work work for you? 

 

I connect to the good! At this point in my career, I am so grateful to only work with brands and/or people I feel aligned with. This turns work into a tool for me to learn and grow which tends to be both invigorating and rewarding. Each project and client is different and one of my favorite parts of the journey is to determine where I can bring the most value to the work I’m doing and team I’m collaborating with and lean into those strengths for the good of the greater team, and end deliverable.

 

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Success Story!

 

The Client:

Club Franchise Group is a boutique fitness organization looking to build their fast growing company on a solid foundation. They turned to The Second Shift to find an HR expert to recruit and onboard new hires as well as create and implement new policies and benefits for the rapidly expanding team.

The Quote:

“The ability to have a partner with access to professionals with a wide variety of backgrounds, skills, and abilities is critical in today’s ever-changing business landscape. Knowing we have professionals to partner with has really been a game-changer. Being flexible about our hiring means we can achieve our corporate goals and continue to expand in seamlessly.”

Nancy D. CFO Club Franchise Group

The Hire: 

Club Franchise Group hired HR veteran Erin B. to recruit and onboard new hires in new locations as well as create and implement new policies, handbooks and benefits for the rapidly expanding team. As they expand, CFG  particularly liked  Erin’s prior experience working for a company opening new locations across the country.

The Quote: 

“Working with The Second Shift has allowed me to form relationships with companies that I wouldn’t have had access to or met otherwise.  The team at TSS is supportive, friendly, and easy to work with. They take building their community seriously and once you are in, they are serious about providing you with the support and tools that you need to be successful in working with clients. I cannot recommend them enough and have had a great experience being part of their team!”

Erin B. The Second Shift Member/ HR Consultant

Want your own success story? Post a job now! 

 

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Featured Member: Alicia King

 

You may have noticed The Second Shift has a new look and feel and that is due to the help of our mighty team with our newest team member Alicia King! Alicia is a seasoned HR pro who recently started her own DEI consulting business. The secret to our success at The Second Shift is working with our own members– you are the rock fuel to our growth! Alicia joins us with new insights and strategy from both the HR and DEI lens. We can’t thank her enough for helping us to #makeworkworkforyou!

 

Tell us your work story : Who are you and what do you do?

I consider myself an innovative, dynamic, and strategic human resource practitioner with more than 10 years of specialization in the development and implementation of HR programs, broad experience including recruitment, onboarding, employee and labor relations, career coaching, diversity and inclusion, talent development, succession planning, and organizational design.

 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

I reimagined the talent review cycle for both a Fortune 50 company’s technology division and a leader in the food services industry targeted at retaining 85% of our top talent and increasing our diversity pipeline by 5% for minorities and 5% for women each year.

 

If you could change one thing about how your given field operates, particularly with regards to women, what would it be, and why?

An overwhelming majority of employees in the human resources field are women. It’s because we are “deemed” nurturing, can handle conflict, and make clear judgements about potential. Yet many HR female leaders are viewed less strategic as their male counterparts. I would redirect HR’s attention and female leaders to be strategic advisors or human capital curators. Our focus would be on adding value to the business from a people and performance perspective and less on tactical aspects of the role.

 

What advice do you have for other women looking to make a career change but are afraid or lack confidence? How is it on the other side?

My best advice is to not be afraid and to follow your instincts and passion. I graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After entering the workforce, I learned that talent management and talent acquisition were my passion through ancillary work. I decided to take a risk and make the career transition. I had to start over by taking a lesser role, but I quickly caught back up and can’t be happier today for pursuing my purpose.

 

What continues to draw you to your chosen field and what do you hope to accomplish in the years ahead?

I decided on a career in HR because I wanted to be a Human Capital curator. I recently heard this term as someone who develops leaders, hires the best-in-class diverse talent, and builds the employee value proposition (EVP). In the future, I’d like to focus on HR Consultant opportunities and partner with my clients to create talent transformations or visions that are agile, flexible, and responsive.

 

What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Oprah. In a Forbes report, it was said that Oprah has been known to rely on a leadership philosophy that prioritizes people, vision, and values. She is open to new experiences, she is conscientious in everything that she does, and she cares about others beyond her circle…she believes “the greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change [her] future by merely changing [her] attitude.”

 

If you could tell your younger self one thing about what this professional journey would be like, what would you tell her?

My best advice to my younger self is that your career will not be linear. It’s important to maintain a positive attitude, be flexible and curious, and seek trusted advisors. Change will be constant, but you’ll continue to add to your toolkit if you are excited about new opportunities and welcome challenging roles.

How do you make work work for you? 

I’ve created 5 mantras to make work work for me.

  1. Maintain a positive attitude
  2. Be an innovative and creative visionary
  3. Be authentic and transparent
  4. Value relationships and seek trusted mentors
  5. Be accountable and collaborative
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Featured Member: Anna Taylor

 

Anna Taylor is the head Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for an online gaming and sports betting company. A self-professed community-nurturer who prides herself on relentlessly learning and campaigning for others to expand their own awareness. Anna strongly believes that the impetus to expand our empathy is on all of us as a larger human community.

 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

I think that it is a combination of a lot of little moments. Every time an employee from a marginalized community reaches out and says, “thank you for helping to amplify my voice,” or when an employee tells me they’ve had an “ah-ha” moment as an outcome of DEI programming, or when someone from my team says, “I’m always learning something from our conversations.” 

 

I am energized when I can facilitate a seat at the table for everyone. I am energized when I can help to create equity that didn’t exist before. I am energized when I know that all of the little actions we do as an organization add up to a big impact for historically underrepresented communities.

 

What is the hardest challenge you’ve faced, work-wise?

I think being told “no” when I know how important an initiative or practice is to a marginalized community within the organization. In the DEI world, you get a lot of “no’s” until you get some “maybe’s” until you get a “yes.” You have to have grit; you have to learn to accept rejection and you have to get back up and keep fighting for what you know needs to happen.

 

If you could change one thing about how your given field operates, particularly with regards to women, what would it be, and why?

If I could change something with regard to women, it would be to think about them more intersectionally. We experience interdependent layers of discrimination and privilege, so it’s important to understand how we fully experience societal and organizational advantages in order to dismantle systems of inequality properly.

 

What advice do you have for other women looking to make a career change but are afraid or lack confidence? 

Don’t give up – I know it can be discouraging. It will likely take you longer than it did to make a lateral homogeneous career shift, due to the nature of moving out of your area of expertise. So in the meantime, level up your skills by taking a class, meet people at industry networking events, join a board, offer your skills to a non-profit. Use the extra time you may have in the job market to bolster what you will bring to the table for your next employer. That way when you DO land your dream job, you’re going in confident with all you’re bringing to the table.

 

How do you make work work for you? 

Do some soul searching and make sure you deeply understand your work motivation, whether that is salary, flexibility, passion, etc. For me, doing the work I’m passionate about, helps to provide the motivation I need from time to time when I get into a slump. Knowing that the work I do every day makes my organization more equitable and inclusive, is my North Star.

 

Want to be a Second Shift Featured Member? Fill out this form! 

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