Hi! I’m Lindsey.
For years I’ve coached people on how to advance their careers and climb the corporate ladder.
These days, I’m much more interested in “What’s enough?”
What’s enough money for right now and in the long term? What does “retirement” mean? What are we prioritizing in our lives and why? If that’s your career and it’s bringing you joy, awesome. But if it’s not…then what?
Cultural narratives of success say that more is always better. That our productivity equals our worth. As a Millennial, I bought into these, too.
And found burn out and resentment on the other side.
In her article The 'Capitalism is Broken' Economy, Anne Helen Petersen says:
“The models up and down the American economy are unsustainable. They have been built on the belief that profit — and, in many cases, exponential growth — should, as a rule, supersede labor conditions. In ‘knowledge’ jobs, they have been guided by the false idols of productivity and workism; in the retail and hospitality industry, these conditions have been facilitated by anti-labor campaigns, perverse private equity imperatives, and lax (or non-existent) regulation of the gig economy.
The pandemic did not create these conditions. It simply made them even more impossible to ignore — and created scenarios in which some workers (not all, but some!) have been empowered, perhaps for the first time in their working lives, to opt out.”
The truth is, most of us can’t opt out. So what do we do instead?
We can opt into understanding ourselves, our relationship to work and money, and what we are prioritizing in our lives and why.
If you’re interested in this, too, get in touch!
Here’s to living a better, richer life.
On the personal side of things…
Depending on the hour, I could write this differently. That’s what being an evolving human is.
My top 5 CliftonStrengths are: Activator, Discipline, Learner, Futuristic, and Relator. 😌 To translate: I’m always ready to go. I am the queen of follow-through. Learning=Life. I’m a planner. And I get you.
I grew up in the Adirondacks of New York as an ice cream loving kid with a Rolodex full of whale facts. (Did you know a blue whale’s heartbeat can be heard 2 miles away?) 🐋
My first job was at 14. I played the fife in a Fife & Drum Corps at the Fort William Henry Resort in Lake George, NY. Take that, Lizzo!
From there, I worked in an ice cream shop, retail, restaurants, and at 17, got an invite to come work in the HR office of the resort. This is what got me interested in people’s work lives. Thanks to my manager and teachers who saw my potential (way before I did), I was the first-in-my family to pursue higher education, eventually earning my MBA in Organizational Development and my PHR Certification at age 20. (Yes, kinda cool, and…played deeply into my personal hustling for gold stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
I graduated in the 2007 recession and no one was hiring new MBAs, so I pivoted to serve in AmeriCorps. I helped high school students explore career paths and access internships and higher education. I taught classes on job skills, leadership, personal finances, resume writing, and life skills. I learned how to write winning grant proposals, fundraise, give presentations, do all the marketing, make websites, put together a non-profit budget, manage people, create and evaluate programs, and convince business leaders to open their doors to students. Over the course of 7 years, I went from a AmeriCorps volunteer to Assistant Director. It was like running a small business because it was.
During this time, I was also coaching and writing resumes on the side. I’d overhear someone telling a friend that they wish they could find a new job or take steps to start a business. And I’d say “Hey, I can help you with that.” And I did.
In 2014, I left my non-profit job (a story for a different day). Around that time, I landed my first consulting contract in workforce development in California. I simultaneously went to coaching school and earned my ICF coaching credential.
Along the way, I also:
worked on an initiative called Change The Story VT, with a mission to fast-track the economic status of women. This was a partnership with the VT Women’s Commission, the VT Women’s Fund, and VT Works for Women. Before CTS, access to good data on women’s economic status, wages, and employment, and wages was limited – it was either siloed, unpublished, or not disaggregated by gender. We changed that and I’m really proud of this chapter of my life.
developed and ran a job shadow program for 5 years called LEAD IN. It was for young women ages 16-20, giving them the opportunity to develop and strengthen their capacities and confidence while showing them a range of career options they may never have considered. I still hear from these women.
co-founded a gender equity training program for business leaders called the Business Peer Exchange (BPE) seeking to create and sustain inclusive and equitable workplaces.
became a member, Guide, and Certified Coach for The Cru (now empowered by Luminary). The Cru matches women into accountability circles to help them meet their life’s goals.
I hosted a personal finance podcast called Money Date Night with my partner, Colin. We ran a course for couples to help them build their skills around talking about and managing their money. (I really love talking about personal finance!)
Who influences my approach…
As a life-long learner, avid podcast listener, and internet reader, I could list so many creatives, teachers, and guides who have expanded my perspective. Here are a few:
Anne Helen Petersen (quoted above) - American writer, journalist, author of Culture Study
Simone Grace Seol - life coach, business mentor, podcast host of I Am Your Korean Mom
Luvvie Ajayi Jones - author, speaker, and complete badass
Adam Grant - organizational psychologist, author, and professor
Tara McMullin - writer, producer, and podcaster of What Works
Emily Anne Brant - Indigineous mentor, author, speaker, and podcaster of The Soul’s Way
Kelly Diels - thinker, teacher and coach for culture makers
Toi Smith - Growth & Impact Strategist who works with people whose work is countercultural, liberatory, and revolutionary in nature
Nic Antionette - writer, long-distance hiker, and anti-capitalist tiny biz owner
Amelia Hruby - writer, podcaster (Off The Grid: Leaving Social Media Without Losing All Your Clients), and founder of Softer Sounds - a feminist podcast studio for women & nonbinary business owners
Dr. Laurie Santos - host of The Happiness Lab
Tiffany Dufu - speaker, author, and Founder of The Cru
Farnoosh Torabi - author, speaker, and host of the podcast So Money
Desiree Adaway - co-creator of Whiteness at Work and Principle of The Adaway Group
Amanda Holden (aka @dumpster.doggy) - she makes financial investing education accessible and fun
Nedra Tawwab - host of You Need To Hear This podcast
Whitney Goodman - host of Calling Home podcast
What else?
I call Durham, North Carolina home with my partner, Colin Ryan, and two mini-aussiedoodles, Remy and Enzo. I have a collection of 100+ houseplants and a backyard veggie and flower garden. Duke Gardens is one of my favorite places in the world. I enjoy flipping furniture, helping friends with painting projects, and taking our teardrop camper out on adventures.
