Facing career challenges is inevitable, but overcoming them is what defines your professional growth.
In this episode of the #Career101Podcast, host Porschia and guest Jamila Brown, a career coach and consultant, explore how to tackle some of the biggest career obstacles professionals encounter.
From landing a promotion to building leadership skills and finding the right career path, they discuss strategies to navigate uncertainty and turn challenges into stepping stones for success!
Jamila shares practical advice on how to stand out in the workplace, take ownership of your career growth, and align your goals with the right opportunities.
Whether you’re feeling stuck, overlooked, or uncertain about your next steps, this conversation will help you develop a plan to move forward with confidence.
Jamila Brown is a former athlete, collegiate coach, and experienced corporate leader who now helps professionals gain clarity and confidence in their careers. Through coaching and consulting, she empowers individuals to take charge of their growth and reach their full potential.
What you’ll learn:
- How to navigate career challenges and turn setbacks into opportunities for growth.
- The key factors that influence promotions and how to position yourself for career advancement.
- Essential leadership skills to help you transition into management and inspire your team effectively.
- How to identify your dream job and take actionable steps to align your career with your passions and strengths.
- The importance of personal branding and reputation management in building long-term career success.
- Proactive strategies for career planning to stay ahead and create opportunities for growth.
As a thank you for listening to this episode of the Career 101 Podcast, we are sharing our FREE master class – Career 911: Solving the Top 5 Challenges Executives and Professionals Have! It’s a training based on solving the common problems our clients have experienced to reach their goals. You can get access to the master class here!
Resources:
- Episode Transcript
Porschia: [00:00:00] Today, we’re diving into a topic that every ambitious professional faces at some point. How to overcome career challenges. Let’s be real. Success isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes it feels like every new step comes with a new set of hurdles. Whether you’re aiming to land a promotion, striving to develop your leadership skills, or searching for that elusive dream job, the path [00:01:00] forward can feel daunting.
But here’s the good news. Every challenge is also an opportunity to grow, strategize, and thrive. In today’s episode, I’m sharing a great conversation I had with Jamila Brown, a five minute career hack. Jamila is a former athlete and collegiate coach who’s now a professional coach and consultant. Jamila has extensive experience in corporate leadership roles.
As a guest on her show, I’ll touch on the three biggest challenges I see with clients. Number one, landing a promotion. How to stand out, position yourself for growth, and navigate the unspoken rules of career advancement. Number two, developing as a leader. Leadership isn’t just a title, it’s a skill. And we’ll do an overview of how to sharpen your abilities, inspire others, [00:02:00] and lead with confidence.
And number three, finding your dream job. This is about more than a paycheck. We’ll talk about how to define your dream role and take the steps needed to make it your reality. No matter where you are in your career, these challenges are not roadblocks. They’re stepping stones. So get ready to face your challenges head on and take your career to new heights.
I’ll also share a lot about my background and personal journey navigating challenges too. This episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice to keep you moving forward.
The first thing that I would recommend people do is take a personality assessment. If someone has never taken any personality assessments. I highly recommend that you do that as you transition into leadership after undergrad. I just went out into the working world and I fell [00:03:00] into the world of financial consulting, which is painfully boring to most people.
The great thing is I got to see how a small consulting firm was run. I got to work with a lot of business owners. If we fast forward, I was stressed out, overworked. I had a health scare at 25 years old, and I thought to myself, if I’m going to be under this amount of stress and pressure with sales specifically I’m going to do something I love doing.
I’m going to do something that I’m interested in.
Jim: So without further ado, I’ve got the incredible. Portia Parker Griffin with me today and we’re going to get right into the actual interview questions because I want to know how she got into career coaching. She’s a phenomenal career coach with an incredible podcast, which we’ll talk about as we go through this, but I’m going to allow her to share a little bit about how she got started in career coaching.
So Portia, welcome to the five minute career hack podcast and tell us a little bit about how you got into career [00:04:00] coaching.
Porschia: I do know. I thank you so much for having me. I got into career coaching because I think the short answer is I’m a nerd. So I have a undergraduate degree in psychology. And so when I was getting that degree, any psych majors out there know that, what they tend to tell you is you’re not going to make any money, not going to get anywhere unless you get a PhD.
And I realized over the course of getting that degree that I did not want to get a PhD and be a counseling psychologist. After undergrad, I just went out into the working world and I fell into the world of financial consulting. Which is painfully boring to most people. But the great thing is I got to see how a small consulting firm was run.
I got to work with a lot of business owners. And if we fast forward, I was stressed out, overworked. I had a health scare at 25 years old. And I thought to myself, if I’m going to [00:05:00] be under this amount of stress and pressure with sales specifically I’m going to do something I love doing and we’re going to do something that I’m interested in.
And I heard about coaching and wonder, does that a real thing? Because we didn’t study that in school, right? Coaching was nowhere near as mainstream as it is today, but I just did some research. I went and got certified and I started coaching people while I was still in my full time job on the side.
And it was career coaching specifically was. It’s literally the very first thing that I started with.
Jim: A Hellscare at 25 years old, that is, man, that, that’s super young. Let’s just say that. Super young. And I’m just happy you chose yourself. So many people don’t make the same decisions. And I’ve unfortunately, I’ve had the privilege of coaching and working with people and leading people in the [00:06:00] retail space that are no longer with us because they didn’t choose themselves.
So I’m just excited that you chose yourself and you’re able to be here and give back to everyone. So tell us a little bit about. Your business and the podcast. Cause I want everybody to tap into your podcast. It’s amazing. I’ve got, I know I’ve got an episode coming out on your podcast very soon as well.
And some of my favorite coaches to follow have been on your podcast. So tell us a little bit about your business and your podcast.
Porschia: Yes. We’ll start with the podcast first, the career one on one podcast. You were gracious enough to be a guest and yes, your episode is going to be coming out later this summer.
I’m excited. And that’s something else that we have in common, Jamila, we’ve got a lot of things in common, but you were on. The career 101 podcast talking about burnout. And I definitely had my own stint with burnout. And I literally had my doctor tell me that I needed to quit my job based on my blood work and everything that was going on.
I know that’s one of your areas of expertise and [00:07:00] thank you so much for doing that work. The business is flag high coaching and in July, it will be our 11th year in business as a coaching firm. I’m super excited about that. I like to say that we offer career and business services. We focus a lot on executives, ambitious professionals, and brave entrepreneurs.
And when I really think about what our gift is, I like to think that we help our clients create and execute their strategies while moving through a mental resistance that shows up. And I think if that is one thing that we do, that’s what I would. Focus on
Jim: that’s incredible. And I know, and we’ll get into that a little bit more, but 11 years in the industry.
So you’ve seen a lot, you’ve heard a lot, you’ve coached people through several world. And United States crises from the [00:08:00] pandemic to, I guess I would imagine maybe not quite the financial crisis probably started right after that, but you were on the end of that, as far as when you entered the industry.
So you’ve coached people through some things you’ve probably dealt with employee markets. You probably dealt with employer markets as well. So I’d love to know. More recently since COVID, what are some of the common themes? Would love for you to share the top three themes that you’re coaching individuals on currently as a part of your Fly High coaching business.
Porschia: I would say, Jamila, the top three things are one helping people to position themselves for promotion. Also developing their leadership skills. And third would be finding their dream job. I think those are probably the top three areas that our clients either know instinctively that they want to focus on that, [00:09:00] or as they come in and they start doing some career exploration or just really digging into their own career planning and career development, it leads them to one of those areas.
Jim: So say those one more time for me.
Porschia: Yeah, positioning yourself for promotion is number one also leadership development. So developing as a leader, maybe you have just been promoted. Maybe you are already leading a team, but they’re not as effective as they could be. Maybe. Maybe. Leadership comes up and then also helping people to find their dream job.
As we like to say white that I was told Jamila when I was going through my coach certification training so long ago now. And I said, Hey, I want to do career coaching. They actually had it in the transitions coaching kind of category. And one person said to me, people are always going through those career transitions and life transitions and they really are.
So those are [00:10:00] the top three areas. Excellent. Excellent. So when I think about. Positioning for promotion, we like to call it a pivot at the Five Minute Career Hack podcast. And that’s one of the areas that, honestly, we’re hearing the same things. That’s what most people come to us for. And I’m always thinking about, and I know we talked about that before we got started, is the preparation.
Jim: So if you could, before the client gets to you. Before a new client gets to you, if there was something that you could put in college curriculum, somebody’s undergraduate studies, if you could put it in an internship, something that prepares them before they come to you for coaching, what would be that thing that you would share with them that would help them when they get to those places?
Posit points where they want to position for a promotion, what would be that thing that you would share with them? Because I know oftentimes people come to us and for me it feels like it’s dire Like I got to get out of here I got [00:11:00] to go right that energy is more It feels more desperate at that point when you get a client and I wish Oftentimes there were things that I could do in front, which is why we have the podcast, right?
But what would be the thing that you would share with someone or before they come to you as a client? Me
Porschia: I think that it is imperative for everyone to focus on their reputation and also impression management. Regardless of what your goals are, your reputation as a professional, as an executive the impression that you’re leaving on other people is going to have an effect.
And most of the time, a major effect on whatever your career goals are. So being mindful of that, the moment you enter the workforce would be the number one thing that I would. They would support the most people when it comes to their career.
Jim: I think [00:12:00] that’s such a good point. I’m mentoring as a part of Sealy college students.
I do some coaching for them as a volunteer and it’s such rewarding work because they’re for the most part between 19 and maybe I have a 20 year old and that is The exact thing that I’m talking to them about is everything that you’re doing now, you’re planting seeds, you’re sowing seeds for the future.
And so everything you do actually counts right now, even though you don’t think it does, it really does count. So building that brand and the, I love the way you said it, that impression that you’re leaving on people, you have to be intentional. about that. The earlier you were intentional about it, the less crafting of the message and peddling you might have to do when you’re ready to position yourself for the future position or the promotion.
So I think that’s incredible advice. I hope you all are taking notes because again, this is if we had the opportunity to talk to someone before they thought [00:13:00] about a promotion, this is the thing that we would have them focus on.
Porschia: I most definitely would. And that’s where we start. If someone says, Hey, my goal is to get promoted. We start at your reputation, your impression, because like you’re alluding to, that’s the foundation, that’s the groundwork of everything that you’re going to do moving forward.
And one other point that you made me think about as you were talking about the students that you work with, nowadays, the term everyone wants to use is personal brand, right? What’s your personal brand when you’re on LinkedIn and all of that, but your impression that you leave, your reputation is an aspect.
Of your personal brand, I’ll say.
Jim: Absolutely. That interaction that you’re having one on one with people. Absolutely. And it could be electronic, virtual communication as well. All of those things count. So I think that’s incredible. So moving to that second thing that, that you’re coaching on consistently is around leadership.
So what are some of the things that, from a leadership standpoint, that you’re seeing, [00:14:00] whether that even be deficiencies is what I’m assuming that you’re encountering, that people are needing to work on and they come to you for? What are some of those things?
Porschia: Yeah, it could be deficiencies that comes up a lot, but also we get a lot of people who are first time leaders, first time people managers, right?
First time having direct reports. And I know you’ve had a lot of positions in your career where you’ve led teams. There can be a lot of stress, anxiety around it. I also have clients, Jamila, that come to me and say, you know what, I don’t know if I’m cut out for this. I’m tired of, Running around, making sure people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
And that is a direct quote from a guy who was a client of ours as well. And so when it comes to leadership development, it’s really a deep dive into not only who you are, but how you can help not only your team, if you have direct reports, but just maybe your colleagues to really perform in their roles better.
How can [00:15:00] you motivate, how can you inspire them? And there’s a lot of aspects to leadership development. It’s actually one of my favorite things to talk about because it also impacts so many other areas of your career.
Jim: Great. Great. You put that so eloquently because I believe that when you do step into that role in a corporate space specifically for the first time, there’s nothing that prepares you for it.
I had the opportunity to hear, I think it was, George W. Bush speak one time when I was working for Walmart. And I’ll never forget this quote that he mentioned. He’s There’s nothing that prepares you for your first day on the job as a president. And that, I guess it’s, maybe he was 43, I can’t remember what number he was, but there’s only 42 other people that understand what that’s like.
And I’ll never forget that because that’s pretty much what we’re sharing here. If you’ve never done it, Especially in a corporate setting, it is that feeling of, wow, drinking from a 12 foot deep [00:16:00] pool at this point, because not only am I learning different people but I’m also having to execute a job at the exact same time.
So even though I might be leading people and trying to get them to do what they’re supposed to do, there’s also some individual responsibilities that I’m going to be responsible for as well. So there’s a time management component. So what are some of the things that you feel like, Can help individuals get better prepared or even get exposure to those opportunities, before that new leadership role comes into play.
Porschia: [00:17:00] Yeah. So I’ll start with helping them get better prepared. And I think that this is really important to what you were saying about understanding yourselves. If someone has never taken any personality assessments. I highly recommend that you do that as you transition into leadership or just as you start thinking about wanting to be a more present and impactful leader because understanding yourself, how you’re coming across, how you’re communicating with people what your conflict style is, what your default tendencies are.
Understanding all of that about yourself is the first step. And then once you understand that. Then you can I would say extrapolate that out to your team. So think about how you’re showing up, how that impacts other [00:18:00] people and ultimately the results that you want to get. So the first thing that I would recommend people do is take a personality assessment.
And there are a lot of them out there. I’m a proponent of quite a few. One of my favorites is the Myers Briggs, the NBTI. assessment. I’m a master practitioner of that. Love that. But there are other assessments too. So that would be step one. Another thing that I recommend people do is volunteer and volunteer for assignments or projects within your current role.
So sometimes when I say volunteer, people get scared and they’re like, I already work 40 hours a week. Are you telling me I need to do another job too? No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying look for strategic. Times within your role to volunteer and step up, right? Maybe you’re volunteering for what people on your team think is a difficult project or a difficult client or a large client or high profile, high visibility client project or program, [00:19:00] whatever it is that you do.
And just. The act of volunteering for that project or that program can go a long way in positioning you as a leader, right? And giving you some of those opportunities to step into your leadership, but also have other people view you that way.
Jim: There you go. That reputation, right? And how the impression that you’re leaving, that’s where that comes back into play because now people see you as such.
It’s also something that you can add to your resume, to your LinkedIn profile as well, so that you’re preparing yourself for dealing with different types of people. Because I think I feel like that’s where I and I would imagine it’s the same thing in your personal life when you get married, have kids or what have you, is that all of a sudden now you’ve got two families that are joining.
You’re dealing with different people at the barbecue now, right? So in adjusting to that, the personalities can be challenging. And so the more exposure you have to that, right? And count the opportunities [00:20:00] personally, whether that’s volunteering within your family unit would have you as leadership opportunities as well.
So I think that’s incredible advice for people preparing for those positions. And then of course, if you need, if you’re at the moment right now, and the opportunities are presenting yourself, themselves and you need support. Portia of course is a great resource for that. So be sure we’re going to leave some information in the show notes in the description for you to be able to connect with her if you want some additional support on that and then let’s get to that third theme around you said their dream job and how you’re This is one that I’ve spent a lot of time on probably in the last nine months.
So many people come to me. I did an HR conference in April and a lot of the conference, the workshop the keynote that we did was around artificial intelligence and HR, the conversations we had. After that workshop, we’re around, I know I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing, [00:21:00] if that makes sense, whether it’s the company or the actual role within HR.
So it’s amazing how, what we talked about translated into having those types of conversations, because we talked a lot about what was coming in the future. So I’d love to hear some of the things that you’re hearing, as well as some of the advice that you’re giving around finding your dream job.
Porschia: I’d love to hear about your AI keynote there. AI is going to disrupt a lot of things as when it comes to finding your dream job, I usually like to start where a lot of people have not started and that’s with some career exploration and really getting clear on what your career plan for yourself is.
I find, and I don’t know if you’ve seen this with your clients, but most people say, Hey, I want to find my dream job. And to them, that’s a job title that they’ve heard about from some family member, someone somewhere or it’s a salary
Jim: figure
Porschia: that they’re chasing. It’s one of those two things. And I [00:22:00] don’t necessarily recommend going with those first because they can be an illusion a mirage of sorts.
We have helped so many people, reach the salary figure that they wanted or reach the job title that they thought they wanted. And then they realize that they were actually looking for a feeling that they thought. That salary figure or that job title was going to give them and they’re back at square one and it’s not their dream job.
I wanted to share that up front because that’s probably the most common thing that I see, but our process, we actually like to start with career planning, figuring that out where you ultimately want to be, and then doing some career exploration around it. So thinking big picture, brainstorming figuring out that intersection of not only what you really enjoy doing, but what you’re good at what doesn’t feel like work and, obviously meets your salary expectations and really looking at [00:23:00] that holistically.
And then we can move into the kind of how to the action planning, how to get there. So we’ve got a few different processes around those. Things and how we’ve helped clients to move through those areas, but I think they’re so important to touch on.
Jim: Yeah. I think you, you hit the nail on the head when you’re going for the title and, or the salary it’s you’re gambling with whether or not you’re actually going to enjoy it.
Like you could get lucky and it happens to be something you enjoy and it’s the salary you want, or you can get there and just be like, now what this isn’t it. Your patience is so low. And now you’re mad at the company or you’re mad at who you’re working with or what have you because it’s not what you actually desire.
And to your point, there’s a seed that’s probably been planted along the way. Could have been in childhood even. I know there were seeds planted in my childhood that caused me to go a certain way initially and then [00:24:00] I veered off because it wasn’t really what I wanted to do. So the earlier, what the message I hear you saying, the earlier you can start doing that reflection, And understanding what you really are truly passionate about and what you want, and then finding where that job or company can offer you that, the better off you’re going to be.
And potentially avoid things like burnout, or some of the causes associated with burnout and or job hopping for that matter. Because you’ve done that work on the front side versus being in, I like to have options. So when you’re in a position where you need something or you need a company’s job and salary, you’re going to make a different decision than if you’re in a position of having options because you’ve thought about what you want to do.
Two very different positions. And so when you’re pivoting for promotion or you’re looking for a career change or looking to enter the workforce, the more options you have based upon that reflection that Porsche is talking about, is invaluable. It’s worth its weight in gold, platinum, silver, whatever [00:25:00] metal you want to attach to it.
It’s worth its weight in gold. So I think that’s incredible advice. And the, before we start to wrap up the interview and I’ll ask you for your final five words to leave with the audience, I think I would really love to hear from you still talking about the dream job and how important it is to actually be doing what you’re doing.
What you really want to be doing. What, how would you describe or share with this audience why it’s so important to be doing what you’re truly passionate about or where your purpose and your passion intersect? Why is it so important?
Porschia: Oh, I think it’s so important for a lot of reasons, but I will say that I think one of the most important reasons why finding your dream job is important is that the people I talked to that haven’t found it.
They are like forever on a quest. or in search of is the way my dad would say it about other things, right? [00:26:00] They’re always looking for the next thing, whether it be within their job or outside of their job. And a lot of times it’s because they’re not fulfilled at work. They’re doing all of these other things outside of work or in their own, personal lives to try to compensate for that.
When you were talking to Mellie made me think about another client I had. We worked with the husband first and then his wife and he made a statement that, you reminded me of, he said, maybe we can just help her because then I won’t have to hear about, her day in such, an agonizing way all the time anymore.
So he was feeling the weight of what she was bringing, home and dealing with all the time. And so I think that’s a good example of why finding your dream job is important. Not only for that contentment for yourself, but for the other people in your life, for the other aspects of your life to really, bring more [00:27:00] positivity and joy to those.
Jim: That’s such a great point. What you do is the majority of your awake hours, scary to think about it that way, but the majority of your. Hours when you are awake is what you do. And so if you’re not enjoying it, you’re bringing that lack of fulfillment back to your family unit. And if you have kids as well as your kids are experiencing that.
I was fortunate enough, my dad was an artist and he really loved what he did and enjoyed it, talked about it incessantly. And so when you grow up around someone that is so passionate about it. It teaches you that, man, I want to feel that too without him saying, Jamila, you should do something that you’re passionate about.
He never said that. He wanted me to be a doctor and lawyer because we watched the Cosby show in a different world. So let’s be, they didn’t want me to be an artist. But what he showed me was I’m fulfilled doing what I am passionate [00:28:00] about and what I’ve been purposed to do in life. And so then I pick up on that as well.
So if you have kids, it’s definitely impacting them. So as we’re wrapping up and I always like to ask every guest that comes on the podcast for their final five words, it could be a mantra, it could be a quote, but just five words that you can leave the audience with that. You feel could impact them and what they’re doing professionally or even personally.
So what would be your final five words, Portia?
Porschia: Goodness, this is so much pressure, Jamila.
I’m going to give you the fly high coaching tagline soaring to your full potential.
Jim: Perfect. Soaring to your full potential. That is a good one. I’ve been studying eagles. My big sister has been having me study eagles and just their nature. So that is a great one. And I’m going to add that to my studies and research.
Love your tagline. Okay. Tell us where we can get connected with you [00:29:00] and a little bit about your services, Portia.
Porschia: Yes. The website is fly F L Y dash high H I G H coaching. com. So it’s fly dash high coaching. com. As Jamila mentioned, if you like listening to podcasts, check out the career one on one podcast.
I know some people like to connect on social. LinkedIn is the place where I play so you can find me on LinkedIn as well. And I think that, from that information you could see some different offerings that we have that might be able to help you. If you’re in any of those three buckets that we talked about before positioning yourself for promotion wanting to work on your leadership development or, finding your dream job.
Jim: Excellent. Thank you so much for sharing with the audience today. [00:30:00]
