How A Life Coach Helped Me
My name is Jon Shoer and I currently work for the Technology team at DMED of The Walt Disney Company. After working as a freelance commercial photographer, cinematographer, producer, director, and editor for 10 years, I gained the opportunity to work in-house for The Walt Disney Company when they absorbed my company in early 2020. While this was a dream career opportunity, I struggled to adapt to the professional change, especially as it overlapped with the pandemic and some personal challenges.
Luckily, working with my life coach, Ben, equipped me with the tools and perspective to make this opportunity work for me. Now, I happily manage the Creative group within the Technology team. In my spare time, I take photos, direct music videos, play in a band, produce music, and work on screenplays and new product ideas.
Feeling lost after a career shift
In my twenties, I came to LA and immediately felt inspired. I met a ton of incredible people, found a line of work that felt like what I was supposed to be being, and flourished.
I built a freelance business working with dream clients, traveling the world, and helping people. My work was very hands-on and got me involved in all types of media and art. Work was always exciting and inspiring, if not a bit unpredictable and wild.
In early 2020, my business was absorbed by The Walt Disney Company. On paper, it was a best-case scenario dream opportunity to sell to Disney and go in-house with them. I was looking for more stability and focus as I went into my thirties.
However, I quickly found it challenging to transition into a manager role with a very different scope and lifestyle than I was used to. I went from traveling and working in the field to sitting at a desk, and then sitting alone at home on Zoom during the pandemic.
While I liked my new role, I found it very isolating and hard to navigate. I felt myself losing my creativity and drive as I experienced an identity crisis, anxiety and depression, and went through a breakup. I started questioning if the job was right for me, even though it was a great opportunity.
I wanted to make it work, so I set out to find a solution. I tried working with a therapist, but the introspective sessions didn’t provide me with the actionable tasks I needed. Instead, I realized a life coach was the better resource to navigate this transition.
Finding a life coach that’s right for you
I found Ben through a life coach directory website. Ben seemed to share a similar background and lifestyle approach to me, so I thought he’d provide good advice.
I started by ranting and unloading a lot of my challenges on him. However, he was great at sifting through it all to find anchor moments. He would ask provoking questions I’d never thought about, help me figure out what to focus on, and create an action plan with manageable tasks for me to complete and build off of.
Gaining control and fulfillment with a life coach
Working with my life coach enabled me to see progress with each action item I completed.
With better habits and time management, I was able to complete my work on time and feel good about the work I’d done, and then go home and have time to enjoy my hobbies and time with my fiancée. I’d get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
Instead of working late and stressing out, do things that fulfilled me. I felt better overall, which helped me show up to work with a better attitude and more creativity.
When I’m creatively fulfilled outside of work, I can show up to work with 100 ideas. Even if 99 of those ideas get turned down, I no longer take it personally. I know that I can come up with 99 more the next day because I am doing things that make me feel fulfilled inside and outside of work.
Key Takeaways
I was given an incredible opportunity during a critical time in my career, and I knew I wanted to embrace it. However, I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was. I found myself in a brand new corporate environment without any real guidance. I became lost, discouraged, helpless, nervous, scared, and angry.
Working with the best career counselor provided me with the guidance I lacked. After some challenges and personal hard work, I feel refreshed going into the new year. Before working with a life coach, I was trying to adapt my old toolkit from my freelancing career to my new role at Disney. Thanks to Ben, I now have a toolkit that is updated for my new role so that I can flourish in this great opportunity.
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