Meet Cindy
If we don’t bring our hearts with us wherever we go, we’ll die.
And that’s exactly how I felt (dead, just to be clear) during the first 20 years of my career, when brains, power and might were put above all else.
As a result, I recoiled deep inside myself, I hid out (literally and figuratively) whenever I could, I kept my voice silent, constrained, and suppressed, believing that would be my golden ticket to flying under the radar, unseen and unnoticed.
In meetings and on project teams, I did my best to stay on the sidelines, to play small, to be quiet, filled with fear and armored-up with all of the protections of a safe room. And when I did show-up, after all, I had a job to do, I was playing the 5Ps (performing-pretending-pleasing-perfecting-proving) like nobody’s business.
.
Honestly, I could add another “P” here because I was proud of it. What the %$#@?! I truly believed playing that game would give me all the satisfaction and fulfillment I could ever want in life. Umm….not so much. I was the furthest thing from my potential as a leader, as a colleague, as a partner - as a human being.
What was missing in the culture of the organizations I have worked for was seeing the HUMAN resource. The unspoken way of operating was: while we’re power playing and politicking, let’s also be sure to step over (hide, sweep under the rug) the things that might be too messy or too difficult for us to deal with around here, things like:
♥ Vulnerability
♥ Feelings
♥ Compassion
♥ Feedback
♥ Values
♥ Boundaries
…and the list goes on.
Leading without heart…
Those who do it best (the power players, politicians, and sweepers) shall make their way to the corner office, and with it all the accolades that come from being, well – a bit less than human. Who cares what it took to get there, and the collateral damage created along the way. If you want to be successful, this is what it takes – this is what it looks like.
NO. THANK. YOU.
I’ve worked in my fair share of toxic environments, cultures in which we talked about people instead of to people, where going home at 7 p.m. was considered “banker’s hours,” where family commitments and obligations were luxuries whose price was paid in whispers at the water cooler, where those who “played the game” scored the most in terms of raises and promotions, and so on.
Something HAD to change!
Driven by my own cautionary tale, and searching for a solution, I enrolled in a coach training program and became a Certified Professional Coach (CPC). I had no idea (zero, nada!) what I was going to do with that certification at first, but one thing’s for sure: it changed me. It transformed me. It quieted my mind and opened my heart. It gave me everything I didn’t even know I was looking for – and then some. It ignited a career, a cause, and a passion in me. It gave me a path back to myself - my heart, my voice, my humanity, my potential.
Before long, it became clear what I was destined to do with my coaching certification…
I would begin working with leaders to help them find a path back to themselves, too.
My Passion, My Purpose…
I’ve combined my expertise as a masterful coach with a certification as a Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, having been personally trained by Brené Brown, to do the life-changing work of raising consciousness and building courage, helping my clients to build their skills around the kind of traits that are uniquely and deeply human and develop the heart every bit as much as the mind.
I’m passionate about helping people, especially leaders, raise their awareness and build their courage. The result? Organizations with more conscious and courageous leaders who see the true human (resource) in themselves and the people they lead.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS:
I’m a Lead Trainer at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), a Certified Happiness Facilitator through the Happiness Studies Academy, and a Reiki Master. (As you can likely see, I’m also a bit passionate about learning, too!)
SOME DRY FACTS:
Before becoming a coach, I received my undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and built a corporate sales and marketing career at multiple Fortune 500 companies. I also hold a M.B.A. in Marketing and have taken additional programs at The Wharton School of Business and Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
SOME FUN FACTS:
As a former Jersey Shore girl, you can find me practicing yoga, playing piano, enjoying all things pop culture, laughing with family and friends, and/or delighting in an occasional skinny vanilla latte at Starbucks.
“Cindy knows that the process by which we become extraordinary is a never-ending process, that there is no plateau to attain which does not sit below yet another plateau to strive for in our quest for quality of life, success, and balance. She brings it to the table each and every time you engage her. As a business owner, I am deeply grateful to have access to a mentor and coach of the caliber of Cindy. I cannot recommend her strongly enough.”
— PAM SCHLOEMER, PRESIDENT, SCHLOEMER BOOKKEEPING SERVICES