Before seeing Sharon I was trying to figure out whether I was going to look for a full-time position after consulting for so many years. So I said to Sharon, “If you’d like to really work with a live wire, let’s see what we can do together!”

I thought it was going to be strictly career coaching, as in helping me secure a job. I had no idea it was going to evolve into a graceful approach to helping me examine issues around why I’m not getting hired after many interviews, looking at why I may actually not want to return to a full-time job, and identifying what may be getting in my way that I need to evaluate. Most importantly, we looked at how might I own certain unique energies and restructure them into assets.

Working with Sharon has been grace-filled as well as supportive and a deep learning experience. Everything about her has been incredibly powerful and positive. There’s graciousness about her – a real presence – and I am able to get closer to my own expansive spirit as a result.

I admire her clear sense of structure. She formalized our relationship right at the start, putting in protocols that made asking questions very welcome and truly lessened any confusion. I’ve had experience with many different kinds of relationships as a consultant, and I have high regard for people who know how to put structure in place up front. She knows how to formalize and yet not make it burdensome, and I respect that greatly.

I tend to be one big manifestation of tangents, and it’s a challenge to keep me on topic. Give me an opportunity to go off, and I will. I think of my archetype as the Tasmanian Devil, that cartoon character that spins about, and Sharon reminded me that that’s not a bad energy to harness. Now, a harnessed Tasmanian Devil could be a very interesting kind of energy. She’s helped me understand that energy. She says, “Margaret, what can you do to see the better side of that image, not just necessarily the destructive side of it?” Her tactic has been, let’s flip it, let’s see about making a positive out of what I can easily paint black.

I’ve had many opportunities in terms of interviews, and I’ve also had several contracts as well. Some of them have gone very well, and some of them have been difficult. And that’s up to me – when I’m not relaxing, that’s when things are difficult. She reminds me to relax, and these things will come. And she always asks me, “What can you do to take care of yourself around this?”

She’s helping me shift my innate sense of relating to people and to find more patience for myself. My three mantras from working with her are: be present and listen, breathe and don’t get ahead of yourself.

Sharon brings me back to why I like my work and reminds me to go into situations with the intention of being of service. That kind of energy leads me to be my better self as a professional with whom people I want to share time.

Margaret Egan

Administrator

Philanthropy Advisors, LLC

New York City

www.eganconsulting.com