How Listening Became My Most Valuable Leadership Tool
From HR rooms to spa consultations: how listening became my compass through career reinvention.
My transition from corporate HR to entrepreneurship may appear to be a departure, but in reality, it was an extension of the same listening mindset.
As the owner of a health spa, my role shifted from internal employee advocacy to deep, one-on-one listening with clients. Guests didn’t come only for services—they arrived carrying stress, exhaustion, hormonal changes, and questions they didn’t feel comfortable asking elsewhere. Many were women navigating midlife transitions, including perimenopause and menopause, while simultaneously balancing demanding careers and caregiving responsibilities.
Recognizing a gap in support and education, I pursued certification as a Menopause Coach. This training provided language, science, and structure to what I had already been hearing for years. It also clarified something powerful: the same listening skills I honed in HR—empathy, pattern recognition, trust-building, and translating lived experience into actionable insight—were equally essential in wellness and coaching.
This evolution brought my career full circle. What began as listening to employees within organizations expanded into listening to individuals within their lives and bodies. The context changed, but the core skill remained the same.
Listening as a Leadership—and Life—Skill
Today, my work sits at the intersection of employee experience, wellbeing, and voice. Whether supporting organizations seeking more engaged workforces or individuals navigating personal and professional transitions, my approach is grounded in a simple belief: sustainable engagement—at work or in life—starts with being truly heard.
Looking back, the through line is clear. From HR conference rooms in Chicago to spa consultations and coaching conversations, listening has been the constant. It is both a professional competency and a human skill.
In an era where organizations are rethinking engagement, retention, and wellbeing, the lesson is simple but profound: when people feel heard, they show up differently. My career journey is a testament to that truth—and to the power of allowing your skills to evolve while remaining rooted in purpose..
