Angela McCarty

I would say it's that I am intentional. I also do a really good job of building true relationships. I don't like transactional relationships, and so I am purposeful in building relationships that can grow, that serve a purpose for each other. If it is a transactional relationship, we go into it knowing that that's what this is and we just need to fulfill this purpose, because sometimes that's the case. But on the grand scheme of things, I do a really great job of building relationships with people so they can trust me, feel comfortable around me, because you can't really coach someone if they don't feel comfortable. They have to be able to open up. So that's been my success, and then I'm data-driven. I look at root cause analysis, how are we getting to our achievable goals, where do we need to pivot, using data to determine all of that.

I would say the best career advice I have gotten is to be confident in whatever I'm doing. So if I have to pitch a new project or I'm meeting with a potential new client, to come in with confidence, because people can feel that. And if you're not confident, then they struggle to be confident in your abilities. So I would say just being confident in what you're doing has been the best advice. If you don't believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

I would give the advice of being open to meeting a variety of individuals, because you never know who will come into your life that'll need your services or that you can learn from to grow as a coach. So being open to engaging with a variety of people in a variety of settings has benefited me greatly as a coach. It's also given me the ability to have different perspectives that I can offer my clients. Although the majority of my experience has been in urban education, through other fields and other lanes, like where my children go to school or doing things with my husband, I've been able to explore other educational backgrounds, and that gives me the perspective that I can share with others. If I'm not open to exploring a variety of contexts or individuals, I kind of close myself off, and as a coach, you have to be open. So that would be my advice, is just to be willing to explore things outside of your comfort zone. Be intentional about engaging in experiences that take you outside of your norm.

The biggest challenge is just getting out in front of people to let them know that you're here to provide the services. I'm quite an introvert, and so I'm not necessarily at all the events and networking as much as I probably should be. But I think one issue is, as a small business owner, is just letting people know that you have services available. I think that's really it, because once people know I'm here and I engage with them, I don't typically have an issue building relationships and starting to work with them. It's just usually people don't know that we're here.

The value of family, spirituality, and the value of connectedness are my top three. Family is important because they create your foundation. They're your support system. They're the reason I do what I do. I would not be the human or the leader that I am without my family. Through the experiences that I've had growing up as a parent, all of those things influence who I am as a woman and as a leader. And so my family is very, very important to me, and I value all aspects of family, so work-life balance, all of that comes into play because my family is so important. Also, intentionality. I believe in being very intentional about what you say, what you do, how you show up with others. When you're intentional about your actions, your outcomes align to your values. And so the way that I parent my children is very intentional. The way that I am with my husband is very intentional. The way I am with my clients are very intentional. And then connectedness. As humans, we're made to be interdependent on each other. And so the more that we learn that we live and thrive better when we operate in a community that's connected to one another, I think the things that we see happening in the world would decrease. The pain and suffering that people go through would be easier to manage if they were connected to a community that truly believed and supported and loved on them. So being connected to a community where you belong and you feel a sense of security is really important. And so I value that. I try to create that with anyone that I come into a relationship with. I want them to feel like they're in a community with me, and we build that bond together.