Impact Forward

I have spent years coaching professionals in the social impact sector, helping them find their footing, tell their story, and move forward with clarity and confidence. Impact Forward is the most personal expression of that work. This is where it comes from and why it exists.

My Why

My story starts in 2004. After graduating from undergrad I struggled to find a job for five, then six months. The financial strain was building. My materials and approach were not generating results. Then, some mentors took me under their wing, reviewed my resume, did interview prep with me, and told me where and how to search. I took every bit of help I could get and I am eternally grateful for it.

In grad school, I was determined to do things differently when it came to my job search process. I attended every career session, employer event, and networking opportunity my school had to offer. My classmates started coming to me for notes. Eventually, I became the person people turned to when figuring out their next step. That has never really stopped.

For me, sharing knowledge is an act of service. It is rooted in my faith and my lifelong draw to teaching. When I formally established my career coaching practice in 2018, my cousin told me that helping someone find a job was one of the greatest things I could do for another person. By helping someone get back on their feet or find a better job, I am not only helping them, but I am also helping their family and their community. Then, there is the ripple effect of the impact they will go on to make in the world. That conversation has stayed with me.

Who This Is For

Impact Forward is for professionals in the social impact sector who are navigating career transition and need support but are not in a position to access it. It is not ambition that is missing. It is circumstances. They have the drive, the experience, and the commitment. What they need is someone in their corner at a moment when that feels out of reach.

A career transition is one of the most vulnerable experiences a professional can go through. The longer it goes, the more your confidence erodes. You start to wonder if something is wrong with you. You take rejections personally even when you know better. As the financial strain increases, the ability to think clearly decreases. You are not sure where to turn or how to ask for help.

I know that feeling. I also know that the right support at the right moment can change everything.

Impact Forward is the expression of all of this: my personal experience navigating career transition and two layoffs, my values-based upbringing and faith teachings around sharing knowledge, and my drive to make an impact in the world, big or small.

Right now, I see many colleagues and professionals in the social impact sector who are struggling. People who have spent their careers trying to make the world better, who are talented, experienced, and driven, but are stuck. The job market is tough. Transitions are longer and harder than they used to be. The pressure builds quietly and then is suddenly at a breaking point.

If you have been putting in the work and not seeing results, if your confidence has taken a hit, if you are not sure how to tell your story or where to focus your energy, this is for you.

How Impact Forward Works

I have been in positions where I knew coaching and professional development could help me. I just could not afford it or justify the expense when I was struggling to make ends meet. That experience never left me. Quality career development support should not be accessible only to those who can afford elite services. The ability to tell your story, present yourself with confidence, and navigate a job search strategically should not be a privilege. It is one of the reasons Impact Forward exists.

Impact Forward is not a single offering. It is a framework built around meeting people where they are.

It starts with a conversation. Not every person is the right fit for what I have to offer, and not every offering is the right fit for every person. That conversation helps me understand where you are and what you need most.

From there, there are three ways to engage:

1. Impact Forward Webinar: Own Your Story — a pay-as-you-wish, small group webinar session focused on identifying your career narrative and helping you own the story you have been underselling

2. Impact Forward Coaching Session: a one-on-one, pro bono session, fully customized to where you are right now, available on a limited basis each month

3. Self-guided Worksheet Package: a structured set of tools you can work through on your own, at your own pace

The Pay It Forward Ask

Impact Forward is built on a simple belief: that when one person finds their footing, the ripple effects are endless. Not just for them, but for their family, their community, and the work they will go on to do in the world. That is the ripple effect I am trying to create, and it is what keeps this offering sustainable.

My one ask of everyone who comes through Impact Forward is this: when you are back on your feet, consider joining me in this mission in whatever way feels right to you. That might mean passing along what you have learned to a colleague who is struggling. It might mean telling someone about this work and what it meant to you. Or, it might mean sponsoring a session for someone else down the road when you are in a position to do so. There is no obligation and no fixed definition of what paying it forward looks like. The only ask is that the ripple keeps moving.

If any of this resonates with you and you would like to learn more, I would love to hear from you. Reach out and let's have a conversation.

***

As I was developing Impact Forward and sharing the idea with others, someone pointed me to the Green Bottle sliding scale model, a framework rooted in the belief that access to support should not be determined by financial circumstance alone. Reading it affirmed that others are also wrestling with the same questions I am: how can I help others while also being mindful of my own family’s needs as a small business owner. While Impact Forward is rooted in my own values and is its own unique model, I want to acknowledge it as a kindred framework to the Green Bottle method. You can read more about it here.