Tell us about Compass Coaching and why you started it. At some points in my life, I’ve been uncertain about what work I really wanted to pursue. It can be unsettling, undermining one’s confidence. After 35 years in corporate for-profits and nonprofits, I sought a different, more fulfilling direction. When I discovered coaching, I knew it was the right fit and a culmination of my prior experience. I became a professionally Certified Career and Life Coach and started Compass Coaching to help adults find work that aligns with who they are and what’s important to them. Most of my clients are in a place where they are thinking about a career transition or are already making a change. Some have other life goals such as making an important decision, clarifying direction, or building confidence. Sessions run about an hour, typically every-other week. It isn’t a quick fix–the process takes approximately 4-6 months. To make the time most efficient, I work online. I also believe it’s important to offer a preliminary session at no cost (or obligation) so people can experience coaching, ask questions, and learn about the process.
What is the best piece of business advice you have ever received? After college, I was uncertain about what I wanted to do for work. I met a family friend, a retired successful banker. He gave me an important piece of advice: “Don’t make your goal about the money. If you want to be happy in your work, find a job that’s right for who you are and what you enjoy. That is the place where you will be most successful–and the money will follow.” It’s part of the reason I became a coach later in life. The other key advice was from a dear friend – “I believe most people want to do the right thing and do the best they can”. We humans don’t always get it right, so it’s important to assume positive intent before judging someone’s actions or words.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead and why? There are two places I love to visit in Town, and each offers a different perspective:
Ft. Sewall—the view up harbor and out to the sound is spectacular. I love sitting on “our” bench given in memory of our loved ones. The view is especially beautiful on a summer’s afternoon when the setting sun lights up the Neck and the green lawns and blue harbor colors pop.
At the junction of Pleasant and Washington. My husband and I love to observe all the people and goings on anytime of day. And we always enjoy running into old friends and making new ones.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Maybe some don’t know I am ambidextrous, using both hands for all racquet sports, writing lefty yet golfing righty.
For More Information:
Compass Coaching
Amy Tate Berenson
www.navigateahead.com
Tell us about LCG Brands. LCG Brands is disruptive by design, partnering with the humans behind small businesses, startups, global organizations, economic development, and non-profits with change in mind. We use our 30+ years of experience to reinvent your marketing potential and take your business to a level not yet achieved. We are a research, consulting and internal communication firm bringing deep expertise in marketing and brand resolution. Providing a full range of services through workshops, seminars, and presentations, and promising sharp strategic thinking that gets results.
Mission: We support individuals and businesses wanting to build and amplify their brands.
Values:
Never Give Up – Our focus is to surpass the expectations of our clients. Your goals become our goals.
Driven By Detail – Here at LCG Brands we’re detail oriented. Our insight helps us to transform our client’s businesses by paying attention to and solving challenges along the way.
The Inventive Spirit – Our spirit sets us apart. Our desire to find, create, and develop new approaches for our clients is where we excel.
Process: LCG Brands will help your humans succeed through the proper marketing strategies, brand development, target audience determination, and media engagement.
Why did you start your business? I started LCG Brands in 2009 at the tail end of the great recession. It was then my capstone project, to complete my MBA at F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. It became apparent that I would have to go live when I was labeled, overqualified for any marketing C-Suite positions that I had my eyes on. Over the past 13 years I have gained a strong global reputation in the entrepreneur ecosystem as well as the small business community of veterans, women, families, ethnic groups, minorities, and international business owners. I have mentored and become a sounding board to countless entrepreneurs and innovators, as they seek to succeed in marketing for themselves and their businesses on their terms. At the start of the pandemic, I quickly and easily slipped back into my media representative persona to develop a platform giving these communities an amplified voice by creating a podcast welcoming to small businesses at all levels, educating new audiences of the “people” that fuel and support our neighborhoods.
What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?When dealing with toxic team members,
Set clear behavioral expectations.
Model behaviors you want to see.
Set boundaries and limits.
Assert yourself.
Have a reliable support network.
Provide behaviorally specific, timely and actionable feedback.
And if need be, end/terminate the relationship.
And most of all remember, no one deserves to be treated poorly due to others prejudices and insecurities in their personal and professional lives. Focus on your goals and rise above it.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? Fort Sewall continues to be one of my happy places in town. Whether it be sunrise, taking client calls, deep talks with friends, or drafting my next book, no matter the weather this special spot inspires me.
For More Information:
LCG Brands Consulting & Minding Your Business Podcast
Owner: Jodi-Tatiana Charles
888-361-4601
www.lcgbrands.com and www.mindingyourbusinesspod.com
Tell us about Driftwood Garden Club and how it got started. The Driftwood Garden Club was founded in 1952 as a volunteer, non-profit organization by a group of women in Marblehead who were looking to offer a social service making and delivering floral arrangements to hospitals and dwellers of tenement buildings in Boston. Throughout the ensuing years, the club engaged in many different civic beautification projects including sprucing up Town properties for the Bicentennial in 1976.
What are some of the gardening projects you work on in Marblehead? In 1990, the Abbot Public Library did a building renovation and club members saw an opportunity to create beautiful gardens in what had been a construction debris dump site so the Library grounds became our main civic project. Within the brick walls, the Secret Garden came to life offering a space for quiet retreat and a safe haven for children. Max’s Garden and an aquarium garden followed a few years later bringing much enjoyment to children and their families visiting the Library. In 2018, the Old Marblehead Improvement Association presented the club with an award for “Outstanding Non-Profit Organization” in Marblehead. For over thirty years, the club has continued to renovate, plant and maintain all the outdoor landscaped areas of the library property using funds we raise at our annual Plant Sale in May. While the library is closed during the current renovation project , the club is providing landscaping and garden maintenance help at Farrell Court for the elderly and disabled residents who live there. We also recently planted hundreds of daffodils at Memorial Park.
What are some of the programs and events the Club works on throughout the year? Are there any events coming up soon we should know about? Throughout the months when we cannot work outside, the club offers a wide variety of educational programs presented by garden experts. We also join with the other garden clubs in town to decorate the King Hooper Mansion of the Marblehead Arts Association for the holidays in December. In the summer months , some of our members make floral arrangements for the Marblehead Museum’s Lee Mansion. Before our Plant Sale on May 13 at the Masonic Hall, club members will join in “Dig and Divide” when we take plants from gardens all over town to offer them to the public.
What are the benefits of being a member of Driftwood Garden Club? And how does one become a member? We have a wonderful website people can visit at driftwoodgardenclub.org to learn about all our programs and fun events as well as find information about becoming a member. Member benefits include making many new friends while working together to provide beautification of our town properties. Our popular social events include the annual Cocktail Party with spouses and partners, special workshops to learn flower-arranging and DIY projects and participating in travel opportunities to visit gardens elsewhere. For our 65th and 70th birthdays, the club celebrated with two trips to England to experience stunning gardens and the world famous Chelsea Flower Show.
As the current President, why is the Driftwood Garden Club so important to you? As Historian and current President, I have thoroughly enjoyed my many years in the Driftwood Garden Club. I have learned so much about gardening and environmental issues and made lifelong friends with a love for making the world more beautiful. What better way to enjoy life than getting our hands dirty in the garden, having fun learning about the natural world , socializing with old and new friends while offering service to our beloved community of Marblehead.
For More Information:
Driftwood Garden Club
Current President: Ginny von Rueden
www.driftwoodgardenclub.org
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