Meet Michele Brant

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Brant.

Michele, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up the daughter of a West Point grad so I moved every two to three years prior to my Dad retiring in Atlanta, Georgia my senior year of high school. My Dad wanting me to be able to take care of myself so he told me I would be paying for my own school. My Dad was into Technology so I started out in Computer Science and got a degree in Industrial Management with a minor in Computer Science. I went on to a 20-year Corporate Career, where I never felt I fit in nor fulfilled. On the outside, people would perceive I was successful but, it didn’t feel that way to me. I decided to explore other options and through that process, I found coaching and knew it was for me. I wanted to be able to be of a more direct impact to people’s lives and now I can be!

I used to make life choices from the perspective of “this is what I should do.” I intimately know that place where I deeply hoped that there was something different, but was afraid that I was too lost to change my life. I did a great job of keeping up the outward appearance that everything was fine, despite losing myself in depression, insomnia, divorce, and not feeling like I fit in anywhere. When I had finally had enough, I sought dedicated support from others who could see the path that I couldn’t and I re-created my life. I transformed everything from my career to my health, to my relationships.

I now live a thriving life and love my career. Yet, I didn’t get here by myself, which is part of my dedication to supporting others to create whole-life wellness starting with their careers. During my youth, I traveled every year to visit my relatives in Colorado Springs. I absolutely loved Colorado and so a few years ago, my husband and I made a move from the southeast to make Colorado our permanent home.

 

Has it been a smooth road?
It was not a smooth road at all! I had no clue how to be an entrepreneur! I joke that I am not a “fire in the belly” entrepreneur. Becoming successful in my own business is and probably always will be one of my greatest achievements in life. Out of my coaching school class of 27 people, I know of only one other person that is coaching full time.

I had no idea how to market a business nor how to sell my services. Many of the standard approaches didn’t resonate with me so I kept looking for resources that could help me find my way. Also having come from a corporate career where I was getting a consistent paycheck every two weeks, it took several years to get to a place where I knew how to navigate the ebb and flow of incoming coming in. I am able to ride those waves much more smoothly now.

Finally, initially, I got so caught up in my doubts and inadequacies. Now, I am able to move through those by remembering my strengths and being in regular contact with my support system.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
As a career coach, with a gift for whole-life wellness integration, I help you identify your meaningful career path and align it with a deeply fulfilling life. Here is some copy on my website that should answer this: 

With over 15 years of experience in coaching people to live their dreams and maximize their success, my corporate background of 20 years developed a wide breadth of skills, knowledge, and experience through various corporate roles enabling me to speak your language and get you. While I was getting my degree in Georgia Tech, I worked at IBM, which led me to a position in the banking industry. While I was in banking, I started in technical support, which led to training, which led to marketing.

When I was training, I was on the road visiting the business to train our software and how it could add value to their time and bottom line. This got me in front of corporations and small businesses in industries from textiles, to resorts, a pig farm (where the owner wanted to gift me a pig to take home), to non-profits, to government agencies.

If I haven’t personally worked in the industry, I’ve touched it somehow. This also gave me the opportunity to see the challenges and depth of a wide variety of industries. I saw how people of all industries and experience levels struggle with the same things and I’m grateful that I get to help people with those things on a deeper level now.

Getting out of the box to see another point of view you’ve never even considered or thought was possible requires a skill to see beyond every-day thinking, even for ambitious and smart people who are really good at what they do. This skill set is what I’ve mastered with my coaching education and years of experience working directly with clients from all industries, backgrounds, and goals.

As well as being a Certified Professional Coach, I attended a one-year coaching training for Holographic Coaching and received my Wellness Inventory Certification. Being able to assist my clients with whole-life balance and wellness is a crucial factor in how I’m different than other career coaches and strategies.

After this certification, I graduated from iPEC, the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, which is one of the largest ICF (International Coaching Federation) -accredited coach training schools in the world. I’m an ELI-MP (Energy Leadership Index™-Master Practitioner), which is a one-of-a-kind assessment that enables leaders to clearly see their perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and overall leadership capabilities. This program is where I specialized in Executive Coaching.

The biggest benefit I see with this skillset is I know that my clients are never as stuck as they think they are and my skills help them see that so they can make a change. Additionally, my love and expertise of health and wellness further support my clients to achieve far beyond career satisfaction.

My iPEC Coaching Certification allows me to help you identify and reprogram all self-limiting beliefs. In addition to my knowledge and experience with career advancement, this empowers my clients to build a solid foundation internally and the external skillsets required to reach their goals.

While many career coaches have one core speciality and don’t venture outside of that, I have a diverse background and expertise to meet clients where they are. While highly strategic, I also have a personalized approach rather than a systematic approach so every client’s needs are uniquely met. After working with hundreds of clients, no two clients are the same so I meet you where YOU are.

My customized solutions can focus on strategic job search, to advancing your career and salary, to executive coaching and corporate training. Furthermore, building a career and not focusing on whole-life wellness is a grave mistake that often leaves professionals feeling depleted and unable to create a fulfilling career.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Denver is a great city for Career Coaches. I have only been here a little under two years and Denver area prospective clients are already finding me without me having to actively market myself. The entire front range is continuing to grow which means more people will need career-related support in some form or fashion.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michelebrant.com
• Email: michele@michelebrant.com
• Other: LinkedIN URL – www.michelebrant.com/in/michelebrant

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