Boss Mom Spotlight – Jean Thomson
We want you to meet Jean Thomson
Jean is a Career Alignment & Family Support Coach / Launch-U
Jean’s Boss Mom journey:
I was adopted at birth by two scientists. Growing up was wonderful, until I went to school and realized that I was not like my parents at all. I did not have an intellectual bone in my body. Back then they did not know what learning disabilities were. My parents just thought I was lazy. I thought I was stupid.
In any case, living under the pressure of what seemed like impossible expectations, I made a life-altering decision to get pregnant and leave home at the age of sixteen. Not surprisingly, determination to recover from poor decisions became a recurring theme for me for years to come.
In school, my belly bump made me a clear target for bullying, so I quit school. It did not take long for me to realize that I had made a couple of HUGE mistakes. Knowing I was responsible for a child, I summoned the courage and determination to re-enroll in high school and graduate.
After graduation I refused to go to college because I did not BELIEVE I was ‘college material’. Instead I went to a 2-year junior college for secretarial science. Yes, that was a degree! Just before graduation, I needed one more class that was only offered at the local 4-year college. I was forced to enter the kingdom of the intelligent, affluent, and gifted, and I was petrified.
I likely would not have passed my class at the 4-year college if it were not for a sweet girl named Colleen who took me under her wing and taught me how to study. In her, I found a best friend who convinced me that I could make it through college. This was the first time I experienced the power of a stranger’s belief in me before I had enough wins to believe in myself. When asked what I wanted to do when I graduated college, all I knew was that I wanted to help people. I had no clue or line-of-sight into how or where I would do this.
By the Grace of God and my precious friend Colleen, I graduated from college with a BS in public relations and a minor in business; a feat today I still say is the hardest thing I have ever done!
Ripe with hope for a bright future, I moved from my small Georgia town with my 6-year old son to the big city of Atlanta where I got a job working in a staffing agency.
Being a single mom in a big city was a hard transition. I missed my college friends and my Mom who was my son’s second mother, so I jumped at the first opportunity to find true love with a man who, unbeknownst to me, suffered from a mental illness called bi-polar disorder. He was a WONDERFUL man who became my son’s father, and we loved him dearly for 14 years. Until his disease became unbearable and he took his life.
In a tailspin of grief and despair, my son tumbled into addiction and I became a workaholic. While I was very successful in my job as a profit-center manager, I was hugely unhappy. Little did I know until years later, 1) my WorkStyle was completely misaligned with my job, and 2) my self-destructive commitment to succeed was born out of my BELIEF that it was only through hard work that I could succeed. I still had no idea what my true gifts to the workplace were, but I sure looked successful from the outside looking in.
After 12 years of sheer misery in a job that almost killed me, I finally broke away from my golden handcuffs and moved into the training industry where the bar for high performance could not have been higher. My job was to sell sales training! At first it seemed I had made another grave mistake, but once again my determination kicked in and I found my way past the vertical learning curve in front of me and I succeeded wildly in a profession that I loved!
During this time, I was introduced to a human data analytics technology called the WorkStyle Patterns® Process where I discovered that I have an Independent Worker with Specialist WorkStyle. This explained EVERYTHING about why I loved the parts of work that I loved, and why I struggled deeply in other aspects of work.
You see, our WorkStyles NEVER change from childhood onward. And when we discover our WorkStyle, we feel it in our bones and will never question where our stress is coming from again. Moreover, we have a clear line-of-sight into the types of jobs and environments where we will thrive.
For the first time in my life I had confidence in something; that I could help people through developmental coaching.
At the age of 38, I finally found my SweetSpot™ – Helping others’ find their SweetSpot™!
In nutshell, for the last 23 years I have leveraged 1) my passion for helping others and 2) my Specialist WorkStyle to effortlessly create and deliver transformational education and career discovery / planning services which I call my ‘Heart Work’ .
Today, as a Family Career Alignment and Mindset Coach I guide teens, young adults and their parents to discover their innate strengths and vulnerabilities so that each family member can thrive in education, the workplace and the family unit.
So, when I wake up each morning, I am filled with immense joy that I found my SweetSpot™ and that I am SO blessed to guide others to find theirs’.
One piece of advice for moms who are starting a business
There is no greater motivation than to be the best Mom for your children, which means focusing on yourself and what brings you joy first and foremost. For many of us, this means our career. Or, it may be being the best and healthiest mom ever. Every Mom deserves to feel that we are bringing our gifts to this world, whatever that may be for you. Just never stop looking for your joy! It matters so VERY MUCH to YOU and your children!!!!
I want to live in a world where… We LOVE above all else
And I want other Boss Moms to know that… We thrive when we allow our authentic selves to SHINE
What is something that you’re currently celebrating?
Oh my … I will turn 60 soon!!! I’m choosing to celebrate this huge milestone because I still feel like a teenager at heart.
Website and social links:
https://www.subscribepage.com/j2x7a8
https://www.facebook.com/jean.thomson.140/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanthomson2013
Jean’s Work:
Leveraging my 30+ years of alignment expertise, I now take teens, young adults, and parents through an intentional process of introspection and self-discovery where …
Teens and young adults …
- Take full responsibility for their future
- Discover their innate strengths and vulnerabilities
- Create a direct line-of-sight and gain exposure into the types of jobs and environments where they will thrive
- Identify the best path forward and set goals to get them where they want to be
- Create and execute a plan to accomplish their goals with peer, family, and Launch-U support
Parents …
- Discover the extent to which they are aligned / misaligned in their current work
- Minimize any misalignment they are experiencing so they can experience optimal happiness and success at work and at home, and
- Model career alignment in their own lives so their children can aspire to experience the same for themselves
- Prepare for even greater alignment in empty-nest-hood and retirement so their next chapters in life are filled with joy and purpose
Families fully understand and celebrate each member’s uniqueness’s so they can support each other as individuals and as a cohesive family unit. Areas discovered are …
- Beliefs that will lead each family member TO and AWAY from what they want
- Personal definitions of happiness & success
- Dreams and aspirations
- Interests / passion / purpose
- WorkStyle
- Character Traits
- Aptitudes
- Values
- Motivators
- Interpersonal relationships with each other
The culmination of this awareness is what we call our SweetSpot™ which serves as each family member’s CareerCompass™ on their personal journey to education and career happiness and success.
Today, Family Career Coaching is what I call my ‘Heart Work’. My dream for the future?
To provide more of my services for free to the underserved because I believe that giving back is the pinnacle of happiness and success in work and life.
Currently, 10% of my revenue is dedicated to serving the underserved.
