You’re desperate for a change, but feel drained and uninspired. You feel stuck and have no idea what to change or where to start.
You feel frustrated and confused because you know something is missing but you don’t know what.
As time passes, you have a sinking feeling that “this is it.”
I KNOW THE FEELING. I’VE BEEN THERE TOO, AND HAVE COME OUT THE OTHER SIDE.
Hello, I’m Sandra Lassiter
I’m a business and life coach for professionals and entrepreneurs like you, who feel drained and uninspired. You’re ready for change but have no idea where to begin, leaving you feeling trapped and hopeless. I help you discover the right changes to make so you can love your work and enjoy life again.
MY JOURNEY
My career evolved methodically. I began as a business teacher at a community college in Savannah, Georgia. I loved teaching and helping others learn and progress so they could achieve their goals and aspirations. Still do.
After teaching in the classroom for several years, I was ready for a new challenge. Building upon that experience, I entered corporate America, going into professional training at a software development company in Phoenix, Arizona. I traveled all over the country teaching and helping clients implement new software systems into their businesses. I loved working with clients and helping them to integrate change and succeed in their businesses. After several years of intensive travel, flying on Sunday and flying home Friday evening, travel fatigue and homesickness settled in and I knew it was time for me to get off the road.
THE CLIMB
I put my sights on product management, a profession that would challenge me in new ways and allow me to expand my scope of responsibility. I love the big picture view of a product line or service suite and being responsible for all aspects of its growth and success. My persistence paid off and I landed a job in product management with the same company.
For the next 15 years I worked in some form of product management. I’ve managed multiple software product lines and services suites and even worked in publishing where I directed all functions of product development.
SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, WHILE I WAS ENJOYING MY WORK AND BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL CAREER, I WAS ALSO QUESTIONING WHAT IT ALL MEANT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS.
Although I had so many things that I wanted in my life, I had a feeling that something was missing but I didn’t know what. As time continued to pass, a sinking feeling that “this was it” continued to grow.
Because I didn’t know anything else, I continued along and eventually found myself in an executive role in product management where I led all product strategy and managed P&Ls with combined annual revenue of over $150M.
THE SHOCK & DISINTEGRATION
By this time, I was feeling pretty burned out. Excessive responsibility, long commutes, long hours combined with regular travel, I was tired ALL THE TIME. As time went on, I was enjoying my work less and going through the motions more. I knew things weren’t right; I was ready for a big change but had no idea what to do or where to begin.
I HAD ACCOMPLISHED EVERYTHING I HAD WORKED FOR, INCLUDING A COMFORTABLE 6-FIGURE INCOME. NOW WHAT?
A life that I had envisioned and worked so hard for now felt meaningless and tedious. Not knowing what to do or what to change, I just kept going.
And then the day came, a shocking, catastrophic reorganization. My coveted and admired job was eliminated, along with everyone else’s in the division. A perfect opportunity to make a change, but not knowing what my next move would be; I hung on to the only life I knew.
I accepted an executive position with the newly organized company and hoped for the best.
THE BIG LEAP
Finally, some months later, I couldn’t ignore the misery of the situation any longer. There I was, in a job that was exponentially less fulfilling in every way than my last position.
For years I took a sleep aid most every night to help me fall and stay asleep. I was always trying to manage gastrointestinal issues, and I struggled with low energy 24/7 which required me to push my way through everything I needed to do. And my outlook for the future was depressing.
I had no choice; I had to make a move or continue to die a slow death. This ride was over; it was time to get off and find something new that both inspired and challenged me.
BOTTOM LINE: IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE CORPORATE AMERICA.
After 9 years of working for this company, I woke up one spring morning and made the decision to finally leave and pursue my passion for yoga and my 10-year dream of opening my own studio.
ONCE I MADE THE DECISION TO PURSUE MY DREAM, I NEVER LOOKED BACK.
On my final day in corporate America, I drove out of the parking lot and away from a life that no longer served me, and towards a life completely new and unknown. It was one of the proudest and happiest days of my life. I was free. The kind of free I hadn’t experienced since I was a kid, on a warm summer day, riding around on my Schwinn bicycle that I converted with stingray handle bars and a banana seat.
Leaving the security and the prosperous salary of a 25-year career was one of the bravest things I’ve ever done. Little did I know then that leaping into entrepreneurship was going to require even more courage. After eighteen months of planning, strategizing, certifying, and teaching; I opened my yoga business.
I THOUGHT MY MANY YEARS OF BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN CORPORATE AMERICA PREPARED ME FOR OWNING A SMALL BUSINESS. I COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG!
I worked longer and harder than I’ve ever worked before to get my yoga business off the ground, into profitability, and eventually into a mature and successful business.
I love the practice of yoga and all the health benefits it provides. I also loved serving my community and getting to know my clients as a local business owner. However, being open 7 days a week, 362 days a year was confining. Once the studio was a well-oiled machine, I started to dream about what could be next for me.
LEAVING CORPORATE AMERICA AND RUNNING MY OWN YOGA STUDIO WERE BIG STEPS TOWARD MY FUTURE AS A COACH.
A NEW DREAM WAS EMERGING
After 7 successful years in business, it was time again to try something new. After taking some time off and doing some soul searching, I decided to train to be a Life Coach.
I had been the recipient of life coaching several years earlier and experienced firsthand its benefits. Life Coaching gave me a fresh perspective that helped me to move past the struggles that were holding me back so I could move forward in my life. I wanted to learn more and explore the idea of becoming a coach as my next profession.
Midway through the training I was experiencing incredible progress for myself as well as the clients I was coaching. This is when I decided that I wanted to launch a coaching business and help others that were struggling to move past survival mode to being energized and enthusiastic about their future.
WHERE I AM TODAY
Today, I get to combine my educator’s perspective, business acumen, life coaching skills, and everything I’ve learned along the way to help my clients breakthrough barriers that hold them back from what they really want in life.
I HELP MY CLIENTS MAKE BOLD MOVES THAT PROPEL THEM FORWARD IN THEIR CAREER AND IN THEIR LIVES.
I’m very grateful for my journey, but I had my share of struggle and learned many things the hard way. As human beings, we’re never completely free of struggle. But you CAN decrease the struggle and, in turn, create more of what you really want in life. And I can help you.
I love my work as a coach and am grateful for the opportunities I have to make a tangible difference in my clients’ lives.
AND, being free from the restraints of corporate life, the limitations of a retail business, and being completely in control of my own path feels pretty amazing too!
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