Diane Topkis

Just like you, I am in mid-life and was in the middle of my career, burned out and slightly bored with my job. Then Wham! I’m out of a job. Not my choice. I never thought I’d say this but now I’m happy my company laid me off and gave me what a fellow coach calls my “free agent pass”. Why does it so often take a crisis to knock us out of our rut?

Mid-life was already a time of personal transition for me – empty nest and divorce after a long marriage. I thought my job in a very large corporation was safe. Occasionally I had thought of changing careers. Even though I knew I had stayed in my last position too long, I always let that thought slide and felt I’d just stick it out, retire and do whatever. Now I’m so glad that wasn’t my path.

I came to coaching by first being a client. Along the winding path of personal discovery to find a more inspiring career, something remarkable happened. I began to feel joyful and inspired about the journey itself. I really liked the process of what I was doing. The coach was pulling thoughts out of me that I had never considered. So I added coaching to my research and here I am. Now I love what I do. I have a passion for helping people like me discover new possibilities and develop new levels of personal and professional success.

My Style
I bring to coaching a wealth of professional expertise and life experience from my career in sales, marketing, management and career development. No matter what personality or strength test I took, similar words came up: relates well and finds deep satisfaction in working with people to achieve a goal, feels most engaged when intently listening, considers thoughts and feelings of others, strategic thinker, quickly spots relevant patterns and issues, focuses on others' strengths to stimulate excellence, seeks to transform something strong into something superb.

I bring these strengths to my career coaching. My communication style is supportive and genuine. I reflect back what I hear and sense to give you a perspective of where you are and where you are headed. I help you uncover your limiting beliefs and challenge you to expand your awareness of the possibilities and choices that surround you. Clients have said they appreciate my intuition and unique perspectives that guide them to results.

Personal Guiding Principles
To help you know me better, here are a few of my life rules that I bring to coaching:

Compassion - to listen and understand where others are coming from and not put my own agenda or beliefs in the forefront. It’s not always easy to do but I strive for it. And to bring compassion to myself, to give my self a break once in awhile.

Reliability - I can be counted on, to be there, to be open and honest to family, friends, and to clients.

Committed - whatever I take on, I'm fully engaged, otherwise I won't take it on. I won't do it half way.

Aligned - my actions are true to my beliefs and values, to who I am. I know right away when I’m out of alignment and need to fix it fast.

Control - I believe I have control of my life and have the ability to change it. I always need to find a path and then can create a plan to get there.

Enthusiasm - I'm committed to life and living it fully, to the best of my ability, and to have fun and laugh every day.

My Spark = You
I realize identifying your ideal career can be easier said than done. But I can tell you that it indeed can be done. Today my dream career is real. Sparks fly every time I work with clients and see how they learn about themselves, grow and get results.

My passion is to empower mid-life mid-career women to find the dream job that will rekindle the creative spark of their career. I sincerely want you to uncover the life you truly want, believe in your self, and turn those elusive hopes and dreams into reality in the next chapter of your life.

I invite you to continue exploring my website. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at diane@yournextchapternow.com or go directly to the Contact Me page.

diane@YourNextChapterNOW.com