Six Steps towards Authentic Career and Life Alignment
Maria Vesanen’s journey into the realm of health and wellness was sparked by her own battle against burnout that later led to a realization that more aligned work-life starts from knowing who we are and embracing our authenticity. She’s led women circles and done one-to-one coaching with people from all over the world, and loves holding space for people and help them get aha-moments of themselves.
Are you feeling stuck in your career, battling self-doubt, and wondering if you're living a life that truly reflects your authentic self? Don't worry; you're not alone. Take a step back, check in, and find out what the next aligned action is for you!
Authenticity has been a trend in the Employer Branding scene for years. We see companies welcoming people as they are, embracing diversity, inclusion, and belonging. While those efforts are great, there is often a missing piece. Schools or universities don't teach us much about self-discovery. We might get lost in translation amidst social conditioning, external expectations, and cultural norms.
With all this noise around, how do we even know who we are?
Authenticity is the art of embracing our true self, unapologetically. It involves embracing all that we are; our superpowers, unique quirks, flaws, and imperfections. It's about living in alignment with our priorities, values, and needs. It's about being genuine and dropping the masks.
It's hard to show up authentically when:
We are not connected to who we really are
We are not clear about our priorities and values
We suffer from imposter syndrome and make ourselves smaller
We want to please everyone
We have separate work and life identities
We are ashamed of our flaws and imperfections
We operate in a culture that promotes only one way of showing up
It's easier to talk about authenticity than to embody it. It can feel scary to show up as our true selves. It might feel naked, vulnerable, and yes, we might face rejection. But it's also empowering, and I've come to believe that it's the foundation of our wholeness and well-being.
Connecting with our Core and Taking Aligned Action
When we let go of who we should be and start honoring who we are, we can begin building a career and life that align with our true selves. That's where we can find genuine enthusiasm, inspiration, and empowerment. Where can we start?
The first step is to peel away the layers of who we are, starting with self-inquiry, exploring our unique strengths, characteristics, and flaws - with curiosity. There is no judgment in curiosity.
Secondly, we want to become clear about our current priorities and our core values. Priorities can change depending on the season of life we are in. Values, on the other hand, are more stable. They might change as we grow, but often, some of our core values remain the same.
With clarity about these core elements, we can start exploring what lights us up. What are the jobs, tasks, and activities that set our souls on fire? Where do we find excitement? How can we serve? That's where our purpose lies.
From a place of clarity, we can begin making choices that take us closer to our aligned career and work. Sometimes it might involve small tweaks, finding new inspiration in what we are already doing. Sometimes we might want to make bigger shifts. We learn as we go, and a bit of exploration can be helpful; we can do that through hobbies and volunteering as well.
To move forward, we need to create visions and understand what our desired state is. When we know where we want to go, we can start designing a realistic roadmap to get there.
Last but not least, we need to take action and follow through. Small changes can open big doors, leading us to places where we can find fulfillment, thrive, and connect - authentically.
Uniting Our Unique Strengths to Do Profound Work!
The idea of bringing something inspiring to life with Saara started at a lunch meeting on a sunny summer afternoon. We had a passionate discussion about well-being, coaching, and healthy work cultures. That lunch meeting planted a seed that is now growing, as we are launching a group coaching program together!
Our story goes way back to the year 2015 when we worked together on a year-long Employer Branding and Diversity & Inclusion project. I was a consultant, and Saara was leading the project at the client. We've kept in touch since those days, and from the start, we've shared an authentic connection.
What brings us together is our shared passions and alignment with values, along with a desire to do something profound. We both understand that true transformation starts from the inside. There are no quick fixes or one-size-fits-all solutions. Most importantly, we both want to help people thrive from a place of authenticity and alignment.
I'm excited to collaborate with Saara and see how we can help people shift <3.
Maria Vesanen, Certified Coach and Consultant
Maria is a certified Health and Life Coach (Health Coach Institute, ID, US) with an MSc in Sociology (University of Helsinki, Finland) and she’s studied meditation and alternative healing modalities in Latin America (i.a. Las Piramídes Del Ka, Guatemala). With over 12 years of consultancy and international projects, she has a rich background in facilitating groups and leading workshops.
Read more about out upcoming programme here from Profound: The Group Programme.
Welcome to our free webinar to start on your journey, register here and get your “A Journey to Alignment” Guidebook!
Join our webinar on the 7th of November 2023 at 4 pm EET / 3 pm CET / 2 pm GET on
Unlock Your Authentic Career and Life Alignment
In this session, we will give the participants tools and methods to start working on connecting with their authentic self.
If you are unable to attend live, please register and you’ll get the recording afterwards.
Everyone who’s registered will get “A Journey to Alignment” - Guidebook that will help you get started.
We guarantee that this session will provide value, whether you plan to work on your own or are considering joining the group to benefit from working with coaches in a supportive community.