Melissa D'Arcangelo’s Post

It is so typical that when we have bigger dreams or different dreams about our future than our parents have for us, we hear their resistance. We have to follow our path anyways. We know what is best for us. We are not the same people. We have our own unique strengths. We get excited about different things and it is our life to live not theirs. Here is a story where Jenny Nguyen was brave enough to follow her path and got successful not only in the classic traditional way but in the best fulfilling way. #careeradvice #careercoach #createlifeyoulove #workyoulove #notonlypaycheck

I love this story! Congratulations to Jenny Nguyen for forging her own path! Her story of her parents wanting her to do something else and judging her dreams is so common. So many times, parents push their own dreams on their children even if they are adults and it's all driven by their own insecurities and judgement like in Jenny's story. I remember when I first made the decision to become an entrepreneur ten years ago, although I was an adult my mom didn't understand it and her anxiety and fear over my decision drove most of our conversations. Now she continues to tell me how proud she is of me and is my biggest fan. As a coach, much of my practice focuses on career transitions and I hear these stories often. Currently, I am working with a client who is facing many challenges navigating the wishes of their father. My recommendation to everyone is to follow your heart and forge your own path towards purpose and fulfillment just like Jenny has. Just be sure to have a clear plan and strategy. #linkedinnews #careertransition #careerstrategy #careerplanning #stories

Doubt. It’s easy to have. We’ve all been there with our friends, family members, and even ourselves. etc. This happens especially with our careers. I personally remember going into Human Resources back in the day. I told my parents I was heading to grad school to major in labor and employment relations. My mother’s reply was, “You’re going to spend additional time in college and money getting a master’s degree to do payroll?” I simply looked at my mom and said, “Maybe I will, but my plans are a minimum to run payroll, as I plan to be in charge 😁.” My goal was not a specific task, but to lead. I knew I wanted to lead something and I stuck to it all through out my career. Great video from LinkedIn from the Catalyst series with American Express sharing this idea. We all have had experiences like Jenny Nguyen. We all have had the specific experience of a family member or even a friend or several friends, thinking we should follow a specific career path, even if it’s not what we want or ever wanted or even had in mind. I went to grad school and got my first mastere’s degree never looking back. I did lead and became a global VP of two iconic companies ~ JNJ and GE. The experience of stepping out of what my family had done, which was a traditionally charted career path of a long line of educators, was a little scary. I really knew nothing about HR. I had a professor who had recommended I look into the career and I did - the rest is history. Not becoming an educator helped prepare me to go from corporate America to now becoming an entrepreneur. It taught me a valuable lesson about trying even if if you don’t know the outcome or have all the answers. You can’t be afraid to try - it beats the option of never knowing or looking back and saying “ I wished that I had..” Great reminder and inspiring story to all of us who just need to “try” even if it’s not what others know about or even think you should do. It’s about chartering your path as you ultimately own making it happen or at least having the experience of trying and getting others involved on your team. I believe if you don’t at least try, you’ll never know if it was possible. In this video, Jenny not only tried, but succeeded and made her establishment, Sports Bra successful!.

🚀 How do you empower yourself in your Journey to Self-Transformation? 🚀   Whether you are an entrepreneur or a professional exploring a career change, when creating the future version of yourself, sometimes, the closest people to you are the most reluctant to see change.   As Jenny Nguyen stated, your family and parents want an “easy life” for you, and change means taking risks.   The journey to becoming the best version of ourselves often involves stepping out of our comfort zones and taking bold career leaps.    In these pivotal moments, it becomes crucial to curate a network that not only embraces change but thrives in it. Here's how:   🌱 Create a Personal Board of Directors Align yourself with mentors and advisors who possess a resilient, growth mindset.   They understand the value of experimentation and the lessons learned from mistakes.   💪 Build a Community that Thrives in Change They bring diverse perspectives, shared experiences, and a collective resilience that propels everyone forward.    Together, you can celebrate successes, learn from failures, and inspire each other to push boundaries. 🚀   The journey to self-transformation is not always easy but you don’t have to do it alone. ✨ Please share in the comments which strategies resonate with you. 🌐💡 Inspired by the LinkedIn News article below. #leadership #entrepreneurship #startupjourney   #highperformance #executiveleadership #founder  #ceo #ceoinsights #mentoring #coaching #mg100 #techstars #endeavorventurefunds #bestadvice #jennyfernandez

For you lover's of women's sports! And especially parents of young girls. This newsletter is put together by one of the best dads I know (and who was always destined to be a girl dad). Check it out!

Today is National Girls & Women in Sports Day #NGWSD. As a mom of all boys, I believe in the power of sports for all kids and young people – and from my personal experience, I feel strongly about the power of sports in the lives of girls and young women. I attribute so much of who I am today to my participation through the years.  Major advancements have been made toward equality in sports but we have a long way to go! --------------------------------------------------------------  From The GIST : Since 1987, NGWSD has evolved into a multifaceted day dedicated to acknowledging women’s history in sports, celebrating current achievements, and recommitting to the continued fight for equality. It is also about highlighting the countless positive impacts of girls’ sports participation. While youth involvement in sports is rebounding from its COVID-19–induced dip, there’s still a long way to go: Only 36% of kids played regularly in 2022. -- Girls’ participation is slowly increasing, but the gender gap persists — 34.5% of girls played regularly in 2022, compared to 40.2% of boys. -- Plus, by age 14, girls drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys due to barriers like lack of access, social stigma, costs, etc.. With those stats in mind, it’s even more important to spotlight how game-changing sports are for girls, pun intended. Along with learning essential life skills like teamwork and leadership, girls who play sports are more likely to have higher levels of self-esteem and lower levels of depression. ****** And those impacts transfer to life beyond sport. A 2015 study found that 80% of female executives at Fortune 500 companies played competitive sports before suiting up for the boardroom. 

"Through sports, girls learn important life skills such as teamwork, leadership and confidence." Women's Sports Foundation Girls drop out of sports at a rate 2-3 times higher than boys. We're committed to changing this narrative. We believe every girl deserves the opportunity to experience the transformative power of sports. Read the full WSF article here: https://ow.ly/B2MH50RT8pZ

Right Place at the Right Time.

I cried reading this article. Cried thinking of all the amazing women’s basketball I’ve been able to watch since March Madness started. Cried thinking of these amazing viewership numbers. Cried thinking of my two daughters and their growing love of basketball. But I also cried for all the moments that lead up to this. Cried thinking of all the amazing women’s games that were missed, all the storylines we never heard of, all the female athletes that didn’t get to have their big moments play out on national platforms. Cried for all the female athletes who were treated like they were less than. “The lack of resources devoted to the women’s game wasn’t an inevitable consequence of the game’s popularity—it was a choice. And that, in turn, suggested that it was possible to make a different choice: that, if the women’s game were treated with the same level of promotion and investment and hype as the men’s game, people would watch it, too.” The growth in women’s sports we are seeing now is what we should have been seeing all along. And while it is an amazing turn of events, there is still so much work to be done for all of women’s sports. I cannot wait to watch South Carolina and Iowa play in National Championship today. I will be watching in my living room with my whole family. It is must watch TV and I will be taking it all in while my daughters get to watch their favorite players play on National TV. After the game, I will get back to work. I will remember what it took to get here and that we still need more people to support and invest in women and girls’ sports at all levels. I will continue to coach, volunteer and advocate for my local sports organizations. It’s truly the best to watch young athletes develop their love for sports, but we need people to volunteer and create safe and fun spaces for that to happen. What are you actively doing to support women and girls sports in your own community? #womeninsports #girlsinsports #womenssports #youthsports #coaching #advocacy #marchmadness #ncaa #womensbasketball https://lnkd.in/gBjKdjev

As simple as that.