45°
If you're feeling "stuck" in life, personal and executive coach Cindy Cornell can set you free. Not only does she have the skills to help you make a change, she's got a pretty good idea of how you're feeling, having successfully made a major career switch herself.
"The joke is that I'm a recovered accountant," says Cindy, who lives in Norwalk and sees clients in Westport and New York City.
"In high school I wanted to be a therapist or a florist," she says. "I have pretty bad hay fever, so I figured florist wouldn't be a good idea. Then I decided I had too many of my own problems to help anyone else with theirs."
That's when Cindy did what so many of us do during times of uncertainty, often to our detriment: "I looked to other people to tell me what to do," she says. Advised that business was a stable and profitable field, Cindy went into corporate finance and accounting. She traveled the world for her job, spending weeks at a time in Japan and the Caribbean; she also worked in start-ups, turnarounds and the like. The experience was valuable, but draining. Then, a window of opportunity.
"I was blessed to be caught up in a restructuring, which gave me the opportunity to say, 'What do I want to do now?'" says Cindy. The answer was to help people figure out what kind of lives they truly want to live, as opposed to "looking to others" for direction (and ending up on the wrong path). She was certified at NYU, one of the first-ever students in the university's Certificate in Professional Coaching program, and launched her own business shortly thereafter. Her corporate background has come in handy. Not only can she keep her own books, but she can relate to dissatisfied executives and entrepreneurs looking to take the next step.
"I speak their language," she says.
After a few sessions, they learn to speak her language as well, or at least to understand it. Among Cindy's key words are "values," "authenticity," and "integrity."
"I ask myself all the time, 'What am I letting myself get away with that I wouldn't let my clients get away with?'"
Self-deprecating thoughts are one thing Cindy won't abide.
"Don't focus on the things you're not great at. See your potential. I don't just ask my clients what it means to be successful, I ask them what it means to be wildly successful."
"I believe that my clients have all the answers they need," she says. "It's my job to ask the right questions."
Cindy offers personal coaching, executive coaching and consultation, group training and facilitation and business advisory services. For more info, go to www.hoshingroup.com.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
