Raj K. Atlanta, Georgia

What was the obstacle that would have prevented you from investing in coaching?

The obstacle at first for me was money because I didn't have a job at the time. So, and with the market and COVID at that time, it was tough finding a job. So I think that was my biggest obstacle to start.

What did you find as a result of investing in coaching with Jason?

I found a new understanding of growth. And what I mean by that is, I think for a while, I felt like I was trying to do everything by myself, I was trying to feel like I had to make all the right decisions, I had to do everything, "right". But I kept feeling in my life that I'd come back to the same results, feeling scenarios over and over again. And so the result of coaching was actually a shift or a change in those results: me getting a job, me moving further in my spiritual development with meditation, just understanding how to come back to the present moment. So just overall, as a person growing and be able to handle those types of obstacles when they come in a much better manner than I would before I had coaching.

I think for me, I had the thought came to me like if I wanted to achieve something or have a different result, I have to do something differently. And I think the past me would have been like, "No, don't spend the money. You don't know what you're gonna get out of it." Kind of scared of that unknown factor or like, what if it doesn't work out? What if you don't get the things you think you're going to get out of it? So for me, it was a bit of a gamble at first, and just like, let's take a leap into something that we don't know, and see where it takes us, but ultimately, was one of the best decisions I've made.

One thing I know we harped on a lot was just going through it. What I mean by that is going through difficulties, feelings, struggles, setbacks. I think for me, a lot of my life I've been trying to avoid those types of feelings or judging those types of feelings. But I think for me, that was such a big area of growth as a person and just being able to handle what comes my way the setbacks, especially this year. And I don't think I could have done that without coaching or having a third-person perspective on my problems, being able to take me out of the equation, and trying to tell me, what's my ego? What are the hardcore reality and the facts of right now?

What specific features did you like most about Jason’s coaching process?

I think the Google Docs, being able to text you if something comes up - just having you kind of right there every day, every week as a communicator helped me a lot. Just knowing that if I needed feedback on something, whether it was a resume, a cover letter, a personal issue, I would get a response no later than I would even say just a couple hours in the same day, or that night. Which is great, because I don't feel like I had to sit on anything for too long without getting some kind of feedback on it. And then as time went on, I feel like those same issues came up, I was able to kind of handle it better myself, and didn't feel the urge as much to always reach out which I felt like at that point was growth. So I think that constant communication having you there was very helpful for me.

What were three benefits from working with Jason?

Number one was learning how to set a schedule. I know we call it time boxing. Just learning how to kind of set up my day for success, whether that's working on my job, finding time for spending time online with friends during COVID, or just trying to work out in my room or at the local gym or something, you know, very small, just being able to set up my day where I can feel like I can look back and say, I've accomplished X, Y, and Z today. And I don't think I was ever doing that before. I think I was judging myself on such a bigger scale that takes months to achieve but learning how to celebrate the little victories every day. Number two, biggest benefit: I'm a better interviewer. We did some interview work and I think I became a better communicator. Through all this, I learned how to talk about my experiences with work from the past, but in a way that isn't carrying on too long or boring someone. It's kind of just getting to what's the problem? What did I do? And what are the results? And I heard good feedback about it. And from it. And because of that, I feel like that's why I got a call back from the manager asking if I would take this open position because they like the way interview. And then the third benefit is learning how to have a little more trust in myself as a person. And like I mentioned earlier, but being able to handle obstacles and problems. Now if I get a bad feeling, if I'm struggling over my ex, or if I'm trying to figure out how to navigate and talk to recruiters and find a job, in the very beginning, I was so stressed out, and I'm sure you can attest to this, that I was feeling so burnt out so quickly. I was struggling with a lot of anxiety and until I dove into that anxiety and said, "This is where I'm at, this is kind of how it's going to be." The days came where it was tough but I was able to handle that with a lot more grace and be able to bounce back a lot quicker than I did in the beginning.

Would you recommend someone else work with Jason? If so, why?

Yes, I would. Because like you say, I'm 25. And you're about 52. You have pretty much doubled my lifetime's worth of experience. So whatever I've been through, or whatever my mind likes to believe that I'm the only one that's going through this, that's a lie. There's always someone that's been through it. And in my case, it was you know, you've been through pretty much everything that I've been through whether it was applying to jobs, or trying to find it, or working through personal issues with ex-girlfriends, or just trying to figure out life in general. I think a coach, like you, has experienced all those things. So I would recommend someone to you if you're trying to just understand and navigate your 20s especially - I didn't realize how tough it would be -it's a challenge. So I would recommend to coach for that if you're feeling that kind of way.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

I want to touch back on the money issue. I know that's such a touchy subject, I'm sure for a lot of people. Here's my take: I think it's worth it. I can understand people having financial issues now, more than ever, but just the personal growth and for me, getting a better job than I even initially interviewed for, I don't think those things happen without us coaching. Me redoing my resume, me reaching out to recruiters, me cold calling 5-10 people a day at my dream companies, I don't do those things by myself. So if money is the issue, I would encourage people to dig deep and ask what's the real reason why and it's usually because there's some sort of fear of failure, fear of not getting this result you want. But I can tell you that because coaching has encouraged me to go into that unknown. And because of that, I feel like I've come out much more mature and at least being able to handle the things that have been caused me a lot of issues for a while.