Step 1 | Career Clarity: Optimize Your Next Move
Your career is meant to enhance your life. Your life should not be built around your career. In this coaching experience, we’ll start by identifying what you are actually optimizing for in this season of your life. That could be income, advancement, flexibility, geography, learning a new skill, entering a new industry, building relationships with specific leaders or companies, finding more meaningful work, or creating greater balance around your personal priorities. Once we know what you’re optimizing for, we’ll evaluate your current career situation through that lens. We’ll identify the opportunities that best support your priorities, the tradeoffs you may need to make, and the actions that will have the greatest impact. We’ll then build a practical career strategy around those priorities, including the roles, companies, skills, relationships, and experiences you should prioritize. This is not about finding the “perfect” career. It’s about making the right career decision for the life you are trying to build right now. You’ll leave with greater clarity about what you want, why you want it, and a strategy for getting there.
What's included
My approach is strategic, practical, and highly personalized. I don't believe there is one universally “right” career move. The right move depends on what you are trying to accomplish in your life. We’ll start with the bigger picture, not just your resume or your current job. I’ll help you identify what you are optimizing for, assess how your current career supports or conflicts with those priorities, and determine where your time and energy will have the greatest return. I’ll ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions when necessary, and help you make intentional decisions rather than simply reacting to the next opportunity that comes along. Each session will build toward a specific outcome, and you’ll leave with clear decisions and actionable next steps.
- Optimization Priorities: A clear definition of what you are optimizing for in this season of your life and the career priorities that support it.
- Career Direction Map: An assessment of your experience, strengths, transferable skills, interests, and priorities, mapped against potential career paths and opportunities.
- Career Decision-Making Framework: A repeatable framework for evaluating future career opportunities based on what you are optimizing for, including the tradeoffs, risks, and potential upside of each option.
Meet your expert
Candace J.
Ex-Google | Director at Target/Roundel | Career & Leadership Coach
I’ve spent my career helping people and businesses figure out what comes next. I’ve worked in sales, leadership, training, enablement, and strategic partnerships, including more than a decade at Google and now leading a large revenue organization at Target. But the part of my work I’ve always enjoyed most is helping people make sense of their own career decisions. I don’t believe there is one “right” career path. The right move depends on what you’re optimizing for in your life at that moment. Maybe it’s more money. Maybe it’s advancement, flexibility, geography, a new industry, better work-life balance, or simply getting out of a role that no longer fits. Your priorities change, and your career should be allowed to change with them. That’s the approach I bring to coaching. I help people get clear on what they actually want, identify the roles and opportunities that make sense for their goals, and then turn that clarity into a practical plan. That can mean figuring out a career pivot, tightening up a résumé, preparing for interviews, improving your job search strategy, or simply having someone who can challenge your thinking and help you see options you may have overlooked. I’ve made career pivots myself, managed through organizational change, hired and developed teams, coached people at different stages of their careers, and spent years sitting on the other side of the table evaluating talent. I know what it feels like to have a lot of experience but not be quite sure how to translate it into your next opportunity. My goal is simple: help you build a career that works for the life you actually want to live.