I started a fitness franchise, something I never would have done if I had kept my "work has to be serious" belief.
Anna Logan, Finance Director to Fitness Studio Founder
Case Study
The Challenge
I was burned out, sad, frustrated, and bored and every aspect of my life felt this way. I was using all my energy to motivate myself to get to my computer every day in my Finance Director role. I’d been promoted a few times and was making good money (I was actually in a place financially I'd never dreamed was possible). On paper it looked like I was thriving. But in reality, I felt gray inside. I felt like a passenger in my career, just chugging along to whatever I believed was the next thing I "should" do.
Everything felt hard. I didn't know what I wanted. I kept looking for new jobs with higher titles at other companies because I thought that would solve the problem but they all felt draining. I questioned whether I could even trust my own judgment anymore because I'd rationalized every previous career decision really well, and every step had felt like the right move at the time. But since I was now so unhappy, I was questioning how I came to those decisions and whether I really knew myself at all.
The Goals
CAREER: Figure out exactly what I want to do and be on a path to getting it.
NETWORK: Create a community that I can meet with on a regular basis to discuss things happening in our lives, who will listen and provide advice.
HOW I THINK & FEEL: Feel hopeful about the future and excited for what's to come. I wanted to feel more easeful. I didn’t want to dread waking up every day and hating what's ahead.
MY PERSONAL LIFE: I wanted to have control over my day with the ability to run errands during the week or do something fun without feeling guilty about it.
The Journey
From the very first session of working with Anne, I knew I was in the right place.
What truly set Anne apart was her emphasis on the emotional connection to work, which is often overlooked in other programs. With her guidance, I was able to understand myself better, understand the things that led me to the place that I was in, and learn to listen to my body in what I truly wanted. I realized for the first time the impact my upbringing had on how I thought about my career. I believed work had to be hard and serious. I was holding onto a vision I developed as a kid of working in a big corporation overlooking Times Square. I felt gray inside and it was impacting my ability to connect to what I wanted.
Through the program I began to give myself permission to have fun. To explore myself and my creativity. I started to pay attention and allow my emotions instead of shutting them off and ignoring them. I started to think beyond the corporate world.
In doing many of the exercises that involved reaching out to people in my network, I learned to be less self-conscious and stop caring about what other people thought, in all aspects of my life. Anne showed me how to create a low-stakes atmosphere to step outside my comfort zone and discover new possibilities. Through conversations I discovered how many paths there can be in life - you don’t have to climb the corporate ladder. There’s a whole other world out there that I wasn’t exposed to. I felt like if you’re not gonna be a teacher, lawyer, doctor, you worked in the corporate world and that was it.
I'm finally allowing myself to feel. I've actually experienced moments where I feel things I've never felt before. It's still a work in progress, and while super scary, it's actually really exciting. I’ve started trying things I never would have done before, like woodworking, and flower design. I’m giving myself permission to be less self-conscious, which has been super freeing. Anne provided a plethora of tools that can be used over and over again whenever feeling stuck about anything, whether professional or personal.
As a result of all of this I started a 305 fitness franchise, something I never would have done if I had kept my "work has to be serious" belief.
The Results
MY CAREER: I left with a very clear vision for what I want my life to look like and what I want to do with my career. Within a year of working with Anne, I opened a 305 Fitness franchise, secured a space, and hired 10 instructors.
MY NETWORK: I now reach out to people without being self-conscious. I call people now instead of emailing - the opposite to how I felt when I was working in my corporate job. I talk to strangers all the time now, I just walk right up to them and ask them questions. I discovered through this work that if I'm being genuine, people will respond positively.
HOW I THINK & FEEL: Shifted from being "gray inside" to allowing myself to have fun and explore my creativity. I’m allowing myself to feel all my feelings, even if they’re uncomfortable. When I was laid off shortly after completing our work together, instead of panicking and jumping into the wrong job search (which I would have done previously), I took the day to rest and really feel everything.
MY PERSONAL LIFE: I feel like I have control over my day now. I'm doing the things that I need to do, taking care of myself, and focusing on the plan that I laid out. Now that I’m an entrepreneur, even though I sometimes get wrapped up in things, I ultimately get to start/stop each activity as I feel like it
The Summary
When I started working with Anne, I felt like I was a passenger in my career and just chugging along to whatever I believed was the next thing I "should" do. I was sad, frustrated, and bored and every aspect of my life felt this way. I had no idea what I wanted to do, or how to get there.
From the very first session of working with Anne, I knew I was in the right place. What truly set Anne apart was her emphasis on the emotional connection to work, which is often overlooked in other programs. With her guidance, I was able to understand myself better, understand the things that led me to the place that I was in, and learn to listen to my body in what I truly wanted.
I learned to be less self-conscious and stop caring about what other people thought, in all aspects of my life. Anne showed me how to create a low-stakes atmosphere to step outside my comfort zone and discover new possibilities.
I left the program with a very clear vision for what I want my life to look like and what I want to do with my career with the tools to see it through. Shortly after I started a 305 fitness franchise and haven’t looked back.
Want this for yourself?
Your Character is your compass to your best career and life.
