✨ TL;DL (Too long; didn’t listen)
Rebranded podcast! The Clarity Shift
I attended a Career Day at my alma mater, George Mason University, for high school students who would be the first in their families to attend college. Read my heart-warming, breaking, and opening reflections. Our inner child always needs support and keeps showing us the lessons and wounds that require space and safety.
I spent the day with 9th and 10th-grade students —
mostly first-generation, mostly students of color — and left with a full heart and the reminder that I’m not just a coach. I’m a mirror, a translator, and a guide for the in-between.
Career Day reminded me that clarity starts before job titles and resumes — it starts with someone asking the right questions. I watched students navigate uncertainty, pressure, and big dreams in real time. It was energizing, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
Some asked thoughtful questions about money, obstacles, and inspiration.
Some just needed someone to look them in the eye and say, you’re doing great — you have time.
This experience reminded me why I do what I do:
Not to give answers — but to hold space for better questions.
I sat with 9th and 10th graders — many first-generation, mostly students of color — and listened to their futures forming in real time.
I came in with a QR code, a laptop, my resume, and some nerves.
I left with open hands, a full heart, and the clarity that I’m not just a career coach.
I’m a mirror.
A translator. A guide for the in-between.
These students reminded me that clarity doesn’t start with a major, a job title, or a salary. It starts with someone asking:
What lights you up? What scares you?
What are you curious about — even if no one else gets it?
Some of them were shy. Some were guarded.
Some lit up when I spoke about writing or creativity.
One girl wanted to be an art therapist. One boy talked about astrology and mechanics.
Another asked about money.
One girl challenged me about marketing and made me reflect on how loaded that word can be.
And still, many took business cards.
Flyers. QR code photos.
I wasn’t selling anything — I just wanted them to leave with a tool.
Most of all, they just needed someone to say:
You’re doing great. You have time. You don’t have to know it all yet.
It wasn’t perfect. Some energy felt closed off, even defiant.
But mostly, it was honest.
Career Day reminded me:
Young people need more mirrors and fewer masks
“Enoughness” anxiety starts way too early
Most of us are still just looking for someone to say, yes — that path makes sense
And it reminded me why I do what I do.
Not because I have answers — but because I help people find the right questions.
And if this post moved something in you, please consider sharing it with a friend, colleague, or fellow first-gen who might need a little reminder that they’re not behind — they’re just becoming.
