A conversation with Maria Kyriakos, CEO of Leader Assist Executive Coaching, Maria enables mid-career senior leaders and executives to be intentional about their executive presence and career story, and strategic about their career management. Maria values creating a safe space for her clients, as do I, and emphasizes the role that financial security played in enabling her to confidently create her business. If you would like a safe space to explore and create the financial foundation to pursue your goals please schedule a call: https://trueabundanceadvisors.com/lets-connect
Maria Kyriakos is an executive leadership and career coach and CEO of Leader Assist Executive Coaching. Maria founded Leader Assist to guide mid-career professionals to be intentional about their executive presence and career story, by better understanding themselves, their core values, individual strengths and their future goals. Together with her clients she helps develop and implement a customized approach that will boost their confidence, as well as their professional impact.
Maria shares her experience growing up as a first generation American and an only child in a family profoundly shaped by the experiences of World War II, where she learned early on the importance of responsibility, commitment, and financial conservatism.
Maria details her journey from corporate HR leadership to becoming an executive coach, shedding light on the challenges and rewards that come with starting your own business She discusses the impact of effective coaching, the criticality of taking personal responsibility for career management, and the importance of financial independence. In our conversation, she highlights the importance of deep listening, her definition of executive presence, and the confidence one develops by showing up authentically. She emphasizes the blend of intention and experimentation that is part and parcel of her work with clients.
“I think the elements of coaching that make it really an honor and unique for both coach and coachee is this opportunity to be fully present, full focus on you. There's no right or wrong. We're just going to unpack it, as my clients say. We're going to unweave it, unpack it and get to what the real challenge is, so that you can explore and experiment and play and create until you figure out and develop the confidence and competence or competence and confidence in the area that you desire.” - Maria Kyriakos
Key takeaways:
-When contemplating a career change, recognize the skills you’ve developed that will help you move forward. Maria worked for many years as a human resources professional. She had developed deep listening skills and the ability to put the other person first and foremost to help them get clear about what they want from their career. She used these skills to launch her own business as a coach.
-Make fun an integral part of the process of change. Maria noted that she does her best work with people who take responsibility for their lives, who make things happen and have a willingness to learn. This includes a willingness to be vulnerable, because every time you put yourself in the driver’s seat, there is the possibility that something can go wrong. Maria recommends moving forward with intention - and experiment. It can be scary, but it can also be a lot of fun.
-Show up as yourself. Maria defines executive presence as “showing up in your own skin, because that’s where you’re confident.” Of course, dressing appropriately, body language, making eye contact are also important. But walking into a room and feeling, no matter who's sitting at this table, I belong and I have something to say that matters, that's part of what executive presence is about.
About the Guest:
Maria is an Executive Leadership & Career Coach and CEO of Leader Assist Executive Coaching. She has a successful track record of developing and coaching leadership potential and effective career management practices in dynamic, high change Fortune 50 companies domestically and globally. Working with Maria, leaders learn to Career Intentionally® and take the driver’s seats, using her proprietary 3-pillar approach to strategic career management. She is successful with mid-career executives and senior-level leaders due to her hands on experience as a corporate leader and effective results developing and coaching leadership potential.
Website: https://leader-assist.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-kyriakos/
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Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast does not constitute accounting, legal, tax, investment or financial advice. It’s for informational purposes only. You should seek appropriate professional advice for your specific information.
Maria Kiriakos
I think the elements of coaching that make it really an honor and unique for both coach and coachee is this opportunity to be fully present, full focus on you. There's no right or wrong. We're just going to unpack it as my clients say. We're going to unweave it, unpack it, and get to what the real challenge is.
So that you can explore and experiment and play and create until you figure out and develop the competence and competence, or competence and confidence. In the area that you desire.
Narrator
Welcome to making change with your money, a podcast that highlights the stories and strategies of women who experienced a big life transition and overcame challenges as they redefined financial success for themselves.
Now, here's your host.
Laura Rotter
I am so excited to have as my guest today, Maria Kiriakos. Maria is an executive leadership and career coach and CEO of Leader Assist Executive Coaching. Working with Maria, leaders learn to career intentionally and take the driver's seat. using her proprietary three pillar approach to strategic career management.
She's successful with mid career executives and senior level leaders due to her hands on experience as a corporate leader and effective results developing and coaching leadership potential. So welcome Maria to the making change with your money podcast.
Maria Kiriakos
Love it. Thank you so much, Laura. I'm so delighted to be here with you.
Laura Rotter
I'm glad we were able to find the time. I'm going to start with the first question I always do, which is Maria, what was money like in your family growing up?
Maria Kiriakos
We valued it and I think conservatively managed it with the mindset that You better hold on to it because, right, you know, it can leave you quickly and leave you quickly.
Laura Rotter
Did you did you see that?
Maria Kiriakos
Was that something that my parents were from? I would say this, you know, Second World War and I think there was that concept of it could erode quickly. You never know what's going to come up in the world. It could, your dollar could be worth less than it was. Save. That was it.
That was the mentality. David.
Laura Rotter
Were you the first generation in the States?
Maria Kiriakos
I was on my dad's side. The first, I was the second on my mom's. So you did have grandparents
from another country.
Laura Rotter
From Greece?
Maria Kiriakos
From Greece, correct. Yeah.
Laura Rotter
And Maria, do you have siblings?
Maria Kiriakos
I don't. You don't.
Laura Rotter
Ah.
Maria Kiriakos
And a good thing about that I've found as I've interviewed people is there, there weren't brothers that you saw perhaps being treated differently from you.
Laura Rotter
So very good point. Did you feel, how did you feel the expectations of your parents growing up? What was communicated?
Maria Kiriakos
Responsibility. Right? You know, to be responsible to your commitments, and if that was school, it was school, and if it was job, it was a job. If it was family chores or family events, it was the family.
You didn't have to be too serious about it, but you needed to be committed to whatever you were responsible to. I think that's, yeah, that's pretty much it.
Laura Rotter
So you grew up with a sense of responsibility to your family. Was there family around? Were there other?
Maria Kiriakos
Oh, yes, absolutely. Yes.
Yes. Kind of a large, extended family on one side, smaller, but very close on the other.
So yeah, it was, it was lovely. Really nice.
Laura Rotter
How is education valued in your family?
Maria Kiriakos
Great question. So highly, highly valued. And for the purpose of knowledge, because that's one thing that can't be taken away from you. No matter what ebbs and flows, what you develop, your experiences and your knowledge are always with you.
So it's a very important investment. And I invested. Yeah, as did my parents.
Laura Rotter
I love that Maria, because I feel like, and I'm sure it's a reflection of our economy, but nowadays the stress is on education for a job as a generalization and education as a job. An important journey of learning how to learn.
Maria Kiriakos
Yes, exactly.
Laura Rotter
Right. Love that. Did your parents pay for college for you? How is that financed?
Maria Kiriakos
Yes. So one of the lucky ones, I think being an only child, my parents paid. And then I paid for my advanced degree with some support from the employer that I worked at. They had some level of tuition reimbursement.
For more UN videos visit www. un. org So I got a help there and I've been paying for certifications and credentials and everything since.
Laura Rotter
Yes. I went on your LinkedIn and you have plenty, you have plenty of those. Please share with our listeners, your journey, you know, what I, I, I see that you are a human resources executive.
Maria Kiriakos
Yes. What was absolutely clear to me is that I wanted to work with people. I didn't know how. And I'd been a leader since I was a kid. I was the one who'd raised my hand to be the student body president or the leader of this or the leader of that. And I took to it like a duck to water. I think I really like helping people get somewhere.
And so I, a cousin of mine referred me to human resources. I got my first job there. As you know, and back in the day, even though I had a degree, I started as a secretary for a very short ti yeah, lovely. And I could type well, right? I didn't go to college to type. But anyway, I type fast now, but I didn't then.
Quickly, I was promoted to a personnel assistant and then a recruiter and then I did my various rotations and so before you know it, I was, you know, in there 25 plus years and that's not, I know, you know, where, where does that, how does that happen? Where does that time go? And what I think kept me there was that people are never constant.
And there's always an opportunity in human resources to learn and try new things. It's a very dynamic place anywhere, any company that works with people or has people employed, which is pretty much most all of them is going to be an interesting place to be because of the diversity and the variety and the business challenges.
So I've been very honored to do that. And I knew that I eventually, I can't remember exactly when, but maybe two thirds of the way into my career, I received a lot of feedback about being very good with one on one mentoring and coaching. And the coaching field was beginning to come into being at that time.
And I knew that's what I wanted to do. And about 10 years ago, 10, 11, now I prepared to launch my own business. As a coach in the areas that I as a human resources leader would know would understand they're the places of leadership and career management. So I'm a leadership and career coach and obviously I come by that naturally because I have plenty of skinned elbows and knees and those of, you know, of my client base, you know, as we learned along the way.
And, uh, and I haven't looked back.
Laura Rotter
So Maria, I just wrote down that you said you knew that's what you wanted to do. Can you be more specific? What skills of yours do you feel like you're using and that you knew that you wanted to use them?
Maria Kiriakos
The, I use deep listening as do you. I use deep listening skills and.
Really putting the other person first and foremost and helping them get clear about what they want so you can imagine my knowing your background that there isn't any special entity once we get employed that helps design and drive us forward in a career. We have to be very actively involved. And there are people that would derail us unintentionally.
And some that will derail us intentionally, but that's Absolutely right. No, absolutely right. Yes, yes, and yes. So the clearer we can be and the more active in owning our career, the more impactful we can be so that derailment is less And we're being who we want to be, who we should, not should, but who we desire to be, and impacting in the way that we want to impact.
And I worked with so many brilliant, I mean brilliant, professionals and leaders. And some were extremely happy with their scenario and situation, and others felt underemployed, undervalued, disempowered, not heard. And these were not people who were victims. These were people who were, you know, actively involved, speaking up.
But as an HR leader with responsibility for potentially 8 people, I did not have the capacity, nor did my team, to coach people on their career one on one. And that's the luxury. Of being able to coach people one on one is that it can be all about them, right? All about their journey, their leadership path, their strategic career management, and I see people accelerate and it just makes me happy, right?
It makes me happy for them and happy for the world that they're out there doing what they're doing. you know, what they want and are capable of doing.
Laura Rotter
It strikes me as easier said than done. You share deep listening skills, but what else? It takes a certain level of creativity. I mean, people come to you that aren't even aware themselves of what exactly would work.
Maria Kiriakos
So coaching really is a co-creative process, right? And so you are co-creating in this very sacred, confidential space where people don't have to be who they think others need them to be or who they think they need to be. They get to just show up naturally, right in their jeans and t-shirt, if that's the way you wanna put it.
And say, look, I'm really having challenges with X, you know, and X might be influencing at a executive leadership level or succinctly communicating the things that I need people to do for me. or being heard. It's amazing how often people are speaking and nobody is really hearing because of the lack of listening.
So I think the elements of coaching that make it really an honor and unique for both coach and coachee is this opportunity to be heard. To be fully present full focus on you there's no right or wrong we're just going to unpack it as my clients say we're going to unweave it unpack it and get to what the real challenge is so that you can explore and experiment and play and create until you figure out develop the confidence and competence or competence and confidence in the area that you desire.
Laura Rotter
That's so beautifully said. I love that you referred to, among other things you said, was just creating a sacred space that so resonates with me and how so few of us are truly listened to. And, and that is the first step. Do you have certain kinds of people or certain kinds of problems that you gravitate towards and you prefer?
Maria Kiriakos
My ideal client and the client that will select me if they speak to a handful of coaches, executive coaches, and they should, they will select me because they take responsibility for their life, right?
And their career. I don't know how else to say it. They're go getters, even if they're down and out. Even if they're down and out at that time that they're reaching out to me. They're people that make things happen. And they're like, it's not gonna happen to me. I'm gonna help make it happen. Whatever it is.
So, in my lingo, that's somebody who truly is personally responsible to themselves. It's like, okay, I may get down in the dumps, or I may, you know, take a curve too fast, but I'm going to reposition myself and get back on track.
Laura Rotter
Do you think that's something people can learn, or is that just innate to a person?
Maria Kiriakos
This is my opinion, not to be confused with fact. Or maybe observation. I actually think people can absolutely take on more ownership. What's lacking if they don't is an awareness that they have abdicated and a willingness to have to step up and be vulnerable because anytime you're in what I call the driver's seat.
Something could go wrong, right? Something could happen. And then guess what? We own it, right? I said what I mean, what I needed to say to that executive. Now, look how they're behaving. I said it professionally, but look at how they're behaving, right? And we can't control what others will do. We can only control how we show up.
But if you want more of something that you don't have, you You're not going to get it by doing nothing. It just isn't going to happen. So you have to do something with intention and experiment. It can be scary, but it can also be a lot of fun.
Laura Rotter
I love the word fun. So many of us don't manage to feel like what we're doing and what we're engaging in is also fun.
And it sounds like you, you bring that. knowledge that fun should be part of the process to, to your coaching.
Maria Kiriakos
Yes, absolutely.
Laura Rotter
And you're saying, so you enjoy working with people who take responsibility. And is there a particular kind of problem solving that?
Maria Kiriakos
Not really. Honestly, we can cover the waterfront.
They come to me. I would tell you that oftentimes there's some element of communication skill that they really want to work on or their executive presence, which also ties to communication, which is interesting. They may have received feedback that they need to work on their executive presence or with communication.
It's typically about being succinct. and clear, typically. Other times it's about navigating, navigating their career. That's another area that they certainly, you know, engage me for, with, but there are any number of other things that pop up, as you can imagine, you know, leadership skills.
Laura Rotter
I'm curious. Can you define more narrowly executive presence?
I'm thinking of someone I know who teaches at a business school who was talking to me about how young women dress. And I don't know if that's exactly, you know, or if that's part of it about like wanting to teach a course on like how to dress, how to carry yourself in the workplace.
Maria Kiriakos
So when I ask my clients, I will answer it with a bit of a question and then I'll do my best.
When I ask my clients, so do you understand what they're saying when they are giving you feedback about your executive presence? Inevitably, it's not really. No, I'm not quite sure. So to try and there are books on this, I'm confident, I mean entire books on it. But in my humble opinion, and truly it is a humble opinion on this.
I really believe that executive presence is about showing up in your own skin, because that's where you're confident. And it's not a fake it till you make it in executive presence. It's a, who am I, who am I not? And I'm showing up this way. And now if you're a goofball and I do have a few of those are like, you know, me where I, you know, and they're brilliant senior level, but they have a goofy sense of humor.
It's part of their executive presence, but it works for them because it's who they are. If I had someone else. emulate that, and it wasn't like them, it would flop. It wouldn't feel executive at all. So, the world according to Maria. That is just my sense of it. Do I think clothes matter? Potentially. Do I think your stature like not slumping and sitting up and paying attention and eye contact where it's appropriate?
Yes, all those things can help. But if you walk into a room and figure no matter who's sitting at this table, I belong. And whenever I open my mouth, I'll have something to say that matters. Otherwise, I'm not going to open my mouth. Then my sense is you're coming through with confidence. And that's part of what executive presence is about.
Authentically knowing who you are, or aren't. And authentic gets overused, so I try to bat away from it. But, like, being your natural self, whatever that is.
Laura Rotter
It's interesting that you define it that way because, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure there are definitely times where clients of yours get that feedback and that's not what's meant at all.
Maria Kiriakos
Right, exactly. Oh, exactly. This is the thing, right? This is why We'll drill into do you know what that means? I don't. Okay. Well, we're going to go back to the well, ask, help me understand. Right? So I always have them going back and asking there's something about I'm an absolute proponent of curiosity in life and business in your career.
And we and I did the same thing, by the way. So that's not like present company is not excluded. Okay. But a leader would give me the feedback and then I would take it and go back and just figure it out, right? Try and figure out what it meant and then after I got out of the corporate scene or maybe Later in my career.
I was always so what are we actually saying about that? So what do we mean about that market expansion? Like what does expansion in this particular market mean? So beginning to ask the questions to drill down so we weren't shooting arrows in 10 directions and we only have three arrows, right? So I think the opportunity is when you receive feedback, get curious about it.
Thank you. Tell me more. What do you mean by that? What kind of executive presence? Right? Because you will help the feedback giver get clear too. Sometimes they think they're being clear by using a word or phrase, but they aren't like you said, they're not sure.
Laura Rotter
So which really gets us back to communication at the end.
Maria Kiriakos
Yes. Doesn't it? Which in corporate situations is not. That easy because there's always a level of politics involved. And so the more that you said that you can be succinct, that you can be curious and ask questions and be authentic so that you're not self consciously second guessing, which is not easy to do.
Laura Rotter
So Maria, you've now, you started your company over a decade ago. First of all, how did you. I'm going to use the word cause I'm a New Yorker. How do you have the balls to walk away for life and start it? And how has it evolved because of your background?
Maria Kiriakos
And I know you will appreciate what I'm going to say here from a financial perspective, I think everyone thought I was crazy.
Like, seriously, you're going to start your own business. when you're working with, you know, corporations that are quite stable and you can manage your career, navigate a career, a rich career, quite frankly, you know, and I'm nothing if not a leader. I'm like, I'm adventurous. And if there is some peak to jump off of, I'll be the fool that goes jumping off of it.
So I just thought, There are so many people I know who I regard highly that are successful in business. Certainly, after working in some of the top companies, I can figure this out. I will tell you, I underestimated it. But, I wouldn't go back, not because I don't highly recommend for anybody that has the opportunity to work in a corporation or a major company.
There are great experiences and so much learning, and so is being an entrepreneur and having your own business. And being able to do it your way, whatever it is you're in, and being able to serve in the way that aligns with your values, really.
Laura Rotter
So was that the catalyst for leaving? Because, you know, by your own admission, you had a rich career and you were enjoying the work.
Maria Kiriakos
Yes. I think yes. And as you get further along in your career and my clients, do they begin to find that maybe they wanna try, they, they don't wanna give up everything they've done, but they might wanna do something that's parallel to it, but not the exact same thing. And I think part of me was either burned out or tired of the complexity of working as a human resources leader in a very matrixed and large company.
And. You spend, I think you, how did you put it, Laura? There's a, there's a lot of time that may and does go into political navigation, the developing the relationships, the alliances, the et cetera. Now, you don't stay in it for, you know, years and years if you don't build a competence and you aren't good at it.
But that doesn't mean. I tell my clients this all the time, just because you're good at it doesn't mean you have to be doing it. That doesn't have to be what you do. So I set my own sale. It was bumpy at first. And what I mean by that is you need to market and develop yourself. I mean, develop your brand, if you will, in that arena.
People knew I was a, a talented human resources leader, but now I'm moving into this executive coaching. And although we coach as HR leaders. We don't have a business in coaching, at least not most of us. So I learned a lot very quickly is what I would say.
Laura Rotter
And how did you know, Maria, that you had, that you had a runway and the financial resources too?
Maria Kiriakos
Great question.
So I ensured that I did. And so the obvious things should be called out that I had an uncle who gave me very wise advice in my twenties. And he said, pay yourself first, always. Even if you can barely pay your bills, like early on 22, 23, whatever, pay yourself first, which was hard because at that time, I mean, this is a joke, I know, but it might've been 50 a paycheck, but that was a lot of money when you saw the paycheck.
I mean, you're developing the habit, right? Developing the habit. And so I would put that amount aside and I kept doing that and socking it away. And knowing that I was never hostage to any, to a career or to an employer or to an anything that I think you show up and deliver better results when you don't feel handcuffed to anything, any kind of relationship, right?
So that financial, I'm such a believer in the work that you do because financial independence. really is at the foundation of anything else that we do, like financial independence, your health, so that having good health and then hopefully having a career or a profession that you find rewarding and that you can be an impact in and hopefully do it on your terms.
Laura Rotter
Right. And the financial independence is part of the ability to ultimately do it on your terms. Thank you for sharing that. That's helpful. So how has the business evolved from when you first hung out a shingle to where you are today?
Maria Kiriakos
I had a combo business of doing HR consulting and the executive coaching, because, well, that's kind of what you do, because people at least know that HR part of it.
And I developed this business. I think coming out of corporate America, what I call a strategic alliance model. And what that means is that I have my private clients who find me and then they refer other clients to me and, and they're coming to me directly. And then I have been approved as an external executive coach with certain companies, whose I'm going to call it leadership values aligned with mine.
And then one by one is I would add these organizations. I would have pipeline clients coming from these very prestigious organizations where there was alignment around leadership practices and philosophy. And then my own private clients, which of course has grown exponentially on the private client side, but that was slow to go initially until, you know, I was rooted, so to speak. So I use kind of a buy something approach.
Laura Rotter
So it wasn't necessarily specific industries that you developed alliances with, but how could you gauge that the leadership values were aligned?
Maria Kiriakos
So that's a really good question. One, healthcare, health insurance, technology are spaces I've worked in. So I definitely knocked on some of the healthcare doors.
And I had worked for the University of Washington. So that was the door I knocked on and they were let me in. And then Kaiser Permanente has a very good name here. And I've met professionally some of their physicians. And, oh, I remember there was an HR colleague and she said, we are pulling together our executive coaching roster.
Would you be interested in being on it? Your background is perfect. And I said, yes.
That's another example. So as I think about it, you know, with colleagues, whether in HR or business, knowing me and my style open doors through introductions, I've learned more about the companies and I thought, Oh yes, this is a good fit. So thank you for taking me down the path. I just get to the punchline over there. It's like, I don't remember what I did. Well, I was curious, has your style of coaching changing or changed? Oh, that's a great, I'd like to think I'm a better coach than I was when I started out. I certainly hope so. I'm sure you are. I want to say probably the most obvious shift for me was initially feeling like I really needed to be prepared for my coaching sessions.
And I mean, I know my people, I know them well. And I remember, I have the memory of an elephant when it comes to my clients, maybe not on everything else, but when it comes to my clients, I certainly do. And I think trying too hard or trying to be too prepared, whereas now, I think I could show up pretty much anywhere, anytime, any topic, and I'm just so comfortable holding the space and knowing that the right questions will come because I'm following the lead of my clients and they're brilliant.
Right. Really are. So, of course, we're going to get there. We're going to figure it out. And we do. Right. We do. So, I think that's my journey from holding it too tight to finally loosening up and just knowing we have what we need.
Laura Rotter
I love that. I was in a meeting yesterday where someone was talking about, and I don't tend to think of myself as a perfectionist, but that does resonate with me, this idea that like I, I, you know, my business is a little under a decade old that like, I want to be perfect every meeting and, and learning to, to let go and trust.
How long do your relationships, your coaching relationships tend to be how do you work ?
Maria Kiriakos
From an industry standpoint six months is The recommended, which tends to be about 12 sessions to a month, every other month. Most of my clients extend for a year. And from the beginning, I felt like that was really important.
Even if it meant they went to a once a month session, the second half of the year. Why? Because what have we ever tried to learn or. accomplish or build a competence in that took less than six to eight months. I mean, really trying to lose weight, unless you're trying to lose five pounds. I mean, if you're trying to lose some serious weight, or if you're trying to develop a habit in healthy eating or sleep habits or stress management, or fill in the blank, I wish I could tell you it all would happen overnight.
And then, you know, one month we're like on it for life, but clearly that's not the case. So I just, they want to extend that makes me happy because that says they're getting value, right? And then no matter what they get to where they want to go. I had a recent client who we'd extended for the full year, not quite 40, very senior level VP role, a lot of responsibility, youngest on the team.
And she was so courageous and so willing and so responsible to herself that she went from, look, I'm getting arrows all the time with references to my age to being the person that they take. On the market reviews and they position in front of the executives because she's got it and she always did have it that wasn't the right it's how other people see you and she said to me i did it maria i took the training wheels off i said you took the training wheels off she said yes.
We were in this big meeting. I had a part to present on. I got called out of the room. By the time I came back in, there was no seat at the table. I said, is it being a prima donna to have them at a table or is this, I need to be there. She said, I need to be there. So she went up to the person who was facilitating and said, I'll help you, but we need an extra table because I need a seat right over there.
And it was like, I did it. Training wheels off. I'm a leader, I'm a senior executive, and I belong here. Like, does it get any better than that? I don't know.
Laura Rotter
Well, that's so nice. Sounds like you enjoy everyone you work with, which is so important. Um, Maria, as we're getting towards the end of the conversation, I do like to ask, how has your definition of success shifted?
Perhaps even financial success? Thanks over these years?
Maria Kiriakos
Very provocative questions. I can honestly say that portion of my definition of success has always been about human beings. It truly has. So that's a consistent what has shifted. I think financially is that I believe in being prepared. I think it's really important.
And yet I don't agree with any kind of fear based concept of what will be enough. So what has shifted for me is I'm not going to continue earning at a certain level because I think there won't be enough down the road. My perspective is And it's been true. Of course, I can earn more than enough and be very comfortable doing whatever I love to do.
And I do it best, right? It's not like, Oh, if you're going a solopreneur versus in a corporation, you can't make as much money. There are millions probably of people that are making boatloads of money or making more than some of those in the corporations. So I guess coming full circle, it's trying to ensure I debunk any limiting beliefs I may have had so that I have the financial mental freedom, right?
Or mental model to know that it's going to be okay. Yes. Work with your financial planner. Yes. Be structured and yes, not saying throw it to the, but however, don't be fearful that when you make a shift, you can't position yourself. to earn as much or more or to have your money work for you better. You're the pro then.
Laura Rotter
So it sounds like your definition of success really does include doing something you're passionate about doing.
Maria Kiriakos
Absolutely. And you know, I, it's, it's great. You're going to have me doing homework here. This is going to be my assignment. What's my definition of success? I guess making a positive impact while doing something that you love that rewards others and yourself
Laura Rotter
Beautifully, beautifully said. So Maria, before we end, is there anything that you feel like you might want to add? And if somebody is listening to this and they're looking for a coach and you resonate with them the best way for them to reach out to you?
Maria Kiriakos
Absolutely. So my website is the way to go leader dash assist.
Laura Rotter
And that will be in the show notes.
Maria Kiriakos
Thank you. My message and invitation, and it's been pretty clear, I think, please take personal responsibility for your career. Own it. Because if you don't, somebody else will, right? And if you think you want help in this arena, get on my website, press the contact page, and we will get connected.
Laura Rotter
Thank you so much, Maria. This has been great.
I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Maria Kiriakos, CEO of Lead Assist Executive Coaching. My first takeaway, when contemplating a career change, Recognize the skills you've developed that will help you move forward. Maria had worked for many years as a human resources professional. She had developed deep listening skills and the ability to put the other person first and foremost to help them get clear about what they want from their career.
She used these skills to launch her own business as a coach. My second takeaway is to make fun an integral part of the process of change. Maria noted that she does her best work with people who take responsibility for their lives, who make things happen and have a willingness to learn. And this includes a willingness to be vulnerable, because every time you put yourself in the driver's seat, there's, of course, the possibility that something can go wrong.
Learn Maria recommends moving forward with intention and experiment. It can be scary. But it can also be a lot of fun. And finally, show up as yourself. Maria defines executive presence as showing up in your own skin, because that's where you're confident. Of course, dressing appropriately, body language are important, but walking into a room and feeling that no matter who's sitting at the table, I belong.
And I have something to say that matters. That's part of what executive presence is about. If this has struck a chord with you and you'd like to align your finances so that you can move forward with purpose, please don't hesitate to schedule a call with me. And of course, if you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss the next episode.
And if you're loving it, please leave. A rating and a review. It will help others just like you to find it. Thank you so much.
Narrator
Thanks for listening to making change with your money. Certified financial planner, Laura Rotter specializes in helping people just like you organized, clarify, and invest their money in order to support a life of purpose and meaning. Go to www. trueabundanceadvisors.com/workbook for a free resource to help you on your journey.
Disclaimer, please remember that the information shared by this podcast does not constitute accounting, legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. It's for information purposes only. You should seek appropriate professional advice for your specific information.