Hi. I’m Allison.
When I went to college, there was no such thing as a "life coach". But then again, there was no Google either. Things change :-).
During the first 25 years of my career, I spent time in various fields that were unfolding; let’s say the professional paths were being paved as I walked upon them. I worked in dot-com companies in the 90s, the Food Network in the early days, and finally, life coaching.
I learned a great deal about career transitions, and pursuing work — and a life — that is meaningful and makes the best use of my skills, talents, passions and interests.
Here’s my story:
After I graduated from Cornell with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies, I spent almost a decade working for a series of dot-com companies. I loved the collaboration, excitement and possibility of creating something out of nothing.
I love entrepreneurship. But I wasn’t that into technology (I prefer nature). And yet, I wanted to contribute to the global shift in a meaningful way.
I had gained a lot of weight as high-flying, eating and drinking executive and yet, at home I couldn’t boil an egg. I thought: Eureka! I want to help professionals like me learn to cook. I was going to figure out how to be a happy, healthy, home cook, and wanted to teach and host my own TV cooking show. Yes, it would be difficult, but if my friends could build big dot com companies, heck, I could do this! So, just before I turned 30, I enrolled in culinary school.
After culinary school, my goal was to go to work for Martha Stewart because if I was going to teach domesticity, I wanted to learn from the master.
I got that job after a couple false-start interviews (including one where the editor told me she would never, ever, ever hire me) at Martha, I had the opportunity to work on the launch of Everyday Food and eventually was asked to co-host the Everyday Food TV show. After that, I was invited to co-host “Home Made Simple” on Lifetime, “Cook Yourself Thin” on TLC, and I spent two years as the host of “Blue Ribbon Hunter” on Yahoo.
An ambitious goal was set in my 20s and achieved in my 30s. It was as if I didn't know that it couldn't be done so I did it. After I left Martha, I opened my own cooking school, The Wooden Spoon, which I ran for a decade. And I found that when I was in the home kitchens of my cooking students, conversations turned from mincing shallots to other areas of their lives, like getting married or finding a job.
These conversations lit me up. So, I enrolled in a coaching program at New York University, and in 2005 I became a certified personal coach.
I was thoroughly enjoying my evolving career. And, in my mid-30s, I was ready for children and a partner, and I felt like I was running out of time for the former in a hurry. I started looking into becoming a single mother on my own. Then I met a guy.
By our third wedding anniversary, I was now a mother to four: one stepchild, twin boys, and a baby girl. I think I overdid that one a bit, exceeding my own goal :-).
Today, I am a career and life coach. I ask great questions and support you as you define, pursue, and achieve ambitious goals based on your core values.
I am PCC certified from the International Coaching Federation. I hold myself to the highest standards of excellence, and continue to develop coaching skills based on current research and techniques; I am currently pursuing MCC-level certification, the highest level of ICF certification a coach can achieve. I work with individuals in my Montclair, New Jersey office (and via Factime, Zoom, and phone for clients all over the world).
I have a degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University and a Masters in Science in Food and Nutrition from New York University, a coaching certificate from NYU and culinary certificate from the Institute for Culinary Education. I’m the author of the best-selling Personal (R)evolution, and A Year of Self-Care Journal as well as Lighten Up, America!, and You Can Trust a Skinny Cook. I also co-authored Morning Motivation with my husband.
I knew what I wanted in my life, and saw how those wants and needs changed as I changed. I’m living the life I deliberately created, where I can make a meaningful contribution using natural and developed skills. I want to help you be passionate about yours too. Happy with where you are, and inspired by where you're going.
I’ve always enjoyed helping people be their best. I believe that people can do whatever they want to do. People can move mountains, especially when they have help. So I invite you to set up an intro session and we can create new possibilities for you.
Let’s do this-
Allison
