There’s a new gender gap in town, and this time, women are leading the way.

The Great Resignation and Great Re-Evaluation are causing women to rethink their careers in bigger ways.

While some women are quitting their jobs for better opportunities, more flexibility, and higher pay, other women are quitting from burnout, childcare needs, or other wellbeing priorities.

Whether you're reaching the next level in your career, turning your side hustle into a full-time gig, or preparing to break into a new industry, making a career change can be challenging without support.

Are you owning or renting your strengths?

That might seem like an odd question to ask, but many of us don’t realize our true potential because we have no idea what our strengths are.

And, even if you do know your strengths, you may not always own them.

You don’t want to sound braggy or arrogant when talking about yourself, so you downplay your strengths and diminish your accomplishments.

Instead of taking responsibility for their own insecurity, people may criticize or judge you for your strengths. If that happens, you might think your greatest strengths are actually a weakness or something you should hide.

It’s time to really own your strengths!

You have a unique blueprint of strengths that make you who you are. In fact, according to Gallup, the chances of someone else having the same strengths as you in the same order is 1 in 33 million.

So you are literally one in a million!

When you own your strengths and continue to build them, you can achieve your biggest goals and dreams.

You’ve built up great skills and experience in your current role, and now you’re ready to move on to the next level.

Or maybe you’ve spent the past ten years in the same company or field, and now you’re ready to shift gears and transition to a new industry.

Or perhaps you’re struggling to keep yourself motivated at a job that doesn’t align with your values, or one where your ideas or opinions are constantly challenged.

Whatever situation you find yourself in, you’re ready to look for a new job.

You know the tactical things you need to do before starting your job search – updating your resume and LinkedIn profile, reaching out to former colleagues or mentors to learn about job opportunities, making a list of the top companies or job titles you’ll search for.

But you may be overlooking the most powerful tool in your job search arsenal: your mindset.

We’ve all been there – that Sunday-night slump, feeling defeated before you even set foot in your office, counting down the hours until you can go home, wondering if there’s more to life than this…

Sure, you may like your job or company, but something just doesn’t feel right. If you’re racking your brain for an excuse not to show up, constantly daydreaming about endless vacations, or standing in your closet for what feels like an hour trying to decide what to wear, you may be feeling stuck in your job.

And even though most of us have felt this sinking feeling at one point in our careers, it’s a sign that something needs to change. Feeling stuck in your job can have devastating effects on your life, leading to low self-esteem or self-confidence, feelings of unworthiness or not feeling good enough, decreased productivity or motivation, or even depression.

I spent my career in healthcare specializing in continuous process improvement.  My job was to help smart people solve hard problems, figure out ways to make their jobs easier, and to set the strategy for transformational change.

Continuous improvement also translates nicely to the work I do with my coaching clients. I help women take small steps every day to transform their lives, discover their strengths and purpose, and lead with intention.

I used the concept of Kaizen to help me improve my own life and find my dream career when I found myself trapped in a toxic work environment where my ideas and opinions were constantly challenged. I felt stuck and discouraged. I didn’t know where to start or what I wanted to do.

It started with a mindset shift and daily gratitude practice. From there, I started to identify my strengths and values and how I could use them to find a career I loved where I felt appreciated, valued, and respected for who I am.