We all aspire to find the courage to embrace our unique stories and strengths, so that we can connect more deeply with ourselves and others. It’s a crucial piece of building a meaningful career and showing up the way you want to.
That’s exactly what Lyn-Marie Farley, the latest addition to Growclass' team of career coaches, has found her calling in: helping people identify their strengths and lean into them in order to share their stories in a meaningful way.
Lyn-Marie’s own journey truly embodies the spirit of adventure and personal growth. Her winding career path reflects a commitment to seeking out new perspectives, holding space for nuance, identifying potential, and helping others navigate the complexities of leadership.
“I started my career in post-secondary education Student Affairs,” Lyn shared. “I was responsible for building community in residence alongside student leaders … a lot of my role involved having one-on-one conversations with them to help them to trust themselves to navigate the experiences and challenges they encountered along the way.”
If her Masters in Leadership from the University of Guelph didn’t do the trick, that foundational role solidified Lyn-Marie’s commitment to and passion for supporting people as they take on new challenges.
That’s something she’s no stranger to, having radically shifted careers at one point to work as a flight attendant. She loved working in aviation and learned a lot about pivoting industries and using transferable skills to connect with people in a new environment.
But when a mentor reached out about this new position within Student Affairs that focused on International Education, she was immediately intrigued.
“There was a personal connection for me since I was an international student. I was born and raised in Barbados. I ended up taking a job as an International Student Advisor, helping international students navigate their transition and over time I took on different roles managing the office and becoming a Senior Manager.”
By the end of her time at TMU, Lyn-Marie had taken on quite a few different leadership roles that required various things of her, culminating into her role as Director of Student Life and Learning Support.
“The thread through all of my work so far has been connecting with and helping people see that they already have what’s within them to get where they want to go.”
Flash forward to today, Lyn-Marie has been coaching in this new capacity since 2018 when she became Gallup CliftonStrengths certified and began working with individuals and teams to explore their unique gifts.
“CliftonStrengths has taught me to take a strengths-based approach in my coaching. For me, that means focusing on the things that you do really well, the things that you do right, that energize you, that you feel competent in and are excellent at doing, as opposed to focusing on your weaknesses. And it’s not that we want to ignore weaknesses, it’s just that it’s a lot harder to do anything when you start from a place of weakness. It takes less time, it’s easier, it encourages you to be more curious, maybe you even feel like you’re moving in flow, when you’re working from a place of strength.”
That’s the part she really hammers home, coaching to help folks work and lead from a place of strength.
The last big piece of Lyn-Marie’s coaching is stories. Her private coaching business is called Narratives because of her strong belief that our stories make us who we are.
“As humans we’re storied beings and I love infusing storytelling into my work because first of all, your story matters. Our stories play a big role in how we show up, in how we relate to one another, in how we make sense of the world around us. If in some way shape or form I can get you to tell me a story about yourself or something you’re navigating, it’s a gateway to so much growth.”
Lyn also draws on the concept of resonant leadership in her approach to coaching, which is the concept of leadership as a conscious process.
“It’s about having emotional intelligence, a deep awareness of self, so that you can understand how you navigate the complexities of leadership to effectively build trust, motivate, and empower the people around you.”
If you’re looking for a coach who understands the challenges of taking on a leadership role, especially as a member of the BIPOC community or as a newcomer to Canada, Lyn-Marie is the right person to come to.
“I’m particularly drawn to working with BIPOC leaders because in a lot of industries, we don’t always see ourselves represented in leadership spaces, and I feel really strong that we belong in them. It can be really hard though, especially when you’re the first or the only. I’ve been there before, the only person of colour on a team. I try to share my story and impart some of that wisdom on the clients I connect with because I know it’s really tough to transition into a completely new environment. Having someone to empathise, hold space, and normalise the feelings that come with that is so important.”
That said, all of Lyn-Marie’s clients love working with her because of her relational approach that centres reciprocity and an exchange of vulnerability.
“As much as I’m spending this time with you [in coaching] and getting to know you, there’s value in you knowing a bit about me as well and us both being open to the coaching session being an exchange of stories, ideas or perspectives. I’ve been told by my clients that I have a really calm energy and that helps them feel brave to open up to me and share things with me. I like to laugh, too. It’s really important to me that there’s humour, levity, and a light heartedness in my coaching. I really think that laughter helps us open up more.”
And she doesn’t take a moment of her ability to do this work of supporting folks as they rise to the challenge of leadership for granted, so you can trust you’ll be met with presence and a genuine interest in your growth.
“What I always say is let’s just be curious about this coaching thing, together]. With curiosity, we’ll see where it takes us. There is absolutely no pressure in a conversation with me. There are no expectations, only open-mindedness and curiosity.”
When you join the Career Accelerator, you can book a session with Lyn-Marie to learn more about how she can become a partner in your time of reinvention.
For those who might not know—if you’re a Growclass student from any of our 2024 cohorts, you have access to two coaching sessions with Lyn-Marie, EMW, Gloria, or ZJ through the Career Accelerator included in your membership. You’ll want to take advantage of those.
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