Christine

As a woman in predominantly male-dominated jobs, I truly seek opportunities to find role models who are female within my organizations. Women who I see encapsulate the things I believe to be weaknesses in myself, with the hope of identifying mentors who I can learn and grow by watching.

When I met Christine, she had been at Microsoft for almost two decades, was the Chief of Staff for our Consulting Org and was truly larger than life. She was direct and kind and approachable and patient and strategic and respected and all of the things I strive to be as a professional. We hit it off immediately, and the confidence she showed over and over in my abilities and my potential, helped bolster my self esteem and helped me understand the value I bring to organizations the size and scale of Microsoft.

And while I thought I had learned a lot from her during the time we were working together, it was after she left Microsoft that I was absolutely floored by the amazingness I did not even know about, while she was my work colleague.

She left Microsoft and ABSOLUTELY TOOK CONTROL of the next stage of her life. She paints AMAZING abstract art based on the musicians and songs I have known and loved my entire life (https://artgallerybyz.com). She started a podcast called “Refirement Life” with one of her besties and now coaches the rest of us on how to GTFO and move on to the next stage (soooo good!!! https://rss.com/podcasts/refirementlife/). She even started an executive coaching organization - Magnet-Labs.com - to coach rising professionals to success. When people think I do a lot, I point at Christine and always think, “I could be doing so much more.” And it isn’t about doing MORE WORK, it’s about doing the work I love.

You might even say that Christine was the inspiration behind this series. Seeing her successfully transition from corporate to art world has been MORE than inspiring. If I can be half as successful in my transition as she has been in hers, I can say I will be spending the second half of my life doing what I love.

And who doesn’t want that? Thanks for the inspiration (and operational plans via Refirement Life).

The next portrait in my series is entitled, “Christine.” She is cool and classy like her namesake, with gorgeous purple artisanal glass for her shirt, and two different types of black fabric for her jacket. She has an amazing green necklace and her face has black dichroic, silver and purple glitter with purple pressed flowers and the quote, “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” - Nelson Mandela.