Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Iverson.
Nathan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story as an organizational psychologist starts in Mongolia. I was teaching English in the capital Erdenet during the coldest winter in 30 years. It turned out to be a natural disaster making international headlines.
This experience sent me home questioning everything I thought and believed. Growing up in rural America, I thought I had all the answers to life’s problems. This experience was a powerful smack in the face to show me otherwise.
After catching my breath from this experience, I began to study Psychology. It was here that I found clear instructions on how to live our best lives. I was fascinated by the idea that we can pull the levers for happiness in our own lives. At the end of my Intro to Psychology textbook was a chapter on Industrial – Organizational Psychology. This topic focused in on how to make work awesome. It was Psychology for the workplace.
Fast – forward ten years and I am directing a graduate program in this topic and delivering consulting solutions to business looking to help their employees flourish at work.
If you were to tell my childhood farm-boy self where his incessant curiosity would take him, I think he would have laughed. It is curiosity that has broken open countless doors for my teaching and consulting in leadership development in California, Mexico, India, and the UK (last year alone).
Our curiosity can take us to places we never imagined. My encouragement to all of us is to return to that child-hood curiosity that wonders if things could be awesome.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been easy. I have wanted to give up many times along the way. Since the first day I began my graduate school training in I-O Psychology, I was convinced that they made a mistake by letting me into a doctoral program. I was not smart enough. My family was not influential enough. I had an endless list of not good enough’s.
Halfway through my studies, I called home ready to give up. It was too difficult, too painful. My Mom answered on the other end of the phone. Sharing my concerns, her response was, If not now, when? So many times, we are given the opportunity to re-frame our mindset. To quote the Alchemist, “As he mused about these things, he realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure.”
We have a daily opportunity to choose between victim or adventurer.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Momentum Coaching + Consulting – what should we know?
Momentum Coaching + Consulting specializes in Leadership Development where we invite our clients to discover their best self at work.
One of the moments I am most proud of is a 3-day workshop we conducted at a Corporate HQ in downtown LA. This training began with a quiet, unempowered group. This was evidenced through poor eye contact, weak handshakes, and minimal collaboration between team members. After the final day of working together, we witnessed a transformation. The team walked with confidence. They felt that they belonged and were meant to be within the organization. Empowerment through the tools of self-efficacy sets us apart.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Resilience. I am a huge fan of Angela Duckworth’s book titled Grit. Through her research, she has found it is focused hours put in more than intelligence that most predicts positive outcomes at work and school. This resonates with my story. Where others have given up, I have chosen to keep pushing forward. Ten years of higher education and the subsequent work experience is not easy. It has been over a decade of delayed gratification. Our comfort with the experience of pain for the sake of a greater good is highly associated with our success. This has been the case for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.momentumcoaching.co/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @momentumcoaching.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momentumcoaching.co
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/momentum-coaching-consulting
Image Credit:
Photographer: Kevin Castillo
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