Today we’d like to introduce you to Sohee Jun.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a leadership coach with a deep passion and expertise in working with highly ambitious women who want to get unstuck in their careers and lives! I’m also a mom to 3 amazing, quirky, fun kids and I get the honor of doing what I love for a living*(!!) which is coaching individuals, leaders and teams to go from good to great! I feel so grateful to be working in the space that I am for 20 years now and to interact with the amazing, highly talented professionals that I get to help rise to the next level and phase of their careers!
Looking back on my own career, I’ve had the honor of working as a coach and organizational development expert at world class organizations like Warner Media (WB), Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), Washington Mutual (Chase), Jacobs Engineering and so many more! After getting my Ph.D. and Masters in Organizational Psychology back in 2002, I’ve had a variety of positions and roles working with clients in the business and with people from the front line to C-Suite that has prepared me well for the journey I’m on now.
Currently, I am the CEO of my own consulting firm, S.J. Consulting, in which I specialize in:
– Leadership coaching for high potential women and emerging leaders
– Team coaching
– Speaking
– Facilitations on communication, executive presence, DiSC and more!
I get to work with clients in the start up, media & entertainment, production, creative, and tech spaces! I have such a passion for the work that I do because I have seen the huge payoffs and benefits of coaching individuals that are ready to go on this journey and invest in themselves. We all need a strategic thought partner at some point in our lives who can help us uncover our blind spots and excel forward!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’d be lying if I said the road was smooth…there were many different challenges that I faced when I was internal to a company (working for world-class companies like JPL and Warner Media..) vs. the challenges of owning your own firm.
First, being an internal employee, I always felt a tension between managing my home life with my three kids, with the needs of the company. I felt I wasn’t doing well in either realms, never working enough and also missing key milestones with my kids at home. It was a tough road at times, especially when my kids were younger where I really wanted to be physically present. While today, with COVID 19 and working from home being the norm, we weren’t allowed to work from home as much and it wasn’t a great option to pursue if you’re ambitious and wanted to move up. I was brave enough to try part-time to try four day work weeks to try being at home full time to owning my own firm to make it all make sense for me as an ambitious professional with kids. Along with that, the struggles of managing internal politics can be difficult for some and this takes a lot of patience and savvy to navigate the world of internal politics.
Now, the challenges of being an external, solopreneur are slightly different. I definitely can control my time which was the goal in owning my own firm so that I could fully integrate into the lives of my kids as well as work with emerging leaders and high performing women but the challenges include:
– Wearing all the hats… especially as you start out, you’re the marketer, the assistant, the HR person, the one doing the work and building relationships with existing clients and new clients and the bookkeeper. It’s a lot of hats and plates spinning in the air so in many ways, you’re working more hours if you’re not focused and managing your time extremely well.
– You also must be doing business development all the time and building relationships authentically to you and your brand and the truth is, during this time of COVID, it’s been really difficult yet also not in that when you reach out with care and concern, people will respond and it helps build relationships as well.
– You must also be very clear about your business strategy and the niche and the services you provide. being someone that does it all makes you very easily forgettable so your strategy has to be niched and focused in terms of why you’re doing what you do and how you do it.
– You have to constantly develop yourself and your team in order to bring the best to your clients…always learning and staying at the forefront of the ever-changing needs of companies and this complex world otherwise, you become obsolete.
– You have to understand technology and social media and how it can help your brand and business and not be afraid to use it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with S.J. Consulting – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
What I do and the value I bring is that I serve as a leadership coach to high potential women and emerging leaders (at the Manager, Director and VP levels) to help them go from good to great and to achieve their professional goals. I help people get unstuck so that they can move forward with clarity with the strategic tools they need to succeed. (I’ve been a mid-level leader so I understand the unique challenges of that sandwiched leadership role in which the challenges are many, so I coach from experience AND expertise.)
– I also serve as a team coach. Our world, especially given the events of 2020 – pandemic, protests and more… is asking for leaders and teams to show up differently. I specialize in equipping teams with ability to quickly see productivity in ways they haven’t experienced before, with collaboration and clear community so that they can achieve their goals.
– I also provide customized workshops and facilitation for offsites for leadership retrea.
– I do speaking engagements on: Mommytracked – how to take authentic risks and find success on your terms (My book coming out August 2020).
So, these are the services I provide and what I specialize in but what I’m known for is my ability to rapidly and authentically connect with my clients so that they can start actualizing their goals. I’m also known for my empathy, my resilience and my vast background that allows me to connect deeply with my clients and to provide a unique and customized solution.
What I’m most proud of is the difference I get to make in the lives of the clients I get to work with. They have shared with me their valuable time and put their trust in me so I don’t take that lightly. I am honored to be able to work with some of the world’s best companies and individual clients who have achieved their professional goals through working with me.
I can do that rapidly by the way I approach my work and my clients with deep authenticity and connection. This is also what sets me apart from big firms that have a canned or boxed approach with their clients…I customize and adapt every strategy to the unique needs of the people and teams I work with.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In August 2020, my first book “Mommytracked: How to Take Authentic Risks and Find Success on Your Terms” will be out! I’m so excited about this as it’s an idea that I’ve had for close to three years now and as you know, writing a book is big!! This book is near and dear to my heart I share my experiences in corporate America and the desire to find my own path and move away from the “shoulds” that we are all told in terms of what success looks like. I share my struggles and the strategies and tools and steps to take your own path. It’s like having a leadership coach, who’s also your girlfriend in your pocket! It’s also for women that want their power back…that want to tap into their inner wisdom of what calls to them in their professional life and to make that happen!
It’s for every professional mom out there that wants to has a yearning for more and feels that she’s hasn’t yet tapped into or owned her unique definition of success. It’s for women that want to live a BOLD life and own it. They will also know:
– How to figure out what resonates in this season of your life
– How to identify your values and priorities so you have clarity on what you want
– How to reframe risk and fear so that it becomes a logical next step for you
– Why self-care is not just a buzzword, but essential to your success
– How to make authentic choices from season to season
– How to start taking risks right
Besides the book, I’m excited about growing the firm and bringing on highly ambitious women who want to work in the leadership coaching and team coaching space and be apart of a team that serves in a unique way – from a place of authenticity, curiosity and a deep desire to be “in service” to those we work with.
Despite the current heaviness of the world, I’m very excited about the future!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.soheejunphd.com
- Phone: 626-354-6708
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soheejun_phd/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjunphd/
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