Today we’d like to introduce you to Malsun Frye.
Malsun, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started career coaching and my professional development blog because I craved a creative and intellectual outlet that also served to support and encourage others in their daily lives. In the summer of 2017, my husband provided me the opportunity to leave my full-time job to spend more time with my two young daughters as they began preschool and elementary school. While I absolutely enjoyed the calmer and slower-paced life with my children, it wasn’t long before I began feeling worried that I was losing my professional edge. I started exploring options to return to my career while still maintaining the flexibility to be present for my children in the way I wanted. As many working parents can relate, this was like the search for the Holy Grail. Upon further reflection (and with the help of a fantastic life coach named Lara Brekken), I realized my ideal job was not going to be given to me by any external entity.
If I wanted to do what I wanted and how I wanted, I would need to create my own experience. I knew I wanted to interact directly with people, and my background and interest is in workforce development. Career coaching seemed to be the best fit, and I had a wonderful experience with my first few clients. However, I found that I was limited in the services I could provide – some of my clients needed (or wanted) more in-depth counseling and guidance that I was not qualified or licensed to provide. In the interest of providing the highest quality of service my clients deserve, I decided to put my career coaching on hold to pursue my Master of Education in Counseling with William & Mary. In the meantime, I am using my blog A Modern Day Guide to Professional Development as my primary forum to provide professional development advice and guidance to my previous clients and to those interested in experiencing work as a meaningful and productive adventure every day.
Has it been a smooth road?
My biggest challenges were my self-doubt and fear of the unknown. Leaving my job in 2017 was not an easy decision, though it was best for the well-being of me and my children. For a while afterwards, I constantly questioned whether I had done the right thing. It took me at least a year to really get comfortable with my status as an unemployed stay-at-home mom. I explored a number of alternative career options to still feel “valuable” to the community – I became a yoga teacher, I got my license as a life insurance agent, and I even considered returning to work as a government contractor. None of these endeavors right, and I felt like I was just spinning my wheels while slowly becoming more obsolete to the workforce. I felt myself getting drawn back to what was safe and secure, rather than what was aligned to my true values. I finally decided to work with a life coach to organize my emotions and thoughts, get clarity on my vision and goals, and start taking meaningful action.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
A Modern-Day Guide to Professional Development is intended to be a professional development guide and resource hub for those entering the workforce, those who are new to their jobs, and those who are feeling stagnant and restless in their job. In my past experience in training and workforce development, most professional development resources were geared towards specific groups such as interns, supervisors and managers, and executive-level leaders. Also, most professional development programs were customized to the organization or industry. Much of the content was applicable only to the home organization’s particular work culture and environment. More general but universally desired professional development topics such as cultivating a growth mindset and improving soft skills were inadequately emphasized or provided only after negative situations already occurred. My aim is to fill these gaps in formal professional development programs – and to make it free and available to anyone who seeks the knowledge and insight, regardless of position or status. My goal is to create enough content to evolve from a guide to a comprehensive professional development program that focuses on developing skills that are universally desirable, transferrable, and valuable to any career or position. I am proud to say that I genuinely want to make this kind of program free and openly available to individuals or organizations that can benefit from the content.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, I think that San Diego is a prime audience for my work. San Diego is a city that naturally attracts energetic, enthusiastic, and ambitious people who want to present their best work to the world while still having fun and enjoying life. If you are looking for a laid-back and diverse professional environment that inspires your creative and entrepreneurial spirit, then San Diego is the right place for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mmfrye.com
- Email: info@mmfrye.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mmfrye00/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13737504/
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