Review 3

Before hiring Alena, my life was organized but lacked focus. I was great at day-to-day execution of tasks and projects but lacked the focus and “birds-eye view” of why I was doing the things I was doing and why I was investing the time in certain areas.  I wanted to reimagine my life and career into something that felt meaningful beyond being a mother. I felt certain that I didn’t leave all of myself on the [c-section] operating table – I had even started a new project I thought could be a step in the right direction - but I wasn’t sure how to dig into what that would look like.

As a single parent of four, the investment initially felt like an obstacle. My resources are in high demand and I have to edit my expenses often and objectively so I second guessed whether a commitment like this made sense for me.

After our first session I walked away with four buckets that reflect the priorities for my life. That is kind of focus I was looking for. Alena has really exceeded my expectations. She is a wealth of knowledge, resources, ideas, strategies, and just good old-fashioned support. I was not prepared for the way that she celebrates with me and for me. I was also not prepared for her to immediately challenge me about me – and be right!

In just 2 months of working with Alena, I completed and launched the first volume of my curriculum – The Black Inquiry Project. I launched my website, built by social media to 500+ followers. My project was featured on the morning news where I was interviewed live. I was invited to train the docents at The Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, TN. I wrote a guest post for @museumedvoices, a platform founded by museum educators from the Modern of Modern Art in New York City. I was invited to train teachers in Milwaukee, WI. I was contracted with a school in Chicago, IL and was invited to be a panelist for a Shelby County Schools Equity Office event.

I would recommend Alena primarily because while it’s nice to feel good, the value is in the results, and that is exactly what I’ve had since I began working with Alena – results; win after win and I attribute so much of that to having such an amazing coach.