Blog

There’s a quiet frustration that creeps in when you’re chasing a dream, doing everything “right,” and still feel stuck.

But maybe it’s not about working harder or being more disciplined. Maybe it’s just this: the tools you’re using no longer fit the version of you that’s growing. And here’s the par...

We often treat dreams like distant stars - beautiful, but unreachable. We talk about them with “somedays” and “maybes,” thinking they require perfect timing or a miraculous moment of motivation. But what if that vision you keep thinking about isn’t some far-off fantasy?

What if it’s actually a set ...

Let’s talk about dreams - not the sleep kind, but the ones that tap you on the shoulder during quiet moments. The ones you try to explain away with words like “someday” or “maybe.”

We’ve heard people try to downplay them:

• “I should stop dreaming and take things seriously.”
• “It’s a nice idea… bu...

It’s easy to believe that what you do is who you are.

We live in a world that loves labels - student, teacher, CEO, cashier, truck driver, counselor, business owner. We carry our job titles, roles, or achievements like armor. Sometimes, like identity.

But here’s the question most of us forget to...

Put your hand in the sky if you’ve ever felt stuck trying to “find your passion.” Is it up? Ours is, too.

Somewhere along the line, many of us were told passion would arrive like a lightning bolt - loud, obvious, life-altering. But for most people, it doesn’t look like that. Passion doesn’t alwa...

There’s something funny that happens when something comes naturally to us. We assume it can’t be that valuable. We downplay it, brush it off, wave it away.

We often say:

• “That was easy.”
• “It wasn’t a big deal.”
• “That’s just who I am.”

But what if the very thing you think doesn’t count i...

Do You Have What It Takes? You're More Ready Than You Know

Here’s something most people won’t say out loud: Even the most “put-together” people - the ones you think have it all figured out - still wonder if they’re cut out for what’s next.

Truth is... we all do.

Whether it’s applying for a job, m...

Helping young people dream big and find purposeful direction is incredibly rewarding—especially when you see them thrive, like Ryan.

Ryan was one of my first students during the pandemic, and we worked through the IDEAS Framework to help him chart a meaningful path. He was in college and feeling th...

Finding purpose, fulfillment and happiness in our day job is absolutely possible.  It’s why we use the IDEAS Framework.  And although professional alignment is important in that journey, finding our connection to our community and living a life of service is just as necessary. 

I love the duality o...

The adaptability phase of the career journey can be a challenging but essential part of the process. It comes after you’ve explored various experiences—whether through job shadows, internships, or informational interviews. By this point, you’ve dipped your toes into different roles and industries, g...

Exploring Career Paths: Three Tactics for Career Connected Learning

Now that you know the industry you’re excited about and you’ve done the work to identify the companies and people in those industries, it’s time to work the plan you designed. It’s time to have those valuable conversations with pro...

The next phase of the IDEAS Framework is designing a plan of the job types, companies and people you need to talk to get more information about this career path you’re uncovering.

In Introspection, you identified your core skills and your personality traits. You did some research on how those skill...