Professional Titles

Our careers are not who we are.

They don’t define us.

Yet, we spend most of our waking hours in our professional lives, so they are important to how we present our Selves to the world. And it’s nearly impossible to avoid the common conversation starter, “What do you do?”

Financial Advisor

Life Planner

Life Coach

A transformation coach moonlighting as a financial advisor

A transformation guide moonlighting as a financial advisor

I’ve struggled to answer this question over the last year.

My default answer has been “Financial Advisor,” and while it is true, it doesn’t reflect the professional I see my Self as and am moving towards with the AlignedLife+ relationship at RLS Wealth—I don’t feel a sense of pride like I used to. And, it certainly doesn’t explain to the person asking the impact that I have on clients, because financial advice and planning is a small part of what I do in AlignedLife+

What Do I Do?

This week, my coach and I discussed how I explain what I do, and I was tasked with coming up with one-sentence, one-minute, and five-minute explanations.

As we were discussing all of my work, the impact I want people to understand, how I want the world to view me, and how I can make it easy for the right people to find me, he jokingly said, “A transformational coach moonlighting as a financial advisor” or “A financial advisor moonlighting as a transformational coach.”

I smiled—he was onto something.

I told him I liked the first version more because while I am a financial advisor, my work and impact extend beyond that of a financial advisor; AlignedLife+ was created to help people find and live their authentic lives—this is a transformational relationship, and I like how that is the focus of the first option. But I hate the term “coach”. It’s watered down, and many of them don’t actually do anything; I don’t want to be lumped into that category.

Plus, I don’t view my Self as a coach—in the life planning process and in the ongoing supportive role, I’m helping my clients find their own answers, not providing them—I’m more of a guide.

And there it was—”guide.”

While it started out tongue-in-cheek, I have an answer that I feel comfortable and confident in:

I’m a transformational guide moonlighting as a financial advisor.

I can say this with pride and know it will open up the conversation, if necessary, to explain further the unique way I am helping people live their authentic lives.

Keep pursuing,

JC