Meet Hillary Saffran

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hillary Saffran. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hillary below.

Hi Hillary, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?
I’ve come to look at a past layoff and a firing as an opportunity and a blessing. I had been working for three years as a workforce specialist in a government workforce center in Colorado in a temporary position, with no sick days or benefits, but enjoyed the job very much and experienced many excellent trainings during that time. Then a new director came on board and laid all the temporary workers off. I had the opportunity to apply for a permanent position, but I knew that I wanted to move back to Alaska so I looked at the layoff as a vehicle to do so. I then obtained employment in Alaska that utilized my experience in Colorado. So being laid off was really an opportunity for a new phase of my life, I once experienced a firing from a job that I was not very fond of, which also consisted of a long and expensive commute. I had worked at the job for six months and was not bold enough to quit, so the firing was really a gift at the time, even though I was saddened by it. As time went on, it proved to be the best thing that could have happened to me job wise – I then obtained a position close to my home, and held that job for the next seven years, where I supervised a job center for a non-profit agency.
My belief due to these experiences is that everything usually works out for the best, if you look for the benefits and the good in every situation.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m not your everyday coach or therapist; my own story is a living testament to resilience, a person who has navigated life’s turbulent waters and emerged stronger. My background in social work as an employment specialist and case manager uniquely equips me to understand the emotional nuances of career changes.
But I’m not just all work and no play!
I’m an artist at heart – dabbling in music, acting, and even ventriloquism. While raising three children on my own, I had to discover ways to cope with the financial strain and stress-related issues. I became a birthday party clown, ventriloquist and author, and have also performed in local theatrical productions with acting, singing, and also playing the violin in the orchestra.
This multi-faceted experience makes me the ideal coach for creatives struggling with performance anxiety, or anyone suffering from imposter syndrome.
I know what it feels like to wear many hats, and I’ve made it my life’s mission to help you wear yours with confidence.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. I feel that faith, and having that connection to God, knowing that you are born for a reason and not a random occurence is a very important and grounding quality to have to help you navigate life’s journey. It’s a worldview that gives meaning to everything in life. It’s how you view yourself, and the world through that view. You can choose to be a blessing to yourself, your family, and the people around you – to make the world a better place, to be a light to dispel darkness.

2. Knowing that whatever you have gone through in life, even painful adversities, have developed transferable skills that you can use to help yourself and others, so no experience, no matter how dire, is ever wasted. You truly can grow stronger from adversity, and can turn it into an advantage, turning trials into triumphs, and problems into purpose.

3. Life is about choices – you can choose to be a victim or a victor. I like the expression, “Here we grow again!.” Everything in life is a choice to how to respond. You can become bitter, or better.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I believe that there is a reason that the Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It contains great wisdom for how to live a healthy and fulfilling life, especially in Proverbs. I read a book last year called “Happy for No Reason-7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out.” by Marci Shimoff, the bestselling coauthor of “Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul.” I also took a course from her based on her book to become certified as a “Happy for No Reason Trainer.” Her book is filled with many principles that I found to be the same as biblical principles for living a healthy and fulfilling life – both physically, spiritually and emotionally. I use many of these principles in my coaching sessions.
The book also contained many of the same principles of my RTT (Rapid Transformational Therapy) training – such as, “Don’t believe everything you think.” You can question your thoughts, be aware of what you are thinking, and incline your mind toward joy.

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