Meet Christina Sandoval

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christina Sandoval a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.

Thank you for having me. I can share when I was in mid-career, working for what I thought would be a meaningful institution. I started working there, and within six months, I was promoted to mid-management. Then, a year later, I was promoted again. It seemed like a great opportunity to grow in my career. Still, the morally questionable operations of that institution made me think twice, and I started to realize I was being used to make the institution money by pushing people into something that may not be in their best interest, instead of doing what I was hired to do. It started to feel icky and morally wrong, for the sake of “bringing in the numbers.” My ruthless boss would lead our team with fear tactics and it quickly became a toxic environment. She tried to use me to do her “dirty” work of reprimanding and firing of staff when they didn’t deserve it. When I refused and stood up for what I felt was right, she retaliated and went to work on getting me fired. I went to HR and spoke up. I said it’s not fair that I have to quit, but I can’t keep working like this, hoping they would place me in a different department away from my boss. They agreed and said we can make it look like a layoff. If you sign this release, you get severance pay. They of course were aware of my boss’s mistreatment of all our team, not just me. So, they wanted to protect themselves legally. I was disappointed and sad but I kept my head held high and looked at it as an opportunity for a new beginning and to find a more meaningful job elsewhere that would align with my values more. And that’s exactly what I did! At first, it seemed daunting because I applied to many jobs and didn’t hear back for a long time. I got so desperate that I finally started applying to part-time jobs, just to get something. Well, I went on an interview for a job I had no experience doing and luckily was hired! Little did I know then that this little part-time job would lead to many more opportunities and a wonderful career. I kept the faith and kept going. It paid off and I’ve been in this new career for over 10 years now, loving it! Looking back, I realize it took something drastic to get me to leave my toxic job and go after what I wanted via a part-time job I thought wouldn’t work. That negative experience was a blessing in disguise.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I have a private practice as a Career & Life Coach. I really care about helping my clients thrive in their work and personal lives by helping them develop their gifts and find work and life that is fulfilling for them. Whether they want to find a new career, build their professional and personal skills, build an effective resume for their industry, need help with a job search, or prepare for an interview, I offer practical guidance to help them succeed. I also curate staff retreats for organizations to foster team building and productivity. I recently published my first book for young adults who are learning how to navigate their career. It’s called What I WIsh I Knew Back Then: Create a Career & Life You Love. It is available on Amazon and many more online retailers. I hope to pass on some wisdom I’ve learned through trial and error on my career and life journey.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I believe being open and flexible will allow good things to come into your life. When we are too rigid about how our life “should” be, we block out amazing possibilities. Having the confidence to try something new or try something you’ve always wanted to do is a valuable quality. We never know how good we can be at something until we try it and sharpen our skills along the way. I would say, if you want to know the truth, listen to the positive things people say about you. It could be a family member, a friend, or a coworker. Believe the good things about you that others see. Believe in yourself.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I would love to collaborate with organizations/leaders whose mission is to empower young adults to step into their true potential in life, be it career or personal endeavors. I would love to reach a wider audience through speaking engagements like meaningful and practical workshops on career and personal development. I would like to spread the word about my book What I Wish I Knew Back Then: Create a Career & Life You Love, so it may guide young people on a wider scale. Community organizations that help people with career, life-long skills, and mentorship would be ideal for me to collaborate with. If you would like to connect, I can be reached at [email protected]. My Instagram handle is @_christinasandoval and my website is christinasandoval.com. I look forward to building good work together. Thank you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.christinasandoval.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_christinasandoval/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-sandoval-2245249/