Meet Karin Freeland

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

Karin, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Everyone wants to know how to discover their purpose. If only there were a magic pill that everyone could take to reveal it. But that doesn’t exist, and I’d argue that the journey to uncovering your unique purpose is part of the fun.

I found my purpose while overcoming my midlife crisis at that age of 39. On paper my life was perfect: high paying job, Benz in the driveway, plenty of disposable income, married with two healthy boys. What more could I want? Well, fulfillment for starters. No matter how much I tried to find value in my corporate career, it just didn’t satisfy the gaping hole in my soul to do something that mattered to me.

While complaining to a coworker one day, he asked me a question I couldn’t answer. That question was, “What would you regret NOT doing if you died tomorrow?” I was astounded when I came up empty. How was it that I could tell him everything I didn’t like about my life but not answer what I would prefer instead? I was determined to figure that out.

Long story short, while watching The Secret, I remembered that I had started writing a memoir 10 years earlier! It was just sitting on my laptop waiting to be finished. I dove in headfirst committed to completing it. Little did I know that this would be the spark I needed to leave my midlife woes in the dust and build a life I truly loved.

Several months later, I left corporate and embarked on my journey as an Author and Life Reinvention Coach. I wanted to share everything I had learned during my career transformation with other women, so they never had to spend another moment feeling stuck and disempowered. Of course, that led me to write my second book Grab Life by the Dreams: The Essential Guide to Getting Unstuck and Living Your Purpose. In it, I share the blueprint for how I was able to find my purpose and bring it to fruition. I’m blessed that I get to work with amazing women every single day and help them design a purpose-driven life. What could be more fulfilling than that?!

Finding your purpose doesn’t happen overnight. The key to my transformation was staying open to the possibilities, dreaming bigger, setting clear goals, building my confidence through bold actions, and having a support network that cheered me on when I wasn’t sure if I could do it. And the journey isn’t over. As seasons of my life change and my kids head off to college in a few years, my purpose may morph again. This time, I’ll be ready for it and more excited about the process!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m currently a Speaker, Award-Winning Author, and certified Life Reinvention Coach. My soul focus is on helping women transform their lives and careers, so they can achieve their biggest dreams. I do this through my six-month coaching program by combining the lessons I’ve learned throughout my 16 years in corporate with my signature EDIT Methodology™. EDIT™ is a simple 4-step process, which I share in my book Grab Life by the Dreams, for identifying your purpose by envisioning your goals, documenting your goals and breaking them down into actionable steps, properly investing in your goals, and finally taking the right actions to achieve your goals.

Before starting my business, my corporate experiences included being Chief of Staff to the President of Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Head of Demand Generation & Field Marketing for North America at Centrica Business Solutions, and Vice President of Digital GTM and Learning at JS Group. I’ve had the privilege of overseeing the creation and launch of global brands, developing world-class marketing campaigns, and leading amazing talent in the tech and energy sectors. Although the corporate world wasn’t ultimately for me, I’m very grateful for the experiences I had because it made me a better coach for the women I serve.

My favorite thing to help women do is make an Empowered Exit™ from corporate into entrepreneurship. There is a lot of mindset work that needs to be done when making a shift like this, because many of the women I work with are the breadwinner (like I was). Much of our worth feels tied up in our title and paycheck, that it can hold us back from going after a career we’d enjoy more. Seeing women realize they can still provide for their families but do something more fulfilling is so rewarding and fun!

What really has me excited right now is my podcast. In September of 2023, I was looking for a way to reach more women. I decided it was time to start a show and share weekly episodes full of tips for reinventing. It’s called Rock Your Reinvention and has been doing really well since launch. I get to share things beyond what you’ll find in my books and the show gets to grow with me on my journey, which is pretty cool for listeners who follow along. I’m a firm believer we all have a reinvention inside of us just waiting to come out!

Most people don’t realize I started out as an actress, following my dreams just after college. So, any chance I get to be back in front of a camera is welcomed. I’m very blessed to have been invited by our local news station in Greenville, SC to be part of a segment called Monthly Mindset, where I get to share tips on having a positive mindset each month.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three qualities that I attribute to my success are passion, authenticity, and resilience.

For starters, I have an insane amount of energy and passion for what I do. Helping women avoid the pain that I experienced when I felt stuck and frustrated fuels me on a daily basis. (Unlike my days in tech, when I felt like I was just trying to survive the daily grind.) If you don’t have passion for what you do, I’d invite you to reassess what you’re trying to achieve and why. Maybe that’s not the right goal for you? Ask yourself what you’re passionate about and what would bring you joy. Then seek to do more of those things! That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to change jobs though. When I was early in my reinvention journey, I rekindled my passion for dancing! Maybe there’s a hobby you could add to your life that would make up for any friction you feel on the job?

Authenticity is being able to present yourself as you are – 100% with no filters or masks. Because I’m so honest and transparent with my audience they feel like they know me and can trust me. I’m able to be vulnerable with my community and share how I walk the walk each and every day. One thing you can do to live more authentically is to identify ways you’re giving away your power and then work on taking it back. For example, next time someone asks you what you want for dinner, don’t say, “I don’t know” or “I don’t care.” Make a decision and choose something you’d love to eat. These little moments will rebuild your confidence, helping you to show up authentically in everything you do. (Because once you tackle the smaller issues, you can begin taking your power back on the larger things.)

Being resilient is also a critical quality that allows me to be successful. There have been so many times I could have given up (failed launches, potential clients that said no, poor book sales), but I didn’t quit. I jumped back up and took another step forward toward my goals. Moreover, I didn’t focus on my failures or dwell on them. I acknowledged it, gleaned what learnings I could, and then refocused on the tasks at hand. If you tap into your resilience, you’ll experience more success in your life too. Still not convinced? I was recently honored by being named to the SC Women of Influence 2024 list. That never would have happened if I gave up when things were tough.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Thank you for this question. Too often I think people only share their highlight reels. They glamourize reinventions but fail to discuss the struggles and challenges that go along with change. That approach makes others who experience challenges during changes feel incapable, weak, or even defective. In fact, that’s not the case at all. Struggles and challenges are par for the course when changing careers or following your purpose, whether others disclose them or not.

My biggest challenge right now is balancing my career ambitions with being a mom. It’s a struggle I’m happy to have, but it’s a struggle nonetheless! My boys are approaching high school, so I’m acutely aware that I don’t have many more summers with them. I want to continue to grow and expand my business, but I also want to be available for their lacrosse tournaments and to enjoy relaxing days by the pool. At times, these can feel like competing priorities.

To help overcome this challenge, I’ve been more diligent about time blocking and making sure I leave space in my day for play. So far, this is the lowest stress summer we’ve ever had as a family, and I know it’s in large part due to more effectively planning our time.

Additionally, I’ve been working on my mindset. I used to feel like if I wasn’t always doing something I wasn’t prioritizing my business enough. I would jam so many client calls, podcast appearances, and speaking gigs in my schedule that I’d be drained and have very little time for my boys. Part of the reason I left corporate was to avoid the crazy working hours! I use daily affirmations to help me stay focused and in the present moment. For example, “I am doing enough at home and at work,” is a favorite of mine right now!

I know deep down that there is plenty of time for me to realize my full potential as a business owner but only a few more years to fully enjoy having my children home. I love that I finally get to prioritize them, even if I have to keep course correcting myself to ensure it stays that way.

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Yolanda Perez Photography LLC

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