We recently connected with Lynne Fuller and have shared our conversation below.
Lynne , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
How did I find my purpose is a question that hits the heart of what is my motivation, reason, and intention behind everything I do. I wish I could share a grand plan of what that looks like but I can point to three ways in which my purpose has become enriched: through continuing education, building new/fostering established connections, and trusting my instincts.
The first tenant is due to an insatiable love of learning. I never stop seeking more education, information, or knowledge. Whether that is through continuing education training, formal degree programs, or certificates, I I continuously look for tools to increase my effectiveness.
For example, four years ago, I returned to graduate school for a masters degree in school counseling with a focus on mental health. This program offered me the attending skills I needed to help all of my students, but especially those who feel a little more stuck. Last year it was training on how to administer and interpret the Strong Interest Inventory to help clients process the world of work in a manner that aligns with their talents and interests. This year it is an essay writing course to offer additional tools in helping students unlock their story in a manner that is authentic and connected to their inner purpose.
The second is to take meetings with potential partners who support students in ways similar to myself or in tangential fields. This has helped broaden my professional network and offer insight into conversations that I think families would truly benefit from. After taking more than 100 hours of meetings in 2023, I am so grateful to all of those professionals who helped reinforce this vision of holistically supporting students as they launch into their adult lives.
The third is to trust my gut. I feel like we are told to think with our brains and ignore what our instincts tell us, whereas that is what, anthropologically speaking, offered us safety for thousands of years. So now, trusting my intuition about what I need, what works well, and what will protect our team’s time have become my focus.
As a result of these three fundamental approaches, I know how to service my students, families, and emerging career clients. I feel comfortable in the knowledge I have and where to obtain more; I know who and when to ask for help if a case needs additional support outside of my scope; and I know when something is not feeling right and needs more attention.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
In May 2023, I pivoted, scaled, and relaunched my company as College Flight Path. After graduating from the masters program I did a deep dive into the market research behind college and career counseling and realized that the model felt backward. After being in the business of supporting students for over two decades, and after many conversations, especially during the darkest moments of the pandemic, the approach to how we build our lives needed a restructure. I began guiding students intentionally through planning for their goals, asking questions of why attend college or another training program, and what steps they could take to build toward their ambitions.
These conversations came with a ton of imagery surrounding flight, taking off, and launching into one’s life. Quickly I described my vision to Amanda Jones McNay, CFP’s web designer, and we came up with the imagery of planes flying in different directions. We built our logo knowing that there is no one way to embark on a life brimming with purpose.
Our services expanded from test prep and college counseling to four-year academic planning, postsecondary success, and career counseling. The company grew from just me flying solo to an amazing team of six (Lisa, January, Barbara, Amy, and Katie) and will continue to grow. Our team is a multigenerational mix of experts who offer incredible insight in helping partner with students and families as they chart their course. We also began consulting with schools, community-based organizations, businesses, and fellow independent educational consultants on an array of topics and service areas. We host monthly talks about a wide variety of subjects that benefit our audience (click here for our free events calendar).
We immediately launched a blog that aligns with our thematic structure for how we share information with our audience, including free and paid downloads that are aimed at helping provide equity and access in discovering one’s plan beyond high school. Our goal is to bring families into our community in 8th or 9th grade, equip them with the tools to be successful, and provide the structures and scaffolds that supports students as they take flight.
The one aspect of being in the college counseling business that we all wish was more normalized is the concept of choice in planning a postsecondary journey. Every family needs to ask themselves does that include two-year or four-year college, direct to work, military enlistment, apprenticeships, and/or even a structured gap year? Normalizing every possible option and understanding all potential outcomes is an aspect we feel remains underutilized because there remains such a race for a bachelor’s degree – not only is that financially unrealistic, but it is shortsighted in how we see how the next generation conceives of their future or the training they need.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I’ll take you back to my mid-twenties when my mom and I took a trip to Ireland. There we kissed the Blarney Stone (and promptly sanitized) and something happened. That trip helped me learn how to talk to strangers, tell my story, and harness the magic of telling an Irish yarn.
This gift helped me feel less afraid to email someone I didn’t know to network and ask questions unencumbered. Although imposter syndrome creeps in from time to time, I am reminded of the road I have traveled thus far, the best practices that guide my work, and the fact that I remain incredibly curious. By reaching for teammates that professionally challenge me and believe in our shared journey, we are building a workplace that we all want to occupy.
If I had any advice to give it would be to define what your personal and professional goals are and then identify workplaces that will help you flourish in your journey. Sometimes that means redefining the workplace entirely and founding your own company based on the idea of how to pursue your dreams. I did that for the first time fourteen years ago and then took what I learned and pivoted again. Don’t be afraid to take the trip, talk to strangers, and chase what keeps your inner fire lit.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Establishing firm boundaries on my time to allow my brain to shut down. I am admittedly horrible at protecting my time. In fact, 2023 was particularly difficult because we jumped into a remodeling project that forced us out of our social routines away from home. Everyday became work in one way or another where we were making decisions, spending money, and stress grew.
This experience taught me to really enjoy time with my husband, friends, family and our dog (@snugswithsully). However, when you LOVE what you do for a living, it is hard not to spend all of that time working, I am working toward being better about crafting a schedule that protects my time so I can feel refreshed and be the best version of myself for each client and those who matter the most to me.
Ways in which I intentionally work toward this goal include setting a to do list and working in a focused manner to achieve daily tasks. There are days where I will be on the computer until the wee hours, but I know that putting in the work now will allow me to take a much needed vacation in a few months time.
The way to resolve this particular challenge is to spend the time training my teammates on our shared goals, delegating effectively, and determining how to continue moving forward at a pace that work for us all. Hopefully 2024 will provide us all with the space to tackle this challenge.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.collegeflightpath.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collegeflightpath/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullertutoring/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnefuller/
