Rita Balian Allen shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Rita Balian, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Morning is my favorite time of the day! Having morning routines is not only a good thing but a necessity that is very important in building resilience. It empowers us to start the day on our own terms, set clear priorities for the day and shape our approach before others influence or possibly even derail us. Starting the day with intentionality and self-care is foundational for building resilience.
The very first thing I love to do is make my cup of flavored iced coffee which is a ritual I look forward to every day! Then I spend about 15 minutes reading from a variety of my favorite inspirational, uplifting and motivational books, quotes, and devotionals. I practice gratitude and positivity every morning for all the blessings in my life. I find this allows me to start each day with thankfulness and appreciation as well as positive energy and optimism. It also grounds me in a way that enables me to then move on to do my 30-minute daily exercise which usually includes a mix of yoga, pilates, strength training, kick-boxing and/or some cardio. My morning routine is empowering and uplifting – it gets me ready for the day with strength and hope!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I lead my own international career management firm where I work with leaders across all industries and professions. My specialty areas are executive coaching, career coaching, team coaching, leadership development, management training and career development. In addition, I am a lecturer at Northeastern University, a frequent speaker and presenter, the author of numerous articles, blogs and the books; Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself: The Three Ps Marketing Technique as a Guide to Career Empowerment, and Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself: The Companion Workbook. I am very passionate about my work; and my mission is to help empower individuals to take charge of their careers and organizations to maximize their talent potential. My experiences as a corporate Human Resources professional, executive search consultant as well as leading my executive coaching practice equip me with a unique mix of business experiences that offers much value to my clients. I am an authentic, approachable leader who builds strong relationships and delivers high quality service to my clients.
Growing up in an immigrant family, I have always been a big believer of servant leadership and giving back. For that reason, I have sat on a number of boards over the years. Currently, I serve as a member of the Board of Bar Overseers of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court as well as the Board of Directors of Seeding Labs. I hold an MS in Organizational Leadership and a BS in Business Administration, in addition to being an Advanced Certified Personal and Executive Coach, a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and a Certified Resilience Coach.
I am fluent in Armenian, love to cook, travel, read, do yoga, play the piano and listen to all kinds of music. My greatest pleasure is spending time with my family!
I love my work and feel blessed to be able to do it every day!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What breaks the bonds between people is rarely one big moment—it’s usually the slow erosion of trust through misunderstanding, unmet expectations, poor communication, disrespect, unresolved triggers, and/or a lack of empathy. Assumptions replace curiosity. We stop listening to understand and start listening to defend or are unable to truly appreciate and understand the other’s perspective and needs. Over time, silence, resentment, ego, fear, or feeling unseen can create more distance than any single conflict ever could.
What restores those bonds is intention. Honest conversation. Humility. The willingness to pause, really listen, and acknowledge our own role in the disconnect. To manage our expectations in addition to being open and forgiving. Bonds are rebuilt through empathy, accountability, forgiveness, and small, consistent acts of care and lots of compassion. When people feel heard, respected, and valued again, connection has room to return. Ultimately, relationships are restored not by being right—but by choosing understanding over pride and compassion over distance.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I wouldn’t say it is necessarily a fear, however, more of a hesitation that has made me pause; and that is being vulnerable. At times, opening up in a way that could mean risking disappointment, embarrassment, or being misunderstood has caused me to step back and pause. This in turn could result in holding me back from fully releasing my potential and being credible/relatable. However, what I have learned is vulnerability is less about exposing ourselves and more about allowing deep and honest connection to be possible. You don’t open up to be validated—you open up to be authentic, which is extremely important to me. That authenticity has become my own form of safety allowing and enabling me to stay true to my best authentic self, be the best version of myself. I have also found Brene Brown’s work on vulnerability to be a powerful resource to break down vulnerability as a source of strength and empowerment! Not only do I practice this everyday myself, but I also help my client’s embrace vulnerability as a strength to becoming an authentic leader who connects with others.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
I would say that my values are so foundational to who I am that I do not walk around saying what they are, however, I live them every single day, both professionally and personally. There are my truths that are so foundational to who I am, how I live and the kind of individual I aspire to be. My top 5 values are integrity, spirituality, self-actualization, inner peace and autonomy. They are embedded in all of my actions, behaviors, decisions and motivations.
Values will (and should) impact our decisions in all aspects of our lives. It is important to identify what our core values are and then work towards alignment which is critical for our fulfillment. As a matter of fact, I keep mine on a post-it on my monitor every day as a reminder of what is most important to me. What are your values and do you espouse and enact them in your life every day?
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people will say she really cared and helped me find and be my best authentic self. I hope people will say that I was a genuine, trusted and honest coach, friend, family member, partner and woman. That I made a difference in their life and had an open and compassionate heart. I hope the story people tell is that my presence made a difference, I had a postive impact, and that I added value to everyone I came in contact with and every situation. Most importantly, I hope people will say I was a loving and devoted mother who was proud of her children more than anything else in this world!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ritaballenassociates.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritabalianallen/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritaballen
- Twitter: https://x.com/RitaBAllen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100054675180218/wall/#
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RBA-nx4zw
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