WIN Woman Spotlight: CARU JONES
Caru Jones
Executive Coach + WIN COACH
If I weren’t doing this I would be: ... Gosh! It sounds so cliche to say that I can't imagine doing anything else right now! Even prior to becoming an Executive Coach, coaching was part of my role as an HR Director - the part I loved most.
But, if I had to choose something else, I love the idea of becoming a professor. I was inspired by Dr. Laurie Santos' Yale University course: The Science of Well-being. I think there should be more programs, like this one, available to students to provide tools that will support them mentally and emotionally as they take the leap into the "working world."
Three adjectives to best describe you: Optimistic. Compassionate. Encouraging.
Leadership is… consciously and compassionately coaching and guiding those in your life - including ourselves - to embrace their full human potential and achieve both individual and community success and fulfillment.
What can we do to encourage and mobilize more women to step up to leadership? There are so many cultural and structural changes that need to happen for more women to feel like they have as equal a path to leadership roles as their male counterparts. So let's keep the conversations alive and help speed up the changes.
In the meantime, while those changes are in the works, we can listen intently to the leading ladies in our lives. Listen to understand what's holding them back from stepping up or even wanting to step up. Listen to their unique challenges, and don't make assumptions that their path is any easier or harder than others. And listen for how you can help them design their unique and wonderful path forward as the leader that you know and believe they are.
Your biggest loss: In 2021, I had a miscarriage. A loss such as this tends to trump any professional loss I might have convinced myself at the time was life-altering. It really puts things into perspective. And for anyone else who has experienced a miscarriage, my heart goes out to you.
Your biggest win: I love these questions because I think time and perspective create so many different answers. Had I been asked this question 4 or 5 years ago, I'd probably have said my biggest win was revising and drastically upgrading the parental leave policy of the company I was working for at the time. However, from my current perspective, my biggest win has been slowing down enough to hear what it was that really fills my soul with joy and energy, and being brave enough to go after it. Hint: it's being a coach!
Words to live by: "If you doubt your power, you give power to doubt." Diane von Furstenberg
Fantasy dinner date: This past year I hosted my birthday dinner at David Burke Tavern. (Highly recommend btw.) And, being the coach and weirdo that I am, I gave my guests homework! I think they all got a good laugh out of it! The homework assignment included listening to a TED talk by David Burke called "Food is Joy" (again, I highly recommend it). David talks about the question, "What if..." But unlike many of us who often complete that sentence with our fears or worst-case scenarios, David was encouraging everyone to ask best-case scenario questions. I'd love to take that conversation further with David and learn more about his story and what helps him to continue to ask the best-case scenario "what if..." questions - especially when times get tough.
Favorite self-care ritual: This year I've embraced manifestation. Most mornings you'll find me grounding my desires and balancing the inner critics through my morning manifestation practice. This often includes meditation, journaling, and sometimes impromptu solo dance parties - to raise my vibrations!
I negotiate to… stand up for myself - what I'm worth and worthy of.
Best negotiation tip: Everything is negotiable!
Ready to stand up for what you're worth?
Book your coaching session with Caru today.
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