Rough seas makes skillful sailors. Similarly, when its comes to the business world, challenges when handled correctly can pave the path to immense happiness and success. Supporting corporate leaders and companies as their navigate key transitions is the fuel that drives Amy Sanchez. She’s devoted her life’s work to help values-first leaders and companies overcome perceived challenges and evolve so they can increase happiness, impact, and earning potential.
As the CEO and Executive Career & Leadership Coach of Swim Against the Current (www.swim-against.com), Amy has worked with over 100 Corporate Leaders and Companies to help them navigate key transitions. Her partnership helps them build a well thought-out strategy and execute with intention, yielding a measureable increase in results.
Insights Success interviewed Amy to learn more about her life experiences and her perspective on Executive Career and Leadership Coaching.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader up until your current position at Swim Against the Current. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
As all journeys involving significant change do, my story started with confusion and unhappiness.
I had been in a senior marketing position for a healthcare company, and upon announcing my pregnancy, they asked me to relocate, payout of pocket, or quit. That didn’t sit well with me, and I had been thinking about a change for a while. I worked with a coach and identified coaching as the path I was being called towards. It was a really emotional time and it was driving me towards the future I was being called to.
After getting my coaching certification and opening the doors to my new business, I went through the typical entrepreneurial path of stumbling along, trying lots of different things, working with many different clients until I refined my process and found the right mix. After a couple of years, I realized that my clients were consistently see amazing outcomes! That’s when I knew I had something special, and from there, it grew.
Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.
My company is mission-first. My mission is to help corporate leaders reach their full potential and build a nourishing and productive career and life that honors their values to create a larger impact on the world.
Externally, I explain this mission as I help corporate leaders navigate career transitions so they can maximize happiness, impact, and earning potential. Seeing this happen is one of the best parts of my job.
My vision grows as my capacity to serve expands. It used to be focused on partnering 1:1 with corporate leaders. Over time, it’s also expanded to supporting teams and mission-driven companies as they intentionally try to provide support to enable employees to reach their full potential.
Fortunately, the coaching skillset and assessments I utilize are very effective across B2C and B2B and drive measurable positive transformations. And it’s super fun. So, it’s a win-win.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted the Career Coaching niche through your expertise in the market.
It’s hard to answer this question because there are many incredibly talented career coaches in my space. Although I collaborate with several, most of us tend to focus on our individual spheres with limited interaction.
I can say that while some career coaches tend to focus on the implementation (resume /LinkedIn /interviewing, etc.), I start earlier in optimizing mindset and clarifying the target. I find that moving straight to “the doing” of career searching can often land flat if the candidate isn’t in the right mind space to be selling their skills and/or if they’re not focusing on the “right” role for them.
When I start earlier in this process, it enables my leaders to understand the value they bring to the table, start seeing opportunities instead of challenges, and get clear on what type of role they want. My leaders have limited free time, so when we do start the “implementation” part of the job search, we ensure all efforts are focused on the right areas to yield maximum results.
We do this by taking their ideal role and using it to craft their job-seeking strategy and messaging. We put together a networking strategy, build their brand, prepare for interviews, and game plan salary negotiations. This enabled one of my clients to secure a $100K signing bonus that he otherwise wouldn’t have gotten.
It’s less of a “hire me!” approach and more of a “do you have a job that compliments my expertise and enables me to focus my energy on helping you build something I’m passionate about?” That entirely flips the script, puts my clients in the driver’s seat, and tends to yield a fulfilling next role and often multiple offers.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.
My company is very client-first. It’s all about delivering value that enables my clients to go on the journey they want. To ensure we’re clear on what that is, I have every client fill out an intake form to tell me exactly what they want to achieve. That enables me to tailor my coaching methodology to support their unique goals and desires.
I’m also very clear on who is not a good fit for my organization and don’t offer to work with those clients. Everyone fills out a discovery session application. If there’s a mutual fit and I feel like I can really help that person with their goal, I will offer to work with them. I consider the work I do to be very sacred, and it’s important to ensure there’s a level of comfort for both the client and me so we can both do our best work together.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Swim Against the Current?
Working with corporate leaders privately will always be part of my business plan. That’s the foundation of SATC, and it fills my cup. In the long term, as demand for my services continues to grow, I envision expanding the coaching team and increasing the percentage of time I spent coaching and facilitating workshops for mission-driven companies.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Career Coaching sector?
Be prepared for a couple of years of business building before you get your footing. Stay focused on one or two promotional activities that you enjoy and stay consistent. Focus on delivering a great experience to your clients and trust that growth will follow.
