Ridgefield resident launches career & life coaching business

Jeannie Brooks, a longtime Ridgefield resident, brings over 30 years of business experience to her brand new business: Brooks Career and Life Coaching. Brooks, who has had leadership roles in the finance, corporate, and real estate world, is passionate about helping people become more enriched and successful at work, home, and everywhere in between.

We sat down with Jeannie Brooks to learn more about Brooks Career and Life Coaching.

When and Why did you launch Brooks Career and Life Coaching?

I launched Brooks Career and Life Coaching in the spring of 2017. I had been working for GE as an Executive Leadership Coach with their Management Development Program for GE’s up and coming C-suite international executives. I discussed with executives, one-on-one, what they needed to do to have a better work-life balance as well as how to get to the next level in GE.  At GE, I worked with targeted international and domestic senior executives who were chosen each month for a two-week on-site leadership skills training program. I developed lasting relationships with many GE executives, both domestic and internationally.

Now, I am working with both executives and individuals from a variety of industries and through different life situations in my own business.

What do you do?

I help executives establish goals to become more successful and creative at work and to have more of a work-life balance. Together we discuss emotional intelligence, active listening, and a variety of skills to master executive presence. Often the issues at work are also present in their home lives so coaching often becomes eye opening to the clients as they begin to identify patterns in their lives.

I also help individuals with life coaching. I help clients prioritize what is important to them at different stages in their lives. My coaching expertise covers business/career coaching, relationships, parenting, returning to work or looking for a new job or a new position at the same company.

Your business experience spans three decades and your most recent position was an executive coach at GE. Tell me about how your past positions make you an industry expert?

That’s a great question. I believe my past experience taught me to be ask a lot of questions and to listen closely to those around me to learn what my clients needed to succeed. This was especially true in my finance career whether it was in trading, banking relations or M&A.

After coaching executives from finance to clients in real estate I thought this [Brooks Career and Life Coaching] would be an exciting opportunity. My clients tell me that they like my real-life examples that I bring to my consulting.

What are the benefits of career and life coaching?

The largest benefit in coaching is that you see yourself as you walk into a room. Many professionals and people in life never have the opportunity to focus on how they behave at work as they are focused on managing those around them. Whether it’s your job or your family life, coaching gives you tools to improve yourself every day and this gives you more time during the day for executive thinking. You have more of a work-life balance and you are not exhausted and frustrated at the end of each day because you begin to realize you have choices throughout your day. Other benefits include learning how to become more productive at work, how to communicate more clearly and effectively, and to have the tools necessary to become what leaders are looking for. It’s a fascinating process and once you have exposure to my coaching many clients tell me “why did I wait so long to do this?”

How does it work? Do clients come for weekly sessions?

Coaching can be very flexible. We invest an hour or two up front and then we schedule according to the client’s needs varying from weekly to bi-monthly, or even monthly sessions. Most of my clients see quick results so they prefer to do weekly or bi-monthly sessions. I can come to your office or home or we can Skype or FaceTime. I pride myself on confidentiality.

Tell me about who might benefit from your services?

I believe everyone can benefit from coaching. Who doesn’t need coaching in today’s busy world?  Most people and professionals need coaches to take them to the next level in their lives and to make sure the message that they are putting out to their colleagues and families are what they actually want to say. Coaching can help you focus on your message and makes you more enriched, aware, and successful in your daily life.  Many of today's top company Executives and CEO’s have been very open about the value of their own personal coaching including Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Larry Ellison, Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos, Alan Mulally, Bob MacDonald and Steve Jobs.

What makes a great leader?

Great leaders are great listeners and they are passionate about learning the stories of those around them. They are genuinely interested in human nature and they are constantly curious about others. Great leaders ask many questions. They recognize that they do not necessarily need to be the smartest person in the room but they are very talented in putting the right people together to form the right teams. Great leaders are great team builders with vision.

To learn more about Jeannie Brooks, to learn about rates or schedule an appointment, visit Brooks Career and Life Coaching online here or email: JCBROOKS3@GMAIL.COM or call 203-837-0786.

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Submitted by Ridgefield, CT

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