Making a Difference

This interview is with Katie O’Malley, Career Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Workplace Strategist.
Katie is the founder and principal coach of (en)Courage Coaching. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Miami University and a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from DePaul University. In addition, Katie is a board-certified coach from the Center of Credentialing & Education and has a certification from Hogan Assessments.
This interview is about how Katie made it her mission to make a difference, which is evident throughout this interview. We talk about her teen years and interests in leadership and politics. This is all furnished as she explains her roles in students' activities during university and her degree in Political Science.
Upon graduating, we discussed her experience working on John Kerry’s campaign. There is some insight into how political campaigns work. Views regarding politics and how change happens are discussed. Furthermore, if someone is interested in a career in this field, there are good dialogues and suggestions for approaching this profession.
Katie describes why she left the political arena and moved to New York City, where she worked for non-profit organizations. Insight into these firms, how they work, and the difference between working for them and being employed by a profit-based firm are discussed. More importantly, there is insight into career development as Katie reveals more about her talents and interests and how she steered her career.
Katie further describes her journey as she leaves New York and moves back to her hometown of Chicago. This leads to her experiences with the Aids Foundation and commercial real estate. She outlines that these ventures, especially real estate, failed to represent her values and identity. The consequences this had on her are illustrated, leading to a career change. The resolution led to her pursuit of a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from DePaul University.
We cover the program and how it led to an opportunity at the University of Texas in the Leadership and Ethics Institute. She conveys her experiences, and there are some surprises. There is a dialogue on how she furthered her credentials as she became a certified coach from the Center for Credentialing and Education.
Moving her career to the executive program at Chicago Booth, her involvement with the program is discussed. Katie reflects that during this time, she was dealing with the repercussions from her employment at the University of Texas. She describes how those experiences led her to start (en)Courage Coaching.
This interview will benefit anyone searching for a career within politics or non-profit organizations, as Katie relays her experiences in both. It will interest anyone considering counselling as a career, as we cover all facets of the industry. It will appeal to potential entrepreneurs as we cover how Katie establishes herself and her business. Potential MBA students will be interested as Katie relays her experiences guiding students at Chicago Booth. More importantly, it will appeal to anyone interested in career development, as Katie describes, from her mission of wanting to make a difference, and how she grew her career from this concept.
https://encouragecoaching.org/contact/