Taralynn Dorsaint, Finding Confidence in Her Career

I first met Alisa two months ago on Elpha, the same day that I resigned from my job. At that point, I was essentially afraid of everything. I left a secure position during a global pandemic and economic meltdown after establishing myself there for 2.5 years.

I was the poster child for Imposter Syndrome: I didn’t feel confident that I could successfully continue doing client-facing work. Even though I learned, adapted and improved throughout my job, I wasn’t confident that I was any good for any company.

I also struggled with the idea of taking time for myself, of resting and resetting. Even though I took the plunge in resigning, I felt like I didn’t “deserve” or “earn” the ability to step back and reassess my needs.

Leading up to this point, I sprinted between two extremes constantly. I thought if I worked harder and put in more hours, I’d break through the wall of little-motivation. 

That didn’t work. 

Then I entirely withdrew, did the absolute bare minimum to get by without depleting my energy. 

That also didn’t work. 

I knew that I needed to find a balance, and that I couldn’t do it alone.

I reached out to Alisa, hoping to make sense of where I wanted to go next. Over the next month, I knew I was doing something important for myself with someone special and well-equipped. Two of Alisa’s strongest traits are being a soundboard for your thoughts, and asking intentional and thought-provoking questions.

She doesn’t dictate what your plan needs to be. Rather, she guides you towards understanding your strengths and how to implement them towards your goals. I also appreciate that she establishes guiding rules and boundaries during the first session, so that expectations are clear for all parties. It shows respect for her clients and their needs. 

The exercise that made the biggest impact was walking through the results of my skills assessment and outlining how I represent those traits. Alisa is there to validate you through, but also to challenge you to think beyond your comfort zone.

Since my last session with Alisa, I’ve approached my job interviews with more confidence. I’ve been more mindful about how I want to present myself and what skills/traits I want to highlight. I also spend more time trying to find the balance in my all-or-nothing mentality. It takes a lot of sitting down with myself in silence, and being present with where I am. 

I cannot recommend Alisa enough for helping you parse out where you are, and how to get to where you want to be next. 

About Taralynn

Taralynn Dorsaint is a biscuit enthusiast, budding plant parent, and avid storyteller in multiple formats -- respectively.