Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karen Swamy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Karen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?

Very early in my corporate career, I worked on a small team of very competitive people. Looking back, the team leader likely encouraged this competition, believing it would bring out the best in everyone, but it really didn’t. It created a vibe where people angled for recognition, advancement, and promotion. People had a scarcity mindset, and the team members did not gel. Going to work in this environment was not enjoyable. Although I saw this team dynamic unfolding, I also felt I was an active part of it. I wasted time and energy in that game, also jockeying for some advantage. I would try to talk like them. Corporate speak. Ugh. Cringe. I’ll tell you, that it is a dead end. Don’t do it. When you work on a team, you will pay attention to the people around you. And you’ll notice who is a positive energy and who brings a negative energy. And you will see times when the negative energy gets rewarded, and the positive doesn’t. It happens all the time. But what’s important is not to go to that side. You absolutely must understand who you are, what your strengths are, and what value you bring to a situation. Instead of fitting yourself into a situation, think about what kind of situation can benefit most from who you are, what you know, what you can do, and how you can make an impact. This is incredibly important. Don’t stuff yourself into other people’s boxes. Get yourself into an environment where you can be fully you and thrive.

Karen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Karen Swamy, master-certified professional coach and proud owner of Real Mind Shift, a boutique mindset and confidence coaching practice based in Atlanta, GA, serving clients nationwide. I help people who are making life transitions get clear, feel confident, and be ready for what’s next in WHATEVER they want to do. My clients are primarily women who are contemplating changing jobs, starting new businesses, struggling with balancing career advancement and parenting, entering the empty nest stage, and otherwise feel the pull to reimagine their lives. I’m on a mission to be a guide for those who are committed to making positive changes in their lives discover what they want for themselves and create a life that really lights them up, on their own terms.

The kind of coaching I deliver falls under the umbrella of life coaching, which is a relatively new field of practice, but one that has been long overdue. Coaching is a perfect solution if you don’t need the clinical approach of traditional therapies but want more than just friendly advice from loved ones about how to achieve your highest success. I use a coaching methodology that is very discovery based. I walk you through a process to identify what you want, describe your future success (really see it and feel it), look at what’s holding you back, and define the steps needed to set yourself in positive motion. I go along side you as a partner as you set out on your chosen path.

When you enter my zone, you are center stage. I am 100% dedicated to your agenda. The most amazing result that comes from coaching is confidence. Confidence happens when you invest in yourself, become more self- aware, achieve small wins again and again, and expand your impact in this world. Over time you start to develop a new relationship with the thoughts in your head. You start shifting from “I can’t” to “yes, I can” and from “this is too overwhelming” to “I just break it down into small steps.” Some people come to my coaching for just a few sessions, others are longer term because they continue to get a value as their journey unfolds.

I offer advice as needed and wanted, but there is an incredible magic that happens when you arrive at your own conclusions and the light bulbs turn on. You see connections and ideas and potential solutions that you didn’t see before. This all happens when we work together, in a trusting, collaborative kind of way. There is a tremendous amount of value in having someone to talk to, someone who is guiding you, someone who is asking you the questions you need, someone who understands how and when to push you a little bit and challenge your current way of thinking and how and when to provide a purely supportive space for you to think and feel. Not everyone has this kind of person in their lives and as a coach, I am honored to be that person for my clients.

How did I get into all this? I’ll tell you. I got into it because I needed the energetic, creative outlet. I did it for myself. Once I turned 50, I found myself getting frustrated at a lot of things I saw going on around me. I saw people all around me, particularly women, living their lives for others, struggling trying to keep up with the home, chores, kids, spouse, parents, family, school, bills, work, career, diets, exercise, and all the demands of life. It felt like we were supposed to do it all and look good doing it. I was there myself, existing day-to-day, living to keep up with a standard, and too busy to even question the standard. I found myself wondering, who is making up these rules of life? I felt entangled in it all. And then, I just got done with it. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but I decided I want to be about helping people break free of limiting patterns, self-doubt, and lethargy. Real Mind Shift is my rebellion. It’s my expression. It’s my creative endeavor where I am rewiring my own mindset and crafting my new reality as I support others in doing the same. I’m continually learning and growing and expanding. I’m creating a community of like-minded people who want to do the same.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I love this stage of life. I’m here to tell you that it’s good. If anyone tells you it’s a drag growing older, please stop and question it for yourself. Ask yourself, “is that really true?” Don’t be afraid of growing up, growing wise, and growing aware. It’s in this stage of life where I’m applying new filters on all the lessons. I’m expanding my interpretation of the “rights” and “wrongs” I’ve been taught. Here are a few:

• “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself” – I get it, I really do, but this is not realistic, and I’ve had to unlearn it. You can’t do everything yourself; it’s not possible. And to think you always have the best answer or know the best way is not necessarily true. I know it’s easy to get burned, we all have. Getting ghosted, people not showing up on time or at all, errors, miscommunication, missed deadlines, and the like. Unreliable friends, family, or coworkers. But the game of life is just not designed in a way where we do it all solo. You need to rely on people, but they should be trustworthy people. People who you have experience with that have shown themselves to be reliable. Instead of pouring hours and hours into doing things yourself, pour some calories into finding people you trust that you can partner with to accomplish great things together.
• Stop the comparisons with other people’s gifts and talents. Just stop doing it. I don’t know how else to say it. Take it from me. Comparing your talents and skills with those of others and then making a value judgment on that is a dead end. Be inspired by others, be motivated by others, let others mentor you, let others show you how they did it, but stop at the point of assigning a higher value to them than to yourself. You don’t need to own other people’s talents and gifts. You have your own. Stop wanting theirs. For every minute you envy theirs, you’re not unearthing your own. It took me far too long to internalize this. I get it now and I preach it. If you want to feel free, stop comparing your value to someone else’s. Artists and creatives may be particularly susceptible to imposter syndrome, which is a flavor of comparing value. If you suffer from imposter syndrome, one way out is to shut out all the noise, look at your art and ask yourself if you are proud of it. Given everything it took to create, are you proud of it? That’s what matters.
• Respect yourself and teach others to respect you by establishing healthy boundaries. I used to think doing selflessly for others all the time was how to earn respect and value. Not true. That only gets you on a hamster wheel of never-ending work, favors, to-dos, and living for other people’s priorities. I’m currently reading “Set Boundaries, Find Peace” by Nedra Glover Tawwab and it’s a masterclass on this topic. Highly recommended if you feel you need to get more comfortable with maintaining boundaries. Tawwab talks about how boundaries are essential for self-care and personal growth. They’ll help you protect your emotional energy, manage stress, and prevent burnout. Without boundaries, we start feeling overwhelmed, resentful, and disconnected from ourselves. In my coaching practice, I make it a point to inquire about this area, which is essential to goal achievement, and together we explore how to establish and maintain healthy boundaries that will set them free.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

All in all, I would. My undergraduate degree is in psychology from Skidmore College and my graduate training is in human resource development from Rollins College. I have two decades experience leading training and leadership development initiatives for hundreds of high potential employees in a global corporation. I’ve worked to understand the building blocks of what makes people successful in a work environment and helped people successfully climb the corporate ladder. During the pandemic, I completed the Creative Catalyst program by the UNC School of the Arts. This program equips artists with critical skills in leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It offers a robust curriculum over 30 weeks, focusing on practical knowledge and strategies to foster successful careers in the arts. All very good stuff. But playing the “going back” game can be dangerous for your mind because you just can’t change the past and it can be tempting to think about the road not taken. But what’s more powerful is asking, “What can I do with all these pieces of my life that I’ve accumulated so far?” Your life is a rich tapestry of experiences – jobs, relationships, decisions, places you’ve lived, people you’ve connected with, the mistakes, the victories, the challenges, the wisdom you’ve gained. Look at all of it without judgment. It’s all part of your life’s training. Then ask yourself, “Where do I go from here?”

Life comes to us in two phases. Phase one is everything up to now. Phase two is everything from now until the end, whenever that is. How will you bundle the pieces of your past together and create something extraordinary with your experience and wisdom? How do you want to create a bigger impact based on what you know? What legacy will you leave? And how will you feel when you do? By the way, this is what artists and creatives do in such an interesting way. I love to see how they integrate things together. Creative people live in two worlds, they have to. There’s the world of art where your craft is at the forefront. You’re constantly thinking about the medium, you have ideas running through your head, curiosities left and right. You’re engrossed in the making of your craft and suddenly hours have gone by. But you also live in this world where there are structures and expectations. Rent and mortgages. Bills to be paid. Artists must be bi-lingual this way. Your art and craft compels you, but you also live in this world with its expectations. I know this and see this up close. It’s my reality. My husband and son are both musicians, music writers, and producer- engineers. These worlds must be kept in balance, both within yourself, within a family, and within a household. I suppose within a community and society as well. With Real Mind Shift, I’m thrilled to bring my expertise in adult learning, development, growth and success to a new audience of people ready to make big life moves and want the inspiration, confidence, and courage to make the leap. New job, new career, new business, new relationship, and even a new or rediscovered sense of purpose. Every person’s life contains their own unique set of varied experiences. My job is to learn what they really want for themselves and help them get there. In this sense, Real Mind Shift is my canvas. It’s my way of taking the pieces of my education and work history and putting them to the best and highest use that brings a value to other people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.realmindshift.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenswamy

Image Credits

First headshot photo by Brelan Butler