Today we’d like to introduce you to Candice Hunt.

Hi Candice, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I remember graduating from college and panicking because I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. It seemed that all my classmates had a plan; they were going to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants… and they had a real passion for their chosen careers. I still hadn’t figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up! I thought I may want to be a lawyer, so I took a job as a legal assistant at a big law firm and I cried pretty much every day on my way to work for the seven months that I lasted there. Up until then, I had been so successful my entire life- I graduated valedictorian from high school, was one of a handful of students in my college graduating class to be chosen for the college-wide honors program, I had been elected Vice President of the Student Senate…. and here I was feeling like a complete failure. I barely made enough money to pay my monthly car payment, I was living with Mom and Dad, and I was a glorified lunch gatherer who had to walk the steep hill to collect my boss’s lunch. Attorneys threw files at me, only certain color post-its could be used, and the only critical thinking skill I used was deciding when to take my lunch break. Where was the glamorous job that my education and hard work had promised me?

Years later, I realized that these seven months were monumental in my development. I was an arrogant 22-year old who thought the world owed me. The world didn’t owe me anything. Degree or not, I needed to start at the bottom so that I would truly appreciate the view from the top.

I left the law firm and earned my Masters in Education and became an English teacher. When the corporate world called, I answered the call and then spent over ten years coaching and training managers as a Talent Development leader. I climbed the corporate ladder and became Head of Talent Development, leading the people change management efforts for a large merger. Despite the titles and success, I always felt that something was missing.

I began working with a life coach in January 2024 and it was through those conversations where I discovered that missing “something.” I had chased titles and feelings of importance for all of my career. I always thought that making it to the next rung of the ladder would grant me the fulfillment I craved. I remember telling my coach that I was content with my life. She asked, “What does contentment mean to you?”

I didn’t know the answer. I mean, I thought that contentment was the ultimate goal of life. And actually, the more I thought about it, I was quite miserable!

I didn’t want to just be content. I wanted to be happy! Where was the happiness in my life?!

I set out on my own happiness journey, keeping a daily gratitude journal and actively manifesting happiness into my life. I decided to become a coach myself and I was halfway through the program when I lost my corporate job. While it was certainly a shock and I don’t think I ate much for 24 hours, I immediately felt relieved. I actually think I manifested the layoff because I was relieved of a path that was not mine. I had realized my greatest fear- becoming unemployed as a single woman paying her own mortgage- and yet, I was fine. In fact, I was much more than fine; I was free! I felt free to begin trekking my own path, a path that had whispered to me in the past but each time, I ignored the whispers. In one sense, I had reached rock bottom, and as JK Rowling has said, “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” I rebuilt my life in a way that brought meaning and fulfillment to me, something that I knew corporate America could never give me.

I finished my coaching certification and immediately opened my own business. And… I got two clients within a week of publicizing my new business! Eleven months later, and I have now worked with NINETEEN clients!!

My twenty-two year old self would have seen the lay off as a major failure. My forty year old self understood that this was the greatest gift that had ever been given to me; it was the gift of freedom to step into my authentic self and finally pursue my goals and dreams on my own terms.

Sometimes, rewards and gifts feel like closed doors or even failures, but the closed doors keep us from continuing on a path that isn’t our authentic path. They point us toward our true North.

I now help people make sense of their own journeys and find fulfillment in their work. And for the first time in my career, I am truly HAPPY!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

I’m sure that most people hope that their journeys will be smooth, but many find that they are not. The twists, speed bumps, and detours along the way can be challenging, but they truly make the journey. The most amazing gift that we gain from a challenging journey is resilience.

When I was a junior in college and studying abroad in Scotland, I received a phone call that changed my life. My older brother unexpectedly passed away and I had to end my semester early and travel home for the services. I had made the best of friends in Scotland who did everything for me to ensure I made it home safely, but that seemingly endless flight across the Atlantic was excruciating. Second to attending my brother’s funeral, getting myself on that plane and through Customs was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do.

A couple of years later, when I decided to leave the law firm and go back to school full time for my Masters in Education, I had very little money and my parents were not in a position to help me. I received the financial aid package and realized that there was a $12,000 gap between the loans I had been approved for and the tuition that I owed. I called the Financial Aid office and begged them for more money. To my absolute surprise, they answered the call and awarded me a $12,000 scholarship so that I could attend my dream school: Boston College. I’ll never, ever forget their kindness and generosity, and their willingness to take a chance on me.

When I lost my job last year, I felt resilience rising within me. It rose up from the depths of my being and whispered, “You’ve been here before. It’s your time to thrive.” So I started my own leadership development and coaching business and now after eleven months, I’m a full-time entrepreneur. My business continues to grow every day, as does my gratitude for the journey.

We’ve been impressed with Candice Hunt, LLC., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My company offers leadership development training, consulting, and coaching services. I’ve spent over a decade designing leadership development programs and coaching leaders at all levels. Now I work with organizations to help them design forward-thinking people development strategies. My approach is simple: Let’s create places where people want to work.

As a professional coach, I help leaders build high-trust, high performing teams by looking within themselves to identify unproductive thought patterns, realize their strengths, and lean into areas of discomfort.

I also provide life coaching to individuals seeking their own authentic paths. My approach is tailored to each person and their individual needs, but the goal is always the same: to help my clients achieve their goals and dreams through encouragement and accountability. My clients have broken through their unhelpful thought patterns and achieved personal wins that they never saw possible. They gained confidence when public speaking, put up boundaries between work and life, and improved relationships with their colleagues. The best part is that I get a front row seat to watching their big wins!

How do you think about happiness?

The simplest things bring me joy: snuggling with my four-year-old chocolate lab Elouise, the smell of coffee brewing in the morning, a long walk, and laughing with a friend. I’ve grown to really appreciate the simplest and purest moments of joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://candicehunt.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicehuntcoaching

Image Credits

Images by Maria McNeil Photography and Best Frame Forward