Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alice Yeh. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alice, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Growing up, I was told to work hard in order to be the best and that’s how I would find success. So I worked hard to check off all the right boxes: high school valedictorian, Princeton BSE, career start at J.P. Morgan, Wharton MBA, UPenn MA, and another high-paying job at Google post-MBA.
Despite being an overachiever and Expert Box Checker, something still felt missing. I didn’t find the successful “Happily Ever After” life of professional fulfillment and personal achievement that was supposed to be guaranteed with my “perfect-on-paper” background and resume. I was still unsatisfied with my career, struggling to feel like I was making the impact I wanted to make. I felt stuck in a hamster wheel of the same old boring routine of working too much and getting anxious every Sunday for the upcoming work week. I felt unfulfilled, lost, and unsure what to do next in my career so I kept running the corporate rat race over and over.
I’d run until I hit a ceiling, where I couldn’t get another promotion no matter what I tried. Then I’d run over to another job title at another company and do it again. I switched industries. I tried working at startups instead of large corporates. But I kept finding my contributions went unrecognized and were undervalued, which led to burnout, boredom, and a lack of motivation.
I knew I needed to move on but felt stuck, lost, and unsure of what to do next while continuing to feel like I was falling behind. I needed to take back control. But first, I needed to know where I was going. I needed a purpose.
By working with a coach, I learned that purpose comes from the impact you want to have on others. So I took a hard look in the mirror to identify what brings me meaning and where I can make an impact. Combining this with where I can leverage my natural strengths, interests, and beliefs pointed me in the direction I needed.
However, I still had this nagging voice inside my head. It was telling me I wasn’t ready to make a change. My overachiever and perfectionist self said I needed to be more prepared. I needed to be the best and work the hardest in order to succeed. It was too late to start over and all the hard work I’d already accomplished would be wasted.
Fears of failure, rejection, uncertainty, and the unknown almost froze me in my tracks. But I knew that the life I wanted was just outside of my comfort zone.
The key is to take calculated risks and become resilient. The mantra that got me through was: “You’ve been able to find success once, you can do it again.” And it turns out that I had a lot of transferable skills so I wasn’t starting from scratch. It still felt like a risk, but a calculated risk. And I could handle that.
As of today, I’ve gone through this process multiple times when I needed to take back control of my life and pursue a change that would align with my aspirations. I’ve been laid off 3 times and used each one as an opportunity to pivot and reinvent myself in a meaningful career change. I spent 4 years working and living as an expat abroad in Hong Kong, London, and Singapore where I learned to start over every time I moved and became resilient. I took a yearlong funemployed sabbatical even though people said it was a bad idea to have a gap on your resume and this turned out to be one of the most fulfilling years of my life because I pursued personal passions like traveling, learning Spanish, horseback riding, yoga teacher training, and Reiki certification.
Now as an entrepreneur with my own career coaching practice, I have found my purpose. My mission is to help fellow overachievers like myself break free from expectations, ditch perfectionism, and stop settling so they too can escape the hamster wheel and find joy in their work. I want to help empower high-achievers to find not just a job, but an exciting life filled with success, passion, and purpose.
I’ve helped clients take back control and break free from the fear of starting over and the perfectionism that’s holding them back by understanding themselves better and changing their mindset. They imagined possibilities beyond their current circumstances and found the focus, drive, and energy to pursue their dreams according to their definitions of success.
Alice, 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?
I help high-achieving mid-career professionals transition from feeling stuck in unsatisfying careers dreading Mondays to finding the excitement and freedom they desire by no longer settling and playing it safe.
Life is too short to feel anxious and depressed at the thought of going to work every morning. It’s too precious to live just for the weekends. And if you’re spending your time and money numbing yourself by binge-watching Netflix, eating your feelings, drinking too many glasses of wine because you had another hard day, or doomscrolling on Instagram… You’re wasting not only a precious gift – you’re wasting YOUR gifts.
There, I’ve just saved you about 16 years of grinding it out because it took me that long to reach my own epiphany that something had to change!
It’s time to break free from being stuck in the: hamster wheel of the same old boring routine, unmotivated and directionless funk, stressed state of exhaustion and burnout, uncertainty of what to do next, and expectations of what you’re supposed to do.
Through my work as a Career Clarity Coach, I help you uncover the career insights you need, act as your sounding board for new ideas, and push you beyond familiar limits. I encourage to you tackle any fears about stepping out of your comfort zone while providing you the nudge and support you need to explore new career possibilities. I refine and challenge your thoughts and beliefs, creating a coaching experience that’s custom-fit to foster your growth and clarity.
By working with me as your Career Clarity Coach through private 1-on-1 coaching, you can be on your way to find:
1. Personal growth and self-awareness – Know your individual core values, strengths, motivators, passions, limiting beliefs, and fears to make decisions during your career advancement knowing this is the right path for you
2. Career and life vision – Define a crystal clear vision of the type of impact you want to make that’s aligned with your aspirations, values, and purpose so you know exactly what your next step is in your career path
3. Mindset shift that turns self-doubt to confidence – Uncover hidden challenges that could be sabotaging your success and build confidence and resilience as a safety net to easily overcome fears and setbacks and go after what you want with no hesitation and doubts
4. Healthy, holistic work-life balance approach – Banish the Sunday scaries and Monday blues to feel re-energized, inspired, and excited to wake up every day
5. Actionable plans and accountability to set you up for success – Create a personalized action plan breaking down the steps you need to take to move in the direction of your career and life vision towards the freedom you desire
Life is too short to spend YOUR time working in an unsatisfying career, stuck in the same old boring routine, feeling lost, and unsure what to do next.
One of the best parts of my job? Seeing my clients’ lives transform during our time together! It’s truly inspiring, and I want to share one such story with you.
My client’s journey towards career clarity is nothing short of inspiring and is a testament to what can be achieved with hard work and the right guidance. She found a path toward healthy holistic life balance, a sense of a larger purpose, and a mindset she can trust.
But her journey wasn’t straightforward.
When I first started working with Elizabeth, she had been laid off from a job where she worked 80+ hour weeks. She was feeling burnt out and struggled with knowing what to do next for her career. She knew she should be searching for a new job but nothing seemed interesting and exciting enough for her to even want to apply. She thought she might want a career change but didn’t know what to do next.
So, how did Elizabeth go from uncertainty to starting her own business?
Here are the steps she took by working with me:
1. Identifying her core values to help her understand what’s important to her and drives her so she can trust the decisions she makes are right for her
2. Connecting the dots across her many interests and experiences that on the surface may seem disjointed in order to uncover her unique sweet spot of excellence at the intersection of her strengths, interests, needs, and what she cares about
3. Shifting into a growth mindset to see the possibilities of what she could do rather than only looking at why she couldn’t do certain things
For Elizabeth, these changes were eye-opening. She found a new career path that not only excites her but also gives her a sense of larger purpose. Now she’s working on building up her own business where she can leverage her natural strengths, stay engaged in solving new problems everyday, and provide the value and impact she wants.
In Elizabeth’s own words:
“I started working with Alice a couple of months following a layoff from a job that I was dedicated to but that also, after 3 years of excessive stress and consistent 80+-hour workweeks, was taking a notable toll on my physical and mental health, as well as my relationships. Alice saw right away that I needed something bigger than just finding my next job.
I came to Alice looking for support and a new career direction. What I got was infinitely more valuable: a path toward healthy holistic life balance, a sense of a larger purpose that includes but is not limited to my career, and a mindset that I can continue to trust in the future as I chart my unique course through life.”
I’m also open to working on collaborations and available for speaking engagements (guest podcasts, workshops, webinars, panels, conferences, etc.).
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
You never forget your first time getting laid off! I was working at Google in 2018 when I experienced my first layoff. I was actually on my first day of vacation in Trinidad and Tobago when I received the news. I had managed to avoid getting laid off during the 2008-2009 financial crisis when I was working at J.P. Morgan so this was a first for me.
I had decided to check my work email one last time while waiting for my friends to arrive before signing off so I could enjoy my vacation time off stress-free. Well, I saw an email from my senior director announcing some restructuring changes he wanted to make to the teams in his org and people should be aware that some of their co-workers may be going through some difficult times.
Alarm bells went off in my head, and an uneasy feeling formed in the pit of my stomach. But I remember thinking, “Nah… my team’s one of the top revenue-generating teams so we shouldn’t be impacted.” I texted my friend on my team about the email and asked if there were any changes to our team. My friend cryptically responded, “You should talk to [our manager]”…
Now the alarm bells were ringing even louder. I knew I needed to know whatever “this” was as soon as possible rather than wait until I got back home from vacation. So I contacted my manager and she told me that our entire team was being made redundant due to the reorg so I was being laid off.
After hearing the official news, I was in such a state of shock that everything felt numb. After the surprise wore off, then came the anger. I had busted my a*s during the 4 years I worked at Google – chasing promotions that I never got, working hard during nights and sometimes weekends, even checking email while on vacation… I worked so hard just to feel like I was doing enough but clearly it wasn’t enough, at least that’s how it felt at the time.
What was I supposed to do next? I had ticked all the boxes of what you’re supposed to do in life: get good grades, go to a good school, get a good job… Where do you go if you’ve just been laid off from one of the best companies to work at just because you happened to be working on a team that was deemed no longer necessary?
All these emotions, pain, fears, and uncertainty are running through your head – not only around the sudden loss of income, stability, security, and structure but also the loss of identity, status, purpose, and confidence. Who are YOU even without this job?
But I got through it… only to be laid off again at the beginning of COVID in 2020… and then again as part of the widespread layoffs happening across the Tech industry last year in 2023. Yes, that’s right! I’ve been laid off 3 times so far in my corporate career.
Getting laid off is like going through a breakup but with an employer rather than a romantic partner. “It’s not you, it’s me” sounds a lot like “You’re not getting laid off because of your performance but we no longer need you as our priorities have changed…”
It’s never fun to be the one who gets dumped, especially when you least expect it. But it’s not the end of the world even though it may feel like it.
After getting laid off 3 times in 6 years, I learned that getting laid off is not the end but a critical moment to redefine your career and life. Layoffs are not a reflection of your worth. It’s about gaining a new perspective. I’ve used each layoff to do a career pivot and switch industries and roles to try something new.
After getting laid off from Google, I decided to take some time off because I was honestly burnt out and needed to recover. So I planned a self-discovery journey that I called “Eat, Pray, Slay!” to do a whole bunch of things that I wanted to do but never had time for. I ended up taking a full year off. I traveled to Costa Rica, Bali, and Australia. I learned Spanish, started a travel blog, did yoga teacher training, took horseback riding lessons, and got Reiki certified. Even though people said it was a bad idea to have a gap on your resume, this turned out to be one of the most fulfilling years of my life. And you know what? I was still able to find a job after my year off. Not only did I find a job but I found one in an industry I was passionate about: travel and hospitality. So know that you can always find another job. It is only a matter of time. A layoff is not the end of the road. It’s a detour to a better path forward.
Each of my layoffs taught me more about resilience and purpose. Once you’ve lived through a layoff, you’ll know how to handle being laid off in the future more quickly and easily. Consider your purpose when it comes to your next role. Don’t compromise on your values. Focus on your accomplishments, natural strengths, interests, and where you can do what you do best to make an impact.
Shift your perspective and be open to new experiences and growth since you have an opportunity for reinvention. Don’t let job loss define you. Let it refine you. Being laid off is like being dumped by your employer but with the right mindset and actions, you can turn a breakup into a breakthrough!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Being a high-achiever, perfectionism is something I’m still working on and struggling with. I was taught as a child to work extra hard and accept nothing less than As. I’m very results-oriented and set high bar for myself and others. This led me to burnout multiple times throughout my corporate career.
An additional side effect of perfectionism and accepting nothing less than perfect is the fear of failure that I’ve had to unlearn. I didn’t feel like I failed until late in life when I got my first C in college. At the time, I thought it was the end of the world because you’re not supposed to get bad grades at an Ivy League school. That C became the first of many setbacks and failures to come throughout my life and career so it forced me to learn not only how to fail and rebound but also that it’s ok to fail as long as you keep getting back up.
So in order to fail, this means you need to take risks. I’ve learned to keep taking risks and force yourself to get out of your comfort zone. By challenging yourself, you’re learning and growing as a person. Often, as perfectionists, we’re stuck on this hamster wheel of the same old routine, day in, day out because it’s safe. But safe gets boring and boredom leads to unfulfillment. So to break free from this, I’m constantly pushing myself to take risks, experience, and try new things. And sometimes this means not following others and forging your own way forward. Don’t be afraid to follow your gut and carve your own path despite what others say. Identify what motivates and drives you. Separate what you truly want from what you’re told by parents, society, friends, and family. It’s ok to fail because that’s how you learn!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aliceyehcoaching.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyaliceyeh/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliceyeh724
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceyeh/
