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

Alright, Alicia J thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

There is an educational progression starting from learning to read, to then reading to learn, to then learning to learn critically and enhance your learning, and finally to implementing your enhanced learning. It’s in the latter two categories that I think we could make huge improvements.

There is a HUGE gap between what students learn in high school and the skills that they’ll need to make the most out of their college journey, and life…Effective communication skills, basic financial literacy, time management skills, frameworks for how to make decisions–the educational system could include (and strengthen) many life skills that would help students be prepared to take ownership of their higher education journey, and life! I’d love to see enhanced curriculum to prepare our students with enhanced life skills.

I’d also love to see schools support different learnings styles and enable guided self-study in subjects that most interest the students. Kinesthetic, artistic, or mechanical projects, for example, could ignite a love of learning that extends beyond reading, and that will last long beyond the particular subject matter of any course.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a senior executive working predominantly in the Silicon Valley, I have helped hundreds of organizations, teams, and people successfully set and achieve personal and professional goals. After seeing the challenges people face when navigating life’s transitions, I am now on a mission to inspire college students to step into their independence and reach their dreams.

With degrees and certificates from Stanford University, UCLA School of Law, and the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, among others, and as the mother of two college students, I know what it takes to crush it in college. I also know how important it is to make the most of the money, time and effort invested in getting that degree.

Focused on the challenges students face to survive and thrive in the college environment, and using practical processes and simple steps that have had success in the corporate world, my clients build foundational skills that will serve them not just in college, but in life. My award-winning #1 best-selling book, “Crushing it in College: Your 7-Step Guide to an Awesome Adventure”, is designed to help college students set themselves up for success right from the start.

My clients have learned to navigate obstacles, turned around failing grades and other challenges; overcome social fears; and graduated with honors and with post-graduate jobs lined up. They know what it takes to crush it; and have created their personal map to develop the skills they need to support their dreams.

I offer keynote and other speaking engagements on a variety of topics such as leadership, setting up a social network in real life, and resiliency. I also offer workshops and courses, as well as curated coaching to people, groups and organizations.

Go to www.aliciajmoore.com to explore and learn more about how I can help you achieve your goals and more.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In law school, one way for law students to get job offers is through summer associate programs hosted by law firms. These programs are highly competitive to get into, because they often result in an offer to join the firm. Law firms provide work and social events over the summer to evaluate the students’ potential and fit, and students also can evaluate whether they would want to accept a job offer at that firm.

On the very first Saturday of my program, one of the named partners, a highly renown and, let’s face it, frankly intimidating litigator, took us sailing on his boat. All was well until tacking back into the harbor, he had to go below deck to check on something. “Take the wheel and keep us on course” he yelled to me, ducking out of sight.

I had never sailed before, and had no idea what to do, but before long I knew I needed to do SOMETHING, because we were headed straight for a motor boat speeding into the harbor. “HELP”, I yelled. “WATCH OUT” I screamed. All to no avail. We crashed, damaging both boats. So while the rest of the summer associates headed home, the Partner and I were with the Harbor Master filling out paperwork. Me mortified, ashamed and, as a poor uninsured student, afraid of being fired and impending economic doom.

I had all of Sunday to wallow in despair, not sure how I could show my face in the office on Monday, and very sure that I had ruined any chance that I would receive a job offer.

Nevertheless, I forced myself to go in. I had decided that although they could take me out of the running, I would not take myself out. I arrived really early to try to avoid people in the office, but as I crept down the hall to my workspace, the Partner’s admin called out, “Alicia, come in, he’s been waiting for you”…

I wasn’t fired. But I had a lot of opportunities that summer to learn how to fail, sometimes publicly. I worked on the (inevitable) lawsuit that came out of the boat crash. I scrambled to juggle the deadlines and rules and formatting and research and writing on all of the assignments (many of which needed rework and multiple revisions as I learned)…Painful at times, and often not pretty. Each time I had to pick myself up and go on. Through embarrassment, and imposter syndrome, and fear, I persisted.

And, in the end, I did receive the job offer.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m in the process of a pivot now! Most of my career has been as a Senior Executive in high tech Silicon Valley: first as a lawyer, then running legal departments, then taking on HR and Administration, Investor Relations, Corporate Business Development, Mergers and Acquisitions, running integrations and divisions…all within the corporate world.

Now I’m a solopreneur focusing on bringing the lessons I’ve learned about how to create success to young adults, so they can set themselves up for success in college and beyond. In one way my current journey mirrors that facing my clients: going from a structured environment to one without boundaries, choosing the right priorities, battling FOMO and procrastination, balancing time, budgets, energy…These are some of the same skills, habits and techniques that can provide a foundation for success whether in college or at any time in your career. For me, there is so much still to learn! But I know how to do that, and I teach my clients how to do that, too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aliciajmoore.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crushingitincollege
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciajmoore
• Youtube: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCbF8bTS7eZHOVRs3iwjA9_g