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

Marian, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

When I was contemplating a name for my company I knew I wanted something that spoke to individuality and what makes us unique. After becoming a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, I understood the collective value in discovering our natural talents, and leveraging them intentionally to achieve our goals. This is how what is natural for each of us can become a unique and powerful strength. I feel that “coloring” something is to make it your own in a truly authentic way. That is why I chose to name my company “Color Your Strengths”.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a sister, wife and mother of three uniquely different individuals. Becoming a mother before completing college, meant that my career path (if I was to have one) was not going to be a traditional one. For the first 6 years of my children’s lives, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or what my unique talents even were. That is why, when I was offered the opportunity to work remotely for the college I left due to my pregnancy so many years prior, I hopped on the chance. I spent 3 years recruiting students from the NY Tri-State area to attend Eastern Michigan University and loved it. It was the first job I ever had where I felt like I was able to help others to find the right fit for themselves and determine what their talents and passions were. This eventually led me to pursue a position in Human Resources where I began to learn everything I could about the function so that I could help employees to thrive in their careers. While growing my career I had my third child and finished my undergraduate degree. During my 20 years in Human Resources, I coached C-suite and Senior Executives as well as emerging leaders through career transitions, navigating corporate culture, building confidence and helping them to define their own authentic leadership brand. This easily became the part of my work that I enjoyed the most. So much so, that I knew I had finally discovered my own unique talent. In April of 2021, I decided to go back to school for my Masters in Executive Coaching and Consulting and started my own coaching and consulting business. I now coach individuals at all stages in their career, from new people leaders to Executives who are looking to pivot and enter a new phase in their life both personally and professionally. I am proud to support individuals of all intersecting identities as they develop their confidence without compromising their authenticity. I do so by helping them to challenge negative inner voices with self-compassion, reframe self-perception with self-acceptance, and cultivate a positive mindset that focuses on leveraging their natural talents to achieve their goals.

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

When I began my career in HR, I hadn’t yet completed my undergraduate degree and it often felt like a “dirty little secret” that I had amongst my peers. Everyone I worked with held a Bachelor’s degree or greater and many of my colleagues had studied Human Resources Management in college. I was completely self-taught and didn’t want others to know that I was just figuring it out as I went. After my first couple of years in Human Resources, I couldn’t stand feeling so insecure about not having my degree any longer. I decided to go back to school. Taking classes at night for the next 4 years, I finally completed my Bachelor’s degree the week I gave birth to my third child. At this point, I was established in my career and thriving. However, the higher I climbed the ladder, the more I became the only Black person, and often, only woman in the room. There were many days when that ugly imposter syndrome would creep back into my mind and leave me feeling inadequate. That’s when I decided that I couldn’t be anyone but me so trying to mirror anyone else’s style was never going to make me any more confident. What I discovered was that no one can be any better version of “me”, and that my authenticity is the unique quality and contribution that I have to offer. I was finally FREE. That is why I am dedicated to helping others find their authentic voice and leadership style through confidence and executive coaching.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I have been extremely blessed to find most of my clients through old-fashioned networking and referrals. Aware that I best connect with folks one on one, I carve out time each year to attend networking events and in person social gatherings where I can meet with individuals and make genuine connections. I also volunteer a certain amount of pro bono hours of coaching each year and this has yielded new clients over time for me as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coloryourstrengths.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianedmondson/

Image Credits

Lisa Taifa