We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Porjes recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?
I see many children who are bright and verbal but are not always successful in school. They have the capabilities but they don’t really know how to manage their time, stuff, and information. So, as learners, these children work in inefficient ways and either don’t do as well as they could or do well but are highly stressed.
As as executive functioning coach, I feel it is imperative to reaffirm the importance of the “how” and “why” behind school and life success. We need to normalize the importance and usage of time management, organization, note-taking, test preparation, and self-regulation.
Ultimately, the goal needs to be balancing school life with a social life. This balance comes from the learning and practice of strategies which can increase schoolwork efficiency and reduce stress.
Michelle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was born in Los Angeles and was educated in a variety of learning settings including public, private independent and parochial schools. I attended UCLA where I majored in Psychology. After college, I moved to Denver, Colorado where I earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Denver. My two years in Denver were spent working with individual and small groups on remediating a variety of academic and behavior challenges. I finished my formal education at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida where I earned a Master’s and Specialist degree in School Psychology. When I returned back to Los Angeles, I became a licensed educational psychologist and a credentialed school psychologist.
For over 23 years I worked in the private school world where I specialized in consulting, case management, supervision, leadership, and program development. In 2019, I pivoted to opening up my own executive functioning coaching practice when I help individuals manage their time, stuff and information. I also help experienced educators establish tutoring and educational support businesses that thrive.
In addition to my background in education and psychology, I am the creator and director of the LA Elderly Facebook group in memory of my mom. It is designed for support and exchange of information for those family members who care for elderly loved ones, as well as those who are in the eldercare industry. The Facebook has almost 3800 members–family caregivers and those in the eldercare industry.
I am the proud parent of two sons, Ethan and Noah and I enjoy spending time outdoors and with my dogs. I have trained in Shotokan Karate since she was 16 and I continue to train. In the last few years, I have been able to coach and judge at karate competitions both nationally and internationally.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
After 23 years of working as an educator and administrator in my beloved school, I made the decision to leave. This lead to a major pivot in my career as I decided to open my own practice.
The decision to leave working in a school was not an easy one but necessary for living a healthier lifestyle. I pivoted without a complete plan but this was also part of my growth–to not wait for everything to be fully worked out before taking the leap. I did make one of the smartest decisions whereas I hired a business coach within 6 months of starting my practice. I am confident that this has been a big part of my success. I also made a conscious effort to focus on the narrative that I pivoted for different way of starting my knowledge and not because of something.
I am where I am because of all of the experiences I had leading up to establishing my own practice. I had always networked with other professionals and had established many positive relationships with families and colleagues. Both of these things paid off as I established myself in private practice. I am thankful for all of the experiences leading up to my professional pivot and I am extremely grateful for my school experience of 23 years.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I think there are many things that have helped me grow my clientele.
First, I believe in networking and I will often network without a specific purpose goal in mind. Rather, I focus on connection, hearing what others do, and sharing what I do. I network with many different types of individuals including those who have similar practices.
Second, I really focus on giving my clients “added value” and this is done through ongoing and regular communication and check-ins.
Third, I use social media consistently to share my story and help others. I am not afraid to share tools and strategies that work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.michelleporjes.org
- Instagram: @michelleporjescoaching
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.porjes.5
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-porjes-40b68165/
- Other: TikTok @coachmichelle24
Image Credits
Shlomit Bard @studioslb studioSLBphoto.com