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

Victoria , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

Like everyone else, the pandemic threw my life for a loop. It wasn’t just the job market collapsing right after my college graduation, which left me unemployed for months. I also lost my grandfather to COVID, who I was living with at the time during the pandemic. It was a really tough time, to say the least.
Being unemployed for so long was devastating. I started at my university, full-time in the fall of 2016. I took summer classes and maintained full-time enrollment, granting me the opportunity to graduate a semester early in the fall of 2019. I had spent, months preparing to join the work force. Perfecting my resume, applying to jobs across several states, attending interviews, only to receive notifications of company “hiring freezes”.

However, during that period of unemployment, I was granted time. Time to reflect, time to decide where I wanted to take my career next.
I realized that sometimes, it doesn’t matter how prepared you are, life has other and sometimes greater plans in store for you. With the support of my family and now husband, I moved forward in pursuing my masters in Clinical Mental Health to be a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Military life was all I knew growing up. My dad retired from the Air Force after 27 years, actually, on my 24th birthday. That meant a lot of moving, a lot of saying goodbye to friends, and being far from family. I spent most of my childhood overseas in Japan, from first grade to freshman year, which definitely shaped how I see the world.

Moving back to the US at 15 was like landing on a different planet. After growing up overseas, everything about American culture felt foreign, but it also made me curious about people and societies, which is how I ended up studying Sociology and Anthropology. But what really shaped my path was losing a classmate to suicide during my senior year of high school. That loss hit me hard, and I felt a strong calling to make a difference in mental health. I wanted to be someone who could offer support, empathy and understanding, which is why I’m pursuing a career in Clinical Mental Health counseling.

I’m proud of my determination to persevere through uncertain times, hard lessons and continuing to show up for myself; despite the self-limiting thoughts about my abilities. My goal is to one day open a private practice that will help others cope with life’s challenges, achieve personal growth and improve overall emotional wellness.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After graduating college and being “man-handled” through the pandemic, I found myself desperate for a job. I wasn’t 100% sure where I wanted to wind up career wise, but I was tired of being broke, lacking purpose and was willing to try almost anything that would keep me out of retail. I knew I never wanted to find myself in that position again and sought a job that could be sustainable through a recession or pandemic (God forbid it were to happen again). Resulting in my role as an Associate Agent with a local insurance agency selling home and auto policies. It checked off my requirements as being a product you’ll always need and fulfilled my sense of purpose in helping others.
I’ve spent the last 3 years as an associate agent, learning valuable communication skills that I might otherwise, not have learned. Operating in a professional setting that taught me book-keeping systems, customer service skills, marketing, and so much more about the world of business.
I never knew how much I would utilize all of these as I pivoted my goals from opening an agency of my own to pursuing my calling as a counselor.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

The skills I learned from working in insurance have been invaluable to my work in counseling. It taught me patience; explaining insurance to anyone, at any age can be a challenge. It taught me the importance of maintaining client notes and records; if it’s not documented, it didn’t happen! I give thanks and credit to my mentors, Ford Bowen and Shannon Hauser, the agents who shaped and guided me to being the young professional I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bettermeupblog.com
• Instagram: bettermeupblog
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-ray-288589147/

Image Credits

Hailey Wilkinson