About Our Team
We’re a career coaching team specializing in guiding educated, responsible, good-hearted professionals through the process of a career change. Our clients vary in terms of age, work experience, industry, and life situation. The commonality is that they feel stuck and want to get their next move figured out. Everything we do supports people with achieving this exact goal. Our career coaching services are delivered virtually (via phone or Skype), and our main base of operations is in the Arlington, VA / Washington, DC metro area.
Alison
Founder and CEO of Cardy Career Coaching
Just Get Me Pointed in the Right Direction Program Lead
Career Direction Clarity + Action Plan Program Lead
Phoenix Rising Coach
Alison, author of Career Grease: How to Get Unstuck and Pivot Your Career, is an expert career coach who has guided hundreds of people to innovative and functional career solutions. She is a practical advocate for achieving your heart’s desires, improving your workweek, and making a difference, all while keeping an eye on your financial success. Her superpower is creating clear structures to guide clients through the challenging process of a career change and to the results they crave. She is the black sheep of her family of accountants and engineers, a rare DC area native, and unusually patient, positive, and kind. A former swimmer, soccer player, and ultimate frisbee player, she loves all things athletic. Her two current hobbies are CrossFit and yoga.
Are You on Your OWN Career Path? Click here to listen to Alison’s interview on the Discover Your Talent podcast, where she discusses the answer to that very question.
I began the process skeptical of the whole idea of life/career coaching and cynical about the possibility that it might help me in any way. By the halfway point of the first session, both feelings had melted away. Alison manages to walk the tightrope of empathizing like a close friend while providing an insightful diagnosis of the problem like the objective professional that she is. I would recommend her services to anyone who is floundering or searching for guidance in life or career.
– J.K., Lawyer
Before working with Alison I felt lost and trapped. I was convinced that I would never be able to leave my job and find something more fulfilling. Alison helped me realize that I am a good employee, and that better options do exist. She helped me make my first cold networking connection, an action of which I was previously terrified. As a result of working with Alison I am more confident that I will be able to find a more fulfilling job.
– R.Z., Technical Project Manager
Michele
Just Get Me Pointed in the Right Direction Coach
Career Direction Clarity + Action Plan Coach
After spending several decades following her heart in her working life, Michele decided to become a coach to help others do the same. She has worked as a manager of volunteers in hospice, as a body worker, and as a paralegal for people with disabilities. She knows that everyone’s career path is their own, and that finding a place where you can be deeply yourself, day in and day out, sets free energy you didn’t even know you had. Michele coaches with a fellow-human-traveler, down-in-the-trenches compassion and harnesses both intuition and real-life experience. She can help you build momentum by showing up to whatever is next, even when you’re not quite sure where it will lead. When she’s not coaching, Michele juggles daily details, sings, writes fiction, watches the Great British Baking Show with her spouse and teenaged daughter, strolls among trees, and reads too much. She lives in Seattle with her family, cat and feral dust bunnies.
Michele is outstanding!! She helped me to dig deep and get to the heart of my biggest fear – being alone. And by not living my life as a whole and complete person, essentially keeping part of my true self in the shadows, that is what I am doing. This was by far one of the biggest breakthroughs I have ever had!
I particularly appreciated how Michele listened to everything I had to say and gave me the space to share feelings and emotions, no matter how old they might have been. She held space for me to really feel safe and nonjudgmental about my words.
Michele is compassionate, reliable, and witty. We hit it off from the beginning and build a very strong rapport, and our work together was exactly what I needed.
– D.R., Facilities and Office Services Coordinator; Arlington, Virginia
Michele is patient, deliberate and warm. She helped me with organizing my thoughts and guiding me on what tools to use to make decisions on what I would like to do.
I get overwhelmed sometimes because all my ideas and talents can lead me down so many tunnels but using paper to pen to write out and say out loud how I feel about certain things, pros and cons and then using my inner compass to feel what’s right.
Michele also helped me see and recognize that energy I have and how it’s one of my (many) superpowers and that I get to decide where I would like to put that energy and who I share it with.
I particularly appreciated how Michele let me be me and was able to filter through things that I think are just my personal quirks. She drew out what those skills were and how beneficial they are.
Michele not only encouraged me but helped point me in the right direction.
Sometimes it takes other people reminded you of how awesome you are to get those next steps moving. I also have a lot things bouncing around in my head so it was really helpful to speak honestly about how I felt about certain careers, ideas, things and have someone help me sift through that in a non-biased way.
– Brittany G., Special Projects Coordinator and Executive Assistant; Washington, DC
Sara
Just Get Me Pointed in the Right Direction Coach
Career Direction Clarity + Action Plan Coach
After 10 years building brands, writing web content, and devising online communication strategies, Sara realized the most fun part of her job was talking to her clients about who they wanted to be, who they wanted to serve, and how they were going to bring their work into world. Her direct, compassionate, humor-filled approach is great for those who want to figure out what they want and then take actionable steps to towards their goals. She loves helping people understand (but, like, really understand) that this doesn’t have to be life. You can climb out of every hole. It might be awkward and uncomfortable at times (in fact, you can probably guarantee it will be), but there’s always a solution. (Even for you.) Sara loves pizza, Tina, Mindy, and the Amys, and The Artist’s Way. She’s also a huge fan of yoga, Friday Night Lights, and (vast quantities of) coffee.
My experience with Sara was excellent. She helped me with identifying my core career themes and identifying next steps in a relationship. I particularly appreciated how she knew and understood me so well after such a short period of time, listened and could translate all my thoughts into a few main themes, made me laugh, helped turn my frustration into action, and was easy to talk to. Sara is attentive, supportive, and awesome. I really appreciated working with her!
– D.P., Director of Finance
Sara was wonderful and friendly! She had this beautiful way of connecting with me/meeting me exactly where I was in the process. There wasn’t anything pushy or condescending about her, and I really appreciated that. She also seemed very intuitive. She noticed right away that I needed to recharge before jumping head first into a major change and gave me a lot of suggestions for how to go about that. I found Sara’s approach to be very gentle, but focused. She genuinely cared and wanted to help me make the best decisions for where I was without adding unnecessary stress.
– B.Z., Lawyer
The Cardy Career Coaching Philosophy
Here are three unique elements of our approach to career coaching.
- Rather than touting one answer, we help you to maximize the career areas that are most important to you according to your personal priorities.
- We address the softer, human side of career decisions. We know that we have to get your psyche on board to be effective.
- We appreciate that you have real world constraints in your life, and we will show you to how to work within these bounds and still get more of what you want.
Our Mission
To support professionals with improving their careers and their lives. To be a positive influence in the world. To deliver exceptional service and care to our clients. To be an extraordinary company.
Ways We Can Help
Free Career CLARITY Guide
7-step Guide to Getting Your Career on Track and Dramatically Improving Your Life
Learn more about the free Guide
Career Change Book
Career Grease: How to Get Unstuck and Pivot Your Career
Learn more about the Book
Career Change Coaching Offerings
Just Get Me Pointed in the Right Direction
Career Direction Clarity + Action Plan
Phoenix Rising
Learn more about Career Coaching
Alison’s Signature Workshops
Create Your Next Career Opportunity Anytime You Want
Career Grease: How to Get Unstuck and Pivot Your Career
Grow Your Paycheck: Phrases, Strategies, and Mindsets You Need to Know to Get What You Want
Learn more about Alison’s Speaking Events
In The Media
Check out the latest profiles, articles and interviews from the Cardy Career Coaching team