Breaking Barriers

On April 26, 2010, I sat in an office with the door closed. Soggy tissues covered my desk. The cells on my Excel spreadsheet blurred across the computer screen. I had hit a wall once again. I yearned for challenges that didn’t involve client phone calls and “grunt” work. I wanted to learn things. I wanted to be useful. I wanted a goal. I wanted to become an actuary. After having spoken with other actuaries in our office, I was prepared to speak with my boss. I thought he would be excited that I had decided to take my career to the next level, to something that would help attract clients to our business. Instead, I was met with resistance. A flat out “no.” I was startled. How could he refuse to support me? I just didn’t get it. Nonetheless, I ordered the necessary materials and started studying for the first exam on my own. It didn’t take long to realize, however, that without the support of my boss, I would not succeed. Other aspiring actuaries in the company were given time off from work to study and a stipend for their materials. My boss’s lack of support turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

On April 26, 2012, I sat in the bleachers at the Penn Relays and watched the college women’s 4×100-meter relays whiz by, including our own squad. It was so exciting to be a part of such a historic competition. The night before, my husband and I were at an Italian restaurant; there was a group of female athletes – along with their female coaches – at the table next to us, carbo-loading on pizza and pasta. The next day at the competition, I looked around the stands and was pleased to see female coaches scattered about. I looked next to me and saw the head coach of our team. Yes, he is male, but he has never met me with resistance. In fact, his actions exemplify quite the opposite. For the past two years he has helped me grow as a coach, teaching me everything I need to know “when I become a head coach,” and informing me of other head coaching positions in the job market.

We have discussed several barriers to women in coaching throughout this blog, and yes, they do exist. However, I also faced barriers – sometimes steeper ones – at my last corporate job. Yet I feel more prepared to break through the coaching barriers because this time I have the support I need to supplement my passion for doing so.