Kristen Crockett
Director of Learning & Development
PBS
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
I fell in love with writing when I was five. I had no idea what I wanted to become in college.
I went to grad school for film / video, thinking about becoming the next Ken Burns. During my second semester, I decided I didn't love film / video enough to truly make it the center of my career.
I went to law school, with no intention of practicing law. I noticed that every lawyer was unhappy. I wanted to love my career and so many lawyers tried to talk me about of becoming an attorney.
A friend introduced me to a non-profit where I served as a speaker / facilitator for students.
I fell in love with speaking and facilitation and tried to figure out how to do it full time. As Director of Programs at a charter school, I was able to create curriculum, run a mentor program & teach
I created a company to design training sessions for schools & companies, provide executive coaching, and grow leaders. I realized that relationships and communication continued to pop up for clients.
Most of my friends were divorcing or were divorced, I created communication & relationship workshops, wrote a book called "The Gift of Past Relationships," and developed a blog.
I have facilitated & designed sessions, run a corporate mentor program, grown leaders & coached individuals. Now, I am able to combine all of my past experience into my current role.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
National Cathedral School
National Cathedral School
Career
Director of Learning & Development
I grow people & teams by helping them enhance their emotional intelligence, communication skills & relationships.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Writing
Education
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
On Monday, I may be talking w / a manager about ways to grow their team and help identify their top 5 strengths. On Tuesday, I may be designing interactive and fun leadership sessions. On Wednesday, I may be facilitating a training for 50 employees. On Thursday, I may have a coaching session with an employee to work on developing their emotional intelligence. Every day is different & that is why I love what I do. I am able to implement creativity into everything that I do. I am never bored.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
I would talk to people in the coaching and facilitation industry. Talk to as many people as possible about their path and what fills them up. I would also recommend joining the ATD (Association for Talent Development) as a student member. The annual ATD conference is a fantastic place to meet people and is one of the greatest places to experience being around incredibly creative people who love what they do for a living. The sessions are fun and engaging and spark new ideas for months to come.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"I don't understand why you don't want to practice after going to law school. That is dumb."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
Living for others
