Career Coaching Unveiled

What if the career coach who could transform your professional trajectory was just a conversation away? Valerie Martinelli of Valerie Martinelli Consulting joins us to reveal how she's helping mid and senior-level executives secure substantial salary increases—often between $15,000 and $60,000—while landing roles that truly advance their careers.

Valerie shares her compelling personal journey from nonprofit program manager to successful entrepreneur. After running a mentoring program for women and girls, she faced the same question she now helps her clients answer: "Why wait to do what I love?" Nine years into her business, she's developed a reputation as a fierce advocate for job seekers across industries, from engineering to project management, sales, and marketing.

The conversation debunks common misconceptions about career coaching—no, coaches aren't therapists, and they can't magically secure jobs for clients. Instead, Valerie emphasizes the collaborative nature of coaching: providing guidance, structure, and genuine support through what can be an emotionally challenging process. Her warm, relationship-focused approach has led to long-term client partnerships that span multiple career transitions, particularly valuable during tumultuous periods like pandemic-related layoffs.

What resonates most is Valerie's self-identification as a "job seeker advocate" in a tough market where professionals often feel wronged or overlooked. "People need someone in their corner and they need to know that someone actually cares about them," she explains. This philosophy transforms what could be a transactional service into something much more meaningful—a partnership where clients feel truly supported while achieving remarkable career advancements. Ready to transform your executive career? Connect with Valerie through LinkedIn, via email at [e-mail], or visit askvmc.com.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, GarfieldBowen.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to Good Neighbor Podcast Live.
Are you in need of a careerleadership coach?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
They have the pleasure ofintroducing to your good
neighbor, valerie Martinelli,with Valerie Martinelli
Consulting.
Valerie, how are you doingtoday?

Speaker 3 (00:38):
I'm good.
Thank you, how are you?
I am well.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
I'm well.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your business.
Tell us about your company.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
So I have been in business for nine years now.
July 13th made the nine-yearanniversary.
I am a career leadership coachfor mid and senior level
executives, helping them to landa new role or advance their
careers into the next level, andhelping them to increase their

(01:07):
salary to about $15,000 to$60,000 more on their job offer.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Sign me up.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
Who wouldn't want that right?

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Listen, valerie.
How did you get into thisbusiness?

Speaker 3 (01:24):
So I started off in a nonprofit world and believe it
or not, right, listen, valerie,how did you get into this
business?
So I started off in a nonprofitworld and believe it or not,
right, $60,000 offer fromnonprofit how do you go from one
extreme to the other?
Right, but I was not happy andone of the programs that I was
running was a mentoring programfor women and girls and I

(01:45):
absolutely love that.
But that became really thepreface for my business, right,
and it just kind of evolved overtime.
And this is where this is whereit took me.
Right, and I ended up saying tomyself why I was almost my own
best client, right, like why,why wait?

(02:06):
Why, what am I doing?
Why am I?
Why am I waiting to do what Ilove?
Right, when I I wasn't happy.
So I said you know what?
It's time, either I do this nowor I'm gonna be waiting until
I'm what?
50, 60 and I'm gonna bemiserable all that time.
There's no point.
Life is too short for thatnonsense.

(02:27):
And I tell my clients the samething.
You can't do that to yourself.
So started my business and I'vebeen here ever since.
I was already writing resumesbefore that anyway.
So I said time to monetizeeverything and put it all
together into one nice package.
So here I am.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
So, Valerie, tell me what are some of the myths and
misconceptions of the industry.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Oh geez, people think that we're therapists sometimes
.
I swear we're not therapists.
That's definitely one of them.
And the other one is that wecan do the work for you right,
that we are in charge of yourdestiny and that we can find the
job for you and that we can dothis and we can do that Right.
We, we are here to guide you.

(03:16):
We are here to give you aprocess and steps and to assist
you and to coach you, not to sayhere's the job, you know and
we're going to get it for you.
We are not that.
We are not a therapist.
Sometimes I'll refer therapyfor someone.

(03:37):
I think that's a good idea ifthey come from a toxic
environment.
But we, that is not what we doand that is definitely, I think,
a big myth in this, just in thecoaching industry in general.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
You said something about busy executive.
Describe who your targetaudience is and how you
currently attract them.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
So a lot of mid and senior level executives.
So I do I'm pretty industryagnostic.
I do definitely a wide, a widearray.
I've worked with engineers,I've worked with project
managers, I've worked with salesmarketing you name it Very vast

(04:21):
array.
Usually, linkedin is my targetspot and I usually will attract
from there target spot and Iusually will attract from there,
um, sometimes my website right,sometimes a lot of referrals,
definitely as well.
Um, and I've been able toactually really maintain a lot
of the relationships that I'vehad with a lot of my clients, um

(04:44):
, so through the years, you knowif they've been laid off and
things like that, through COVID,unfortunately, I've really been
able to help them again andagain and again because we've
really built up a really goodworking relationship and so that
definitely always helpsbusiness right.
So, but really pretty industryagnostic and yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
So, valerie, have you ever thought of doing your very
own podcast?

Speaker 3 (05:16):
No, I guess yes and no, right, like the thought
crossed my mind, and then Inever actually did it, so maybe
one day I will.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Now you seem like a very busy person outside of work
.
What do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (05:34):
movies.
I love to binge on things likeNetflix or a good Amazon series
or a good Apple TV series.
Right now, apple, I've beenwatching presumed innocent.
I've been watching like one totwo episodes every single night.
Oh my goodness, it is so good.
If anyone hasn't seen that yet,watch it and don't ruin the

(05:58):
rest for me, because I'm only onlike the third episode.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, netflix is dangerous.
I have to pick movies sometimesbecause you start watching the
series and you find yourselfgoing to bed at 3 o'clock in the
morning.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
Now I want you to tell our listeners one thing, if
nothing else one thing theyshould remember about Valerie
Martinelli Consulting I reallyam a job seeker advocate.
So, you know, I really feellike when I coach someone, I
will really be your advocate.
I am not here to work againstyou, I am not here to do the

(06:47):
work for you, but I am here towork with you.
Right?
I am here to be your advocatebecause I really believe that
that's what a lot of people needright now.
I think a lot of people arefeeling wronged because the
market is tough right now and Ithink that people need an
advocate, they need someone intheir corner and they need to
know that someone actually caresabout them.
So when I coach someone, Ireally dig in deep and I

(07:09):
actually do care.
So I think that that'ssomething really important to
remember.
It's not just another sale,it's just not another cold thing
to me, it's a very, it's a verywarm process and I'm a very
warm person and that's just howI like to do business our

(07:31):
listeners here have one word ontheir lips now, and that's how?

Speaker 2 (07:35):
how can I get more information on the matinelli
consulting?

Speaker 3 (07:39):
feel free to email me .
I read all my emails.
It may take me a little bit,but I will always respond, and
my email is Valerie ataskaskvmccom.
Or you can just send me amessage on.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
LinkedIn.
Is there, like a phone number,a website you'd like to share?

Speaker 3 (07:57):
Yep, my website is askvmccom.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Okay, listen, valerie , it's been a pleasure having
you on the show.
I wish you and your company thevery best moving forward.

Speaker 3 (08:09):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPLivecom.
That's GNPLivecom, or call877-934-3302.