Kristin Clark | How One Flower Mound Resident is Helping People Find Their True Strengths
On this week’s episode of Around Flower Mound, we speak with a fantastic Flower Mound Resident of 20 years, my friend Kristin Clark. Kristin is a seasoned marketing expert, Gallup certified strength coach, mentor, and speaker. She ran corporate marketing departments for 20 years, and, over the last 9 years, has been the most requested coach through Everwise, a professional mentoring company.
Through these experiences, Kristin found her love for mentoring young people, which led to her founding her own business, Kristin Clark Coaching and Consulting. Her business focuses on working with students, helping guide them to determine the right college major, and ultimately find a career that they love, in addition to providing corporate and team coaching opportunities.
We chat about her favorite things about Flower Mound, as well as:
Her company and who she aims to be a hero to
The tools she uses to help students find their way
Her background and how she started coaching
How to get acquainted with your zone of genius
And more
Mentioned in this episode:
Transcript
Nicole Smith Woodard: Today I'm so excited to introduce you to an absolutely fantastic 20-year Flower Mound resident. As you know, Around Flower Mound is all about bringing light to community leaders, business owners, parents and charities within our fantastic community. Welcome my friend, Kristin Clark.
Kristin Clark: Hey, Nicole. It's great to be here.
Nicole: Thanks for joining us today. So before we get into our questions today, I want to share with you a little bit about our guest. Kristin Clark is a seasoned marketing expert, a Gallup certified strength coach, mentor and speaker. She ran corporate marketing departments for 20 years and over the last nine years has been the most requested coach through Everwise, a professional mentoring company.
Through these experiences, Kristin found her love for mentoring young people. Kristin has been working with students to help guide them to determine the right college major, and ultimately, a career they love. That is so exciting. I cannot wait to hear more about what it is that you do professionally, but then also personally. So before we do that, though, first things first, what is your favorite thing about Flower Mound?
Thriving Population, Small Town Feel
Kristin: Oh, gosh, you know, I gotta tell you when we first moved out to Flower Mound, you know, having a six-week-old, the first and foremost what we were looking for is someplace that was just safe. And one of the things that I grew to love about Flower Mound is that, you know, it's a big town with 70-plus thousand people living there, but it has, still has a small town feel. And you can go to the grocery store and see somebody you know.
Nicole: Isn't that the truth? Of course, having lived here for 20 years, what a change. It hasn't always been that way.
Kristin: Oh, isn't that the truth? I remember at first, you know, 30, 40 was a two-lane road and not at all what we see today.
Nicole: Oh my gosh, well, that's too cool. Well, I know you and your family were part of that group of folks who found their way here early on and then just continue to make it the great community that it is. So tell us about your company, Kristin Clark Coaching and Consulting. What do you do and who do you want to be a hero to?
What Kristin Does For Her Clients
Kristin: So what I do is I work with students and that can be students from seniors in high school all the way through to I just finished college and I don't know what I want to do when I grow up. And what I do with them is I help them to take a major. And right now I've got one fun fact for you that I think you'll appreciate and that is the kids today that are going off to college, they take six years to get through a college education, the four year college education, for the most part.
And we all know college right now is super expensive. Yeah. So when I'm working with them one on one, or in my group that I have, what I find is that nobody's talking about this stuff with our kids. You know, we spend more time trying to figure out how to decorate the dorm room then trying to figure out why we went to college in the first place.
Nicole: Right. So and I've heard you speak in other scenarios. What is it, how much does every switch of the major cost, whoever's paying for it. Whether it's the parents that are paying it for their kiddos or their college students are incurring debt, how much is that quantifiably?
Kristin: Yeah, so typically, when your child comes home from college, and they say, Mom, I want to change my major again, it's costing you about 10 grand. And the reason for that is, you know, every time you change your major, that means some of the classes that you took prior to that are not going to fit with the new major that you are wanting to get into. So it's expensive.
Nicole: Absolutely. And so, and I guess it sounds like that also factors in to the six years it takes to finish a four-year degree.
Kristin: That's absolutely right. Yeah, it's about 60% of students that take that long. And it's funny when I'm talking to parents of high school students and saying, Hey, you know, this is what's coming at you. You know, you've got these next four or five years. It's funny because that, you know, people are like, Well, my kid, they've got good grades, they've had jobs, they've got their own car. They're dating. They're doing awesome. I feel like they're going to do just fine. And I, hey, I've been there. I thought that too.
And, you know, sometimes life will come back and kind of catch you. And it's funny, because about two years later, typically, the bulk of my clients, I gotta tell you, that are usually rising sophomores in college where they've come to their parents and they're changing their major again and their parents are like, you know what, Kristin told me this was going to happen. And that's when they reach out to me, which I love. I love working with any of those age groups. But I hate that I couldn't have saved them as much money as I possibly could at that time.
Nicole: Right. But what a great graduation gift to give to your, the people, you know what I'm saying? Like to the people that you love just because you know, but then do you wonder with it being rising sophomores, do you think it almost takes that first year away from home, away from mom and dad's influence, away from the voices in their head that say, I'm a smart kid. I should become a doctor. You know, do you think that that's one thing that maybe makes them more receptive or super receptive to the information at that point?
Kristin: You're absolutely dead on. And you know, what's interesting about that time frame is at that point, they're afraid. And I say that in a very, in a positive way. It's that tension. You know, sometimes you need some tension to go I really need to do something differently. And what I typically see is that they're looking around and in their mind, all their friends and all the people on campus know what they're doing. And they're talking with, you know, this confidence that I'm going to do X and they think everybody else has their act together.
And the reality is they don't. You know, we're all just out there trying to make this work. And, you know, some of the kids definitely, they are on the right path, but I will tell you, the majority are not. At that point, it's where the student says, You know what, yeah, I really do need help here. And I would challenge parents to really listen to how they're saying this to them, that Yeah, I'm gonna change majors again, I don't know. I'm not quite sure.
I think it's going to be this. If they're unsure, let's get them sure. Let's get them confident, because this is a time of life, I'm a huge believer that college is supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be figuring out how to adult. And yeah, we get to go to school and study and learn too, but there's so much more that goes into it, that the last thing I want these students to do is go to college and not be competent in why they're there in the first place.
Nicole: Right. Well, so what are some of the tools that you use to help people find their way to that, given that, where they need to be, you know, where they can show themselves where their path is? How did, what are some, of I mean, I'm not asking you to give away proprietary secrets, but what are some of the tools that you use to help students figure that out?
Clifton Strengths Assessment
Kristin: So, my favorite tool that I use is called the Gallup Strengths Assessment, or, Clifton Strengths Assessment is the proper name. And what it does is it helps to get people to understand their strengths and what their natural talents look like. And the whole theory behind it is when you're working within your strengths, they actually energize you and then make you happy. And It's fun because a lot of people will say, you know, I know what I'm good at.
And what I love about the Strengths Assessment is that it helps you to put words around that. So my students can walk out and say, You know what, I'm really good at taking chaotic situations and getting people on the right track. I'm really good at influencing people to move forward quickly. And they can actually put words around it, which is a huge benefit to them. And one of the things we work on is it's called a strength script where they can take their strengths, put them into a sentence, and then give an example.
So when they're at a college interview or when they're at, trying to get a job, they can pull this strength script out at any time. I tell them they can pull it out until they're a few years older, more able to use that, you know? And how, and what I love when I'm with the students and talking about Gallup Strengths is how often do we get to get in front of anybody, and much less, you know, somebody in high school and get to talk about what they're good at and let them you know, express that and get excited about that.
I just, it's so much fun. What I call it is seeing the china dry. And not only when they're talking about their strengths, but I will tell you, Nicole, it usually takes me about one session with a student one on one and they lean in, And it's so fun because they always make that, they lean right in and they say, Kristen, I have been thinking about something.
And I'll say what is it? And they'll, you know, tell me something that they've been thinking about as far as a career. And I think it's that trust in that, you know, just openness that I'm writing in pencil and not in pen that they are happy to share and they feel comfortable and I guess, I guess comfortable is the right word. They feel comfortable sharing that knowing that it's not going to come back to haunt them like parents often do. Remember when you wanted to be a park ranger? Oh, my gosh, that was 30 years ago. Leave it alone.
Nicole: Exactly. That's awesome. Well, and you mentioned a couple things that I want to circle back on. So I know you do some one on one, you do some group. Are you in person? Are you virtual? How do you do what you do?
Kristin: Everything that I do is over Zoom, which, you know, it's funny, being in the middle of COVID, so if anybody's listening to this later when COVID's gone, the one thing that has come out of that is everybody is now getting much more comfortable being on video and it's something that I've done for a while but everybody now is kind of like okay, I'll jump on the bandwagon. So, yeah, everything that I do is virtual.
Nicole: I love it. I love it. So you literally can bring this gift that you have, this service that you have to anybody throughout the United States. Obviously, focusing on high school, college students, but even, you mentioned there are adults who aren't sure what they want to do when they grow up?
Oftentimes, Adults Don’t Know Either
Kristin: Yeah, nine times out of 10. I will tell you when I'm speaking to a group of parents or adults, they're like Kristen, I'm 45 and I don't know what I want to do when I grow up. And absolutely I love working with adults too. And sometimes they are getting to a point in their career where they're like, you know what, I don't know why I'm doing this anymore. I'm just not enjoying it. I'm not having fun.
And by doing the Clifton Strengths Assessment, sometimes it's just a twist. You know, it's a little nudge or a little change in direction. It doesn't have to be a 180 where they have to quit their job and go off on their own and do something different. Sometimes it's just helping them to understand what gets their juices flowing and helping them to understand their own strengths.
Nicole: How fun. I can tell you have a lot of energy around this. So tell us a little bit about your background and how this particular gift that you're bringing to the world came to be.
Kristin: Well, I was one of those people that raised their hand at 45 and when I hate every minute of this. What am I doing wrong? And, you know, it's interesting, Nicole, because during my time in corporate America, the only thing that I wanted at the end of the day was to get a seat at the executive table. And I got it and I hated every minute of it and I didn't know why. And sometimes fate steps in as it did here.
And I had a new CEO walk in and he brought his own executive team in. And typically, marketing's the first to go and I was. And I gotta tell you, I drove home with a big smile on my face the whole way to Flower Mound and called my husband, I was like, I'm done. I don't have to go back anymore. And but then I was sitting there going, now what? You know, what am I going to do? This is what I've wanted for years. And when I was networking, I had met a lady that was a Gallup certified strength coach, and she introduced me to Clifton Strengths.
And once I understood what happened, I was like, I've got to share this with people. And truthfully what happened is, out of the 34 themes within the Clifton Strengths Assessment, my strategic thinking themes fell closer to the bottom of my list, meaning I could do it, but they just made me fatigued and tired and they just wore me out. They didn't energize me. What I was good at was helping people move forward. I was really good at bringing teams together and getting them all on the same page.
That was my genius. When I got promoted into an executive spot, I decided I needed to be the strategic genius. Well, guess what? That's not my strength. And, truly, I was exhausted. I hated every day and I didn't, that's why I didn't know why. And it's funny to me that when I was putting in control of what I did, I thought I needed to, you know, be this great strategic thinker and it was the people before me that saw my strength and utilize those.
My previous bosses that really understood my zone of genius. And, you know, and I got put in charge and messed that whole thing up. But at the end of the day, you know, I've had people ask, they're like, well, how can you be an executive and run departments and be a part of the steering committee of the company if you're not great at strategic thinking? And my answer to them is, they promoted me because of the strengths that I brought to the table.
And if I would have leaned into those and trusted those, there would have been a challenge. And, you know, what I do when I don't have those types of talents is I reach out to other people, right? And I can tell you as a small business person, I've got accountability partners and strategic partners outside of my company that I rely on to help me with some of the strategic thinking. And that's kind of how I can help other people too in business is who do you lean on?
Nicole: Yeah, most definitely. Well, you are definitely an expert in being of service by helping people create their own success by helping them find out what their unique gifts are or something you've said, finding their own zone of genius. So why do you think this is so important?
The Importance of Finding Your Zone of Genius
Kristin: I look at this and I tell my students this all the time, when you graduate, you're going to be working 40 hours a week plus for 40, 50, 60 years, you might as well enjoy it. And, you know, right? You've got to be having fun. You've got to do something that you're interested in, which is the first thing. You've got of interest in it. And then when you are working within your strengths, the fact that they are energizing and making you happy to better understand that, you can choose to do more of those activities. And that's the important part.
Nicole: That's awesome. Well, you definitely had some real success, not in the corporate world, but also in the coaching and training world. What do you believe that makes some successful while others may struggle?
Kristin: Grit. I gotta tell you that first year first and second year, it's grit. It's believing in yourself and in your product. And then I'd also say it's getting people around you that are supporting you. I can't tell you how important it's been for me to get involved in the groups in Flower Mound that are, you know, promote you and they get on Flower Mound Cares, they get on all those other social sites and help get the word out about you, you know? I've been a part of the Flower Mound chamber, I've been a part of some of the other networking groups in town and absolutely, those are my people.
Nicole: Most definitely. Isn't it amazing we all, sometimes we think we have to do it alone but the truth is we don't. And especially in our community, like Flower Mound, there are so many people raising their hand saying how can I help you? Which is just wonderful. And that in turn creates an opportunity to give back as well. So I think that definitely makes Flower Mound special in that way.
Kristin: Absolutely.
Nicole: So I understand you're a reader. So what book or books are you currently reading that you would recommend to others?
Kristin: I will tell you it's a book, if you look, saw this thing, it looks like somebody ran over it and dropped in the pool a couple times. And so I've read it over and over, but the name of it is Play to Their Strengths. And what it is is typically to the Clifton Strengths Program is for adults. It's for like 17 plus. But what this book does is it was written by a couple, husband and wife team that have like, gosh, seven, eight kids, crazy number of kids.
And what they wanted to do is help parents see that shine and their kid's eyes by getting excited about what their strengths are. And I love it because it talks about when, you know, when a baby's first born, you're like, Oh, look they poop, yay. And everybody celebrates, right? They get excited. Every step, everything they do, everybody gets excited. And then they hit the terrible twos and threes and you go, Oh gosh, can you just, you know, would you please just get in line?
And what this helps to do is give parents a different way to look at their kids and to get excited about the things that they do well. That might not be conforming but then you can recognize those strengths and applaud them and get your kids just set up for success throughout their life. And I love it. It's a quick read. It's called Play to Their Strengths by Brandon Miller and his wife Analyn and it's just, it's amazing.
Nicole: I love that. Well, you know, that's the first time I've heard that. You know, a lot of us entrepreneur types tend to read from the same genre. And I love that, just, I mean, I'm not doing it right this second whereas I'm not multitasking, I promise, but that is going to be the first thing I do after we end our recording is order that book.
It sounds fabulous. Well that, and then the second thing I'm going to do is actually take the Strength Finders Test again because you have inspired me and so graciously made that available. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love that. Well I so appreciate your spending your very valuable time with us today on the Around Flower Mound Podcast. So how can people connect with you if they want to learn more?
Kristin: The best way is to go to my website. It's kristinclark.com. I made it super simple. And I am on Facebook at Kristin Clark Coaching.
Nicole: Perfect, I love it. Anything else to share before we sign off?
Kristin: I would just tell you that I would love to talk to anybody. I offer my time. I've got a free session on my website. If anybody's curious about either the Clifton Strength or how I might be able to help her kiddo out, I would love to talk to you.
Nicole: Fantastic. Well, thank you again for joining us today.
Kristin: Thanks, Nicole.
