Good Neighbor Podcast Live

Career Coaching Unveiled

• Garfield Bowen & Valerie Martinelli

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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 Valerie@askvmc.com, or visit askvmc.com.

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Garfield Bowen.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to Good Neighbor Podcast Live. Are you in need of a career leadership coach? Well, one may be closer than you think. They have the pleasure of introducing to your good neighbor, valerie Martinelli, with Valerie Martinelli Consulting. Valerie, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3:

I'm good. Thank you, how are you? I am well.

Speaker 2:

I'm well. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your company.

Speaker 3:

So I have been in business for nine years now. July 13th made the nine-year anniversary. I am a career leadership coach for mid and senior level executives, helping them to land a new role or advance their careers into the next level, and helping them to increase their salary to about $15,000 to $60,000 more on their job offer.

Speaker 2:

Sign me up.

Speaker 3:

Who wouldn't want that right?

Speaker 2:

Listen, valerie. How did you get into this business?

Speaker 3:

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 nonprofit world and believe it or not, right, $60,000 offer from nonprofit how do you go from one extreme to the other? Right, but I was not happy and one of the programs that I was running was a mentoring program for women and girls and I absolutely love that. But that became really the preface for my business, right, and it just kind of evolved over time. And this is where this is where it took me.

Speaker 3:

Right, and I ended up saying to myself why I was almost my own best client, right, like why, why wait? Why, what am I doing? Why am I? Why am I waiting to do what I love? Right, when I I wasn't happy. So I said you know what? It's time, either I do this now or I'm gonna be waiting until I'm what? 50, 60 and I'm gonna be miserable all that time. There's no point. Life is too short for that nonsense. And I tell my clients the same thing. You can't do that to yourself. So started my business and I've been here ever since. I was already writing resumes before that anyway. So I said time to monetize everything and put it all together into one nice package. So here I am.

Speaker 2:

So, Valerie, tell me what are some of the myths and misconceptions of the industry.

Speaker 3:

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 we can do the work for you right, that we are in charge of your destiny and that we can find the job for you and that we can do this and we can do that Right. We, we are here to guide you. We are here to give you a process and steps and to assist you and to coach you, not to say here'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 therapy for someone. I think that's a good idea if they come from a toxic environment. But we, that is not what we do and that is definitely, I think, a big myth in this, just in the coaching industry in general.

Speaker 2:

You said something about busy executive. Describe who your target audience is and how you currently attract them.

Speaker 3:

So a lot of mid and senior level executives. So I do I'm pretty industry agnostic. I do definitely a wide, a wide array. I've worked with engineers, I've worked with project managers, I've worked with sales marketing you name it Very vast array. Usually, linkedin is my target spot and I usually will attract from there target spot and I usually will attract from there, um, sometimes my website right, sometimes a lot of referrals, definitely as well. Um, and I've been able to actually really maintain a lot of the relationships that I've had with a lot of my clients, um, so through the years, you know if they've been laid off and things like that, through COVID, unfortunately, I've really been able to help them again and again and again because we've really built up a really good working relationship and so that definitely always helps business right. So, but really pretty industry agnostic and yeah.

Speaker 2:

So, valerie, have you ever thought of doing your very own podcast?

Speaker 3:

No, I guess yes and no, right, like the thought crossed my mind, and then I never actually did it, so maybe one day I will.

Speaker 2:

Now you seem like a very busy person outside of work. What do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3:

movies. I love to binge on things like Netflix or a good Amazon series or a good Apple TV series. Right now, apple, I've been watching presumed innocent. I've been watching like one to two 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 rest for me, because I'm only on like the third episode.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, netflix is dangerous. I have to pick movies sometimes because you start watching the series and you find yourself going to bed at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Speaker 3:

Now I want you to tell our listeners one thing, if nothing else one thing they should remember about Valerie Martinelli Consulting I really am a job seeker advocate. So, you know, I really feel like when I coach someone, I will really be your advocate. I am not here to work against you, I am not here to do the work for you, but I am here to work with you. Right? I am here to be your advocate because I really believe that that's what a lot of people need right now.

Speaker 3:

I think a lot of people are feeling wronged because the market is tough right now and I think that people need an advocate, they need someone in their corner and they need to know that someone actually cares about them. So when I coach someone, I really dig in deep and I actually do care. So I think that that's something 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 very warm process and I'm a very warm person and that's just how I like to do business our listeners here have one word on their lips now, and that's how?

Speaker 2:

how can I get more information on the matinelli consulting?

Speaker 3:

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 at askaskvmccom. Or you can just send me a message on.

Speaker 2:

LinkedIn. Is there, like a phone number, a website you'd like to share?

Speaker 3:

Yep, my website is askvmccom.

Speaker 2:

Okay, listen, valerie, it's been a pleasure having you on the show. I wish you and your company the very best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPLivecom. That's GNPLivecom, or call 877-934-3302.