Terry Duffina, Director, Sustainability Program Office at Stanford Health Care

When I started working with Shannon through The Whole Journey program, it was exactly the support I needed at a pivotal point in my career.

The Challenge

I had spent nine years building and leading the sustainability department at Stanford Health Care, taking it from development through to the maturity stage. But despite my accomplishments, I was no longer being valued - in fact, I was treated poorly, which had started to affect my confidence. I knew it was time to find an organization that would appreciate my experience and give me room to grow further as a sustainability leader. Yet I found myself stuck in an outdated, ineffective job search process and unsure how to position myself for the right opportunities.  I also wanted to uncover insights about my own leadership style to become a more impactful leader in my next role.

The Solution

What stood out to me about The Whole Journey was that Shannon had packaged a program to take me from doing a career transition to onboarding into a new role effectively and all the way through to growing my influence as a leader.

The structured approach helped me rebuild my tools from the ground up, starting with a strong, strategic LinkedIn profile and a refined resume that truly showcased my strengths. Shannon’s coaching style made a huge difference - she was firm when needed, yet thoughtful and supportive, helping me shift from a scattershot approach to a focused, targeted job search. Importantly, she taught me how to break everything into manageable, actionable steps, which kept me moving forward even through difficult moments.

"We then completed the Leadership Circle Profile (LCP) 360 degree assessment which was a revealing and in-depth look at my own skills through the lens of colleagues and bosses compared to how I viewed myself.  "

The Result

Through the program, I completely changed how I approached my job search - no more blindly applying to anything that looked vaguely suitable. Instead, I started strategically pursuing dream opportunities, leveraging my network, and using all the tools I’d gained through The Whole Journey. The SAR interview method in particular boosted my confidence and is something I still use today.

The LCP assessment and sessions helped me to gain fresh perspective after burning out in a role and boss that weren't a good fit anymore.  I was able to get excited about the prospect of leading and empowering others and to see my true super powers as a leader as well as my areas to improve.

Overall, coaching helped me reclaim my value, build momentum, and focus on finding the right next step in a leadership capacity with clarity and purpose.