Inspiring Conversations with Vannice McCoy of Vannice Consults

Vannice, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a career success coach with a holistic vision of alignment.

A friend of mine asked me what makes me qualified to be a career and life coach. I wish I could say it’s because I have an M.Ed. in Applied Behavioral Studies and I’m a Certified Aptitude Testing Specialist with 10+ years in training and human resources. I mean, those are good, but it’s my personal experience in overcoming YEARS of frustration and stress in my professional and personal life. Yes, on paper, my school grades, income, and marital status looked great, but I always felt like something was missing.

Society designates particular career titles, companies, income and marital statuses as sovereignly successful and even esteemed superior than others. And well, I drank the Kool-Aid. I kept refilling my cup until I realized that success, a favorable accomplishment or achievement, is subjective and must be refined and individualized. Success means absolutely nothing without alignment…

Alignment is a natural and logical cohesive connection. In a nutshell, alignment means natural (unforced) wholeness. Success means nothing without the alignment of your identity, which I refer to as SHOE(2)S. I began walking in my own set of SHOE(2)S and found my own success!

And I’m on a mission to help others do the same! Walk in your own set of SHOE(2)S and you’ll find success, professionally and personally.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been one hell of a bumpy road! Refining Success means unlearning and removing the practice of things that no longer served me. I unsubscribed to many things that once earned me external applause. I’ve unsubscribed to the idea that the following would guarantee me career success:

More money ALONE…
A “better” career title ALONE…
A “winning” resume ALONE…
Another degree or company ALONE…
Working harder and longer hours ALONE…

Personally, I unsubscribed to the idea that the following would guarantee me personal success:
Becoming a married woman…
Submitting to my husband at all costs…
Fast and pray no matter what because God hates divorce…

Letting go of these ideologies was liberating and simultaneously heartbreaking. But I’m grateful because I gave myself the freedom or more so, permission I needed to refine success for me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My business focuses on career coaching and consulting.

Most career coaching businesses focus on getting you more money or climbing some success ladder. Their focus is for you to obtain a fancy job title at XYZ company and get a ## percentage increase in salary, which are all great accomplishments.

However, our focus is for the client to learn who they are as a whole, their identity so that they may seek out careers and companies that align with who they are verses merely trying to fit in. The money and the title will come naturally when you focus on alignment.