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“[What Clarissa enjoys about her career is] seeing the camaraderie with the employees and just wanting to make their workplace better and just learning from the different ideas of people at all different levels. I think in corporations, there’s just a tendency to focus on what the boss thinks or what management thinks. And I think it’s so important to get everybody’s input because that just makes things more dynamic and rich.”
“I focus mostly on midlife, people who are in midlife. I’m also a coach, so I have 1 on 1 clients as well as group. Something new that I’m venturing into because of this is wellness. So just in different workshops around self-care, anti burnout, and I’m starting to seek going into organizations to talk about wellness and employee well-being.”
“And that was around the time when I really asked myself again, okay, this dream that you’ve had to work for yourself, when is this gonna happen? So I started out writing this book as a way to share stories, but also for me to just hear what the women said about what it took for them to let go”
Within the last year, Clarissa was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, and essentially it makes her voice cut in and out. It can be due to stress or over-use, but she never truly knows when it is going to affect her.
It is not that common. What it means is the vocal cords spasm. This can make Clarissa sound a bit hoarse, which is a bit frustrating for her since she hosts her own podcast, Painting Your Path.
Clarissa moved to the SGV from Boston in 1996. She went to school at Boston College but had a strong desire to get away from all of the Northwest snow. She left with her boyfriend and a few friends to make a fresh start after they graduated. Clarissa had lived in Michigan and Texas before, too.
Clarissa earned her Doctorate in Organizational Psychology. She consistently works with aspiring leaders and teams to help improve development and teamwork effectiveness. Essentially, all of the soft skills that lead to success.
There are a couple of different passion projects that Clarissa has. First and foremost, Clarissa is an artist, and she has art shows. In addition, she hosts her podcast, Painting Your Path. The podcast is about being able to create life on one’s own terms. The guests of the podcast always have some sort of creativity or artistic endeavor and are midlife.
Yes, Clarissa is also a coach. She offers 1-on-1 coaching along with group classes. They are classes about self-care, anti-burnout, and employee well-being in organizations.
Yes, Clarissa is pretty self-aware and tries her best to give herself a break or a small reward when life becomes stressful. However, as a multipassionate entrepreneur, it can be difficult to find downtime.
Clarissa actually took a course from a lady named Cathy Heller, who has a podcast called Don’t Keep Your Day Job. After listening to her podcast, Clarissa was inspired to write her book, Painting Your Path. It was right around the time that she left the corporate world. She used her book to share stories but also for her to truly absorb what the women said for her own career.
In addition to Clarissa’s podcast, she does a summit. It can be a single-day or a multi-day event on a particular topic.
In Clarissa’s mind, she believes what stops people from leaving their 9-5 career is the fear that they are not going to make it or be able to replenish their current income. Doubt during this transition is very common.
In some ways, she did. Clarissa’s parents came to the United States from the Philippines and were hyper-focused on building their medical careers. Clarissa grew up in what she describes as a very typical Asian household that was overly focused on achievement. However, she is very grateful that her parents did not push her to go into medicine. Although much of her childhood was spent trying to impress her parents.
Clarissa acquires many of her clients through submissions and live events that she hosts. Clarissa loves watching her clients grow and take action. Every time one of her clients sells a piece of artwork, she is overwhelmed with joy.
Clarissa believes that they are truly passionate about their art. In fact, Clarissa emphasizes not to do it for the money. Her clients need to understand their “why.”
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Music Credits
Intro
Like it Loud, Dyalla, YouTube Audio Library
Stinger
Scarlet Fire (Sting), Otis McDonald, YouTube Audio Library
Outro
Indecision, Dyalla, YouTube Audio Library
