Client Case Study

FROM BATTERED AND BRUISED TO BUILT FOR THIS.

Tara came in scarred by a toxic leadership team and a job search she'd already forced once. Weeks later she was weighing a VP offer she built herself with a CEO who wasn't hiring.

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Tara, Career Evolved client

Watch Tara's story

The Challenge

Battered and bruised after a toxic executive leadership team, Tara defaulted to a scarcity mindset and had already run one forced, anxious job search a year earlier.

The Shift

Before any tactical job search work began, she reset to a foundational sense of worthiness, trading pessimism and force for faith and presence.

The Outcome

63 Days: from mindset reset to a co-created VP of Marketing role, chosen over two other live offers she walked away from on her own terms.

Olivia Gamber

A Note From The Founder

Olivia Gamber, CEO

Tara came to us straight out of a leadership team that had worn her down. Five men and her, one of them a narcissist she'd never win against, and by the time she left she was battered and bruised in a way that had nothing to do with her skill and everything to do with the environment she'd survived.

She'd already tried to job search once before, a year earlier, on her own. She called it a mess. Forced, anxious, everything we tell people not to do. So when she came into the program, she wasn't just looking for tactics. She was looking for someone to catch what pessimism and scarcity had done to her thinking before she ever sent another email.

What follows is the arc of a woman who let us start with worthy before we ever touched a resume, who then ran a real pipeline with three companies in motion, and who walked away from money and momentum when it didn't serve the outcome she'd already decided she deserved.

THE RESET BEFORE THE SEARCH

Tara

You know when I came to you, I was battered and bruised and a little bit beaten up by the world. Coming off of my last opportunity where it's just a crazy environment... I came into the program a little banged up and knew that looking for my next thing, I didn't want to go it alone. I needed a community. I needed to get my head in the right space.

Tara

...you called me on something pretty early on and you asked me, are you Tara, are you a pessimist? Well, no, of course not. I always think and know the best will happen for everyone else... but then I think, oh, but the worst is going to happen. So then I have to settle and it's a scarcity fear mode.

Tara

And Olivia, you started me off quickly with worthy. I'm like, yes, I am worthy of this. Like just a reset, foundational... The only thing that stands between me and this thing is time. And when it happens, I'll look back and be like, oh, it was no time at all.

“What happened to me was an event, but it doesn't define who I am.”

LEADING WITH VALUE, NOT NEED

Tara

I said, Hey Charles, I love what you're building... if you don't mind, one thing I noticed was that I think there's opportunity to really elevate the product a bit more in the brand. So I leaned in and gave him just a suggestion. And I said I'm looking for a career breakthrough opportunity, because whenever I would do my outreach with people, I would use that verbiage so that they knew, I'm not just asking you to help me find a job.

Olivia Gamber

And so that job wasn't posted, right?

Tara

No, they had something similar posted, but essentially they weren't finding the right person. And then I helped them shape this.

Tara

I come in then and I did the doctor framework. I would listen, but then I would say, yes, there's absolutely an opportunity here to do this. And so I gave them some tangible value and the conversation just kept going... it was almost more of like consultant perspective. So the trust was built very quickly. It wasn't just, oh, she's looking to get a job.

“There was one quote that stuck with me, comfort zones are where dreams go to die. So when you're uncomfortable, this is where things happen.”

THE ROLE SHE BUILT HERSELF

Tara

I had them in one, two, three order. The third one, they just are going to move at a snail's pace... The second one, I just had to pull myself out of the running because they were going to take a week to two weeks. I couldn't risk the first offer.

The recruiter emailed me and said, you made quite an impression on this organization. The CRO emailed me and said it was just a great opportunity to meet. And then the CEO emailed me last night too, and he said, I know everybody has followed up with you, but I just want to say, you made a huge impression.

Tara

This time I was cool. I'm like, whatever, I'm going to do my thing. And then I'm walking away. I'm not going to overanalyze it 50 different ways. I'm not going to force the outcome. I'm going to be present.

Olivia Gamber

That's you realize what you accomplished in 63 days. It's taking people 18 months right in this market. I mean, you need to really acknowledge what you cut through the noise and got a CEO on the phone on direct marketing.

Tara

I did have a three part strategy where I networked with folks that were in my network and new folks... I also networked with folks in my network who directly were able to get me into their company to have conversations. And then the third part was going and creating and doing cold outreach to CEOs.

“This is the new me and my husband and I laugh now because we're like old Tara and new Tara.”

Ready to Stop Applying?

Tara didn't wait for a posted role. She rebuilt her mindset first, then walked into a CEO's inbox and out with a title she designed herself. Your next chapter can start the same way.

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Read the full transcript

Tara: like when I came to you, I was like battered and bruised and a little bit beaten up by the world. Um, coming off of my last opportunity where it's just kind of a crazy environment

Tara: me, are you Tara, are you a pessimist? Like, well, no, of course not. Um,

Tara: best will happen for everyone else. And I hope for the best for me, but then I think, oh, but the worst is going to happen. So then I have to settle and it's a scarcity fear mode. I'm

Olivia: Wow. That's like a dream opportunity when you get to craft the role with them. That's amazing.

Tara: this job search compared to the one that I did a year ago, like I was a mess last time. I did everything that you talked about not doing,

Olivia: and being in a job search is in production. And that's not an easy identity to go from executive to production. And I'm promoting myself. Right. That's, that's, it's a big lift. Right.

Tara: what happened to me was an event, but it doesn't define who I am. And

Tara: so I came into the program a little banged up and like knew that looking for my next thing, I didn't want to go it alone. I needed a community. I needed to get my head, um, in the right space so

Tara: Olivia, you started me off like quickly with worthy. I'm like, yes, I am worthy of this. Like just a reset, like

Tara: The only thing that stands between me and this thing is time. And when it happens, I'll look back and be like, Oh, it was no time at all. You

Tara: they were spending like 50K, um, ads, paid ads,

Tara: they turned it from 70% paid, 30% organic to the other 30% um, paid and 70% organic. And

Olivia: why you're the leader that's rising and evolving and going to lead the future. There's a lot that won't make it sadly. I don't have faith. Right.

Tara: Exactly.

Olivia: And I think we're hopeless.

Tara: there was one quote that stuck with me too, that, you know, comfort zones are where dreams go to die. And so like, when you're uncomfortable, this is where things happen.

Olivia: And yeah, you have to know these CEOs need your value and want are grateful for it.

Tara: Yeah.

Olivia: And if you're in the, why would they talk to me? You haven't done the work.

Tara: this is the new me and my husband and I laugh now because we're like old Tara and new Tara.

Olivia: what you, you cut through the noise and got a CEO on the phone on direct marketing. That's just, that's phenomenal. I mean, I got to hear the story if you don't mind, like how it all came through.

Tara: a career breakthrough opportunity. And I use career breakthrough opportunity

Tara: my outreach with people, I would use that, um, verbiage so that they knew, like, I'm not just asking you to help me find a job.

Tara: And so I come in then and like, I did the doctor framework. I would listen, but then I would say, you know, yes, there's an absolutely an opportunity here to do this. And so I gave them some tangible, you know, um, value and like the conversation just kept going. And then

Tara: but there was still that underlying thing of like, here's what I've been looking for. So it didn't become, um, awkward when the conversation did pivot towards, well, I know someone that I'll introduce you to. And, um, and several people who did that.

Olivia: have confidence in your value and drive that to a CEO and to have the courage guys that's bold and that's powerful. And I just want to celebrate you. Cause I mean, wow, what a transformation.

Tara: did have like a three part strategy where I networked with folks that were in my network and new folks to where they knew that if they were approached by a recruiter, for example, with the role, if they weren't interested, they knew like top of mind that they could send that over to me. So I had an in with recruiters then. I also, um, networked with folks in my network who directly were able to get me into their company to have conversations. And then the third part was yes, going and creating and doing cold outreach to CEOs

Tara: I was cool. I'm like, whatever, I'm going to do my thing. And then I'm walking away. I'm not going to overanalyze it 50 different ways. I'm not going to force the outcome. I'm going to be present.