Coaching Leaders Who Want More: An Interview with Tammy Alvarez, CEO of Career Winners Circle

Tammy Alvarez, CEO of Career Winners Circle, is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and inspirational coach. With decades of C-suite experience, Tammy blends a pragmatic, results-driven coaching style to help leaders unlock their full potential. Her book,  Escaping the Career Trap, Transform your Apathy into Ambition and Never Hate Mondays Again, offers a blueprint for high achievers seeking career fulfillment. Tammy shares her inspiring journey from a challenging childhood, including a period of homelessness, to becoming a successful corporate executive and entrepreneur. She recalls the early stages of her career, including her first job at Manpower as a recruiter and salesperson, and the invaluable support of her first boss. She highlights essential skills like humor, transparency, and humility that helped her build trust and overcome imposter syndrome. Tammy emphasizes the importance of continuously reassessing personal and career goals, having a financial safety net, and the value of stepping out of one's comfort zone. Within the episode, she discusses negotiating compensation, understanding personal value, and approaching career growth with a business mindset. “We all have seasonality. And I think there's been so many things in our lives over the past ten years that have caused us to rethink what good looks like, what success is, challenging the status quo, that if we don't continually check into the seasonality of our lives and our careers and make sure you're running the right race, because you work really hard to get wherever you're going. And, as we know, it's just really disheartening when you get there and you realize, oh, this is not what I wanted after all. “ - Tammy AlvarezKey takeaways:- What you thought was your achilles heel may actually be your superpower! As Tammy moved up the corporate ladder, she began to hide from others that, as she described it, was a country girl who hadn’t attended college. She had imposter syndrome before it became a thing! Over time, she came to realize that the fact that she saw things differently and wasn’t afraid to have the hard conversations was actually why she was so valued.- Make sure you have a Plan B, which includes an emergency fund. Tammy stayed with her first employer for nine years, taking on more and more responsibility. She was in her second job for six months when the boss she loved left and she was let go. She and her husband had no savings cushion. Luckily, she was bailed out by the strong job market, but she learned her lesson to always have a Plan B and backup emergency funds. - If you don’t like it, change it. Tammy shared that she sought to find passion in three different ways: in the work she was doing; in the people that she led and served, and in her own growth and development. When none of those were accessible, then it was time to make a move, which she wasn’t afraid to do.About the guest:Tammy Alvarez is the CEO of the Career Winners Circle and is also an author, professional keynote speaker, inspirational coach, trainer, and epic storyteller. As an award-winning entrepreneur and former corporate executive, Tammy believes leaders who inspire courage are at the heart of every successful business. Her spirited “Break All the Rules” approach blends decades of C-Suite experience with a pragmatic, results-based coaching style that helps business professionals create a big impact and love every Monday again.Her recent book Escaping The Career Trap, Transform Your Apathy into Ambition and Never Hate Mondays Again is a self-leadership blueprint for high achievers who want to experience true career fulfillment. Tammy has an unwavering commitment to advancing ambitious business leaders so they can grow their careers as far as their drive will take them. She is the creator of the Career Success Blueprint – the ultimate executive career strategy framework, Own Your Power! – a pragmatic approach to advancing women leaders, and the CEO Advantage – helping small business owners scale without killing themselves in the process. During her twenty-year corporate career, Tammy became renowned as a business transformation and turnaround expert on Wall Street. Her roles included Managing Director at AIG, First Senior Vice President at Bank Leumi USA, Chief Operating Officer at Genesis10, and Senior Vice President at Bank of America. Tammy delivers epic keynote speeches for companies worldwide and has been a colloquium lecturer on various leadership topics at Cornell University. She holds a degree in International Business Administration from American Intercontinental University.Tammy and her partner Steve have adopted an ex-pat lifestyle and enjoy traveling to far-flung places around the globe to hike and scuba dive. They currently reside in Mexico City.Website: https://careerwinnerscircle.com/Website: https://escapingthecareertrap.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammyalvarez/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareerWinnersCircleInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/careerwinnerscircle/Purchase the book: Escaping The Career Trap, Transform Your Apathy into Ambition and Never Hate Mondays Again  Stay connected:Connect with Laura on LinkedIn@Rotters5 on TwitterConnect with Laura on FacebookSubscribe to my YouTube channelSubscribe to my newsletterGet your free copy of Unlock Your Money Blocks Workbook: Your step-by-step guide to unlocking your blocks to financial freedom.Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast does not constitute accounting, legal, tax, investment or financial advice. It’s for informational purposes only. You should seek appropriate professional advice for your specific information.