Do You need a change, a pivot in your career? - Interview with Dina Schmid Etiquette and Public Speaking Coach

To learn more about your host, Danielle Moga, bit.ly/DANIELLEMOGA Dina Schmid is a certified etiquette consultant and public speaking coach who owns Queen City Etiquette. She works with students and adults so that they can present themselves with confidence in any situation. She has been spreading etiquette throughout Cincinnati for over two years, with appearances on local TV Shows, radio and in the newspaper. More recently, she has begun broadening her reach by offering public speaking and interview coaching over the internet. Her technical background as an engineer, combined with etiquette training provide a unique set of skills that have helped students gain confidence in their personal and professional lives. My story is how I have transformed from engineer, to SAHM, to etiquette instructor and public speaking coach who owns her own business (with a stop as a 43 year old intern along the way). It took me many years to get to where I am today, which is where I believe I belong. Dina began her career as a chemical engineer with Procter & Gamble over 25 years ago, but ended up a SAHM after she and her husband started pursing adoption of a third child. While it was  a surprise to her college friends that she'd stopped working, in some ways it was a relief for Dina, as she had never really enjoyed engineering. She ended up homeschooling her children, leading Girl Scout troops for 10 years and teaching science programs in schools and a homeschool coop, which nurtured a love for teaching. When she stopped homeschooling her youngest 3.5 years ago, she decided it was time to re-enter the workforce. She initially looked at going back into engineering, but found herself in a strange limbo of being simultaneously over and under qualified for available jobs - that she wasn't even interested in! In an effort to build up a resume and add other skills, she became a 43 year old intern on a political campaign. Dina had always been good at helping people with resumes and interviewing, and when she added in her knowledge of how people learn she was successfully able to help the candidate prepare for a televised political debate. Around the same time, her sister and a friend in another state had their children enrolled in etiquette classes, but she was unable to find classes locally for her own children. That set the ball rolling as she realized that this was where business opportunity was going to intersect with her skills and passion, and Queen City Etiquette was born.  This former engineer has had to learn a lot about marketing and running a business, but it has all been worth it.