It feels good to help other people be successful. So this week I took time away from the office for two events designed to advise and support entrepreneurs pitching their companies and graduate students looking for jobs.
Executive Coaching: Investor and Business Pitches
First up was my second round of pitch scrubs this for the Council for Entrepreneurial Development. I was part of a team of "scrubbers", an investor, another entrepreneur, an accountant and me, the communications expert. We watched the pitches and gave feedback on content, business model, messaging, presentation skills, slide design and audience.
It's a cool project because I get to learn about emerging businesses and technologies, and meet really interesting entrepreneurs and advisors. I've done this for years now and it's always fun and fascinating.
Learn more about my executive communications coaching.
Career Coaching: Writing LinkedIn Profiles & Cover Letters

Next was helping PhD candidates in the Graduate School at my alma mater, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, hone their LinkedIn profiles, résumés and cover letters. I talked to two materials engineering PhDs, a cardiometabolism expert, two data scientists and a musicology doctoral candidate.
I love doing career writing workshops. It reconnects me to my first book, The Real Life Guide to Starting Your Career, and I've been on LinkedIn since God was a boy and really do believe in its value and power -- especially for job searches. It's so gratifying to help really talented people tell their stories in a few hundred words.
Click to download the LinkedIn cheat sheet I used in the workshop and a cover letter slide deck from an earlier session at UNC.
Need help with your own executive communications or career writing? Drop me a line! I've got space for two more coaching clients.