Evolving Complexity into Clarity

I’ve been spending a lot of time since my last newsletter thinking about a question I have dreaded most during interviews and networking events…”So, tell me a little bit about yourself. What do you do?”

Until I decided to embrace the term “Renaissance Woman” (with “multipassionate” being another favorite), I’ve struggled with this. I am really complex and what I do has varied throughout my career. The answer was probably easiest when I started out working in TV news. I could simply say, “I’m a meteorologist and reporter”. But even then, it was missing my passion for non-profit work and engaging with youth, interests that I pursued as a volunteer and in my side hustle to pay the bills with my meager TV salary.

Over last few months, I’ve been building a Renaissance People Community with a podcast and a book club (called Renaissance Readers) as the first elements. Promoting these things has forced me to repeatedly tell my story to help others understand and appreciate the multiple facets of who I am. In turn, I hope that sharing this process will help other Renaissance People confidently do the same.

Finding a comfortable term that embraced my complexity was the first step in the journey of clarifying my identity. The next step was defining the golden thread woven through all that I do. Last night, my 9-year-old daughter asked, “Mom, what’s a philosophy?” (For context, we were listening to Kristin Chenoweth singing “My New Philosophy” from the musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”). I explained that it was partially like the moral of a story. It’s the way you try to think and engage with the world. It’s the motivation and explanation of why you do what you do. Defining your golden thread does the same thing.

Learning and Sharing

For me, my golden thread is my Renaissance Mindset.

I’m a proud lifelong learner. I love to learn simply for the sake of learning. The field of andragogy (not to be confused with “androgynous”) says that adult learners differ from children because, in order to maintain their interest, adults must see how they can immediately apply what they've learned.
 
But that's not Renaissance People. We maintain a child-like curiosity and will happily dive down a rabbit hole driven entirely because we're inquisitive!
 
It doesn't stop there.
 
We simultaneously have a deep belief in serendipity. We are convinced that, quite often, we will find a place to share what we learned in an impactful way. It may not be right away, but a time will arise. So in the meantime, we tuck it in the treasure trove of knowledge stored in our minds. And when we have the chance, we convey it across boundaries, translating its value for others.

Episode 3 of my podcast, Connecting the Dots with The Renaissance People, comes out next Wednesday. I’m chatting with boundary spanning Renaissance Woman, and fellow career coach, Melissa Vining.

Longtime readers may remember I was a guest on Melissa’s podcast, Job Search for High-Performing Misfits. In it, we discussed “how to build a fulfilling career when your path doesn’t follow a straight line”. 

In next week’s episode of my show, we continue that conversation and really dig into the challenge of telling your story. Melissa shares advice she gives job seeking clients about the value of thoughtfully organizing what you are saying to help others understand you. And this type of strategic messaging is particularly important if you are changing industries/disciplines/sectors and want to connect the dots for a potential employer.

I’ll send another email out when the episode is released with more details.

For now, feel free to check out the other episodes currently available on your favorite streaming platform. And like all podcast hosts, I’d love it if you could follow/rate/write a review to help spread the word!

If listening to my podcast or reading my musings has made you realize that you too are a Renaissance Person, or you’d like to cultivate a Renaissance Mindset, join the community!

Sign up for occasional updates on upcoming podcast episodes and other opportunities to join with other Renaissance People.

Resource Roundup

• Looking for folks to follow on LinkedIn who regularly post job opportunities? Check out the list at the bottom of my newsletters from November 29, 2024 to January 16, 2025.

• Struggling after being laid off? Listen to the podcast, Proxy with Yowei Shaw. Yowei is the former host of the NPR podcast Invisibilia but was laid off in 2023. She started Proxy as a way of trying to understand why she felt so terrible. She began this new podcast with “The Layoff Trilogy”. This series does an amazing job of combining research and storytelling as it address a devastating situation with compassion and generous helpings of humor. This is a must-listen resource if you’ve been laid off or if someone you care about has been.

Hi! I’m Sara Kobilka, owner of Renaissance Woman Consulting.

I am a Renaissance Woman (what’s THAT? Good question! Here’s my answer). My wide-ranging background includes time as a TV meteorologist/reporter, non-profit leader, higher education program coordinator, curriculum designer, and now, business owner. During each leg of this journey, I gained new skills that I was able take with me in my next step. Now, I work remotely with clients to help them confidently tell their story and navigate the transition to the next leg of their career journey.

Take the Next Step

• Follow me on LinkedIn where I regularly share job opportunities I come across

• Watch my free masterclass, Yes, I am a Human to apply with confidence and stand out from the AI-generated mediocrity using my VAST Technique_©

• Sign up for one-on-one career coaching 

• Purchase my workshop Building Community with LinkedIn

• Join my Renaissance People Communityn

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