Certified Professional Coach, Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
This is my story
Hi! I’m Tara Perman, and I am a career and leadership development coach with Ama La Vida. I am passionate about my work and would be honored to connect with you and help you achieve your goals. It might help for you to know me a bit and understand what it would be like to work with me.
Prior to joining Ama La Vida, I worked in Learning and Development for 23 years. I was employed by some well-known professional services firms. Most of my projects were in the leadership development space, where I led the design and program management efforts for conferences, in-person and virtual training. l got to work with incredibly fun and talented people. My work checked a lot of boxes that were important to me – travel, working remotely, being rewarded for my efforts, interesting projects, leading teams, great company benefits, and more. However, over time I found myself spending less time doing the things I liked, especially coaching and mentoring. I felt less in control of my travel schedule. I felt like it was easier to be a working mom when my kids were young, but as they aged, it became harder. I saw my industry changing and I was less interested in learning the new skills and platforms to stay relevant.
Concurrent to this, I watched my husband open a successful business. I marveled at how he stayed energized and realized it was because he was aligning his work with his talent. I watched him advocate for what he wanted and get it. A few years ago, we struggled through a marital crisis that challenged me to the very core (spoiler alert – we survived and are still married). I realized I had been neglecting my needs for a long time. On paper, things looked great. But I had been making safe choices, not SELF choices.
So I worked hard on myself and my mindset. I hired a coach to help me get clarity on what I wanted and how to pursue it. I learned how to stop worrying about choices that made sense and started thinking about choices that felt more exciting and aligned to values. I learned how to move forward, even when I was scared. I realized I could leverage my coaching and mentoring talents as a full-time job and not a side responsibility like I was doing at work. So I pursued my coaching certification and shifted into the work I am doing today.
My Coaching Approach
My specialty is helping people consider work pivots, but I have lots of success helping anyone who is struggling to figure out why they feel unfulfilled or how to address some things that are challenging them in work and life. I work with my clients 1:1 to help them deeply understand their life values, create a vision for changes they want to see short and long term, identify goals and a plan to get closer to the vision. I also help clients address the mindset shifts and roadblocks that show up during this transformative process. I mix my coaching skills and years spent understanding leadership skill gaps to do this important work.
My work is always in service of my clients for whom I give my full attention, listen without judgment and prompt with questions and ideas that were not considered before. I will nicely challenge my clients when it makes sense and hold space when things get emotional.
I also have a few strong beliefs that guide my approach and how I live day to day. These beliefs are:
- We don’t spend enough time thinking about our life values and using them to make important life decisions.
- We often get stuck on a career path that doesn’t make sense later in life.
- Micro-steps are the key to larger transformations.
- A plan without a vision is not a plan.
- It’s important to have fun while working hard.
- Be humble.
- Be curious.
- Be kind.
I will always be curious, take great notes, reflect back on what I am hearing, and let you process out loud. I will push you gently when needed and I will be still when you are having difficult emotions. All conversations come with a side of sarcasm – as I don’t navigate life without humor.
Testimonials
“Tara listened well and quickly honed in on what I needed to move forward with my goals. Her thoughtful questions and approach challenged me to push myself further and helped me feel confident and ready to tackle new opportunities. I return to her advice and wisdom often as I continue on my path.” – Lisa, Lifestyle and Beverage Writer
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“Truth be told, before I started my sessions with Tara, I wasn’t exactly sure what working with a “career coach” entailed. But afterward, I can say that the moniker doesn’t do it justice — or at least that’s my experience with Tara. While career was the focus of our discussions, Tara skillfully opened avenues of thought in multiple areas of my life, giving me a fuller picture of how who we are can influence what we do, providing a clearer picture of places for me to explore for greater fulfillment — both at work and play. Tara also has a talent for using simple words and phrases to explain big concepts and cut through the confusion of this work-and-life conundrum we all are experiencing. The fact that she allowed me to own my ‘a-ha moments’ even though I was following her breadcrumbs was a lovely bonus.” – Lisa, Content Manager, and Storyteller
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“After nearly two decades in a career I loved, it was time to make a change. But with so much of my identity and self-worth tied up in my career success, I was fearful of the void that leaving my job would create. Tara helped me untangle all of the different fears and emotions and work through them in pieces. Her thoughtful questions and guidance helped me to appreciate that this decision was not an ending, but rather a new beginning with equal opportunity for fulfillment and success. It was truly invaluable to have an unbiased, empathetic, and non-judgmental resource who got to the root of what I needed to confront by asking the right questions. I highly recommend Tara’s coaching and know this journey would have been much more challenging for me without her support.” – Heather, left her corporate job to take a pause and spend time with young kids
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“I got great tools and motivation out of working with [Ama La Vida] coaches. Very recommended. I was able to determine a clear action plan over next couple months. Thank you for building great system.” – Lidia
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“Thank you for all you have done. You are amazing at what you do! I truly feel like you understand me and get how others need to process and digest options in their career path. Thinking about other options outside of insurance doesn’t feel scary or unrealistic now and I totally credit you for getting me to that point!!”
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“Tara is a great coach and she actually helped me see what I need to do next to optimize the education that I have.” – Camelia D H.
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“ALV expanded my way of thinking about potential new careers. I really appreciate my coach for listening to my needs and tailoring a program just for me!” – Gabrielle M.
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“Tara was an amazing career coach! She provided the guidance and support at a critical time in my career and helped me get clear on values and goals as I build my next chapter. Ama La Vida’s online events and community also provided additional tips and insights while navigating changes. I would highly recommend to friends and family.” – Shafaq C.
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