Dr. Colleen's Story
I'm Dr. Colleen and I'm so glad you're here. My passion is helping you reach your personal and professional goals. My purpose is to help you see, own, and showcase how awesome you are--on your resume, throughout your job search, in your interviews and presentations, in your workplace, in your relationships, and when you are alone in introspection.
When you speak to yourself in solitude and about yourself to others, I want you to use words of strength, affirmation, and empowerment. I want to help you be your own best advocate and live a life filled with joy, passion, growth, and meaning. I have a hunch that maybe you might want that too ;-) I look forward to learning more about you, your story, your goals, and how I can help you reach them. Here's a little of my story...
When you speak to yourself in solitude and about yourself to others, I want you to use words of strength, affirmation, and empowerment. I want to help you be your own best advocate and live a life filled with joy, passion, growth, and meaning. I have a hunch that maybe you might want that too ;-) I look forward to learning more about you, your story, your goals, and how I can help you reach them. Here's a little of my story...
My Career Story:
Like most kids, I had a lot of different career dreams while growing up (including being an archaeologist like Indiana Jones or a rock star like my early idols Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, and Doro Pesch). However, two constants in my life were that I always loved to write and to help others. My very first paid job at age 14 was as a camp counselor and I loved it. My love for helping and guiding others later led me to pursue a B.A. in Psychology at Rutgers University (1997) and while I was in college, to serve as a Therapeutic Assistant for teens in foster care experiencing emotional and behavioral issues. Serving as a confidant and mentor for these teens during a difficult time of their lives solidified my passion for the helping professions and I went on to get my masters (1998) and doctorate (2003) in Counseling Psychology at Rutgers University. My own experiences dealing with and overcoming anxiety, panic attacks, and low self-esteem further enhanced my dedication to helping others. For the last 25+ years, I've been working to help others achieve their emotional well-being, personal growth, and career development goals. I had an extensive career in higher education administration providing personal, academic, and career counseling to undergraduate and graduate students, where I ultimately served as Director for two federally-funded programs that promoted the success of first-generation college students. I also worked part-time as a therapist for a non-profit organization for women in crisis. For years I had a hobby writing resumes for family, friends, and friends of friends. I just really loved writing people's career stories in a way that helped them see their professional superpowers. In 2008, I decided to start a little resume business as a side hustle. That side business grew to include career coaching, life coaching, and speaking/training. At the time, I could never have imagined I'd transform this side hustle into my main hustle. But, in 2009 my son was born and a year later, I decided to leave my full-time director job at Rutgers and make my business the main gig. I was craving more time with my son, and this offered me flexibility to work from home and have him right by my side. This decision was one of the riskiest, scariest, and best decisions I ever made. It created a whole new, amazing life for me, my husband, and our son and it's grown and flourished in the best ways since then. Since I began my coaching business in 2008, I've been helping my clients achieve greater happiness in their personal and professional lives. I truly love my work. For the last seven years, I've also been running a monthly (now online) Contagious Optimism Wellness Group, and I also facilitate personal, career, and staff development workshops. Additionally, I teach Counseling Psychology and Women’s Leadership/Social Justice courses part-time at my two alma maters—the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and Douglass College. My early love of writing has also been strong in adulthood. I'm author of the 8-time award-winning, international best-selling book, RESCRIPT the Story You’re Telling Yourself: The Eight Practices to Quiet Your Inner Antagonist, Amplify Your Inner Advocate, & Author a Limitless Life. I'm also a co-author of ten self-help books, including Contagious Optimism, Midlife Transformations, 101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career, and have work featured in the Gallery of Best Resumes 5th Edition. I've written articles in two scholarly psychology journals, blog for the Huffington Post and Thrive Global, and have been featured in various media including News12, RVNTV, LiveHappy, Mashable, Aspire Magazine, TheJobNetwork, InspireMeToday, RewireMe, DailyWorth, PRNewsWire, New Jersey Family, Care.com, and The Trenton Times. Dr. Colleen Georges - Resume |
Featured as One of Exeleon Women Magazine's Pioneering Women Leaders of 2023
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I'm a big believer in life-long learning, so I'm always taking courses to enhance my knowledge :-)
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Education
Professional Development
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Licensure & Certification
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Licensure & Certification, cont.
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Fun Facts About Me:
Family: My family is my center. There’s honestly no two people I’d rather hang out with than my husband and my son. I’m married to an amazing guy, José, who works in higher education and just finished his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership (May 2022). He’s my best friend. My son, Josh, is 14 and in 9th grade. He loves music and plays piano and saxophone. Most importantly, he’s just a really good, kind little dude! I’m also blessed to have wonderful parents and in-laws. Here's Josh's YouTube Channel - JoshPlayzPiano :-) Amusement Parks & Boardwalks: Amusement parks make me happy. The big, fancy ones like Disney World and Universal Studios, the medium sized ones like Hershey Park and Six Flags, the ones on boardwalks like in Wildwood, NJ and Ocean City, MD, and the tiny ones like at annual county fairs. I love rides, parades, seeing people having fun, the food, the music, the nature surroundings, and all the sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and experiences they offer. My husband, son, and I go to amusement parks as often as we can and we also do bigger family trips annually with his family and mine. Cabin in the Woods & Longwood Gardens, PA: These are my happy places. There's a cabin in the woods in the Poconos, PA that my husband, son, and I have been going to just before New Years for the last few years to recap the year, goal set for the next year, refresh, and recharge. Longwood Gardens, PA is the most amazing botanical gardens with endless flowers, trees, streams, and fields. We often go here for my birthday in June. I feel my most euphoric and peaceful in these two places. Rutgers: I first went to Rutgers University as an 18-year-old first-year college student in the Fall of 1993 and I never left. I’ve been at Rutgers as a college student, then masters student, then doctoral student, part-time employee, full-time employee, and now a part-time lecturer, collectively for 30 years. My husband is also a two-time Rutgers graduate who worked at Rutgers for many years. My son was actually born on the very first annual Rutgers Day in 2009, which I believe was divine creation, lol. Rutgers is a big chunk of my heart and my life. I love being in an educational environment and I love being with college students to help guide them on their academic, personal, and career journeys. Cat-Lady: I am the Cat-Lady. I grew up with cats and have two black cats, Kitty and Sweetie, who are my daughters and my son’s older sisters. I also collect all things cat – figurines, wall art, ceramics, plates, sculptures, etc. Our home has areas that look like cat shrines. Nature, Animals, & Bugs: I am the bug whisperer. Well, not really, lol, but I do talk to bugs, I won’t lie! I am that person who won’t kill bugs – if they are in my house, I bring them outside or leave them alone. I just think all living things are beautiful, corny as that may sound. Being outside always brings me joy. I take a walk outside every day (minus rainy days, then it's the treadmill). I love to explore local parks, trails, ecological preserves, botanical gardens, and arboretums (Duke Farms, Leonard J. Buck Arboretum, & Laurelwood Arboretum are some of my favorites!). I love to watch the leaves move in the wind, watch the squirrels chase each other up trees, and listen to the sound of the birds chirping. Nature can destress me, bring me back to a state of gratitude, and ground me in what is truly important instantaneously. Halloween & Horror Movies: I’ve loved horror movies since I can remember, love Halloween, and one of my favorite activities is going to haunted attractions like Fright Fest. We go to a few of these each year. My favorite ones involve woods and corn fields. Music: I can’t hear a song I like without singing and dancing in place. And, I like a lot of songs. If I’m in mid-conversation with someone and a song I like comes on, I become distracted because I just want to sing it! Gemini: I am a Gemini. The Gemini symbol is the twins. And, Geminis are known as avid communicators. This is pretty funny, considering I talk to myself (and others) regularly and wrote a book talking about the two different narrators we have in our heads. Painting: I can lose time while painting. I’m not trained, nor am I Picasso, I just feel joy when I’m painting something. I love using a picture I find online as inspiration and then totally making it my own. The whole process of painting from start to finish is cathartic. My son and I love painting together, especially outside in our backyard. Community Service: I believe deeply in service to the community. I feel it brings us out of ourselves and our own needs and takes us into a state of compassion, universality, and greater purpose to make a positive impact. I've been volunteering in the community formally and informally for over 20 years. Since my son turned five, we started volunteering together because I want him to see service as a must, not an option. Our most prominent volunteering is at our local food pantry and for our town's annual community cleanup. Josh is a service rock star :-) Personality & Perspective: I laugh a lot and I laugh loud. If you are with me, and I start laughing, I might embarrass you by accident. I just find humor easily in things and believe laughter is good for the soul. Because I smile and laugh a lot, and am pretty friendly, I’m often asked if I’m ever not happy. The obvious answer is, of course I have cruddy moods like all people do. I believe in letting myself feel my negative feelings, process them, and let them go. I choose to not hang onto negativity and to savor joy. I talk to everyone wherever I go. If you are with me, and you are in a hurry, I might make you late because I’ll get into conversations with strangers. I make friends everywhere. I just like people. I also believe deeply in social justice, equity, equality, access, respect, love, and compassion. Quotes: I have inspirational quotes all over my walls and embedded in places all throughout my house. I like constant reminders around to keep me motivated and inspired. Motto: "Treat everyone like they might be having a bad day." We never know what’s going on in other people’s lives, so it’s always better to smile, engage with others, let them know you really see them, and offer your kindness. Research: I can research the heck out of anything. Whether I’m looking for information for a client/student/friend/family member, looking to learn about a particular topic, or thinking about buying a product, I will inevitably spend hours researching online or reading books and ultimately uncover massive amounts of information. I never quite feel like I’ve learned enough. I always think there’s more I could find! TV, Netflix, & Hulu: I love television and movies. I admire no-screen people, but I’m definitely not one of them! I save watching my shows and movies as a way to reward myself for completing projects I’m working on. I love getting lost and wrapped up in storylines. Recovering Workaholic: I love what I do, so I have had a tendency to work and work and work. In my forties, I'm learning to take more time for myself to recharge and relax and have fun. It's makes me a better person and professional. |
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Get to Know Dr. Colleen
Listen to Her Talk About Her Background, Coaching Work, & Her Book
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