I'm, Jennifer Fink,
Founder of Fink Development,
a personal development coaching and advising practice that helps mid-career professionals lean into their authenticity to achieve their greatest career and life aspirations.
"Authenticity comes from the combination of your unique strengths, values, and interests. When you experience the feeling of something not being quite right in your career, it's because one or more of those elements has become misaligned."
Jennifer Fink,
Founder of Fink Development
Our Mission
We believe that life is just too damn short to not step into owning what you want your career to look like. Our mission is to help mid-career professionals, leaders, and founders get clear on who they are and what they want, learn strategies to navigate inevitable and continuous change, and develop skills to show up and live life on their own terms. We are not your every-day "resume-review" career coaches, we are a personal development coaching and advising practice, made up of bad-ass coaches, here to help you achieve your greatest career and life aspirations.
Our Unique Model
We believe that your career journey contains three continuous stages: Clarity, Transition, and Development.
And, we know from a decade of coaching, that working with a coach who's highly specialized in the stage that you're in produces the greatest outcome in coaching.
That's why we've built a diverse Collective of highly-experienced, certified coaches who are specialized in each career stage, so no matter where you are right now, we can meet you where you're at and help you get to where you want to go.
Clarity
The clarity stage is about getting clear on who you are, what you care about, and how you want to show up in the world. Then, it's about taking those unique attributes and figuring out how they fit into where you want to go next, and why. Having deep clarity allows you to show up more confidently and authentically in the world.
Transition
The transition stage is about making your next change as effectively and efficiently as possible. Ensuring that you're using the right strategies, tools, and insights to navigate the journey to your next move, and set yourself up for success when you get there. Having the right strategies can make the process easier, more exciting, and more fun.
Development
The development stage is about creating the greatest impact wherever you are. It's about learning, growing, and developing new skills to show up more powerfully where you are today, and create the opportunities to advance to the next level. There is nothing like knowing you're showing up everyday as your best self, and inspiring others to do the same.
What differentiates people at the top of their career? They have a coach.
Many professionals have been busy climbing the ranks of their career. They keep their head down. They do good work. And, they reach a certain level of success. Until the realize that they've reached as high as they can go on their own. This is usually when they start to recognize that an external perspective, advisor, or coach is what will help them reach the next level. If you've never worked with a coach before and want to get up to speed on what to expect and how coaching can help you achieve your goals, download our guide to coaching to explore more.
Our Founder's Story
Jennifer Fink
Founder and CEO
My story begins in 2008 when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. I had recently learned about the field of organizational behavior and felt that it was a fabulous intersection of my knack for business and my passion for psychology.
Although I was a pretty reserved and introverted person (I still am), I made a bold move and reached out to someone in the field whose work I appreciated. That person was Adam Grant. This was pre-Give and Take, but I can tell you that he was already practicing those behaviors because he agreed to talk with a no-name, 20-something about his research.
I scheduled a coffee chat with him, got in my car, and drove from Florida to North Carolina to meet him in person. Looking back on this now, I think, "how in the world did I have the confidence to do that"? Honestly, I think it was more naivety and curiosity, than confidence.
That conversation inspired me to move to North Carolina and do everything I could to break into the field. I volunteered, without pay, on many research projects. I stayed in touch with Adam. I continued to try to find other ways to connect with people in the field, and stayed persistent on my goal. This eventually led to me being offered a position to manage a new Behavioral Research Lab at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and was the start of my career working directly with many top organizational psychologists like Francesca Gino, Dan Ariely, Alison Fragale, and many more.
To this day, I often pick up popular social psychology books, published in the last 5 years, and see a research study that I personally managed in my lab, which feels pretty cool!
After several years in the field, I started to feel that research was a bit removed and I wanted to make a bigger impact on the individual live's of others. With the advice of a faculty member, I decided to pursue my MBA to level-up my skills, develop some much-needed confidence, and figure out how to advance my career.
During my program, I met with a coach for the first time. When I realized that I spent more time asking her questions than she did me, it was a lightbulb moment that coaching might be the fit I'd been looking for to merge my strengths, values, and interests (the recipe for an authentic career).
I spent the next 2 years researching the coaching landscape, coaching fellow students at the business school, exploring different interest areas to explore where I was most energized and confirm I was on the right track.
During that time, I developed crucial skills to help me launch my career to the next level, become a formal coach, and start my own company. I learned the tools of entrepreneurship, I studied the ins-and-outs of how to navigate a successful transition, I slowly implemented career development strategies to grow my brand and influence professionally and personally, and I trained as an authentic leadership coach to invest in myself and address some of my limiting beliefs.
My career and life started to take shape as one that I was in control of designing and turning into a reality. And, I've since continued to teach others how to do the same.
In 2020, I started growing Fink Development to bring in other talented coaches. Those who were committed to the values of authenticity, continuous growth, and connection to themselves, their community, and the world around them.
I love the work that I do. I love meeting new people (even though I'm an introvert), and I LOVE talking about personal development and growth and helping you achieve your greatest aspirations. Don't hesitate to reach out, when you're ready for more in your life and career.
Professional Experience
- Director, UC Berkeley-Haas School of Business
- Associate Director, Duke Fuqua School of Business
- Assistant Director/Organization Behavior Research Lab Manager, University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School
- Research Associate, Harvard School of Business
- Research Associate, Duke Fuqua School of Business
- Facilitator/Coach, Duke Corporate Education
Education & Training
- MBA, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
- BS, Psychology, University of Florida
- International Coaching Federation, Associate Certified Coach
- Certified Authentic Leadership Coach
- CliftonStrengths Assessment
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
- Institute for Generative Leadership
Our Core Values
When you work with us, we want you to know some of the values that are the most important to us, so you know how we plan to show up, and how we hope you'll show up, as well.
Continuous Growth
We believe in continuous growth, which means that we're constantly learning, developing, and staying on top of the newest insights, trends, strategies, and tools to help you navigate your career journey.
Connection
We care about genuinely connecting with others and building long-term relationships with our clients. We want to be a life-long partners, advisors, and coaches in your career journey.
Authenticity
We care about bringing to life and celebrating the unique strengths, values, and interests of all of our coaches and our clients. That means we offer customized coaching engagements unique to your goals.
Learn How Coaching Can Impact Your Career
Check out the Fink Development YouTube channel for insights and inspiration to own your career journey.
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