Choosing To Be An Individual Contributor, Managing A Chronic Illness, and Harry Potter

An Interview With Colleen Mitchell, Process Analyst at NAES Corporation, on choosing to stay an individual contributor and managing a chronic illness at work. Along with all that, we have a lively discussion about Harry Potter, which house we would be in, and the Epic Fantasy book she will be releasing this fall.

From discussing women in male-dominated fields to a company that offers quality management training to managing her own chronic illness, this conversation with Colleen spanned many interesting and needed topics.

While still early in her career, Colleen opens up about unemployment, the road to her current position, and how she knows she doesn't want to manage others. She's candid about how she advocates for herself and creates an environment of empathy and understanding for her illness that helps others understand her situation better without undermining her talent. She also provides a wonderful narrative around why she doesn't want to be a manager and how it's okay to take the individual contributor route in your career.

About Colleen Mitchell:

Colleen Mitchell is a life coach, podcaster, author, speaker, and full-time engineer/analyst in the power industry. After a lifetime of hating public speaking, she overcame her fear and now presents at most internal company conferences on topics ranging from psychological safety and company culture to how to handle employee emotions. She's the founder of Inspired Forward, a blog about self-improvement, mental health & wellness, productivity, and type 1 diabetes.

She's passionate about showing people that how they think about things determines how they experience them. Colleen has lost 65 pounds as a type 1 diabetic, learned how to manage her anxiety, and transformed her relationship with herself just by understanding that thoughts cause feelings.

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