Everyone on our team has a combination of passion for working with young adults, and personal and professional experience that gives them a broad perspective. We all embrace the values of Independence, Discipline, Professionalism and Pragmatism, and use these values as we mentor, train and coach our clients through their education and career transitions.

Jo Leonard

Jo Leonard
When you sit down to meet with Jo Leonard she will immediately draw a circle on a piece of blank paper. The circle will have your name inside it and everything you tell her about yourself creates spokes, leading from the circle. As the conversation deepens and you discuss your ideas, goals and dreams, barriers and frustrations, the spokes will intersect and elongate, and soon an image will appear. This is how Jo thinks and brainstorms and this is why she is now in her 15th year as the go-to coach for teens and 20-Somethings . When the picture emerges she begins to collaborate with you to map out some goals and strategies.

“I was educated in both the U.S. and the U.K. and I believe that I have benefitted tre­mendously from the dual cultural experience. My first job in the “real world”, at 10 years old, was serving tea to the customers in our family hotel. From there I followed the advice of mentors, family members and my own instinct and have had a fantastic career as a result. Now I find myself in the fantastic position of being able to help others find their own purpose and path. There is nothing more rewarding.”

When asked about her passion, Jo will tell you that she loves working with young adults. In the book “Drive” Daniel Pink discusses motivation, and how we, as humans, have a deep need to direct our own lives, learn, create new things, do better by ourselves and in the world.

I believe that young adults need to feel in control of their education and career planning and be given the autonomy to make their own decisions. “I believe I am so well aligned with this age group because I was myself an intelligent but confused teenager and 20-Something. I didn’t have a specific career in mind, and I wasn’t a natural A-student. But I did have a strong work ethic, was taught to be independent, and I was given the social skills needed to communicate and thrive in social and professional settings. I think my ability to understand this demographic is unique and I consider myself very lucky to have built a career around my passion, guiding and teaching, and building their confidence to make important decisions.

Jo has been asked to train and coach Fulbright Scholars, Ted speakers, university business students, high school student leaders and professionals in transition. She speaks on the power of personal branding, the pitfalls and value of social media, advanced job search skills, and many other topics relevant to 20-Somethings as they try to launch. Her Planet Teen presentation has been widely acclaimed as, “an amazing and truly inspiring day from a woman who is such a motivator. Truly a life altering experience.” True praise indeed from a 19 year old!

Ed Rebele

Ed Rebele

If asked, my clients would say that I have a reassuring nature that helps to ease their anxiety with the college research and application process.

They would say that they feel differently now because I have helped to bring clarity to a somewhat overwhelming process for them.

Parents of my young adult clients would tell you that I am very detail oriented as well as thorough in helping their students focus on both short and long term goals with the college research and application process.

Ed’s intricate knowledge of the college application process and relationships with undergraduate and graduate college admission’s professionals, is critical to ensure that all the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed, and the right balance of target, safe and stretch schools are highlighted. He comes with 15 years working with high school students on their education/college search and application.

Having graduated from Rider University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Ed decided to continue his education at Rutgers University where he received a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology.

Chris Giangrasso

Chris Giangrasso

Chris Giangrasso has over 35 years as an HR professional in the corporate world. In his most recent role as the Chief HR Officer in a multinational organization, he knows how much time and energy can be spent by HR teams not only on hiring talented individuals, but in managing this precious asset, by ensuring they are in the right job for their unique skills and personalities. “To do this effectively we often asked our high-potential employees to look in the “Assessment Mirror” and work with a coach mentor to figure out what was working and what wasn’t.

“My goal working at Jo Leonard & Co. is to reinforce how vital it is to look in the personal and professional assessment “mirror” not only to uncover career direction, but also to uncover reasons why some jobs feel like a natural fit and others do not.”

Fun assessment tools can also provide tremendous insights into how you interact with others, how you approach problem solving, how you handle challenges and much more. The results of assessments are helpful to get a fuller picture of who you are, what you like and how you get things done.

Never are they used for anything but constructive feedback and personal and professional development, which is essential when trying to manage your career. Which, by the way, I am a big fan of! We manage our appearance, our health, our money, so why not our career? So many employees I know have never even considered the incredible importance of managing their career.

So, no need to fear looking in the mirror and learning more about yourself. That reflection reveals the truth, and better understanding that truth is one of the real secrets to success in the world of work.”

Chris has a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Temple University.

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LIFE COACHING FOR 20-SOMETHINGS

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 doylestown, pa 18901, Princeton, nj,  hunterdon county and robbinsville, nj,and serving clients all over the world via zoom video conference

 

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