Welcome to Career Balance Coaching!
You’re here because you’re embarking on a massive life change - You’re ready to renew your career.
People arrive at this place for various reasons. Perhaps you were laid off from your previous position or are experiencing burnout in the role that you’re currently in. You may have entered a new phase of life that is calling you to switch gears (ie: new parenthood) or perhaps you’re feeling done with the 9-5? Or maybe, you’re seeking exactly that. It might even be that you haven’t the slightest idea what comes next, you just know that it’s time for a change.
Whatever the catalyst and however you’ve arrived, we understand that it can be overwhelming to find yourself in this place. Career Balance Coaching is here to guide and support you. An important step in this journey is to acknowledge the fear that you may currently be experiencing as a totally normal part of this process. Change is often scary. The key is to move forward despite the fear, and the fact that you’re here - on our website - is a GREAT start! We can help you tap into your courage, so that you are positioned to truly embrace all of the new possibilities and opportunities that we are about to discover for you, together.
Since 2018, Career Balance Coaching has been on a mission of partnering with people just like yourself - from all walks of life and every imaginable professional background - to help guide you through this career transition process with purpose, clarity and yes, EXCITEMENT. We exhaust every resource we have to ensure that, at the end of our journey together, our clients find themselves on the career path that is in true alignment with their professional and personal goals. At Career Balance Coaching, we believe that when we do work that feels meaningful to us, we live happier, more fulfilling and positively impactful lives .
For a deeper dive into our specific methodologies, we welcome you to visit our Programs Page or our 1:1 Coaching Page.
Accreditations & Awards
Career Balance Coaching is fully committed to our Core Values of:
Community/ Belonging
Inclusion and Value of All
Professionalism/ Respect
Action/ Results
Experience/ Expertise
Clarity/ Simplicity
Fun/ Enjoyment of the Process
Balance / Mental Health
If this resonates with you we are confident that Career Balance Coaching is the RIGHT partner for you to work with as you navigate this career change journey. This is, therefore, the perfect time to introduce you to our founder, Lisa…
Lisa's Official Bio
Lisa's Official Bio
Lisa Plain is a career discovery and job search expert, an ICF certified professional coach, and the founder of Career Balance Coaching. Named one of the top 10 career coaches in Canada, she has worked with hundreds of clients across the globe, guiding them to achieve career renewal and progression. Lisa holds a degree in Human resources, an MBA and was previously certified as a CPA adding both a strategic and analytical perspective to her approach. Prior to pursuing her dream as a coach, she spent 10 years in Financial Planning & Strategy and realized there was something missing in her career. She undertook a journey of self and career discovery to find that missing component and is now on a mission to help others do the same.
A note from Lisa, Founder and Coach at Career Balance Coaching
Hey! I'm Lisa Plain (formerly Petkovsek) and I'm genuinely excited that you're here at this pivotal point in not only your career but your life! I want to take a moment to welcome you and tell you a little bit about my own story.
“I became the Coach that I needed.”
I’m sure I’m not the only one who had a dream of putting the full alphabet beside my name before I was 30 (Lisa Plain, BBA, MBA, CPA, CMA, CPC, PCC, MP-ELI) (actual designations). I had this idea that more certifications and promotions to the “next level” would somehow equate to happiness. It took a lot of late nights at the office, promotions (aka. “success”) and a series of panic attacks, to finally get the wake up call and the courage to explore what else is out there. I don’t regret any of it, I am proud of my path and the personal growth it provided; without those experiences I wouldn’t be the coach that I am today. However, I am IMMEASURABLY happier now that I have discovered my true path.
After spending 10 years in the corporate world, I was faced with a transition point. I was experiencing a period of burnout that was impacting my mental health and I could no longer ignore the call that I was ready for something different. I undertook a period of soul searching and career discovery that allowed me to realize that the missing piece for me was a deep desire to connect with and help others. And undergoing that process myself was the first spark in creating my own career transition methodology. I believe that the best coaches must walk the path themselves before they can even endeavour to show someone else the way, and this was definitely the case for me. I only wish I’d had the guidance and support of a good coach. So, I became her.
"I'm leaving accounting to become a career coach" I told my boyfriend (now husband) back in 2017. And let me tell you, that sentence took a lot of courage. It made it REAL. I was leaving a stable, lucrative, prestigious career path - one that I invested SO much of my own time, energy and resources into - to follow my curiosity. "What will they think? What if I fail? How will I even do this?" were all questions swirling in my mind as I took that first step of saying it out loud.
At this point in my coaching career, I am proud to say that I've successfully coached hundreds of career changers from a vast range of industries, at different levels of their career, in diverse geographic locations. From tech sales in Silicon Valley, to web developers in Montreal, to marketers and accountants in Toronto, to fine artists in Berlin and everything in between. I have helped many professionals up-level not only their career paths but, ultimately, the trajectory and quality of their lives through discovery of meaningful, aligned work.
Through the years that my coaching business has grown, so too has the job landscape evolved. The economy has changed, allocation of manpower has changed, new tech has been introduced (COVID changed our world and how companies operate and people work!), and work/life balance has become more and more a topic of note (if not a whole mental health crisis in itself). As a result of all of these factors, I began to see a growing trend in the people seeking my assistance.
More and more, I was being approached by individuals who had been laid off, as well as people who were taking a leave of absence due to burnout. Their challenges are different as they’re not only managing the job search, but also processing the shock and often shame and guilt that comes with those situations. And just like that, I felt called to further dial in my own expertise, so that I am able to best serve the unique coaching needs of people experiencing these specific challenges. I want to help empower people to successfully navigate our ever-changing job market, while healing emotionally. This can be an especially tricky journey, so it’s of paramount importance for people to have the RIGHT support in place when their recent work experiences have left them feeling more vulnerable.
However it is that you come to us, my team and I will meet you exactly where you are and our work together will begin from that point. As a life and career coach, I am deeply committed to seeing the whole person and considering whole life integration before guiding career decisions. I believe this is an approach that brings true value to those that we work with and, ultimately, it is a founding principle of Career Balance Coaching. There is no such thing as a “one size fits all” method or plan when it comes to helping people make one of the biggest and most impactful decisions of their lives. This is very personal to each individual, and it’s very personal to me, to help them get it right.
I look forward to working with you.
Warmly,
Lisa Plain
Career Balance Coaching