Introducing Kristine Schoonmaker, MyConsultingLife.com

Today we welcome the first contributions to Consult THIS by industry veteran and multitalented consulting expert Kristine Schoonmaker. Kristine, a former Accenture exec, left the consulting business in 2010 to pursue a new path—one that has seen her maintain her passion for the industry and, most importantly, for those still practicing within it. Now in 2011, Kristine is the founder of MyConsultingLife.com, a career and lifestyle coaching resource exclusively for consultants.

Kristine actively engages clients who work in consulting, helping them navigate difficult issues including jump-starting a new career, adjusting to a new lifestyle, building new skills quickly, and getting promoted in competitive environments. Her mission is to help her clients reach their ideal blend of a fulfilling career and lifestyle they want.

MyConsultingLife.com is a remarkable source of information and insight for consultants looking to take control of their careers. Starting today, Kristine will be providing some of her hard-earned wisdom to readers of Consult THIS free of charge. In the coming weeks and months, come back often to see the latest from Kristine. You won't regret it.

Kristine Schoonmaker, in her own words:

"Prior to starting my company, I was a Manager in Accenture’s Talent & Organization Performance practice. I joined the firm as an experienced hire, learned the ropes and quickly got promoted to the executive ranks. Over my career I’ve had the great opportunity to coach and mentor many new hires, consultants, and clients from many different firms. What continues to amaze me is that, for nearly all of them, the transition was pretty rough and they all faced similar challenges. Most of them didn’t feel comfortable completely confiding in anyone for help for fear it would raise questions about their ability to hack it in consulting. They wanted a discrete, safe resource to turn to and didn’t feel they had one. I started MyConsultingLife.com specifically to address that need and to ease the transition for new consultants.

There are so many things that come into play – travel, client work, new skills, networking, social functions, managing relationships back home – it can be overwhelming at times. I want to provide the information, insider tips, tools and support consultants need to have it all. I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I have figured out a lot of the secrets to be successful in this profession and a passion to improve the experience for everyone.

As a coach and mentor, my clients see me not as a replacement for the support system they have within their firm, but rather as an extension of the team, offering an accessible, objective and collaborative partner to help them succeed. I work with clients to get really clear on what they want – professionally and personally, develop a plan to reach those goals, and support them as they take each step."

Stay tuned to read Kristine's inaugural post.