Robert Gradoville Jr., Sustainability Manager at Cargill

When I started working with Shannon through The Group Coaching Program, I was in the middle of a major career transition - moving from NGO work into corporate sustainability and trying to figure out what came next.

The Challenge

I was making a big shift - moving from NGO work into corporate sustainability. At the same time, I had just returned to the U.S. after living overseas, including time in Kenya and six months hiking the Appalachian Trail. I’d been out of full-time employment for over a year and was now settling in Minnesota, a new city where I didn’t have a local network. I wasn’t sure how to connect with the right people, tell my story in a way that resonated with corporate hiring managers, or position my skills for a new industry. The questions I kept asking myself were: What do I do next? How do I do it? And how do I make this transition work?

The Solution

The Group Coaching Program gave me the tools to reverse engineer my experience to align with corporate job requirements. Shannon taught us how to break down job descriptions, identify the key skills employers were seeking, and map them directly to our own strengths, even when coming from a different industry.

"I also learned how to craft my career story clearly and concisely for a corporate audience and how to take a more strategic, relationship-driven approach to networking."

Instead of random applications, I focused on building genuine connections and tailoring each outreach and application with intention.

In this short video, Robert shares his experience working with Shannon

The Result

I was able to transition into a huge global corporate as a Sustainability Manager and also to be selected as an Aspen Institute Fellow. 

The biggest ah-ha of doing the group course was moving away from casting a wide net to becoming laser-focused on the right opportunities. Shannon encouraged me to stop applying to everything and instead get clear about what I truly wanted to do and then pursue that with purpose.

Another lasting benefit was the cohort experience. Having peers in the program who were going through similar transitions was incredibly valuable. In fact, I’m still connected with two of my cohort members through WhatsApp, and we continue to support each other years later. Overall, the Group Coaching Program gave me clarity, confidence, and an actionable strategy for building my career in corporate sustainability - lessons I continue to apply today.