From Competitive Dancer to Learning and Development Leader

LinkedIn: [00:00:00] Linkedin presents.

Jonathan Fields: [00:00:13] So today I'm so excited to share one of our new features on the SPARKED podcast, Career Transformation Stories. We invite guests to share inspiring stories of career change from reimagining the work that they're currently doing. So it feels so much more alive to leaving behind unfulfilling jobs to find, create, or really even reimagine more inspired, energized, purposeful, meaningful, and joy filled paths. And we're exploring also how they're Sparketype has played a role in this journey. It's all about how to transform work into one of the best parts of your life. So today's career transformation story is an inspiring example of how to courageously pivot when the work you once loved no longer aligns with your deepest drives. Kayla Archer's journey began with an all consuming obsession, a passion for competitive ballroom dancing, but the intense, singular focus and lack of boundaries of being in sort of like the business side and also teaching, eventually led to a challenging environment that neglected her just innate curiosities and zest for personal growth and learning, and more or less obliterated boundaries until one pivotal moment sparked Kayla's powerful reinvention. And you'll hear how she broke free from the relentless demands of the dance world, to rediscover her authentic self and reimagine a career path that truly lit her up, build on the parts of the dance world and teaching that she's loved and provided a much healthier channel for her passions and interests and her Sparketype.

Jonathan Fields: [00:01:41] Now, quick note you'll hear us mention something we call Sparketypes in conversation. What is that? Turns out we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive. This is your Sparketype when you discover yours, everything, your entire work life, even parts of your personal life and relationships, they tend to begin to make more sense. And until we know ours, we're kind of fumbling in the dark. And just like today's listener did, you can discover your Sparketype for free at sparketype.com. You'll find a link in the show notes. So with the Maven as a primary Sparketype, that's about a love of learning and the advisor as her shadow. That's all about guiding people through a process of growth and advocate as her Auntie Kayla's path. It represents the pursuit of constant learning while creating enriching environments for others. Growth and her Renaissance journey overcame self-doubt from early academic struggles to ultimately find fulfillment as a learning and talent development leader. So get ready to feel inspired as Kayla shares her awakening from someone who equated success with self-sacrifice into a professional, empowering people to gain self-awareness and reach their potential while loving what she was up to. I'm Jonathan Fields and this is SPARKED. Hey, and before we dive into today's episode a quick share. So if you're a coach, a consultant or a leader, and you would just love to stand out more in 2024 and beyond, with a powerful new credential and a set of results driven superpowers, we have got something for you.

Jonathan Fields: [00:03:14] With nearly a million people now discovering their profiles, the Sparketypes have become a global phenomenon. People want their work to light them up, and oftentimes they would love some help along the way, which is why we developed our certified Sparketype advisor training. As a certified advisor, you will discover cutting edge tools that spark profound work life. Client transformations stand out with a highly unique credential and skill set in a crowded market. Find ease and flexibility with templated engagement flows, you'll become a part of a global network of change makers, and you'll rack up 40 ICF continuing education credits. Our fall cohort is enrolling now with visionaries just like you, and we would love to invite you to uplevel your capabilities as a coach or consultant or leader by becoming a certified Sparketype advisor. To learn more about the fall training and see if it's right for you, just click the link in the show notes now or visit sparketype.com. Slash pros. I found a fun starting point for these conversations is is a curiosity of mine. And that is. Was there a story in your mind about work? What it was, what it wasn't, what it should or shouldn't be? Expectations when you're growing up?

Kayla Archer: [00:04:36] Yes, I came from very hard working what they would classify middle class parents, and I was encouraged to look at work as something that you try very hard at. That requires a lot of energy That oftentimes the work that my parents were were doing, it was serving a purpose to others at the cost of their own internal resources. So as I grew up, that is what I thought work should be, that work should be hard, and that if you're not working hard, you're not working. So it's been an adjustment over the years to look at that differently.

Jonathan Fields: [00:05:22] Yeah. It is. It's so interesting. The messages that we get often from our parents, family, community, whoever it may be, who we look to for some sort of guidance. And and it's not always a spoken thing. Oftentimes it's just what you see around you and you're like, oh, this is the way it's supposed to be. Yes.

Kayla Archer: [00:05:38] Yes, absolutely. Yeah. My my parents, it was very much unspoken. It was very much honestly, it was a lot of when I was starting, when I was preparing to go into the workforce talking about interviews and how you show up in interviews and how you talk about your work ethic, specifically where now I focus more on how I want to be in a role, how I want to show up in a role. The work ethic is still important, but my focus is different.

Jonathan Fields: [00:06:09] Mhm. Yeah, that makes sense. So how did this sort of lens on work influence your, um, your early career choices? Because you started in a, in a world that a lot of people know nothing about.

Kayla Archer: [00:06:24] Yes, yes. So I started at a dance sport company. So that is a company that focuses on ballroom and Latin dancing. And I have always seen myself as a performer. So this really fit into 18 year old Kayla's sense of identity. And it was a small company. And so the hustle was real. So having the belief that you work hard at work and make sacrifices Faces for work really played well into the culture that I found myself in at 18.

Jonathan Fields: [00:07:06] So what did day to day look like for you in that world?

Kayla Archer: [00:07:09] It really depended, um, I, I was a little bit different in that I really liked to show up early and make sure that the studio was very, very clean, that everything was set up. Um, the technology was set up in a way that would help the day be successful. And then it was making sure that folks were checked in for their lessons. Oftentimes, I was facilitating lessons with an individual or with couples. Sometimes I would be working with groups to help them learn certain patterns for certain dances. Um, and a lot of the work, a lot of what I was doing at work was relationship management with the other employees. I just didn't have that language yet, so it was really mitigating team dynamics and trying to maintain my own status quo within the in-group at work. And, um, that required me to rein in a lot of my own curiosity.

Jonathan Fields: [00:08:19] Mhm. So it sounds like, you know, on the one hand you're doing administrative leadership type of things. You're also teaching it sounds like as well. Yes. So you're, you're like one of the, you're an expert like you're a domain expert. You are a dancer also and a competitor. Yes. And then you're you're teaching people what you know. I'm assuming that this is also dance. Sport is a world of competitive dance. Like this is competition. So. Yes. This isn't people just showing up to learn. Because, hey, like, dancing is fun and cool. This is a whole different psychology.

Kayla Archer: [00:08:51] Yes. And I tended to gravitate towards the students that were there for joy and highly encouraged to shift my focus to the competitors, to focus on the intensity that can come from working with competitors and embodying a competitive nature, which took a lot. It took a lot for me to learn as a maven. Learning it took a lot for me to learn how to show up in that way. Um, and there was definitely a sense of right and wrong. Right. When you're competing, they're looking at where is your big toe, where is your arm, where there is a right and wrong way to be to do. Yeah. So it, it it was a learning curve. It was a learning curve.

Jonathan Fields: [00:09:40] Yeah. So and it sounds like this was a world where, um, the stakes were high. Yes. You know, and, like, people were showing up and there's something on the line for them, like they're working towards something. They're. Yes, they want to achieve this very particular thing. And part of your job is to get them there. So the stakes are high for you too. And yes, I mean, how did that show up as sort of like stress on the on the job?

Kayla Archer: [00:10:03] Uh, so I am the type of person who really wanted to be open to the idea that I didn't know everything, and that teaching is reciprocal. And when you're when you're working in an environment that is so high stakes and folks have not only invested a lot of time, but a lot of money, you need to step into a space where you are more sagely and you have the secret, you have the secret sauce, and you're going to disseminate that. So stress for me looked like closing my mind and a lot of fatigue. I felt tired all the time and I didn't know why. I, I loved the dancing, I loved teaching, I loved, um, learning about business. And I was having to pull from so much that felt unnatural Natural that I just felt tired. I found myself because I was so tired. I let go of a lot of my personal relationships because I was so focused. All my resources needed to go to work, so I started to neglect communications with my family. I lost contact with a lot of my friends, so stress also looked like isolation.

Jonathan Fields: [00:11:23] Yeah. And it's it's interesting. It's not I mean, I've become fascinated by the world of passion and the science of passion. And there there's this distinction in the research between what they call harmonious versus obsessive passion. Yes. And obsessive passion. Sounds like what you're describing. It's like you're mono focused on this one thing and like, like just performing at the absolute peak or helping people. And the downside of that is that, you know, people in that mode tend to exclude everything else that matters in their life. Yes. And it becomes really destructive. Yes. And what's interesting is the research actually shows I learned this recently, that harmonious passion where people actually pursue this thing with zest, but they also realize, but there are people that I love and there are things that I love to do. They're like, I have a life outside of that, and they do it in a more balanced, holistic way. They actually are more likely to perform and achieve at a higher level than the obsessive ones, which actually is a little counterintuitive to me until I understood that the it's the fact that you embrace all the other parts of life that gives you the resilience to then actually handle setbacks and challenges and adversity in that one domain much better. It's it was really eye opening to me that makes.

Kayla Archer: [00:12:34] So much sense to me, because what we what I see a lot in my work now is when folks are in the obsessed side of this, when there is a setback, when there is, I'm going to use the big fat f word. When there's a failure, their entire self is tied to that. So that's when we see burnout, disengagement, right. Where folks that I work with that are able to be more harmonious with their passion. When they experience a failure, it's not. The failure is not who they are. So they're able to bounce back and step back in. I see that all the time. Yeah, that.

Jonathan Fields: [00:13:16] Makes so much sense. Um, so you're in this world of dance sport for, I think it was about five years from what I remember. Yes. And then. Yes. What what happens to make you say, okay, this this. Actually, I need to change directions.

Kayla Archer: [00:13:28] Yeah. I stepped into this space because I loved to dance. And what I found was the restrictions that are almost necessary to perform and show up at the level that's needed with competitive dancing. It really limited me in ways that I wasn't aware of until I was very aware of it. And the turning point was I got a very early morning, I'm going to say early morning phone call from my boss because I had flubbed on her schedule somewhere. It was one in the morning, and I just had the realization of how I had no boundaries anymore. I had no boundaries. And in that moment, I knew I wasn't going to make it long in this industry, and I was killing my passion by leaning into an environment that didn't foster healthy harmony, so that an hour later, 2:00 in the morning, I made the decision I love dance. This is going to break my heart, and I've got to get back to the expansive part of myself. She needs to come back. So that was really the turning point. Was that exemplification of lack of Boundaries and the ability to tap into my self-awareness. Mhm.

Jonathan Fields: [00:15:02] Yeah. I mean it's powerful and I think a lot of people have felt that but not really known what to do about it. So. So you're in your mid 20s ish then. If yes if I have that right. And yes. So where do you go from here. Because it seems like, you know, you, you end up going in a very different direction. It wasn't just like, let me find another dance studio or company, like you're like, I need to make a bigger change.

Kayla Archer: [00:15:25] Yeah. So I did a personal inventory again at 24. I had no idea what those words were, but that's what I did. I did a personal inventory, and I said, what about working at the dance sport? Did I actually like, what did I like about it? And I loved using when I was teaching, using dance as a way of sparking conversation with people about how they are approaching their lives. Right. So if I was in a session with someone and I could tell that the person who was destined to be the follower was doing a lot of the leading. We could have a conversation about, like, what does release and control look like for you? Right? Like, how can we get to a place where you find comfort there? So I said to myself, okay, I love working with people and helping them discover their perspectives and how that's affecting their behavior. And I said, well, why don't I go and check out psychology? Why don't I go to college, which I said I would never do, I would never go back to school. Academics for me were tricky K through 12 for so many reasons. But I said I just need to make a leap, just make a leap and try and see if there's a space for you. In the world of psychology and a psychology degree, it was there was a joke, um, back in the day. I'm not sure if it's still relevant, but if you didn't know what to major in in college, you majored in psychology. So I said, let's lean into that.

Jonathan Fields: [00:17:01] So you start to explore this side of things. And it sounds like that really resonated. And it started to open your mind to other possibilities about how you might step back into the world of contribution and work. Yes.

Kayla Archer: [00:17:15] So as I was going through the curriculum at university, I was given some opportunities to marry my love of learning and curiosity with support of other humans right there. And it wasn't just, I thought going into it, I was going to have to be a therapist, right? In order to do to contribute. I was going to have to be a therapist. And I found myself, while working through school, making an impact, working in a preschool that was designed for individuals with a diagnosis of autism or a learning style similar and being in a space that required the adults to let go of some of our preconceived structures about what it means to be successful in a classroom, I felt a renewed sense of purpose, a renewed sense of, um, mission. From no crying, from the little people that I worked with every day.

Jonathan Fields: [00:18:29] Mhm. I mean, I would imagine also, you know, it was probably pretty personal for you because you just mentioned like if K through 12 was tricky for you for whatever reason, like there were learning challenges, environment challenges, whatever it may have been. You know, I would imagine what you were then experiencing was a bit of a wait, this wasn't so much about me. It was about sort of like the structure of how I was told I had to step into a learning experience. And I'm Exactly. Okay.

Kayla Archer: [00:18:58] Exactly. You know K through 12 for me. You know how they. What I was told prepared you for the real world was very performative. It was very outcome based. Right. You weren't learning to learn. You were memorizing. You were critical. Thinking didn't come into play until much, much, much later. And by that time, I had helped myself believe that I was not intelligent, that I was not made for academics. So being in an environment then as an adult where learning was really about alchemy, like that's really the best way I can describe it. Working with those students was watching transformation happen and not regurgitation. I'm without words. It it was so impactful. It was such an impactful role for me.

Jonathan Fields: [00:19:55] Mhm.

Jonathan Fields: [00:19:56] Now I mean that makes so much sense. I mean, it's probably an interesting time to bring your Sparketype into the conversation, too, because you're your primary Sparketype is the Maven, which is all about a love of learning. You know, it's all about knowledge acquisition. But for somebody who had an early life experience where the way that that was offered up to you didn't work with the way that you needed to step into it. Yes. I could see how that almost would convince you that you don't actually have that drive in you or or even the capability. Yes. But then when, like you, you're starting to not just study psychology, but then learn about how to create different learning experiences for you. It's like, oh, the maven, that love of learning is alive and well in me. I just need to reorient how I step into it. I mean, does that make sense to you?

Kayla Archer: [00:20:44] Exactly. Absolutely. Does it? It absolutely makes so much sense to me. And again, I didn't have the language. I think that's where the Sparketype assessment has really helped me gain language around around this, but I did regain a sense of my own aptitude. Mhm.

Jonathan Fields: [00:21:04] Mhm. Yeah. For learning. So, so where, where do you go from that.

Kayla Archer: [00:21:08] So um, as I continued with my education, I had made up my mind that I wanted to work in the space of connecting and, um, helping to illuminate growth for individuals with autism, particularly children. And I was having a conversation with my sister, who is my trusted advisor, and at the time, she was working at a hospital diversion program for children and teens. And I was very focused at that time at five and under. And she said, I wonder if you want to explore broadening your perspective on where you can make an impact in the mental health space. So I said, why not? Let's get curious. Why not? Let's. Let's try it out. And as it turns out, I loved working as a milieu counselor, being able to learn from a different demographic of humans. And in that setting, it was much less about teaching, and it was more about what I would what I digest as the advising component of my Sparketype profile is being able to create the container of safety for folks to have their own insights. And that felt really good. It felt really good to be in service that way. And from there, my lovely, trusted advisor, who happens to be my sister, moved to the Medicaid agency that I'm at now and said, okay, you've tried now with teens, what about with adults? And I said, oh, well, okay. And so I found my way into working in more of a social worker role.

Kayla Archer: [00:23:00] Meeting with individuals in the community who qualified for Medicaid services and assessing them for appropriateness. To stay in the community rather than going to a nursing facility. And I was learning so much in this role about social determinants of health, about how trauma impacts people, about the own, the resources offered here in Colorado for folks who wanted to stay in their own homes. I was learning so much, and from there I applied for a supervisor role. I was interested in leadership. What does that mean? Right? I've been an individual contributor this whole time, and as I got promoted, I loved that role as well. I loved working with my team and again, sitting in more of using my shadow SPARKED a type of advisor, to create a space where my team could come and be innovative and not and show fallibility. Right. If something goes wrong, like, we'll learn from it. And then I had a leader within the organization, the manager of learning and development, approach me and say, I've noticed that you volunteer to sit in committees or in meetings where you have where you have an opportunity to teach. Would you be interested in applying for a role for learning and development? And I said, I don't know what learning and development does. Sure. Curious. Like, okay, what does that mean?

Jonathan Fields: [00:24:39] It's like but the word learning is there. And that sounds cool.

Kayla Archer: [00:24:41] Learning? That sounds.

Jonathan Fields: [00:24:42] Cool.

Kayla Archer: [00:24:43] That sounds cool. So I applied and I would say I interviewed for that role, and the manager of learning and development offered me the job, and it was really, really I had to pause and slow down because I was jumping again from psychology and social work back into more of a teaching role, and I wanted to make sure that I was making a choice that was aligned with my joy, and that I was going to get gain some fulfillment from this role. So again, I did an inventory and said, okay, what do I really like about being a supervisor? What do I really like about working in this social work space? And again, it came back to a love of learning. I there was always an opportunity to grow in the role that I found myself in at the time as a supervisor. I was able to advise others on their own development, and I said, that's literally what you do in learning and development. So here I am.

Jonathan Fields: [00:25:52] I mean, that's amazing. If you think back to your, you know, 18, 19, 20 year old self when you're sort of like a couple of years into dance sport and then you think about what you're doing now, could you have even imagined that, you know, at the age of 20?

Kayla Archer: [00:26:10] No. Absolutely not. Absolutely. I had no I had no real idea what honestly lit me up. What honestly lit me up. I had I had bought into a lot of old stories I had at that time. I was, you know, we think of ourselves so much differently at 18, 19 and 20. And Kayla at that time just really would have never imagined that I would be working in a space that allowed me time and resources to fall down gloriously deep. Rabbit holes and to foster connections with individuals, teams and my organization. To be a mirror for people so that they can see their own brilliance, I would. No idea I would have it.

Jonathan Fields: [00:27:13] Yeah, the beauty of self-discovery and also be willing to step out and say, let me just try things. Let me just try it. Like break, break from the past and see, like, what else is out there and who am I like inside as well? When when you think back, you know, at this journey that you've you've been on and you still have a lot of journey left to go? Yes. When you look back, is there anything that jumps out at you as as something that you might have done differently along the way? Mm.

Kayla Archer: [00:27:44] My instinct is to say no. I can see in hindsight why I made the choices that I did and how I was serving my the Kayla of that time with those with those choices. So I don't think I would do anything differently. I wish that I could have looked at things differently and thought about things a little bit differently. You know, cutting myself a little bit of slack would have been helpful. And at the same time, if I would have done that, I don't know if I would have found myself feeling motivated enough to say yes to so many opportunities.

Jonathan Fields: [00:28:27] Yeah, no, that makes a lot of sense. Do you are you the type of person that tends to just be more in the moment, or do you do you look forward or are you future oriented? And if so, like, do you have a sense for like where you would love what you're doing to lead to?

Kayla Archer: [00:28:43] Yes, I do my best to be present, and I do have a proclivity for looking to the future. I'll say this now, and I hope I look back in 20 years and I'm saying to myself, I had no idea that I would end up somewhere. Um, but right now I'm transitioning more from the learning space and the and the training and facilitation space to the organizational development side of my work and getting to explore strategy. And I would love in ten years, 15 years, hopefully supporting the same organization because I love it in the strategy role in the, um, really being able to dial up my, uh, shadow sparketype even more to the, um, and be more of a business advisor and have credibility in that space as well.

Jonathan Fields: [00:29:37] Um, yeah, that's super powerful. Any final thoughts or words of wisdom for our listening community before we wrap up?

Kayla Archer: [00:29:45] I what's coming to mind for me right now is if you're finding yourself early in your career, Find at least two opportunities to say yes to something that feels really different, that feels maybe a little scary. Find two opportunities to say yes because you never know where those yeses lead.

Jonathan Fields: [00:30:12] I love that. And it's good that you're planting a seed for people to start to kind of scan and see, like, where might those opportunities be?

Jonathan Fields: [00:30:20] Yeah, yeah.

Jonathan Fields: [00:30:21] That's beautiful. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed learning more about the story.

Kayla Archer: [00:30:25] Thank you.Jonathan. Thank you for having me.

Jonathan Fields: [00:30:31] And if you'd like to share your career transformation story on the SPARKED podcast, to inspire others to maybe feel less stuck or unsure about their own career paths, we encourage you to apply to be a guest and check out the form in the show notes, because we believe that everyone deserves to find fulfillment and purpose in their work. And remember, if you're at a moment of exploration, looking to find and do or even create work that makes you come more fully alive. That brings more meaning and purpose and joy into your life. Take the time to discover your own personal Sparketype for free at sparketype.com. It will open your eyes to a deeper understanding of yourself and open the door to possibility like never before. And hey, if you're finding value in these conversations, please just take an extra second right now to follow and rate SPARKED in your favorite podcast app. This is so helpful in helping others find the show and growing our community so that we can all come alive and work in life together. This episode of SPARKED was produced by executive producers Lindsey Fox and Me, Jonathan Fields. Production and editing by Sarah Harney. Special thanks to Shelley Adelle for her research on this episode. Until next time. I'm Jonathan Fields and this is SPARKED.