Meet Dr. Colleen Georges, a New Jersey-based career coach, life coach, and resume writer. Dr. Colleen is renowned for helping individuals reshape disempowering self-talk, maximize their strengths, and achieve their goals. With almost three decades of experience, Dr. Colleen is the author of the 8-time award-winning, international best-selling book, RESCRIPT The Story You’re Telling Yourself. She earned her doctorate in counseling psychology from Rutgers University. Her unwavering commitment to helping people overcome dissatisfaction, frustration, or self-doubt has made her a beacon of hope for her clients and students.
The Key Inspiration: Pursuing a Career in Life and Career Coaching
Dr. Colleen has always wanted to help people, starting with her first job in high school as a summer camp counselor. During college, she worked as a therapeutic assistant with teens in foster care. This experience deeply impacted her and reinforced her desire to pursue a career in counseling.
In the first year of graduate school in 1997, Dr. Colleen was connected to an internship at Rutgers University Career Services. Initially, career counseling wasn’t something she had considered, but that experience completely changed her career and life trajectory. That internship opened the door to what became a 13-year career in student affairs administration, where Colleen worked as a career counselor and academic advisor, eventually becoming a department director in 2006.
In 2008, she started a side hustle writing resumes for job seekers. What began as a simple resume-writing business quickly expanded as Dr. Colleen recognized her clients’ needs for both career coaching and life coaching. This prompted her to pursue certifications in life coaching as well. In 2009, Colleen had her son, and her priorities shifted. She realized she wanted more flexibility to be present for him. As a result, in 2010, she left student affairs to run her business full-time while teaching part-time.
The Remarkable Qualities of Effective Leaders
Dr. Colleen believes that an effective leader inspires, empowers, and uplifts others while fostering growth and resilience. True leadership isn’t about authority; it’s about service, integrity, and emotional intelligence. The best leaders lead by example, adapt to challenges, and create a culture of trust and collaboration.
To develop these qualities, start with self-reflection. Clarify your values and the impact you want to have. Seek mentorship and learning opportunities, embrace feedback, and challenge yourself to grow in areas outside your comfort zone. Practice active listening and lead with kindness.
Unique Challenges of Women Leaders
Women leaders often navigate biases, double standards, and the expectation to balance strength with warmth. They may feel pressure to prove their competence or to manage perceptions that they are either too assertive or too soft. Overcoming these challenges requires confidence, advocacy for both oneself and others, and a robust support network. Dr. Colleen encourages women to assert their worth unapologetically, speak up, negotiate for what they deserve, and support one another.
Nurturing Positive Mindset and Confident Leadership
Developing a positive mindset and leading with confidence begins with intentional self-reflection and daily mindset shifts. Dr. Colleen helps leaders recognize and reframe limiting beliefs, ensuring that they approach challenges with self-compassion and empowerment rather than self-doubt. Through guided exercises, coaching conversations, and practical tools, she encourages leaders to shift their inner dialogue, embrace their strengths, and cultivate a growth-oriented perspective.
Advice for Individuals Struggling with Imposter Syndrome in Leadership
One of the most powerful ways to combat imposter syndrome is to challenge the narratives you create regarding worth and competence. Dr. Colleen states, “This is a key principle in my RESCRIPT framework.” When self-doubt creeps in, ask yourself, “What evidence supports this thought?” More often than not, you’ll realize that your fears are not based in reality. Document your achievements, strengths, and the positive feedback you’ve received over time. When self-doubt arises, revisit these reminders of your impact and expertise.
The Common Self-limiting Beliefs and Ways to Overcome Them
One of the most prevalent self-limiting beliefs Dr. Colleen encounters in her clients is the feeling of “not being enough”—whether it is not being skilled enough or deserving enough to achieve their goals. This belief can manifest in various ways, such as imposter syndrome, fear of failure, or hesitation to take risks in their careers or personal lives. To help clients overcome these limiting beliefs, Dr. Colleen guides them through her RESCRIPT Framework, which focuses on Releasing Rumination, Engaging Growth Goals, Seeking Strengths, Challenging Catastrophizing, Restricting Regret, Inviting Imperfection, Pursuing Passion & Purpose, and Thinking Thankfully.
Important Steps to Take When Feeling Stuck
Feeling stuck can often be a sign that it’s time to reassess, realign, and take action. Dr. Colleen suggests in moving forward, to consider the following steps: reflect on your core values & passions, identify your strengths & skills, reframe negative thinking, take the necessary action, expand your network, redefine success on your terms, prioritize well-being, and finally take one bold step today. These steps can help regain clarity and innovation in tough situations.
Significant Challenges Faced by Professionals in Today’s Job Market
Dr. Colleen shares that professionals today encounter significant challenges in their careers due to frequent layoffs, industry disruptions, a saturated job market with intense competition, and economic uncertainty. AI-driven hiring processes make it increasingly difficult to stand out, while at the same time, automation and AI are reshaping job roles, forcing professionals to constantly upskill and adapt to stay relevant.
Impact of Technology on Job Searching and Career Transitions
Technology has transformed how people search for jobs and make career shifts. Dr. Colleen notes that AI-driven application processes, remote interviews, and online networking platforms have reshaped the landscape. While technology creates opportunities, it also introduces challenges, such as applicant tracking systems that filter resumes before a human reviewer. As a result, job seekers must optimize their applications to align with these digital advancements.
The Decision to Write RESCRIPT the Story You’re Telling Yourself
The idea for RESCRIPT first took shape during her 2016 TEDx Talk, Re-Scripting the Stories We Tell Ourselves, where Dr. Colleen explored how the way people speak to themselves directly impacts their confidence, actions, and success. The overwhelming response to that talk indicated that this important message needed to reach even more people.
As a life and career coach, Dr. Colleen has worked with so many incredible clients who felt stuck because of the stories they were telling themselves, narratives that convinced them they weren’t capable enough to pursue what they truly wanted. Dr. Colleen wrote RESCRIPT to provide people with the same tools she uses in her coaching practice, empowering them to move past self-doubt, take meaningful action, and create the lives they truly deserve.
Creating a Balance: Author, Coach, Lecturer, and Speaker
Balancing her roles as an author, coach, lecturer, and speaker comes down to intentionality, structure, and prioritization. Dr. Colleen uses time blocking to schedule everything, including client sessions, teaching, speaking engagements, volunteer work commitments, research, writing, prep time, grading time, exercise, self-care, and connection time. This approach ensures each aspect of her life and work receives dedicated focus without causing overwhelm.
The Secret Behind Motivation and Continuous Growth
Continuous learning is at the core of Dr. Colleen’s growth. She actively pursues new certifications, attends industry conferences, and stays updated on relevant research. Books also play a significant role in her personal and professional growth. Her coach, Linda, has been instrumental in helping her refine her business, leadership, and personal growth strategies. Additionally, Dr. Colleen challenges herself to step outside her comfort zone, believing that true growth occurs when we embrace new challenges.
Upcoming Projects, Collaborations, and Initiatives: A Glance
Dr. Colleen is excited to expand her Women’s Goal Achievement Group after its success in 2024. She plans to introduce additional group coaching programs aimed at job seekers and aspiring entrepreneurs. In addition to these initiatives, Dr. Colleen is growing her speaking engagements and delivering more keynotes and workshops to inspire and empower others.
Future Plans for New Book Launches
Dr. Colleen is currently working on two new books, both inspired by her journey and her work with clients. As she turns 50 this year, she has been reflecting on the balance and joy she has experienced in midlife, and she wants to share what she has learned with others navigating this stage of life. One book will focus on thriving in midlife—finding purpose, fulfillment, and happiness while embracing change with confidence. The second book will be a career development guide, built around proven tools and strategies.
Vision for the Future: Focused on Creating Impact
Looking ahead, in addition to the aforementioned group coaching, speaking, and book writing projects, as Dr. Colleen approaches 50, she is embracing this next chapter of life with even greater balance, joy, and purpose. She wants to continue prioritizing self-care, spending quality time with her family and friends, and engaging in volunteer work that supports her community.
“My goal is to walk my talk, embodying the guidance I give my clients that personal and professional wellbeing isn’t just possible but necessary for a truly fulfilling and balanced life”, concludes Dr. Colleen.
