I'm not afraid to take chances, and I believe it's all about calculated planning.

About Meris E. Stone

In 2019, I was overworked, stretched, and underrecognized. I ran for my life to get yoga classes that offered me a sense of relief. I worked a full-time and part-time job and forced myself to carve out time for life-saving yoga teacher training. I knew I was juggling too much, but what could I do?

My breaking point was one day when my internet connection was so bad that I had to take calls while sitting on my toilet. I ended the day at 11pm and started the next day with a 7am call with the same coworker who lived overseas. I thought, "This man is not my husband. He should not be the last person I talk to at night and the first one I start my day with."

This is when I began exploring coaching. I needed a guide, a partner, someone who could provide me with perspective and help me find another way to live. My ideal scenario was to find another role rather than quit without a safety net. It didn't work out that way, but I was able to save money and move in with my family.

The day I gave notice, my boss asked me if I'd checked my annual performance review. I hadn't. I was finally recognized for my work with an 8% raise, which was huge at this company. But it came too late. I was done. I knew the work situation wouldn't improve, and more money wasn't enough.

Fast forward to 2022, I was impacted by a layoff. I worked through the feelings of "why me?," "life is unfair," and "ah, what do I do?" I thought about what was within my control. I sublet my NYC apartment, focused on my life goal to become fluent in Spanish, and started looking for language schools in Central America. Once I chose Mexico City, I researched how to import my dog. The plan was to study Spanish and job search. I figured that I'd find a job in a couple of months and return to the U.S. Life had another plan. I met my now husband, and I adapted.

I share these stories as examples of how I find ways out. I explore, research, and plan. That's what I do for my clients. I'm ICF certified, and I coach through Exec Online and The Humanitarian Coaching Network. I'm a certified yoga teacher and a PMP-certified project manager. I have 15+ years of experience managing projects across 11 countries. I've lived in South Africa, Zambia, and Mexico. I've traveled to over 40 countries, which taught me there's no one way to do things.

I've been where you are. Overworked. Underrecognized. Convinced I had to choose between my sanity and financial security. So I changed. Not perfectly, not without fear. But strategically. Now I help people do the same—not with platitudes, but with planning.

My background informed the tools I created and use with my clients. The Power Position Exercise is a diagnostic tool that I built because I needed it myself and couldn't find it anywhere else. It maps the overlap between what you care about, what you're skilled at, and where the market is paying. That overlap informs my career decisions, and I want to share that with my clients.

Meris E. Stone, MA (International Development, University of Denver), PMP, ACC (ICF-Certified) is a career coach for mid-career professional women navigating identity-level transitions. Creator of the Power Position Exercise.