Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Pearce.
Hi Rebecca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It’s September 2011. On October 1, 2013, Obamacare is set to become law. In MD, initial legislation had been passed to create a state-based exchange, but there was no staff, no clear plan on how to make it happen, and no federal or state regulations defined yet to follow. And I took the job anyway. “Like a moth to a flame,” said someone to me. I was the first CEO of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange.
For 2 years, I could not have worked harder or believed more in what we were doing. By the time I “resigned” in December of 2013, I had grown the organization to over 90 people, gotten legislation passed to ensure well health insurers would participate in the exchange, gotten 3 state agencies to work toward a common goal, and set the stage for over 300,000 previously uninsured Marylanders to enroll in health insurance. But when the electronic system didn’t work the way, it was supposed to, it was seen as a public failure. I “resigned” from my role on December 6th, 2013 — above the fold, with a picture.
Fast forward 2 years. It is spring of 2015. I have landed on my feet. I am a VP within the University of Maryland Medical System. But I can’t hear well out of my left ear. After putting the hearing exam off for years, a friend convinced me single-sided deafness wasn’t normal. And so I went to get my hearing checked, worried I was wasting the doctor’s time. As it turns out, I wasn’t wasting their time. Within a month, I was diagnosed with a “giant” (medical term) brain tumor that was growing into my brain stem. The good news is it was benign and operable. Those are the 2 most important words one can hear. Less than 3 months after being diagnosed, I underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumor. I spent the remainder of that year learning to walk again. My face was paralyzed for a year (with residual effects to this day), I am mostly blind in my left eye, I’m deaf in my left year, and I have significant ongoing balance issues.
When I regained some semblance of myself, I returned to work to prove to myself that I could do it. I didn’t want the tumor to win. It took months. When I finally got to a point where I believed I had returned to my former leadership capabilities, I took a hard look at myself and thought, “Why am I doing this?” The only thing I wanted in life was to put my daughter on the bus — just one more day. My title didn’t matter. The amount of money I made didn’t matter. I didn’t want to be in charge anymore. Life wasn’t about work for me anymore.
And yet, I have years of experience often being the only woman in the board room, being promoted through corporate systems, understanding how leadership works, driving strategy. I wanted to find a way to offer what I have learned to others. That way for me is executive coaching and strategic consulting.
I opened Extend Coaching & Consulting in 2017 after being certified as an executive coach. My team now works with high-performing leaders to help them find the clarity and focus to lead. We help leaders lead with more confidence, teams produce more, and businesses grow faster.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Where would you like me to start? LOL. This could seriously go in 10 different directions. The answer is no, it hasn’t been a smooth road, and yes, there have been and continue to be struggles along the way. If/when we talk, we can talk about which realm of challenges we want to focus on.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Extend Coaching & Consulting?
Extend Coaching & Consulting is an executive coaching firm and strategic advisory. We work with high-performing executives, CEOs, and business owners to create clarity around the future they want, then create a path to get there. We have a total of 7 coaches who can support all who come to us. All coaches are certified by a governing coaching body, and all have served in leadership positions.
We are known for the coaches who will tell you what others won’t. We balance the business aspects with the emotional aspects to get to the heart of what’s keeping you or the organization from moving forward. As strategists, we know that culture is usually the limiting factor when creating a big vision, so we start there — to understand what can and cannot be changed effectively.
Recently, I have begun a series of retreats with strong women who have been following their defined career path dutifully for the majority of their careers but are now realizing they are not as happy as they want to be. In the retreat, women have the space and time to find and give voice to their personal goals, something that many women have never done. We then create a plan to make those dreams viable. It is easily the most rewarding part of the work I personally do.
What does success mean to you?
Hi have a few definitions. Here is my first: 1) To make a kick-ass living doing what I love and living my best life.
Where kick-ass living is: delivering a product that changes people’s lives at a price based on the value my clients receive, therefore allowing me to live my best life.
Where best life is: low (bad) stress, allowing me to be present for myself and those I love as much as possible, giving me space to continue to grow as a person, living within my values, always learning, and being able to do what I want when I want at least 80% of the time.
Where 80% of the time refers to: From a work perspective, there will be times I will need to do something that takes up home time, or work I don’t really want to be doing, or a calendar issue that makes me work on a vacation day. I’m not naive enough to think that won’t ever happen. Success is not letting that happen more than 20% of the time.
From a business perspective:
1. To touch the lives of 10,000 small business owners and/or high-performing women by 2028 — by sharing at least 1 memorable comment that changes the way they think.
2. To significantly impact the lives of those I coach by helping them find the clarity, confidence, and emotional courage to live the life they dream.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.extendcoach.com
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/beccapearce
Image Credits
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