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Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Enjoli Beato.
Michelle Enjoli, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today? I first learned the real power of connecting on a presidential campaign trail overseas when I was a journalism student in college. Soon after, I began regularly connecting with others as a result of my love for coffee and learning about other people’s stories. I was awarded my dream job as an assistant producer for a national morning show before I had a college degree due to the connections I was able to cultivate as a student and intern. Since then, I’ve been awarded over 95% of my career opportunities connecting over coffee. I’ve produced television segments for NBC, CBS, ABC, CW, Telemundo and Univision affiliates all over the country including national shows like The View and Fox and Friends. I was referred to a position at Mercedes-Benz USA a decade ago in their in house agency and remained with them when they relocated their headquarters to Atlanta, GA in 2015. While I was there, I noticed a major gap in the ability of the employee population to genuinely connect. I created a Business Resource Group called, Connect, that hosted one on one sessions and group workshops so that employees could have insights into other areas of the business they were interested in and begin to form connections with leaders in the company. In 2018, I began to work for Delta Air Lines in their digital marketing department and now work on the digital strategy for one of their subsidiaries. I have continued my work as a coach and in October of 2018, I founded Connect. It is a coaching business dedicated to helping others learn how to connect in order to get career opportunities. I currently speak, write and coach on how to form genuine connections as students, professionals, and leaders.
Great, 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? Definitely not. Due to the ever-changing climate, it’s impossible for careers to consistently go smoothly as there are inevitable ups and downs. There were many times throughout my career initially where I’ve felt the “what now?” moment as I found myself working in stressful environments or in a position that didn’t utilize all my skillsets. However, about ten years ago, I had my “aha” moment where I found what my dream job would look like. Since then, I’ve made every decision about my career with that roadmap in mind. Even during difficult or uninspiring moments at work, I’ve always had my vision in mind and that’s been a game changer. Since I began officially helping others connect a few years ago, I’ve solely gotten pure joy out of helping others.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Connect with Michelle Enjoli – what should we know? My company is focused on assisting and motivating professionals at any point in their career in connecting with others to facilitate career opportunities. I also work with leaders on helping them connect with their teams in order to increase productivity and engagement. I’ve always been known to be a connector and that can be attributed to the close to 1,000 coffee chats I’ve had thus far with other professionals and leaders throughout my career. As an individual and now as a company, I’m proud of the ability I have to serve others. I get so much fulfillment out of my work and am ecstatic that my dream job has come to fruition. What sets my company apart from others is that I teach basic techniques based off a curriculum that I have created that doesn’t get taught in the traditional school system. While a degree and experience is definitely important, it’s the soft skills that create opportunities. I’m a testament to that.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success? Having empathy for others as a result of listening and looking at things from their point of view has definitely allowed me to connect with so many different people.