The Zoomers to Boomers Business Show

Career Guidance Through the Lenses of Astrology and Hypnosis

• Hank Eder / Keith Anderson

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Ever wondered how astrology and tarot cards could guide you toward your dream job? On this week's Zoomers to Boomers Business Show, we sit down with Keith Anderson, the visionary founder of Career Alchemy. Keith's extraordinary journey from educator to top-tier positions at Google, Uber, and Meta takes a fascinating turn as he reveals how a life-changing hospital stay led him to explore unconventional methods for career guidance through https://keithand.co/. Discover how these intuitive practices helped him find clarity and purpose, which he now shares with clients in their career transitions. I also share my shift from a 16-year teaching career to the media industry, and how Keith's unique approach resonated with my path.

Hypnosis in career coaching—fact or fiction? We demystify this transformative tool, revealing its power to reprogram limiting beliefs and insecurities. Listen to the compelling story of Kathy, a paralegal who transitioned to a more fulfilling career using hypnosis, and learn how it can help you too. For those grappling with career uncertainty, we provide practical advice and a complimentary consultation. Remember, kindness is the greatest uniter, whether you're a Zoomer, Boomer, or somewhere in between. Join us next Wednesday for more thought-provoking discussions on the Zoomers to Boomers Business Show.

Website: https://keithand.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithand
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@careeralchemist
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@career-alchemy-coaching

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Hank:

This is the Zoomers to Boomers Business Show, and you're listening to bizradious all entrepreneurs all the time. Welcome everyone, I'm Hank Eder, also known as Hank the PR Guy, host of the Zoomers to Boomers Business Show, the show formerly known as the Home Business Success Show. You are listening to bizradious all entrepreneurs all the time. Our guest today, keith Anderson, is the founder of Career Alchemy, where he helps professionals transition into careers that truly resonate with their values and purpose, using unconventional, intuitive approaches. A former educator turned learning and development leader at companies like Google, Uber and Meta, keith now combines his experience in corporate leadership with a passion for guiding others through meaningful career transformations. Known for his unique blend of strategic action, intuition and grit, keith empowers his clients to find clarity, embrace their uniqueness and confidently navigate the evolving job landscape. Welcome to the show, keith.

Keith:

Great. Thank you so much, Hank. I'm excited to be here.

Hank:

Well, you're welcome. You're welcome To begin. Would you please tell us a bit about what you do?

Keith:

Sure. So I help people who feel stuck in a career that doesn't resonate with who they truly are, in a career that doesn't resonate with who they truly are, and what I would say is it's the universe telling you a sign right, and with that, where are you going to go? You need to find a bit of direction, right, and that's where I am. I'm here to help you find that direction. So when we work together, you will gain intuitive insight on where you're going, and then you'll be able to take strategic job search action, to take the direction and the clarity you have and really put it into action and land the career that truly resonates with who you are, it seems to me that there's other steps I mean that your clients take.

Hank:

It's not your everyday kind of career counseling that they're about to encounter when they get in with you. Before we get into that, would you please share your journey from being an educator to becoming a leader at top tech companies and what really inspired you to start Career Alchemy?

Keith:

Sure. So I knew early on in my life, when I was young, that I was driven towards being a teacher. I went to college, I became a teacher and I realized that it wasn't what I thought it was. So I spent many, many years about eight years teaching from high school, then teaching at a community college and universities, and I never really truly identified with the direction that I was going in. So at one point I was in the hospital. I had a pneumonia and I called the school that I was working at and I told them I'm in the hospital, right, and basically they gaslit me, right. They're like oh well, you know I feel bad, but you know your students depend on you. It's final time. What are they going to do if you're not there, right? And that's when I said this is it. I need to get out of this, right.

Keith:

At the same time, there were signs that I was noticing around me of intuitive aspects, right, and I decided to explore it more. At the time I wasn't very woo-woo and I didn't really know what it was, but I'm like you know, I'm really lost. I was lost, right. So I didn't really know the direction to go down. So I started exploring these things like tarot cards and astrology and intuition development, and from there I got clarity on where I was meant to be and throughout a year and a half later I really hunkered down and focused on my career approach and then I moved into my first job out of teaching to a web developer role at Google.

Keith:

Then from there I moved into leadership positions at Meta, at DoorDash and at Calibrate right. So where I am now is I realized that this has been such a great experience for me and I want to help other people be able to find the career clarity and move into what really situates for them Right. So that's where my direction has been personally and yeah, I just love helping people find that same intuition, grit and direction to make their dreams reality, even if they're not sure what those dreams are yet Right. We co-create that together. You know I can resonate with what you're saying about not to make their dreams reality, even if they're not sure what those dreams are yet right. We co-create that together.

Hank:

You know I can resonate with what you're saying about not feeling in the right place and not resonating with being a teacher, because I actually spent 16 years teaching public schools, 13 of them in South Florida and three in Western North Carolina, in a really rural county.

Hank:

But by the time I left teaching, not only was I feeling out of sorts with it, but it was getting to the point where I was leaving at the end of each day thinking, you know, I'm really not allowed to strangle a few of these kids, but you know how much I'd really like to I mean, we're talking about eighth graders, you know. So they really can get under your skin. Yeah, so I moved out of that and went back to my roots, which was all of the related media things that I do, and built this business basically from the ground up. That being said, you mentioned some unconventional approaches a few minutes ago. Yeah, would you tell us how you work with your clients using some of these unconventional approaches a few minutes ago? Yeah, would you tell us how you work with your clients using some of these unconventional approaches?

Keith:

Yeah, definitely so. As I mentioned in my journey, what really helped me get crystal clear on where I was going and then navigate the winding road of actually getting there, I used unconventional messages, as I meant of actually getting the hair I used unconventional messages, as I meant unconventional Methods, maybe.

Keith:

Methods yeah, that's unconventional methods that really helped me accelerate where I was going. So I integrated astrology and I actually became a certified astrologer in Vedic astrology and I use that to help clients tap into what the stars are saying, to use that as just another clue, another breadcrumb in how they can find this clarity. The same thing with tarot cards. That's become a big part of my practice where again, it's just these are just more breadcrumbs to bring you where you're at. So none of it is set in stone, meaning like everything that's in the stars is just guidance for you and what. When we work together, a lot of what comes out starts with these unconventional approaches and it brings back memories from people's childhood and their subconscious areas where there are things that they haven't even thought of in years, right, or things that they've been really drawn to but haven't taken the leap or explored it more. That that starts coming into their consciousness and starts to be something where they realize, huh, this might be a path that could really lead me somewhere, even if it's something very different than what I'm doing. So that is more on finding the clarity there. But then even in the action-taking, the strategic action-taking in your career.

Keith:

Times have changed now. With AI, the job market has changed completely and with that, people are using the same old techniques, like applying to tons of jobs online, and they're not hearing back from recruiters, they're not hearing back from hiring managers, so these old conventional approaches aren't working anymore. So there are things that I work with my clients on, for example, making really authentic connections through video, right as one example. That helps draw in hiring managers and recruiters to get them to quickly really understand who you are and resonate with you and have that connection where they want to reach out and resonate with you and have that connection where they want to reach out and work with you, right, um, so yeah, that's what I'm talking about with unconventional techniques, things that make you stand out above the crowd, so you're not just blindly following what everyone else is doing.

Hank:

Would you say that in this day and age, um recruiters actually will they stand up? And will they sit up, maybe, and take notice if a potential applicant sends them a video? Is that something that's really? It's more prevalent now.

Keith:

So, no, it's not as prevalent. I would say some things that work with this are A you can try to send via LinkedIn. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. B there are ways where you can find email addresses of the recruiters and hiring managers inside the business so you can send the video there. Additionally, one thing that's worked really well is, on your resume, including a QR code to the video and that directs them to the video on their phone, right? So then you know it brings out the curiosity, right, because they're already there, right In that six to eight seconds where they are trying to evaluate whether you'd be a good fit, to eight seconds where they are trying to evaluate whether you'd be a good fit, and it just takes you that next step forward that all the other applicants they don't have or they aren't using. So, yeah, that's the approach that we usually take.

Hank:

I think that's quite innovative. So then that QR code could be on the resume, whether the resume was sent through email, electronically, or whether the company wanted a paper resume Although I don't know these days who still really wants paper resumes, because you know it's a big pile of papers.

Keith:

Yeah, exactly, it's all online now usually.

Hank:

Yeah, well, you know, speaking of going back to unconventional methods, in a conversation we had recently you told me you also use hypnosis with your clients. Now it's funny because a lot of us, you know, we've seen all these movies over the years and what they call hypnosis. One that I can think of is a Woody Allen movie called the Curse of the Jade Scorpion, where they used hypnosis in kind of dubious ways. And then, of course, we've got the old vampire movies where it's like look into my eyes, you know, but tell us a little bit about what hypnosis really is and how that helps your clients.

Keith:

Yeah, definitely. So there is a stigma around hypnosis. I think I remember when I was growing up, what I associated hypnosis was is these shows in Las Vegas where they were hypnotized people and they would bark like dogs and, you know, quack like chickens, right, or like ducks. And that's not the approach that I take. Approach that I take and really hypnosis is something used to tap into the subconscious and reprogram some of those beliefs that you have that you might not even be conscious of.

Keith:

For example, many times when we're growing up, we go through school and we are incentivized to get good grades, to get A's, to follow the rules, right, to follow what society is saying, right To be a doctor, to be a teacher, these noble careers. But a lot of times this is not what resonates with people actually, but they don't know that there's just all of these pre-programming means, um, that have really defined what your reality is. So, um, what we do is kind of tap in the layer below that, using hypnosis to really transform that and really explore a bit more. Additionally, we use hypnosis to really pre uh to uh, reprogram your, your thoughts on lack of confidence, on second guessing yourself, on insecurities that you have right and believe it or not, with hypnosis, just with a few sessions, you can have dramatic changes to how you're approaching your job search and how you're presenting yourself in a professional manner.

Hank:

Well, that's certainly a positive use of it and you know, people just don't understand. And one thing I've learned about hypnosis not that I've been hypnotized, but I've spoken to people over time and it's the misnomer that people think they could be made to do something that they wouldn't normally do. But I've found out that that's really not what it's about at all and something that's diametrically opposed to your belief systems and your ethics. You're really not going to be convinced to do that through hypnosis sessions. But you know, one thing you brought up made me think about this.

Hank:

I was the offspring of first-generation Americans. They were Jewish immigrants. Their parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia and Ukraine, where the pogroms were going on and persecution and all this kind of stuff. So I was the first one in my family really that got any kind of education. My brothers both dropped out of high school. My father dropped out of high school. So I went for an education. But as I was growing up, you know they had their Jewish American dream of my son, the lawyer. You know they always encouraged me you'll grow up, you'll be a lawyer, you'll make a really good living, you know, you'll provide for your family, et cetera, et cetera.

Hank:

But it wasn't until I was actually a junior in college. I mean, I was studying journalism, but I still had this notion in the back of my head that I would go on to get a law degree and maybe I would become a media lawyer. You know, because newspapers, television stations, stuff like that really need lawyers. Lawyer, you know, because newspapers, television stations, stuff like that really need lawyers. So I was thinking that would be a career path for me. But I was a junior in college when I came to the realization I call it a blinding flash of the obvious. This was my mother's vision for me. This was never my own. I really never wanted to be a lawyer, and that was very liberating when I figured that out. Yeah, so so yes, Exactly and sorry.

Keith:

One last thing Exactly Right, and I would say as a junior in college, you've you got this epiphany really early on, right, where you were able to make that shift and pivot before you went into something that didn't really resonate with your soul and where you are meant to be right. The purpose of life is to be happy. Essentially, that's a quote from the Dalai Lama. So if you're doing something that makes you sad, depressed, out of alignment with your happiness, that's not the path for you happiness.

Hank:

That's not the path for you, that's true. But you know, to be honest, even though I made that epiphany, I still ended up falling into things that weren't in alignment with my sole purpose. That didn't make me happy and, having been brought up with the boomer mentality that you go, you get a job, you stay in that job, you know, you stick with it for years and maybe you'll get a good pension and all that kind of stuff, so I had to break free of all of that as well. You know time is flying. It's amazing how fast it's going by. Would you please give me an example of a success story where a client has made a dramatic career shift using your methods?

Keith:

Yeah for sure. So let me explain a client who I worked with recently. Her name's Kathy and she had been following all quote unquote the steps, right. So she went to school for that, she became a paralegal and she had multiple jobs as a paralegal. But at first she was really engaged, she was really focused and had a lot of career clarity when she started, right, and she loved it. But after two years, three years, four years, up to 10 years, she realized this is not the path for her anymore, right? So she came to me at a place where she had had like really clear clarity before, but she was out of alignment and she knew that. So, working together, we were able to, we were able to find the skills and experience she has, that she's really interested and engaged with, and bring that into this new career path.

Keith:

You know some other things. Speaking of limiting beliefs, some of the limiting beliefs she had is, in order for her to transition to a career, she needed to get another degree right, or she needed to learn more, or she doesn't have enough experience. She doesn't know how to speak a language, all of these things and to be really, to be really frank, hank, they get programmed in us right, where we don't realize our excuses and then become limiting beliefs. So I, with that, you, that we really talk through what her skills are, that she can leverage. That makes her unique for this new field, which was user experience research. So, working in corporate settings, mostly tech companies and, yeah, we worked together to align what she had into this new path. And then, what are, what are the things that really made her unique Right? And that paralegal point, where the specific words you use right are so important to the direction you go. That was a really unique value add in the user experience research space. That was a really unique value add in the user experience research space. So that is how she was able to communicate her value in a way that spoke to hiring managers and recruiters.

Keith:

So some things that I helped her work on were developing a story. People relate with you when you have a story that relates to them, right. In addition to that, like when people go through your LinkedIn, or at the time when people are going through her LinkedIn, she's just talking about her experience. Right, I have 10 years experience as a paralegal. I've done this, I've done this, I've done this. But, to be honest, people go to your LinkedIn because they want to know how you can help them. Right. So you need to say what their pain point is, what their problem is, and then how you can help them and fix that right With your unique methods. Right. And then from there go into an approach or how you've done this before and how you're an expert in this area.

Keith:

And there are many ways, even though you're transitioning careers, where you can communicate your value and the impact you've made in different ways than in that traditional job track that other people might be following. So it's through these innovative ways and also incorporating this video method that I mentioned earlier about recording personalized messages for the hiring manager, for the recruiter, and linking that on your resume. Those are the things that built a warm connection with people before she even had the interview right. So, moving from there, she was able then to land the interview. When she started working at the job, her hiring manager said it was an easy hiring choice. She was by far the number one candidate for this user experience role and, yeah, now she's working in a wonderful. She's now a user experience research manager. It's funny how the stars align and really you navigate through all these paths and you end up in the place that's really meant for you if you put in the work and energy to get there.

Hank:

Right. So, as you mentioned earlier, all these trends, these guidelines, these things fall into place and it leads to the direction. You know it's amazing, but we're out of time, so I'd like to ask if you can tell us briefly what is the best way that our listeners can get in touch with you if they'd like to learn more about ways you might be able to help them in their career search.

Keith:

Sure. So if you're at a place right now where you have maybe a little idea of where you're going, what your interests are, but you're just uncertain and there are many different paths that you're exploring and you're thinking about but you can't really kind of figure it out, it's kind of like you have a bunch of puzzle pieces but you're not sure how to put it together. You, if you're in this boat, you're in the boat with like a lot of my most of my clients, right? So if, when you're ready, hop on my calendar and we'll schedule a free uh sorry, a complimentary call, um, and you can go to my website to do this at career alchemy dot online. So yeah, I'm looking forward to speaking with you listeners and really getting to know about where you're at and your experience.

Hank:

Well, thank you for being here with us today, Keith, and to our listeners, join us next Wednesday on the Zoomers to Boomers Business Show right here on bizradious. Whether you're a Zoomer, a Boomer or somewhere in between, as you go about your day to day, I want to remind you to practice kindness. It's the greatest uniter this world has ever known. We'll see you again next week. This is Hank Eder, wishing all of you a fabulous, productive and successful day.