Alumni Spotlight: Mandy Kubicek, Cohort 2002
Tell us about yourself and your background.
Howdy! JDE class of ‘06 CS grad from Omaha here! I started my career in software where I used my strengths to build things, solve problems, and make strategic decisions. After a profitable 12-year adventure, I started my own life coaching business (www.CoachKubicek.com.)
Fave thing on the Internet: The Office on Netflix + this talking dog
Book rec: Loving What Is by Byron Katie
What are some highlights or key takeaways from your experience as a student in the Raikes School/JDE?
Making Dr. Cusack blush. Poor decisions with Krista and Ella. That time I got to walk across campus with Bill Gates. Sneaking down the hall to Bob’s dorm with a pillow.
What have you been up to since graduating from Nebraska and the Raikes School/JDE?
After graduation, I moved to St. Louis to work as a Software Engineer at Boeing. I earned an MBA from Washington University and saw the sights as a Big with Big Brothers Big Sisters. After three years, I moved back to Nebraska and married Bob (JDE class of ‘06.) I spent nine more years in the software industry at Mutual of Omaha, LeaseTeam, and Flywheel.
This year I became my own boss. Bob and I live with our brindle boxer-coonhound baby in a condo near Omaha’s Old Market.
You recently started your own venture. Tell us about your work and how the idea came to be.
About three years ago, I knew I wanted to be a life coach. I had heard about this relatively new industry in one of the many self-help books I’d been scarfing down for a decade. But I was afraid. What if I’m wrong and don’t like coaching? What if I don’t make much money?
While at Flywheel, I completed life coaching training with the Martha Beck Institute. The program showed me tools I could use to improve my life and the lives of clients. My inner dialogue began to transform. Why not now?
I started coaching about a year ago and left Flywheel last spring. Through phone-based life coaching, retreats, and virtual products, I help people build meaningful careers. (Check out our free Facebook group, Love Monday.)
As my own boss, I also spend all the time I want relaxing, playing, learning, creating, pampering my husband, and cuddling my dog. (And cuddling my husband. And pampering my dog.)
“Forget whatever you were taught about ‘meaningful work’ and start noticing whatever has meaning to you.” – Barbara Sher
Have you had experiences with Raikes School alumni or current students since graduation? If so, tell us about those experiences.
I was a Design Studio client while at Flywheel. The team was so smart and hard-working and funny. It was a joy to learn along with them. Also, I was reminded of how much I’ve grown since my own DS days!
If you could give one piece of advice to current Raikes School students, what would you say?
Breathe.
I went through a serious depression in college. My best friends and I constantly worried — about our grades, about losing our scholarships, about dying husbandless. It’s not nearly as serious as it feels.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
How can I support you? Let’s grab a coffee and swap wisdom!
P.S. At Flywheel, I worked with some of the kindest, most creative people I’ve ever met. They’re hiring!
PC: Kimberly Bailey