ACTIV in Action – Aneesh’s Coaching Journey

Part 5 – VALIDATE: Affirming the Path, Owning the Progress

When Aneesh first came to coaching, he wasn’t looking for a new job.

He was looking for direction.

The company he had once loved, where he had grown, contributed, and built trust, had gone through a major transition. New capital had come in. So had new leadership. With that came shifting priorities, fading values, and a culture that no longer felt like home.

Coaching started as a space to process workplace upheaval and soon became a place for deeper exploration. Aneesh began by examining what had changed around him. Then he started to uncover the deeper misalignments that had quietly taken shape within him.

His coaching journey revealed his new path forward.

✔️ ACCESS – He reconnected with his values. He named the internal tension that had been building long before the restructuring.

✔️ CHOOSE – He made the difficult decision to step away from Company 1, opening the door to something more aligned with his values.

✔️ TAILOR – He shaped his path. He accepted a flexible role at a small tech company and designed a path that included exploring project management, working on a certification and managing a small external project. It felt right. But the real clarity came later.

✔️ IMPLEMENT – He put his plan into motion. But what he discovered wasn’t what he expected. The project management work, once so appealing, left him drained and uninspired. With this new insight, he revisited the options he had explored during CHOOSE and returned to data visualization with fresh clarity. This experience surfaced new truths about the work itself, about how he wanted to operate, and about the kind of culture he needed to thrive.

Now, in the final phase, VALIDATE, Aneesh is not just taking action. He’s reflecting. He’s affirming his path. And he’s choosing what to carry forward with clarity and intention.

 What Is ACTIV?

Aneesh’s coaching journey follows the ACTIV framework, a five-phase process designed to guide individuals, leaders, and organizations through workplace transitions with clarity and confidence:

·         ACCESS – Reconnect with your values, motivations, and deeper goals

·         CHOOSE – Make decisions that reflect who you are and where you want to go

·         TAILOR – Shape a path that fits your unique strengths and circumstances

·         IMPLEMENT – Move forward with intention and confidence

·         VALIDATE – Reflect, assess, and realign as needed

Each phase builds on the last. But it always begins with ACCESS—and from there, movement becomes possible.

📊 From Exploration to Contribution

After realizing project management wasn’t a fit, Aneesh took time to research the field of data visualization. He spoke with professionals in the field and reflected on how it aligned with his values and strengths. Confident in his direction, he enrolled in a data visualization certification program. He didn’t wait for a new job to start testing it out. He stayed in his current role but began offering help where he saw opportunity.

His company’s unstructured nature, while often a source of frustration, also gave him the freedom to step into new spaces. He started by making recommendations on where reports could help bring clarity and insight. Using the tools he had access to, he began creating simple reports to assist his boss, one of the company’s owners.

Aneesh’s work quickly demonstrated value for the company. Over time, he was granted access to Business Intelligence (BI) tools. These tools allowed him to refine his reporting and build visuals that made gaps and opportunities visible in ways conversations never had. Aneesh was also included in internal meetings and asked to create reports on additional areas of the business, further expanding his impact.

His reports soon began informing leadership decisions. His contributions expanded but his job title and pay did not. He continued managing projects, performing his original duties, and now shouldering much of the company’s operational reporting.

Eventually, he asked the question: Should I ask for a raise?

💬 Preparing for the Ask

The thought of it brought real anxiety.

Not because Aneesh didn’t believe he had earned it—he had. But his boss was known to be volatile. Inconsistent. And Aneesh knew exactly what the consequences could be.

"If she didn’t like the ask," he said, "she’d just shut down. No response to emails. No acknowledgment. Just... silence."

Past requests had resulted in retaliation by omission: withdrawn opportunities, unreturned messages. This wasn’t just about compensation. It was about risk.

In coaching, we worked through the fear. We talked through scenarios. We practiced visualization techniques—walking through what might happen if she was dismissive, angry, indifferent. He practiced staying grounded and clear, no matter what version of her showed up in the room.

Then came strategy.

Aneesh knew his boss responded best to data and visuals. So, he did what he did best—he turned to data visualization. Using the tools he had been honing; he created a visual representation that clearly contrasted the duties he was hired and paid to perform with the scope of work he was now responsible for. It was compelling, precise, and impossible to ignore.

Aneesh was professional, calm and clear.

His boss listened. “She even seemed surprised by how much my job description had grown.”

❌ The Decision That Spoke Volumes

Instead of offering a raise, Aneesh’s boss took his reporting responsibilities away.

The project management that he didn’t enjoy remained, however, uncompensated. The reporting work? Reassigned. The recognition he had hoped for —deserved— never came.

Instead of being empowered, he was sidelined. Aneesh said “I feel demoralized but unfortunately not surprised”.

Then came another twist. She asked him to meet with other company leaders to talk about his "future." Aneesh went to those meetings with grace and professionalism. He spoke about his goals, his desire to continue building a career in data visualization.

But in his heart, he knew.

There was no values alignment. No shared foundation. No future at this company.

🧠 What VALIDATE Revealed

Through coaching, Aneesh was able to move past the frustration of that experience and VALIDATE two powerful truths:

✅First, he saw the impact of data visualization. For months, he had tried to communicate his growing responsibilities verbally. But it wasn’t until he used data visualization that his boss truly understood. That experience confirmed how much power was in the work itself—not just as a skill, but as a language of clarity.

✅Second, he was able to see the limits of his current company. While it had offered him learning opportunities, it could not offer him a future. He was done trying to retrofit his values into a culture that didn’t support them.

That realization didn’t make the experience easier. But it made the way forward unmistakably clear.

🌱 A New Chapter Begins

Aneesh has officially stepped into a new role in a company that values both his skills and his voice. He’s now working full-time in data visualization. He is using the very tools that helped him find clarity during coaching to now help others make smarter, more informed decisions.

He’s no longer just performing—he’s thriving. He’s found a workplace that aligns with his values, rewards his contributions, and encourages growth.

Most of all, he’s moving forward with confidence because he’s not just navigating change. He owns it.

📍 Ready to VALIDATE Your Own Path?

If you’re doing more than ever and still feeling less fulfilled, maybe the problem isn’t your performance. Maybe it’s the fit.

VALIDATE doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means checking in, stepping back, and asking what still fits.

Coaching offers that space.

🗓️ I offer a Free 15-minute consultation—a space to reflect, reset, and explore your next move with clarity.

Let’s talk about where your path might lead next.

🔜 What’s Next?

Aneesh’s journey through the ACTIV framework comes to a close here—but your journey might just be beginning. In our next blog series, we’ll shift the focus to you.

Be Your Own Transition Expert is about quieting outside noise, reconnecting with your own voice, and making confident decisions in the face of change.

We’ll begin with: Be Your Own Transition Expert: Shutting Out the Noise.

Join us as we explore how to navigate transitions with clarity, self-trust, and purpose.