Julia is a life and career coach skilled in facilitating foundational shifts in her clients’ lives and work.
About Me
Julia Starr, life and career coach
I am a strategic thinker with an empathetic heart. My primary desire and commitment is to helping others gain clarity in their lives, careers and businesses.
My unique combination of analytical thinking and intuition makes me a coach that can partner with my clients on both the mind and heart levels, ultimately leading to client insights and action plans that are not only wise strategically, but also deeply fulfilling on a soul level.
My career began in management consulting, and after three years on that grind I took a huge step back and reevaluated my unique skills, motivations and values. The outcome was making a pivot into adult development psychology, into the work that I am now energized by on a daily basis.
I am fascinated by the ways our mindset, assumptions and beliefs can (often) get in the way of our growth, and once uncovered, can liberate us to new ways of living, working and being.
Originally from a small mining town in northern Minnesota, I pursued my undergraduate education in Southern California at Claremont McKenna College. I hold a Masters of Education with a focus on Adult Development Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and studied Integrative Health Coaching intensively at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. In the last decade I’ve spent time living and working in Minneapolis, Boston, Malaysia, and the Middle East. Currently I reside in Bend, OR, with my husky mix, Bija.
Credentials
-Masters of Education with a focus on Adult Development Psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education
-200 hours of Masters level training in integrative health and wellbeing coaching, functional nutrition and the healing arts at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing
-200 hour Yoga Alliance-certified Yoga Teacher Training
Testimonials
You’re getting a two for one with Julia. On the one hand, you get an understanding of coaching and the frameworks she uses to help you improve. (This might be helpful to people managers, specifically). On the other hand, you get a coach! Someone who helps you self actualize in an often chaotic high growth business environment.
~Senior Director, Unicorn Startup
The reason I sought out a coach was because - although I was working a great job that many people would love to have, was in good financial standing, and had enough time to pursue things that I wanted on the side- I was not happy with what I was doing. Objectively all of the things I mentioned were goals that I and many people strove for, but I was missing the essential sense of purpose and control in my life. I started working with Julia because I had many, many ideas in the past and never seemed to get past the idea stage. I was skeptical about the impact a coach would have but decided to give it a shot.
I came to Julia with an idea that I wanted to pursue, and now, 12 weeks later, I have not only developed the concept into something tangible, but have investors interested in seeing my progress. She helped me differentiate between real blockers to success/progress and things that could be worked around. Working on my own idea has been so fulfilling. The long hours I spend working on it don’t feel like work. It feels amazing to get to a point of manifesting what I want.
I didn’t expect that working with Julia for career growth would also result in some personal/spiritual growth as well. I can’t recommend her enough and I am excited to keep working with her.
~D.M., Accenture
I reached out to Julia out of a moment of despair that was brought on by starting a new job within my existing firm, living through a first ever pandemic and truly questioning whether I was on the right track in my career and life. I didn't know that eight weeks later I would end our last session feeling confident that where I am today does align with the journey of where I want to go, empowered to prioritize what benefits me, and awakened by a new understanding of the core values that drive me. Julia has an innate ability to help you discover what really matters to you in a way that feels like your are speaking to a close confidante which makes the experience so effortless. The result is powerful because the more you understand what drives you, what you have a passion for, and what makes you happy...the more you get out of life and that is what I now have. I would definitely recommend Julia if you need someone to help recalibrate where you are today and help you affirm to yourself the direction you should be moving towards in the future. Thanks Julia for everything - look forward to continuing to have you as my confidante/advisor for years to come!
~Executive Director, Financial Services
“I worked with Julia in the first part of 2021. And I am writing this in October 2021. The distance between the time we worked together and today, has allowed me to see how impactful her work still is. As an entrepreneur, I learned concepts that still help me map out the path of my company, and how that path overlaps with my professional and personal life. I highly recommend Julia to other CEOs, founders who are looking for a framework on professional and personal roadmapping to find balance in their lives. ”
“I started working with Julia when I wanted to leave my consulting job but I didn’t know where to begin, what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to apply. Julia helped me figure all of this out; I successfully left my job after only 3 months of working together, found a job that I really love and the career that I never knew I actually wanted.
Working with Julia has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.”
“Julia gave me a strong backbone, and is a person that pushed me and strengthened me and allowed me to question and gave me a different perspective. I leave my sessions completely energized and ready to do whatever it is that I needed to do..I can’t recommend her enough.”
“When I first decided to resign from my job and switch career paths, I was incredibly lost. A friend of mine took notice, and very luckily referred me to Julia and I’ve had the great fortune to work with her for the past two months. Despite my initial skepticism vis-a-vis coaching, my experience with Julia showed me how I could really optimize and get the most out of this huge transitional period - the learnings of which actually shaped many other parts of my life beyond my professional trajectory.
With Julia, I went from being clueless on my next steps to having wrapped up final interviews with two of my dream companies - something I don’t think I could have done without her. Not only did working with Julia change the trajectory of my life, but our work together has made me a more confident, stronger, and empowered person. Whether you’re looking to change jobs/careers, start your own business, better understand yourself/your values/your future, or just shake up your life, Julia is your woman.”
“You helped me organize and realize my values in a way that has helped me evaluate roles and opportunities with a clearer mind and understanding of what I truly want. You taught me to keep returning to that which truly lights me up and to not settle for anything less. I feel much less overwhelmed around career pivots and instead empowered to make them as I see fit thanks to you!”
“I’m so happy I decided to work with Julia. She helped me uncover the real source of my stress deep down which allowed me to gain insights into why I do what I do and how I can shift my perspective in a more helpful direction. By realizing how my thoughts and beliefs shape my life and my approach to my work - in both positive and negative ways - it allowed me to make some much-needed changes that I don’t think I ever could have made all on my own!”
“Julia has helped me move through blocks I wasn’t aware were holding me back until I started working with her. She has helped me clarify what is truly important to me and kept me focused and aligned on my path to creating my business and ideal life. Julia is practical and grounded and brings so much joy, fun, and ease to the process of working together.”
“Julia is a patient and caring coach. She listens deeply without judgment and uses a client-centered approach to problem solving and goal setting. She brings a wealth of worldly experience and yoga expertise to her practice, yet stays humble, grounded, and open to new perspectives. Thank you, Julia!”
“Thank you SO SO much for being my coach. I literally could not have gotten here without you. ”
“Before I began working with Julia, there was a tremendous lack of balance between my life and my career. I had a very difficult time finding perspective, setting boundaries and sticking to them and this was affecting my daily happiness, sense of freedom and ability to achieve personal goals. Having been at the same company for nearly a decade, I was experiencing a new level of burnout and a lack of drive in my work but was also finding it extremely difficult to envision what would be next for me or even what I really wanted.
Working with Julia one on one was hugely helpful - she offered valuable perspective and posed questions that made me think of things in new ways, ultimately shifting my perspective. In our work together, I solidified the values that are most important to me but also where my core strengths lay in order to explore that intersection and map toward new opportunities that will afford me the balance I’m looking for.
I would highly recommend Julia as coach for so many reasons. Her approach always made me feel supported, yet she challenged me to examine ideas that I wouldn’t necessarily have on my own. After working together, I feel so much more confident in my approach in all areas of my life and in the steps I need to take in order to advance to my next career opportunity. ”