• Our Approach

• Our ApproachAnn Brody2018-12-16T14:18:42-06:00

Turning Points Are Crucial Opportunities

Transitions, voluntary or involuntary, occur more frequently in our work these days.
Turning points are also a normal part of the adult development cycle. At different stages in your life, you may feel a pressing urge to make a change.
There is an alternative to remaining “stuck in a rut” or taking a random stab at something.
Sometimes a radical change isn’t really necessary at all. A 10% “tweak” can make a big difference in how you feel, but you need to know what to tweak.

When you reach a turning point in your education or career, you can get off track—sometimes way off track—unless you take a thorough look inside yourself.

The place to begin is not looking for “what’s out there” that you can fit into, but knowing what is the right fit for you.

The “Whole Person” Approach

We help you:

Uncover the factors that are critical to developing a “Personal Vision,” a longer-range idea of the future you want to be in, proven to increase your chances of finding success and satisfaction in work and life as a whole.
Develop an action plan to start getting there.
Learn a decision making process that can guide you whenever you reach a new turning point.

What People Say About Highlands and the HAB
from The Highlands Company on Vimeo.

The “Whole Person” model for career, education and life planning was developed by the Highlands Company in 1994. More information is available at www.highlandsco.com

This process is fully described in the book Don’t Waste Your Talent, written by Bob McDonald, Ph.D. and Don Hutcheson, the founders of the Highland Company. This book can be used as a self-help guide as well as a useful introduction to the process we use. It can be ordered at Amazon.

Don Eisenhauer

Ann introduced me to the Five O’Clock Club as well as a battery of personal and professional testing mechanisms. She is a great listener and knows how to pin-point your challenge/problem/frustration. Ann recreates your confidence and sense of direction while looking out more than just 6 months. I often re-read my test scores, our notes together and her lists of readings. I highly recommend Ann Brody. My wife, a college educator, had great success with Ann’s methodologies too.

Don Eisenhauer

Allscripts Outcome Executive Associate

Danielle Henderson

Ann has been an invaluable career coach to me, my husband and one of our closest friends. I’d recommend her and her processes to anyone looking to get some clarity on the next steps in their career. She inspires trust, helps you build confidence that you can make a productive change, and was really a joy to work with in every way. She is also knowledgeable and creative — a great coach!

Danielle Henderson

Account Executive - Veeva Systems

Elizabeth Wiggs Maas

Ann helped me through a very difficult time this past year when I found myself new to Chicago, and without a job. Together we explored my unique strengths and by the end of my sessions with her, I was able to confidently choose a path for myself to follow. I learned things about myself and my skills that I never knew before, and the result was that I ended up taking a chance in my career that has paid off very well. The best part about my work with Ann was getting so much more insight into myself and the way I work – I’d recommend her to anyone who’s feeling unfulfilled in his or her current position!

Elizabeth Wiggs Maas

Marketing at Fairlife, LLC

Dan McMahon

I have worked with Ann on and off for over 5 years. Throughout my relationship with Ann as an independent and objective career advisor, Ann has offered valued advice that has been integral to my ability to navigate the complex corporate world.

I highly recommend Ann to anyone who feels the need to seek advice from an independent objective source on dealing with the issues employees are faced with, which can at times be complex given the current economic environment.

Dan McMahon

Business Growth Advisor at Integrated Growth Advisors

James P. Moorhead

Ann has been a career mentor since 2011, when I took the Highlands testing. I would highly recommend Ann’s services – she provides thoughtful and detailed career guidance, has in-depth experience and background from which to draw advice, and is a steady mentor at each step of the way.

James P. Moorhead

John Briggs

Ann has provided coaching to both of my sons — each at crossroads in their academic and educational choices. One son was midway through college and was second-guessing his choice of major/feild, etc. Ann was able to determine his core strengths and weakenesses, and steered him back to his original plan — and even provided him with a few options he had never considered. My other son, still at the high school level, was wrestling through the choices of majors, and Ann was able to highlight his strengths, giving him confidence that he could be successful regardless of his choice. I’m really glad we involved Ann in this process.

John Briggs

Director, Creative Network at AbbVie

Jon Rappoport

When I first met Ann some years ago, I was quite unsure of myself and frankly, too hard on myself for not having “figured it out.”

With the impact of her invaluable coaching having had a lasting effect on my decisions and successes to this day, Ann helped me to realize the unique and innate potential and purpose within myself. Her warmth, her intelligence, her support and her expertise are a huge part of the trajectory on which I still find myself growing, learning and pursuing the passions which continue to unfold before my eyes.

I will always look back on our time working together with fondness and appreciation, and as life — both personally and professionally — continues to be a revealing journey, I am bolstered by the knowledge that Ann and her talent as a career coach is just a phone call away.

Jon Rappoport

Strategist, Consultant and Chief Fig (Facilitator + Idea Generator)

Marie Theiss

Ann is one of the most intuitive, personable, and balanced professionals I know. I’m so glad to have connected with her. She’s helped me over the years with formulating my business strategy, identifying areas that are important to me and creating a fulfilling professional and personal life. Ann is so intuitive and looks for a holistic approach that satisfies so many angles. She helped me strike a balance between capitalizing on running my business, giving my attention to my philanthropic work, and maintaining a sense of calm during hectic and challenging periods of life. She is a gem, she’s funny and is such a valuable person in my life. I am so proud to recommend her here, and have been doing so to my personal and professional friends.

Marie Theiss

Independent Instructional Designer