Redefining Career Success: How Holistic Support Transforms Women's Professional Journeys

A conversation with Ayanna Jordan from New Directions Career Center reveals why belonging and self-compassion are essential to sustainable career development.

The traditional approach to career development often treats job seekers like products to be polished and marketed. Update your resume, practice your elevator pitch, network strategically, and success will follow. But what if this transactional approach is missing something fundamental about how people actually thrive in their careers?

Ayanna Jordan, Assistant Program Director at New Directions Career Center in Columbus, Ohio, has spent years developing a different model, one that recognizes career development as inseparable from personal growth, community belonging, and holistic well-being.

In a recent conversation on the ALC ChangeMakers Podcast, Ayanna shared insights that challenge conventional wisdom about career services and offer a blueprint for more inclusive, effective support systems.

The Statistics Behind the Need

Ayanna’s takes on added urgency given current employment realities. According to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data, women, particularly women of color, continue to face disproportionate employment challenges. Jordan noted that over 300,000 Black women lost their jobs in 2025 alone, a statistic that underscores the critical need for comprehensive career support.

Research from the National Women's Law Center consistently shows that women of color face unique barriers in the workplace, from occupational segregation to wage gaps that compound over time. These systemic challenges require more than traditional job placement services; they demand a fundamental reimagining of what career support looks like.

Beyond Job Placement: The Holistic Approach

New Directions Career Center describes itself as a "full-fledged career services center," but Ayanna's explanation reveals something deeper: "We are not just looking at it from the standpoint of what you need in terms of your position or the job that you're seeking, but also who you are as a person, what are your core values?"

This holistic approach aligns with emerging research in career development psychology. Studies published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior increasingly show that sustainable career satisfaction requires alignment between personal values, identity, and professional roles.

The center's comprehensive services include:

• Career education and counseling
• Employment coaching and skill building
• One-on-one career counseling
• Group coaching and support
• Financial wellness planning

The Four Pillars of Sustainable Career Development

Ayanna outlined New Directions' signature approach through their "Your Employment Success" program, which focuses on four core areas:

1. Self-Assessment: Understanding Who You Are

Before exploring external opportunities, participants engage in deep self-reflection. This mirrors findings from Harvard Business School research showing that self-awareness is a critical predictor of career satisfaction and leadership effectiveness.

2. Exploration: Discovering Possibilities

Rather than limiting options based on current circumstances, the program encourages broad exploration of career possibilities. This approach reflects research from Stanford's d.school on design thinking applied to career development.

3. Goal Setting: Creating Intentional Pathways

The program emphasizes setting goals that align with both practical needs and personal values. Studies from the American Psychological Association consistently show that goal-setting approaches that consider intrinsic motivation lead to better outcomes than purely external goal-setting.

4. Personal Branding and Self-Marketing

The final pillar helps participants authentically represent their value proposition, moving beyond generic resume templates to create compelling, personalized career narratives.

The Revolutionary Role of Belonging

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Ayanna's approach is her emphasis on belonging as a foundation for career development. "Belonging is everything," she explains. "It creates community, it creates connection. It allows us to be very conscious about our role and what we do for our clients and for each other."

This focus isn't just intuitive; it's backed by significant research. Google's Project Aristotle found that psychological safety was the top factor in team effectiveness. Similarly, research from Gallup shows that employees who feel they belong are more engaged, productive, and likely to stay with their organizations.

For career development, this means creating spaces where people can explore their professional identity without judgment, where their cultural background is seen as an asset rather than a barrier, and where their unique perspectives are valued.

Adapting to Serve Diverse Populations

New Directions' flexibility in programming demonstrates the importance of responsive, inclusive design. Their recent launch of "Mature Works," serving women 55 and older, addresses a population often overlooked by traditional career services.

"It's not over when you reach a certain age," Ayanna notes. "It's just the next chapter in your experience."

This programming responds to demographic realities: In a report released by AARP in January of 2025, a survey of people age 50 and older revealed that 24% of older workers planned to make a job change in 2025, a 10% increase from 2024, when just 14% indicated they were looking for new employment. Yet age discrimination remains a significant barrier, with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reporting thousands of age discrimination charges annually.

The Power of Self-Compassion in Career Development

One of Ayanna's most powerful insights centers on self-compassion: "Be patient with yourself. Doing things in increments of time with self-compassion, patience, and increments of time; that's always helpful to your pathway to anything that you want to achieve."

This advice aligns with groundbreaking research from Dr. Kristin Neff at the University of Texas, whose studies show that self-compassion is more predictive of motivation, resilience, and achievement than self-esteem. In career contexts, self-compassion helps people:

• Recover more quickly from setbacks like job rejection
• Take appropriate risks in career advancement
• Maintain motivation during long job searches
• Make decisions aligned with their values rather than external pressure

Creating Safe Spaces for Growth

Ayanna emphasizes that New Directions provides "a safe space for you to learn, grow, to really tap into what you want personally and professionally." This concept of safety in career development reflects trauma-informed care principles increasingly being applied in educational and professional settings.

Many job seekers, particularly those from marginalized communities, carry experiences of workplace discrimination, microaggressions, or economic instability. Traditional career services often ignore these realities. By creating explicitly safe spaces, New Directions acknowledges that healing and growth often need to happen simultaneously.

Practical Applications for Organizations

Ayanna's insights offer practical guidance for organizations looking to create more inclusive, effective career development programs:

1. Start with Values Assessment

Before focusing on skills gaps or job matching, help people identify their core values and how these align with potential career paths.

2. Address the Whole Person

Consider how housing stability, childcare, transportation, and other life factors impact career decisions. Holistic support leads to more sustainable outcomes.

3. Build Community

Create opportunities for peer support and networking that go beyond transactional professional relationships.

4. Emphasize Incremental Progress

Celebrate small wins and encourage patience with the career development process. Sustainable change takes time.

5. Prioritize Psychological Safety

Ensure that career development spaces are free from judgment and discrimination, where people can explore authentically.

The Future of Career Development

New Directions' upcoming programming illustrates how career development organizations are evolving to meet contemporary challenges. Their LEAD symposium on inclusive leadership recognizes that career development isn't just about finding jobs; it's about preparing people to create more inclusive, equitable workplaces.

Their annual celebration honoring program graduates demonstrates another crucial element: recognizing that career development is an ongoing journey deserving of celebration and community support.

Lessons for the Broader Field

Ayanna's work offers several key insights for anyone involved in career development, workforce development, or organizational leadership:

Integration Over Isolation: Career challenges rarely exist in isolation from other life circumstances. Effective support addresses the interconnected nature of personal and professional growth.

Relationship Over Transaction: Sustainable career development happens within relationships and communities, not through isolated interventions.

Process Over Product: Focusing on the process of growth and discovery often leads to better outcomes than fixating on specific job placements.

Inclusion Over Assimilation: Rather than helping people fit into existing systems, effective career development works to create more inclusive systems that value diverse perspectives and experiences.

Taking Action

For individuals navigating career transitions, Ayanna's insights suggest several actionable strategies:

• Practice self-compassion during the job search process
• Identify your core values before evaluating opportunities
• Seek holistic support that addresses your complete situation
• Build community with others on similar journeys
• Approach change incrementally rather than expecting immediate transformation

For organizations and leaders, the call to action is equally clear: move beyond traditional, transactional approaches to career development and embrace models that recognize the full humanity of the people you serve.

Conclusion: A New Model for Career Success

Ayanna Jordan's work at New Directions Career Center represents more than innovative programming; it's a fundamental reimagining of what career success looks like and how we can support people in achieving it.

In a world of rapid economic change, persistent inequality, and evolving workplace dynamics, the traditional career development playbook is insufficient. Ayanna's emphasis on belonging, self-compassion, holistic support, and incremental progress offers a more sustainable, inclusive path forward.

As she reminds us, "We want to meet you where you are. There is no judgment. It is a safe space for you to learn, grow, to really tap into what you want personally and professionally."

This isn't just good practice, it's a vision for how career development can become a tool for personal empowerment, community building, and social change.

About New Directions Career Center: Founded to support women's career development, New Directions Career Center provides comprehensive career services, including education, counseling, coaching, and employment support. Their programs serve diverse populations with a focus on holistic, inclusive approaches to professional development.

Connect with Ayanna Jordan and New Directions: Visit newdirectionscc.org to learn about programs, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support their mission.

Sources and Further Reading

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Employment Situation Summary
2. National Women's Law Center - Employment Resources
3. Journal of Vocational Behavior - Career Development Research
4. Harvard Business School Faculty Research
5. Stanford d.school - Design Thinking Resources
6. American Psychological Association - Goal Setting Research
7. Google's Project Aristotle - Team Effectiveness
8. Gallup Workplace Research
9. AARP - Working at 50+ Research
10. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
11. Dr. Kristin Neff - Self-Compassion Research
12. CAWC- Trauma-Informed Care

This blog post is based on a podcast interview with Ayanna Jordan conducted for the ALC ChangeMakers Podcast. Listen to the full conversation for additional insights and details.