Executive Career Counseling in Long Beach
Navigate Your Leadership Journey with Confidence
You've climbed the ladder. You've proven yourself capable of handling million-dollar decisions, leading teams, and driving organizational success. But somewhere along the way, the path forward became less clear. Maybe you're questioning your next move, feeling burnt out despite your accomplishments, or struggling with the isolation that comes with executive leadership. Perhaps you're facing a career transition that requires more than just a polished resume.
At Empower Mental Fitness, we provide specialized career counseling for high-value executives, CEOs, and C-suite professionals throughout Long Beach and Southern California. This isn't your typical career coaching. We understand that at your level, career decisions are complex, deeply personal, and often intertwined with your sense of identity, purpose, and well-being.
The Unique Career Challenges Executives Face
Executive career challenges look nothing like the obstacles you faced earlier in your career. You're not worried about updating your LinkedIn profile or practicing interview skills. Your concerns run deeper. You might be questioning whether the role you've worked years to achieve actually aligns with who you are now. You're weighing opportunities that could reshape your entire professional trajectory, and the stakes feel impossibly high because every decision impacts not just you, but your family, your team, and potentially your entire organization.
The isolation of executive leadership makes these challenges even harder. You can't exactly discuss your career doubts with your board of directors or your direct reports. Your spouse may not fully understand the complexity of what you're navigating. Your peer network might feel more like competition than support. So you sit with these heavy questions alone, trying to project confidence while internally wrestling with uncertainty.
Maybe you're a CEO considering stepping down but worried about what comes next. Perhaps you're a senior executive being recruited for a bigger role but questioning if bigger is actually better. You might be successful by every external measure, yet feel completely unfulfilled. Or you're dealing with burnout so severe that you're not sure you can sustain your current trajectory, but you don't know how to change course without feeling like you're giving up.
How Executive Career Counseling Actually Works
Executive career counseling at Empower Mental Fitness goes beyond traditional career coaching by addressing both the strategic and psychological dimensions of your career. We're not here to write your resume or teach you networking tactics. We're here to help you gain clarity on what you actually want, understand the internal barriers holding you back, and create a path forward that honors both your professional ambitions and your personal well-being.
We start by exploring what's really driving your career questions. Sometimes what looks like a career issue is actually burnout, unresolved leadership trauma, or a values misalignment that's been building for years. Other times, you genuinely need to make a strategic career shift, but fear, loyalty, or imposter syndrome is keeping you stuck. We help you untangle these threads so you can make decisions from a place of clarity rather than confusion or panic.
Our process-based approach means we tailor every session to your unique situation. A CEO navigating succession planning has different needs than a VP considering an entrepreneurial leap. An executive dealing with a toxic board situation requires different support than someone simply feeling ready for their next evolution. We meet you exactly where you are.
We integrate evidence-based therapeutic techniques with strategic career planning. Cognitive behavioral approaches help you identify and shift the thought patterns that might be limiting your vision for what's possible. We explore how your personal history, family dynamics, and deep-seated beliefs about success might be influencing your current career choices. We work on executive presence, decision-making frameworks, and the psychological skills needed to lead effectively while maintaining your mental health.
For executives considering major transitions, we help you realistically evaluate opportunities while staying connected to your authentic motivations. For those committed to their current path, we focus on sustainable high performance, boundary setting, and finding fulfillment within your existing role. For leaders facing organizational challenges, we provide the psychological support needed to navigate complexity with resilience and strategic thinking.
Who Benefits from Executive Career Counseling
Our career counseling services serve senior leaders and high-achieving professionals throughout the Long Beach business community and broader Southern California region. We work with CEOs and founders navigating the intense pressures of running organizations, whether you're leading a Long Beach startup, managing a family business, or helming a division of a larger corporation.
C-suite executives from companies headquartered in downtown Long Beach, the port district, and throughout Orange County come to us when they're facing career crossroads that require both strategic thinking and psychological insight. Senior VPs and directors who are one step away from the C-suite but questioning whether that's actually where they want to go. High-potential leaders being groomed for executive roles who need support in managing the pressure and developing an authentic leadership presence.
We also work with executives in career transition. Maybe you've been laid off from a senior role, and you're not just looking for your next job but rethinking your entire career trajectory. Perhaps you're planning to leave your current organization and need support navigating the emotional complexity of leaving something you built. You might be contemplating retirement but struggling with the identity shift that comes with stepping away from executive leadership.
Professional women breaking into executive ranks often face unique challenges, including being the only woman in the room, impostor syndrome at the highest levels, and balancing caregiving responsibilities with demanding leadership roles. We provide a space to process these experiences and develop strategies that honor your full humanity as you pursue your professional goals.
Entrepreneurs and business owners throughout the South Bay, Signal Hill, and Lakewood who've reached a level of success where business and personal decisions have become inseparable also benefit from our integrated approach to career counseling and mental health support.
Why Location Matters for Executive Career Counseling
Working with a career counselor who understands the Southern California business landscape provides distinct advantages. We're familiar with the dynamics of Long Beach's growing business community, from the port-related industries to the thriving downtown business district. We understand the unique culture of Orange County companies versus LA-based organizations. We know what it's like leading in a region where ambitious executives from across the country converge, creating both opportunity and intense competition.
Our office location at the World Trade Center in downtown Long Beach puts us right in the heart of the business community. For executives who value privacy, we offer a professional setting where you won't run into your team members in the waiting room. Our telehealth options offer greater flexibility for leaders who prefer virtual sessions or whose travel schedules make in-person appointments challenging.
We also understand that executive schedules are demanding and unpredictable. We offer flexible appointment times, including early morning and evening sessions that work around board meetings, investor calls, and the realities of leading at the highest levels.
Frequently Asked Questions About Executive Career Counseling
-
Executive career counseling integrates the strategic elements of career planning with psychological insight and therapeutic support. We don't just help you figure out your next move. We help you understand why you're making the choices you're making, address the internal barriers that might be limiting you, and develop the mental and emotional resilience needed to sustain success at the highest levels. We're clinically trained to address the anxiety, burnout, and identity issues that often accompany executive career transitions.
-
It's both. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Rena Trujillo brings clinical expertise to career counseling, which means we can address both the practical career planning elements and the deeper psychological factors influencing your career satisfaction and decision-making. Many executives find this integrated approach more effective than working with separate therapists and career coaches who aren't communicating with each other.
-
Success doesn't mean you have all the answers or that your career path is clear. In fact, many of the executives we work with come to us precisely because their external success doesn't match their internal experience. You might be accomplished and still feel lost about what comes next. You might be excellent at your job and still wonder if this is the right job. Career counseling isn't remedial. It's strategic support for leaders who want to make intentional choices about their professional lives.
-
Completely confidential. Everything discussed in sessions is protected by therapist-client privilege. We never disclose that you're working with us, and we never discuss the content of our sessions with anyone without your explicit written consent. For executives concerned about privacy, we understand that discretion is paramount.
-
That's exactly why career counseling can be valuable. You don't need to come in with your mind made up. In fact, gaining clarity on whether you actually want to make a change is often the first step. We'll help you explore your options, understand what's driving your questions, and make decisions that feel right for you, whether that means staying put, pursuing a new opportunity, or something in between.
-
It varies significantly based on your goals and situation. Some executives work with us intensively for a few months during a specific transition or decision point. Others find ongoing support valuable for navigating the continuous challenges of executive leadership. We'll discuss your timeline and goals in our initial sessions and create a plan that makes sense for your needs.
Take Control of Your Executive Career Journey
You didn't reach this level of success by leaving important decisions to chance. Your career deserves the same strategic thinking and intentional planning you bring to your business decisions. But it also deserves something more: space to honestly examine what you want, permission to question the path you're on, and support from someone who understands both the strategic and human dimensions of executive leadership.
At Empower Mental Fitness, Rena Trujillo, LCSW, specializes in working with high-value executives and CEOs who are navigating complex career decisions. With her process-based approach and deep understanding of leadership psychology, Rena creates a confidential space where you can explore your career questions without judgment, gain clarity on what you truly want, and develop a path forward that aligns with both your professional ambitions and personal values.
The executives who benefit most from career counseling are often the ones who've been sitting with their questions the longest, waiting for the perfect time to address them. That time is now. Your next chapter doesn't have to be a crisis-driven reaction. It can be an intentional evolution guided by clarity, self-awareness, and strategic thinking.
Contact Empower Mental Fitness today
To schedule your first sports psychology session:
Call or Text: (818) 583-7269
Email: rena@empowermentalfitness.com
Office Location: 1 World Trade Center, Suite 850, Long Beach, CA 90831
Can't make it in person? We offer secure telehealth sessions throughout Southern California
We proudly serve executives and senior leaders throughout Long Beach, Signal Hill, Orange County, the South Bay, and all of Southern California. Whether you prefer the privacy of in-person sessions at our World Trade Center office or the convenience of virtual appointments that fit your demanding schedule, we make it easy to access the career counseling support you need.
Your breakthrough performance is waiting. Let's unlock it together.