Meet Allison Barr | Leadership Coach, Facilitator and Public Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Barr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I think about work-life-balance more along the lines of work-life-integration. The term work-life balance implies that work and life fit into a nicely organized cookie cutter mold. On any given day, the demands of life (including work) can force more emphasis on one area of life and within days, hours even, external variable can force us to shift our focus to another area. There are some occasions when I work weekends and some weeks where I work well into the evening. It really depends on what else is happening in life. My goal isn’t to find the right equation of work to life, rather to look at my choices and tradeoffs that allow for activities that bring me joy, connection and fulfillment.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career hasn’t been remotely close to a straight line! I grew up thinking I would be a musician, a writer…an artist of some sort. But my interests eventually took me in a different direction. My masters level education in both Psychology and Business, as well as my international business experience in Europe, the Middle East and Singapore, have enabled me to understand business and organizational functioning at both a macro level and a tangible, employee experience level. I understand the people side of business, as well as the process side of business and how to leverage both.

How I got to where I am today came with risk and resilience! It was anything but easy. I understand that taking calculated risks is the best way to grow in my career. However, more importantly, I have always allowed myself to look failure directly in the face. I don’t believe in avoiding the difficult feelings that can come with obstacles. I allow myself to feel those, process and turn them into a learning and growth opportunity. Asking myself “what can I do differently next time” along with deeply looking at myself in the mirror has been a key driver of my career growth.

What I want the world to know about my story is that my life experience and personal hardships allow me to coach, relate to and understand all walks of life. At the end of the day, we show up to work as who we are, hardship, happiness and everything in between. Who we are doesn’t change just because we enter the four walls of our office or workspace. And who we are as humans drastically informs how we lead others. I coach and facilitate with the human in mind, rather than coaching or facilitating based on their job title.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Colorado Springs has so many hidden gems. We would start the day with a coffee from the Wild Goose or Loyal Coffee and make our way to one of the local trails. The Springs has so many great trails so we’d have to hit up a few: Garden of the Gods is a must for out of towners and we’d also have to check out 7 Falls and the Manitou Incline and/or Barr Trail. Adams Mountain Cafe is a must for food as well as live music downtown on Wednesday. I’m also a big fan of great conversation by the creek at my home, where the views are stellar and we’ve been known to have all kinds of Colorado wildlife visit (bears included)!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have had so many incredible mentors and supportive friends and colleagues in my life, it’s hard to narrow this down! I strongly believe that having strong relationships is the key to growth for most people, and it certainly has been for me. My public speaking coach, Valerie Galvin, has supported me through the most difficult time in my life and has shown me how to always come back to who I am, no matter how great the struggle. And I have too many friends and family members to list who have been beacons of light, encouragement and support.

Instagram: @allison.l.barr

Linkedin: Allison Barr

Twitter: @allison.l.barr

Other: TikTok: @The Leadership Coach Podcast: https://www.ccl.org/insights-research/lead-with-that/

Image Credits
Kendall LaCombe O’Brien