Laura is an exceptional career coach. If you get the opportunity to fit into Laura's busy schedule -- take it. I work in an extremely competitive field with many talented individuals in the candidate pool. I was unsure of what I wanted to do next, Laura pragmatically helped me identify my strengths, my good to haves, nice to-haves and non-negotiable aspects for my next role. She helped me rediscover my authentic self by helping identify qualities that made me stand out from other candidates, and made herself available whenever I needed to get clarity on a particular topic. I had my first offer (a senior role) within 2 months. However I passed on the very attractive offer as it didn't check my non-negotiable for the company, leadership and the role. Two months later, I had three offers (with potentially a few more in the works). I knew what I wanted and was approaching my search from a mindset of abundance and not scarcity. This would not have been possible without the timely support of Laura. Her active listening is magical -- take copious notes during your sessions with her. Keep in mind that your results may vary depending on how much work you put in, and how badly you want your next job. I was 101% committed and willing to put in whatever work was required. I was a bit disheartened initially after reaching the final round of 3+ interviews, which I I thought went very well but didn't result in an offer. At this point I internalized "Trust the interview and preparation process, continue to tweak it. Don't judge yourself based purely on the outcome." In my second phase, I got almost 80% offer rate from the virtual on-site interviews and I accepted one that met all my requirements. read more

I worked with Laura in several capacities. First as a business coach and then as a career coach. She was fantastic at both but I think her true genius is in her career coaching skills. Laura is a wise soul who listens for understanding with empathy and compassion. As a result, she is incredibly insightful about what's really going on. I had many 'aha' moments while sitting in her office. She is not a prescriptive coach and is never heavy handed so some motivation to actually follow through on Laura's suggestions and offers will lie in your hands. Laura supplements her coaching with offerings such as Write to Work and Interview Club. These were extremely helpful in practicing new skills, getting feedback, being held accountable and feeling less alone. I also loved that these offerings are relatively cheap so I felt I got double or triple support for less money. Laura even offers to review your writing (with limitations). When I was running my own business, having Laura's gentle wisdom, positive attitude and support was really valuable in helping to face the often lonely downside of being a small business owner. By the time I was ready to move away from my business and look for a job within a company, I was convinced that no one would hire me and that I had been out of the "real work force" too long. Laura helped dispel me of that belief. In a relatively short amount of time, I landed a dream job that I never believed I ever could have gotten. Thanks Laura for your thoughtful, caring and calm approach to your work! read more

Laura is the first career coach I have worked with, and she helped get me the job I wanted. I had been in one industry for 16 years, and was making lateral moves from one company to another, getting more tasks and responsibilities without getting promoted. I wanted to apply my skills in a different industry, and I needed help making that transition. Laura was recommended to me by an executive coach I met at an alumni event. She knows how to listen carefully, without immediately jumping in to offer advice or troubleshoot your situation. She asks good open-ended questions, and gives you tools to think about and identify career opportunities that align with your personal values and purpose. Laura is like your best friend, but you don't have to be embarrassed about revealing your weaknesses. She'll show you how to leverage them to your advantage! Meeting with Laura boosted my confidence immensely - and I went on only one interview to get the job I wanted. This was an amazing coincidence of being in the right place at the right time with the right manager, but certainly Laura helped get me to that spot. Because her coaching is so useful, I am continuing to meet with her to understand my new workplace and for further career development. I highly recommend Laura as a career coach! read more

When I discovered Paradise Coaching, I was a hot mess--having suddenly found myself out of work for the first time in 30 years. I was beside myself...struggling to get my bearings, just lost. I had been reading Laura's blog for awhile and decided to try the Interview Club. I wrote to Laura asking if the club might be a good fit for someone who was trying to find a job so late in life. Her answer provided a glimmer of hope and made me feel as though my experience and skills had value, regardless of age. After I attended my first Interview Club, I knew Laura was the real deal. She's super smart and wise about what employers want. But she also encourages job seekers to hone in on what they really want to find the best fit. I hired her to coach me through a really competitive interview. She has a way of synthesizing your thoughts and echoing them back to you in the most organized and concise fashion. She helped me inventory my skills and present them in an engaging and more attractive, i.e. employer-friendly way. I went through countless interviews...and finally found an unbelievably great job! read more

I had the opportunity to work with Laura for 7 months in 2018. After an intro conversation and more information about Laura's approach to coaching, we agreed upon a schedule for communicating and working through a strategy for my job search. Laura was wonderful at digging into the areas where I felt frustrated and helping me figure out what I was looking for in my next position. Laura was instrumental in supporting me to find my confidence in the process. I found Laura very responsive to emails including last minute asks to review cover letters and interview prep. My job search process found me interviewing cross country and Laura was very helpful in trouble shooting the decision with me. I would also highly recommend Laura's interviewing workshops and her weekly writing group. The writing group was an awesome opportunity to share a supportive space with other job seekers and those looking to take the next step in their career. I recommend Laura to others who are looking for a mindful, client-centered coaching experience. read more

My first introduction to Laura was through her "Get Noticed, Get Hired" workshop back in 2015. At that time I was looking to make a career move, but wasn't ready to commit to individual coaching. However, after the first day of that workshop I knew I wanted Laura as my coach. She was so warm and welcoming, and knew how to dig deep without making you feel uncomfortable or judged. When the workshop series finished, I immediately signed up for individual meetings. In addition to having wonderful insights and advice, Laura is also your biggest supporter. I of course wanted someone who would be honest with me, but I also wanted someone who made me feel empowered. She helped me with everything from resume and cover letter writing to a guided visualization of what my dream job would be. Most importantly, she always encouraged me. I'm happy to report that due to Laura's advice about networking (and never giving up!) I recently landed my dream job and could not be happier. Thank you for everything, Laura! read more

So you go through life and it is good and then it's not so good and you're going to fall off into an abyss or maybe you are stuck in a crevice. People walk by and you wave but can hardly breath and one day you might just fall apart on the phone talking to a landlord or some other random person that you don't even know well and he says "Call Laura Paradise or better yet, I'll have her call you" and you meet and she zeros in and pulls you out of the crevice and up off the cliff you've been hanging on while trying to act normal. She sits you down and cleans you off with a few tender strokes and then you can soften in that crevice and see it's a good place to be for now considering the circumstances or go ahead and let go of that rim of the cliff cause look down, it's not so far before you are there to the ground soon embedded in a soft fresh green grass, finally alone and she meets you there like a little dear. read more

Laura's coaching is transformative. I attended her "Finding Your Right Work" group and now I do my "right work" daily and enjoy it thoroughly. Laura is both personable and practical - a rare find, and her groups are highly effective. Group members were insightful and supportive. Laura kept us moving forward, we celebrated each other's successes and I received ample individual attention. I highly recommend joining one of Laura's groups! Laura's approach is supportive and playful. She helped me create a career trajectory that satisfied both my left and right brain. Laura uses art, movement and other unconventional tools to unlock your joy and expertise. She also helps navigate the gritty side of the job-search: writing resumes and cover letters, improving your networking and interviewing skills. Currently I am attending Laura's movement workshops and I can't wait for the next one! read more

Laura was a kind and supportive resource during a long and difficult job search that also involved a transition back to the US after living abroad. What I appreciated most was how she honored and prioritized my own talents, personality, and needs in the job search. This ultimately led to more authentic, more "me" application materials and interview responses. She also encouraged me to set aside time to nourish my creative practices and for self-care. I started working with Laura with a very vague idea of what field I was interested in as a young professional. With her guidance, I was able to get very specific about the field and type of roles that I wanted and ultimately ended up in a position that has everything I was looking for. She was very generous in continuing to check in on me after we no longer had regular sessions together--she really cares about the people she works with! read more

Laura has been so kind and empathetic to my year long process of trying to find a new job during a pandemic, and I really appreciated how much work she did to give me all the tools I needed to have stronger interviews, building a better drive to get me to where I needed to be. Even well after our initial sessions, she would check in to see where I was at in the job hunt. More recently, I took her Behavioral Interview Questions workshop, and it really changed the way I answered what used to be difficult and anxiety creating questions about myself and accomplishments in my career. Even though I had the resume to support it, I still needed help feeling confident in my delivery. Not more than a week after her class, I moved onto a second job interview where I used the skills she taught and now I have a new job! Thanks Laura!! read more

A friend suggested Laura as a coach. I wanted to pivot to a career that truly aligned with my passion and purpose. I attended Laura's Interview Club and was amazed by how much I learned to effectively introduce myself and articulate who I was becoming. Those sessions were game-changers. Within several months, I was able to transfer to a job within my current company that better aligns with my greater purpose. I am going to use this new position to continue honing my skills to keep on the journey of aligning my work with my true purpose. I recommend Interview Club as a way to dip your toes in the water. Laura is a great coach to work with one on one and working with her consistently was necessary to make the transition I needed quickly. I'm learning so much and changing much more quickly than I thought I could. read more

I found Laura to be warm, personable and easy to connect with. She helped me get unstuck from a job I'd been at forever, which wasn't serving me anymore, identify my strengths and skills, and prepare to interview for a new job, which I got! Since I hadn't been in the job market in years, her supportive coaching was invaluable. I also appreciate that she understood me and worked with who I am. I do left-brain work for a living, but I'm also creative and am seek to bring out my right-brain qualities more into my life. I felt like these two sides of me were getting integrated in our sessions together, and this helped me feel more confident and at ease. Laura is patient, supportive, direct and will keep you moving in a positive direction. I got everything I had for from our sessions. read more

Talking to Laura was pivotal. It helped me approach the job search from a different perspective when she suggested I look at it like research rather than seeking interviews. Secondly, her simple suggestion that my explanation of my career path up to now revealed some strong points. That got me thinking about what those strong points were... I became aware that I seek both to mentor and be mentored and that working with strong, intelligent, forward thinkers is what propels me to grow. (this also came up in the mock interviews - the idea that at the heart of my career identity, I am a teacher). I ended up with two job opportunities to consider and chose the one that felt the most challenging and inspiring. read more

Laura's sincerity and insightfulness make you feel like you are talking with a good friend. Yet her professional skills are top notch. She is particularly good at helping you identify your true career dreams and your true strengths and then muster the readiness to promote those in cover letters, resumes and interviews. She does not offer one-size-fits-all advice on those things and yet she seems to know what employers look for. Hiring her for a number of sessions was well worth it. I was able to land the kind of job I was looking for. Also, Laura's group "Interview clubs" on Thursday nights are a blast and worth attending now and then for general presentational skill building. read more

Laura has a real gift for her work. The money and time I invested for our coaching sessions have been richly rewarded. She helped me navigate a career transition, a job search, and negotiate with my new employer to get what I really want. Laura has many different skills and she can support your career development in any number of ways: resume/cover letter revisions, preparations for hard conversations, help in refining your goals, and job searching guidance. As a coach, she responds to what you need rather than giving you a one-size-fits-all philosophy or program. And it's easy to make appointments at her downtown Oakland office. I only wish I'd gone sooner! read more

Laura's group is a nurturing circle where we share our common journey to find authentic work. Laura reminds us to seek jobs from our heart - jobs that cultivate our unique skills and need for growth - but she also places equal focus on the concrete work of creating relevant cover letters, resumes, and confident interviews. While some of us know exactly where we want to go in our careers, others are only beginning to sense what sparks our curiosity. In Laura's group it's okay to be a beginner in envisioning ourselves in our next work environment. We are each learning, "What is the next step for me?", and the group's feedback gives gems of insight. read more

Laura's coaching via her No Excuses group for entrepreneurial women was so helpful to me in building my confidence in promoting myself. I was able to better identify my target clients, develop marketing messages by crafting compelling stories from prior client experiences, and create an 'elevator pitch' that I'm not embarrassed to deliver. Laura structures a supportive, productive group experience that lets everyone benefit from one another's experiences, provide mutual support, and make progress. This was true even though our group had members at various stages of business development/ practice. Thanks, Laura! read more

Laura provides the right mix of encouragement and perspective rooted in empathy and a discerning ear. She is incredibly responsive and cares deeply about one's journey to find meaningful work and live life fully. After an exercise in finding clarity and some concrete goal-setting, I have been propelled through a self-directed career change. Without Laura's help this could have easily taken a year or more to do alone. With her support, I projected, then embodied the charisma to "try on" other hats. I found what best worked for me, then networked, researched, pursued and landed my current position. read more

After a grueling transition in between jobs, I desperately needed a new perspective and rejuvenation for both my job search as well as my current resume. I was hesitant at first to contact outside help with these issues, but after speaking one time with Laura I was confident I had made the correct decision to seek her services. She gave me a positive change of perspective which was genuine and very helpful and that I immediately applied. She helped me to spruce up my resume and gave me networking tips and a great sense of career direction. I would highly recommend her for career consulting. read more