Caren R Woodruff

I have been working with clients all my life but in a  different setting.

I have spent decades in tech, first at EMC ( now Dell EMC), then at EMC Consulting, and rounding up at Cisco Systems. I loved working in tech. Honestly, what could be cooler than  working with products that have changed the way we live and do business? I am still drawn to techie conversations, and daily read techie articles, blogs and books. That love will never go away.

I discovered through many years of working in a binary world that my personal view of life was anything but binary. I saw nuance, and I saw the people who were involved with implementation as the key to our success. Not surprisingly, I spent a lot of time developing individuals on my teams and working with individuals beyond the scope of the current project.

I also discovered that I worked differently with our clients. I had this strange idea that it would be so beneficial to actually hear them, to hear what they needed. And that in fullfilling those needs as a vendor, we would create a relationship that was built on trust and truth and not just a sales quota. I was successful and loved my work. 

And then my world caved in.

I woke up on New Year's day, 2016, to the voice of my oldest son, Ben, telling me what my mind still cannot comprehend. My youngest son, Joshua, was dead. What happened was unimagineable and horrifying.  Agony is all that I can remember. 

I share this with you because life is unpredictable and painful.  We need to acknowledge that it is not under our control. Best laid plans often go astray.

Pain is a part of life. We need time to work with it, incorporate it, see it as it may be - an everpresent part of the rest of life. 

We need to let pain talk to us and teach us.

For me, losing Josh made me realize how much I wanted to invest my life in people and to see people develop, grow, and do all that is within their hearts to do. To be fully who we are created to be.

If you would like, let's go on this journey of life together. You can reach me at: carenwoodruff@gmail.com. I would love to talk with you!