We often look for purpose in our careers. But when you’re multi-passionate, it can feel impossible to fit into society’s expectations of pursuing one clear path.

Today, I’m interviewing Elena Armijo, a former opera singer (like yours truly!) turned Exectuive and Leadership Coach who shares her insights and wisdom on embracing multiple passions, challenging societal expecations, and what you can do to pivot, shift, and change course at your own pace while discovering the essence of your purpose.

Elena Armijo has a strong track record of supporting clients and organizations in creating impact, culture shifts and leadership development. Master Certified Coach (MCC), Founder and CEO of The C-Suite Collective, and Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, her unique ability to identify common patterns while generating new awareness and re-invention leaves clients with the ability to make stronger choices, clearer decisions and powerful steps toward their desired outcomes. 

When not traveling domestically and internationally for speaking engagements and workshops she lives in Los Angeles, CA with her partner Aaron and their three sweet pups, Chloe, Nalle and Bailey.

Elena, I would love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself. What should we know about you?

I am a very creative woman who has her hands in lots of different things.
I have never been able to sit still for very long. In the Human Design world, I’m a Manifestor. I get a lot of downloads about things I want to do or experience, then I do them, and then I'm on to the next.

I used to think that was from a place of trying to find the gold or never being happy. Now, at this stage in my life, I just know it's who I am.

I really love that part of myself that gets to have fun in the world and create different things.

I'm a dog mom. I have a partner who I adore. We've been together for eight years and it's been one of the most transformative relationships of my life.

I’m a biracial woman living in LA. I grew up in New Mexico originally, which I think is really important to me looking back because it's such a spiritual place that I knew nothing about when I was growing up. Now when I go back, it brings me back to my roots.

There’s so much richness in what you shared. I think a lot of us in the Wholehearted Community feel similar: we are so interested in so many things and it’s so easy within society to feel as if we should judge ourselves or be ashamed of that.

How would you describe the work that you do?

The official title I give myself in the world is Executive and Leadership Coach. But the work that I do is bringing people back to themselves.

I feel like I'm in eight or nine conversations a day with incredible people that are in a place of generating what they want, what they remember about themselves, where they want to go, and what's in the way.

So I really am the person that creates a fire in you again.

It can be through coaching. It can be through a sales call. It can be through a team call. It can be with my friends, but I really do feel like my work in the world is to show up powerfully and be present with everybody.

That's what I do through coaching.

That’s so powerful. So, tell us the story of how you went from being an opera singer to this incredible coach.

The thing that's really important to know about me is that I was happy singing. I really loved it. I loved singing on stage, singing with the people that I met along the way, and making these beautiful harmonies and shows and diving into a character. Those were some of my favorite moments of my life.

Singing for me provided in my twenties and early thirties an initiation to the world.

I was from a very small town so getting to sing everywhere, getting to do my master's in Seattle, coming to New York, doing the trail of the opera singer there, and then eventually singing all over had me exposed to different types of people that I probably never would have met. And I'm so grateful for that because I feel like that has been the foundation of my pivot into coaching.

At the time, I was doing singing from a completely different place than I am now.
Then, it was all about proving my worth to the world. It was getting out of a small town and getting to see the world. I didn't know who I was at the time.

That led to a lot of breakdowns in the opera world. It was a lot of strife, a lot of struggle and loneliness because everything was about what I needed to do to prove myself. Through the music, people could feel that. Audiences can feel when you’re trying to get something for yourself.

I also didn’t agree fundamentally with the business of opera and the structure of building a music career. Also, I'm stubborn and I'm strong-willed. So there were a lot of times that I would be very antagonistic with a conductor or with other people on stage when I had an opinion and a lot of that stuff just wasn't in my value system.

So, my official last performance as an opera singer, I remember standing on that stage just thinking,

“Wow, I should be really happy right now… I don’t enjoy this anymore…”

I'd done a lot the past 10 years. Most singers were trying to get to where I was. I was definitely on the path where I could see the next 20 or 30 years in the profession.

But something was gone. I was so empty on stage even though I was surrounded by so many people applauding for me.

That was the moment for me that I knew something has got to change here because this is not supposed to feel like this.

After that performance, I went back to New York and hired a coach even though I had A LOT of perceptions about it. Like this stuff is made up, it’s not real, it’s not a real profession.

But, I worked with a coach for six months and through that, I really started to unheal layers about myself that I didn't know. There was a lot of shame, a lot of grief, and a lot of really vulnerable, tender moments around getting honest with myself where I'd never gotten honest before. That was scary work.

After this, I joined a coach training program because I wanted to continue the work. And as a high achiever, I believed that I could “fix” myself the quickest if I knew the methodology behind coaching.

And that's the biggest joke. What I learned is we're always learning and you're never done with your growth, but I fell in love with coaching.

It was a really happy accident that I was in this program and by month three or four of the training program, I was like, “Oh, here's something I love as much as music.”

I had always looked for something that I loved like I love music. So I was really excited and nervous, but I decided I'm just going to keep going. I'm going to open a business. I'm going to see what happens. And that was in 2015 and I haven't looked back since.

Such a powerful story, Elena. Your career in opera very much reflects a lot of what I experienced, too. I find that a lot of coaches become coaches after working with a coach and having such a transformative experience.

Now you’re a coach. Can you explain that process of thinking that this is what you really want to pursue now?

[Tune into the podcast to hear the full podcast episode — 181 | A Multi-Passionate’s Guide to Purpose with Elena Armijo]

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About your host, Shirin Eskandani