How To Become A Career Coach With The Right Mindset To Help Your Clients – Anita Young Itiye
Anita Young Itiye, author, career coach, and public policy specialist, understands career coaching as more than advice-giving. She sees it as a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Her work resonates deeply with immigrant professionals, especially those from the African diaspora who are seeking career growth and a sense of identity in new environments.
Want to learn more about storytelling? Start by downloading the first chapter of The Storytelling Mastery.
In her conversation with Obehi Ewanfoh on the Obehi Podcast, Itiye reveals how career coaching can transform lives by helping clients tap into their potential, embrace their identities, and overcome obstacles in a competitive job market.
As African diaspora communities continue to grow globally, they bring immense value to local economies through entrepreneurship, skills, and cultural enrichment.
See the full podcast episode below: How To Become A Career Coach With The Right Mindset To Help Your Clients – Anita Young Itiye
According to the African Union, around 170 million people of African descent reside outside of the continent, constituting the African diaspora, and many seek ways to contribute meaningfully to both their local communities and the global workforce.
However they often face complex challenges in adjusting to new environments, from learning the hidden job markets to integrating into established professional networks. These challenges make the role of career coaching—especially by those who understand the unique hurdles faced by the diaspora community—an invaluable resource.
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These and more are what Anita talked about in this episode of the podcast. Now, let’s talk more about Anita’s career.
The Journey to Coaching: Finding Purpose Through Adversity
Anita Young Itiye’s story starts with her own struggle to break into the Canadian job market after immigrating. Her background in public policy and administration, combined with over a decade of experience in project management and strategy, didn’t automatically translate to immediate career success in Canada.
“Based on my years of experience with education and everything else I thought it was going to be a walk in the park,” Itiye recalls, “but the reality was different.” Like many immigrant professionals, she discovered a hidden job market in Canada, one that requires not only technical skills but also networking, cultural adaptation, and perseverance.
Determined to succeed, she conducted extensive research, attended networking events, and spoke with hiring managers to decode the job market’s unspoken rules. These experiences were transformative; they not only equipped her to thrive in her career but also ignited a passion for helping other immigrant professionals navigate similar journeys.
Founding Advanced and Fulfilled Coaching Company, Itiye took on a mission to help migrant professionals “establish their identity, advance their careers, and live fulfilled lives.”
Her company offers specialized coaching to clients who face not only the standard professional hurdles but also those unique to diasporic individuals—often the first generation in their families to navigate such complex systems. That leads us to mindset.
Mindset Matters: Cultivating the Right Attitude for Effective Coaching
As Itiye explains in her interview, a coach’s mindset is foundational in helping clients achieve meaningful results. Unlike mere advice-givers, career coaches like Itiye see themselves as facilitators who empower clients to find their purpose.
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Itiye emphasizes that this mindset is particularly crucial for the African diaspora community, who often experience identity struggles in new countries. According to the World Bank, African immigrants, who represent a significant share of migrant labor, often confront systemic challenges in accessing resources and career opportunities.
These are often due to cultural, racial, and professional biased approaches which are centered on the idea of self-understanding.
She often tells clients, “We don’t know who we are.” This statement underscores the fact that many of her clients, especially those in transition or adapting to a new cultural landscape, are still uncovering their identity.
She believes that effective career coaching starts with helping clients understand their own strengths, values, and aspirations. Through this self-discovery process, they build a foundation for purposeful careers that align with their true selves.
To achieve this, Itiye employs a reflective coaching style, encouraging clients to explore their past experiences and their present goals.
Her coaching approach integrates concepts from psychology and strategic planning. She uses these to guide clients through a process that not only builds self-awareness but also instills resilience, a quality essential for success in the competitive global job market.
Key Strategies for Effective Career Coaching
Central to Itiye’s coaching philosophy is her emphasis on listening—a skill she believes many overlook. “As coaches, we have to be active listeners,” she explains. This skill is essential in establishing a trusting relationship with clients, who may initially be hesitant to share their true challenges or aspirations.
Itiye’s clients include both recent immigrants and established professionals, and she has found that active listening helps her understand the unique perspectives and needs of each client.
Another important part of Itiye’s approach is her ability to help clients “uncover their potential.” For many African diaspora professionals, this means navigating not only a new country but also the complexities of professional advancement.
In Canada alone, data from Statistics Canada highlights that African immigrants face a persistent wage gap compared to non-immigrants, indicating both systemic obstacles and the need for tailored career development resources.
In the thought-provoking study, “It is not just about my work, my identities count”, the authors, “Joyceline Amoako, Ellen MacEachen, Warren Dodd & Kimberly Lopez” delve into the complex and multifaceted challenges faced by Black African immigrant women in Ontario, Canada, as they navigate the labor market.
While existing research has often examined singular aspects of identity, such as race, the intersectional experiences of these women—where gender, race, immigration status, and educational background converge—are frequently overlooked.
This qualitative study, grounded in intersectionality theory, explores how these overlapping identities shape the employment experiences of 15 Black African immigrant women working in precarious, low-status jobs.
The participants’ struggles stem largely from systemic barriers, including the lack of recognition of foreign credentials, which forces many into underemployment and poor labor market outcomes.
This also explains why the services of professionals like Anita Itiye are crucial to better navigate your career development.
According to Joyceline Amoako and her co-authors of the publication, these experiences, like most others in the African diaspora community highlight how intersecting identities result in a compounded marginalization.
And that it extends beyond individual characteristics, thereby calling for equity-focused policies and practices that address the unique challenges of this group.
The study argues that without acknowledging the complexity of these intersecting identities, existing frameworks will fall short of promoting true equity and improving employment outcomes for Black African immigrant women in Canada.
Itiye passionately guides clients to identify their skills and interests, aligning them with viable career paths, and encouraging them to pursue opportunities they may have previously overlooked.
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Overcoming Challenges: Navigating Mindset Barriers in Career Coaching
As Itiye’s clients work toward their goals, they often encounter common mindset barriers, such as self-doubt and identity struggles. For many immigrants, these challenges are compounded by cultural adaptation.
According to the Pew Research Center, many African immigrants are highly educated, yet they often face higher unemployment rates than their non-immigrant counterparts, leading to frustration and self-doubt.
What does Itiye do to that effect? She encourages her clients to adopt a growth mindset. Her coaching integrates cognitive behavioral strategies, which help clients reframe limiting beliefs and embrace change as an opportunity for growth.
Additionally, she advocates for strategies like journaling and goal setting to track progress, build resilience, and strengthen self-confidence.
Expanding Impact: Building Community and Advocacy
Itiye’s influence extends beyond individual coaching sessions. Recognizing the isolation and lack of community support that many African immigrants face, she founded LadiesArise, a network where women gather to read, learn from each other, and engage in professional development activities.
This initiative has become a safe space for women navigating new cultural and professional environments, offering them resources and a sense of belonging.
Beyond LadiesArise, Itiye also uses her platform to advocate for mental health awareness and to address sensitive topics like sexual violence through her blog LoudSilences.org, and her YouTube channel.
Her book, Reve-Healed, explores her journey of healing from sexual abuse and mental health struggles. By openly discussing these issues, Itiye not only empowers her clients but also inspires a broader community to prioritize mental health and seek support.
Advice for Aspiring Career Coaches: Mindset as a Tool for Change
Itiye’s journey from an immigrant struggling to adapt to a successful career coach exemplifies the power of resilience, empathy, and a client-centered approach. Her advice to aspiring coaches is clear: cultivate a mindset that centers on continuous growth and empathy.
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Does Itiye have any advice for fellow coaches, particularly those new to the profession? Yes. She believes that coaches who approach their work as a journey of self-discovery—rather than just offering advice—are most likely to have the greatest impact.
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She, therefore, suggests developing a deep understanding of the unique cultural and systemic barriers your clients might face. Acknowledging the challenges of migration and identity adaptation is essential in building trust and guiding clients effectively.
As an industry, career coaching is growing rapidly, with the global market valued at $2.85 billion in 2021, according to IBISWorld, a figure expected to increase as more professionals seek personalized career development services.
The African diaspora plays a significant role in this market, with both clients and coaches contributing diverse perspectives and solutions.
Organizations like the African Development Bank underscore the importance of the diaspora in shaping economic growth, with remittances from the diaspora estimated at billions of dollars annually. This money ends up fueling businesses, education, and family support across Africa.
Conclusion on How To Become A Career Coach With The Right Mindset
Here is the point. By fostering a growth mindset, encouraging self-discovery, and breaking down barriers, coaches can better help clients from all backgrounds build careers that reflect their identities and aspirations.
In today’s globalized world, coaching professionals like Anita Young Itiye are paving the way for more inclusive, equitable, and fulfilling career journeys for immigrant communities.
See also our previous article where Ugo Chukwu Talks About His Coaching Business
As the African diaspora continues to grow, so does the potential for career coaches to make a significant difference.
By understanding the cultural nuances and challenges unique to this community, coaches can offer meaningful guidance that goes beyond standard career advice ultimately, building a life of purpose.
Want to learn more about storytelling? Start by downloading the first chapter of The Storytelling Mastery.
