Episode 78: Making a Career Change to Occupational Therapy

Helen Valencia is an occupational therapist who was born in Colombia and migrated to the U.S. at age 7. Helen grew up in Queens, NY, and earned an undergraduate degree from Queens College. She worked in advertisement sales for A&E TV and then worked for the United Nations as a staff assistant in two different offices, the last one being the office of the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

Dissatisfied with what she calls "the office life," Helen began a journey of self-discovery to help her figure out what was next in her career path. After a year of self-reflection, she learned about OT and, as she says, the rest is history. 

Helen graduated from OT school at Stony Brook University. She co-founded a non-profit called Project InReach which funded self-development/leadership workshops given to adults in Colombia. She also worked as a translator in Suffolk county at IEP meetings during OT school. Helen recently moved with her husband to New Hampshire and is here in the studio today to talk about leading as an introvert, making a career switch as an adult, mindfulness and motivation. 

Recommended resources:

• Forbes article, "An Introvert's Guide to Leadership"
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, a book by Susan Cain 
• Greta Thunberg - TED speaker and climate activist - TED Talk
• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, a book by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Connect with Helen:

• Via email
• On Instagram @my_otlife