*My real home is also decorated with foraged nature bits.
I'm Laura Simms.
Since 2011, I’ve helped hundreds of people pinpoint which career will provide the meaning, money, and impact they desire.
Welcome to my virtual home.*
We help transform your hodgepodge of skills, interests, wants, and needs into a clear and practical path.
How did I get here?
You could say I became the support my past self needed.
I tell Google and the IRS that I’m a career coach, but what we do here feels more like alchemy.
The Artist & The Attorney
I grew up as the child of an artist and attorney. My dad knew at age 12 that he wanted to be a lawyer, so that’s what he did and worked at the same law firm for 50 years. My mom took 7 years to get her undergrad degree in music because she kept changing her major, and pursued a wide range of creative interests during her SAHM years (which definitely counts as work).
There were advantages to growing up in this real life Dharma and Greg situation (thank you, analytical + creative brain), but it led to some real mixed messages around work:
You can do anything you set your mind to. Except art. But we believe in you. Unless you want to be a scientist, because you’re bad a math. Do what you love! But make sure it makes money.
Maybe you can relate.
My conflicted self got a BA in history with no vision beyond “graduate.”
With graduation looming and unmoved by every career option I could conceive, I smuggled myself to a regional audition with the theatre kids where I got one job offer, starting my career as an actor.
This proved to be a fantastic choice. I had loved acting since I was a kid, and I loved the work and life of an actor as an adult. I truly committed to it. I committed to the hustle, the networking. Traveling from state to state, job to job. I took business classes, acting classes, and went to grad school for my MFA, then moved to Los Angeles. I was in it for the long haul. Acting was not just what I did, but who I was. My identity and community (my friends, even my marriage) were developed out of my career.
Sure, I still had to take temp jobs or wait tables, but I had followed my dream of being an actor. I was doing it, and People Who Know encouraged me to stick with it.
Followed My Passion
That thought lead to a cascade of questions.
- Do I still want to do this?
- Is this making anyone’s life better?
- Is this making my life better?
- Do I even want the more successful version of this?
Just asking those questions felt like a betrayal, but they didn’t go away. They just got louder.
Eventually I faced the truth that I had to make a change. But to what? Without acting, what would I do? Without acting, who would I be?
After spending a glorious day working on set of a primetime television show, I had an outrageous thought: “I’m not sure I want to do this anymore.”
The Lightbulb Moment
A BA in history and an acting resume. Not a lot to go on there.
So I scrolled jobs on Craigslist. I bought books about careers for my personality type. I read every Oprah magazine that promised to help me find my North Star. I went to therapy. I tried following other passions—teaching! web design!—but quickly realized they were *not* how I wanted to spend my working life.
About a year and half into my crisis of meaning, I was sitting in our little guest house in Los Angeles, once again grappling with what career could possibly meet my needs AND feel fulfilling.
I pulled out a sheet of paper and jotted down the work experiences I’d had that I did enjoy.
And then, a phrase went through my head like an airplane flying a banner across the sky:
That moment shifted my thinking from passion to purpose, helped me choose a career I love, and is the foundation of everything I teach to this day.
“What if it’s less about WHAT you do and more about WHY you do it?”
People often ask:
I’m someone who’s been there.
I know how hopeless it can seem when you don’t see a path forward, and how life-changing it can be to find your place and do meaningful work.
Today I make my home in Atlanta with my husband and rascally son. I am grateful for my work on a daily basis, as it's a source of meaning, growth, joy, money, energy, and sense of accomplishment.
Now, my meaningful work is helping you discover yours.
Early mornings by the fireplace while the rest of the house is still asleep. Shearling lined slippers. Being chosen by an animal. Jack & Coke: savored on its own, preferably on a porch. The smell of old books, gun powder, and wet raccoons (not entirely pleasant, but unmistakeable). Treasures collected from woodland walks, thrifted velvet armchairs, patina. Live bluegrass, calloused fingers on guitar strings, fall leaves underfoot.
Bachelor’s Degree in History | Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting | Teaching Experience at the Undergraduate and Graduate Level | Certified Equity-Centered Coach | 13 Years Experience Career Coaching
The fancy stuff
What feels like home
Meet your guides, thought partners,
and champions
Client Assessment Coach
& Career Change Strategist
Dara Paoletti
Brooke Dinse-McCarrison
Client Assessment Coach
& Enrollment Coach
Shannon Guild
Career Change Coach
After years of unfulfilling work post-art school, Dara embarked on a quest to find a career with more meaning and purpose, which led her to coaching - a revelation made possible by the support, strategy, and structure offered by YCH.
Now, with over 5 years as a coach, she’s helped hundreds of people to bravely choose themselves and change their lives and careers. She enjoys traversing local walking trails, frolicking with her pup Keegan, and immersing herself in creative craft projects.
Dara also dons the strategist hat here at YCH, leveraging her experience across multiple industries to help clients discover their Homecoming Careers. With a keen ability to recognize patterns and make connections, and a penchant for research, she relishes digging into clients' unique career requirements, desires, and talents, to deliver a tailor-made list of potential careers to each Homecomer.
In collaboration with Laura and the coaching team, our Career Change Strategist creates a custom, just-for-you list of potential careers based on your personal needs, wants, and strengths. They identify opportunities you might not think of so you can be confident you’ve explored ALL your options. This is why our clients say things like, “My Homecoming Career fits me like a perfect pair of sweats.”
If you book a complimentary Threshold Session with us, our Client Assessment Coaches are the first people you’ll talk with.
Dara Paoletti
Brooke is a leadership professional with over a decade of management, training, and team building experience. Her experience includes teaching English and Spanish classes to factory workers, working with foster children and their families, supporting lawyers, and leadership operations at a global insurance company.
For the last 5 years as a coach, she’s supported 100s of people as they bravely walk their own paths of self-discovery and find careers that bring them immense peace, confidence, and fulfillment.
When she isn’t coaching, she loves laughing at her 7-year-old daughter’s jokes, trying new restaurants with her husband, and reading great books.
If you schedule a Follow-Up Threshold Session, you’ll speak with one of our experienced Enrollment Coaches.
If you book a complimentary Threshold Session with us, our Client Assessment Coaches are the first people you’ll talk with.
Brooke Dinse-McCarrison
Shannon has 25 years of combined experience in executive leadership and entrepreneurship, having coached and mentored hundreds of aspiring and growing business owners along the way.
As a 2013 YCH alum, she understands the program, the process, and the possibilities. The most meaningful part of her work is simplifying the complex, connecting with others, and bringing great ideas to life.
Some of her favorite identities include tree hugger, dog lover, comedian, obsessive organizer, and wifey.
When you join Your Career Homecoming, you will work with Laura and have the opportunity to speak directly with her twice a week, as well as communicate with her in our community hub every weekday.
You will also have an additional dedicated Career Coach who will be with you throughout the entire program to provide a depth and continuity of care, lead your one-on-one coaching sessions, and provide accountability, coaching, and care during the process.
Our team consists of veteran coaches who receive consistent mentorship from our founder, Laura, and are deeply committed to our clients’ success.
Shannon Guild
Our calm
Having an actual structure to figure this out
Being real and not sugar-coating things
Reconnecting them with who they are
Helping them take responsibility for their own lives
Helping them dream again
Getting them to a clear, confident career choice
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The 5 Keys to Discover Your Meaningful Career