Today we’d like to introduce you to Carol Enneking
Hi Carol, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have deep experience working as a senior executive specializing in talent management, coaching, and leadership. My background spans major corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, and collaborations with over 100 companies on six continents. This unique experience working both from inside and outside organizations in operations, marketing, and HR provides a holistic background to effectively tackle complex business challenges. I have over three decades of speaking and facilitation experience, reaching thousands of people in talks ranging from 10 – 5,000+ attendees. Most recently, I served as VP of Talent Management, Learning, and Diversity for a $6B international manufacturing company, before embarking on my own Rebalancing Act™ to focus on writing and speaking full-time.
My greatest joy is my family – my husband Eric, children Bradley, Bethany, my bonus daughter, Alyssa, and the world’s best dog, a Great Pyrenees named Molly. Favorite things (in no particular order): family, live music, chocolate, Great Pyrenees, 70s and 80s song lyrics, ice cream, traveling, trivia, faith, and history. I have lived in Houston for over 50 years and love this city!
Life lessons learned on my elusive quest to have, do, and be it all inspired me to write the best-selling book, The Rebalancing Act: Wisdom from Working Women for Success that Matters.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not! I have faced many obstacles but have emerged stronger from them. Many of the changes in my professional life were driven by changes in my personal life. I made the decision to take myself off the fast track career-wise in my twenties when I had children. That led to my becoming an ‘accidental entrepreneur’ at 29. I thought I was going to work as a contractor for a year or so, and that became an 18 year adventure. Then, when faced with a somewhat sudden divorce, I sold my company and returned to a corporate role to have more stability. Trying to raise children, manage a company, and going through divorce presented some big challenges for sure. But seeing my children grow into amazing adults and finding love again has been more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. I have also faced some health challenges. I have a hereditary eye disease that has been difficult all my adult life. I am also a breast cancer survivor. I am thankful for the wonderful doctors in the Texas Medical Center who have cared for me through four cornea transplants to save my sight and through my cancer journey.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am not really an artist, per se, but I would like to tell you more about writing my best-selling book, The Rebalancing Act: Wisdom from Working Women for Success that Matters. I am proud that I decided to write it and finished it within a year. I knew I wanted to write about the impossible everyday juggling act working women face, and how easy it is to lose sight of what matters most. I had spent over two decades being so filled with things to do that I had no time to consider what truly fulfilled me.
I was also reading a lot about the current post-pandemic realities facing working women of all ages. Rather than getting better with remote work options and other adaptations, our ‘always on’ culture had created an epidemic of worn out, burned out, stressed out working women. I could relate to this because I was one of them! In my book, I wanted share all I learned the hard way with others who might benefit from those lessons. But I also knew that i was only one person, and my own experience would not begin to capture all the potential lessons out there. That inspired me to interview over 70 working women and men of all ages from different backgrounds. Through their interviews, I was able to carve out seven common archetypes detailing the ways women typically show up to work. For each of these seven types, I explored traps that could trip them up on their way to fulfillment in their careers and lives. I also provided techniques to help women move past those traps.
The book came to life with both my own journals and the stories from those I interviewed. These poignant stories resonate with people who see themselves in them. My personal Rebalancing Act™ enabled me to dream new dreams and make space for what truly matters. The book provides inspiration for people to rethink their own journeys and focus on finding true success that matters.
The book has generated opportunities for me to create a membership group, Rebalancing Revolution, to support women in their own Rebalancing Acts. This is my chance to pay it forward by helping others, which is especially gratifying.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was raised in a pretty typical family of my generation, and I am the youngest of four children. Dad was hardworking and traveled a lot so that he could provide for us. My mother was more of a constant presence and role model to me. I was one of four kids, and we were all raised to know right from wrong. We moved around a fair amount, but most of my childhood was spent in Houston. I have fond memories of playing outside, riding bikes around the neighborhood, and swimming a lot during summertime. I set high goals for myself, but I also listened to everyone else’s idea of who I should aspire to be. My early life experiences greatly informed the choices I made and the journey that I took in adulthood.
I believe my brother and sisters were probably smarter and more talented in many areas than I was. But, because all I ever wanted was to be as good as my siblings, it drove my desire to be the best at everything. I was like a little sponge – taking in everything I was told and then working to make it so. At a very early age, I would perform ‘shows’ for my family— standing on the fireplace singing or dancing or doing who knows what. My siblings and parents would laugh at me, but they indulged in these attention-seeking activities. I think that may be why I was never afraid to be on stage or speak publicly.
When I got into school, I wanted to be the lead in every school play, be the top student, rise to whatever position was the most prestigious. I must have driven my friends crazy! Some of this blind ambition was probably a good thing, as I think it helped me to set high goals for myself. But I also listened to everyone else’s idea of what I should aspire to and who I should be. That was my blueprint for a cookie-cutter life. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized I didn’t need to worry so much about what everyone else thought! Finally focusing on just being the best version of me I could be, and not on what others thought I should, ought, or was obligated to do or be, life became immeasurably better!
Pricing:
- Rebalancing Revolution Membership: $399 (quarterly payments) or $1,299 (annually if paid in one single payment)
- Hardcover Books: $27.99 (Amazon and all major bookstores)
- Paperback Book: $19.99 (Amazon and all major bookstores)
- Kindle e-book: $9.99 (Amazon)
- Audiobook: $17.99 (Amazon, Audible, and other audiobook apps)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://carolenneking.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carol.enneking/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolenneking/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroltenneking/
Image Credits
Candid photos by Megan Taylor Photography
Book graphic design by Stephanie Whitlock Dicken
Rebalancing Revolution logo by Annette Zuanich
