About Me
I’m Sarah Kellner, a writer, artist, producer, and career coach. I’m an elder millennial with the soul of an 80-year-old woman who does the crossword in pen and doesn’t take crap. I make my living in Durham, North Carolina by way of San Francisco and Atlanta.
I take a whole-self approach to career coaching — because we’re humans, not productivity machines.
My Philosophy
I’ve learned a lot over the years and have had some amazing mentors — folks who shared wisdom and helped guide me. I love helping people and my aim here is to pay it forward.
Mental health and self-care aren’t only meant for your personal life, they should be priorities in your work life as well.
I believe in:
- Education — Because knowledge is power
- Self-awareness — Getting clear on who you are and what you’re about
- Self-advocacy — Standing up for yourself when it matters most
- Mental well-being — In all aspects of your life
- Personal & professional growth — For myself and for my clients
- My core values — Open honesty, trust, empathy, and humor
Self-care at work comes in many forms — making sure you have good work/life balance, taking breaks, and most importantly, advocating for yourself and what you need to do the best work possible.
My Services
To help you get to the next level in your career, I provide:
- Insightful coaching to help you understand where you want to go and what’s keeping you from getting there.
- Mentorship based on personal and professional experience.
- Resume writing services and cover letter support to help you tell your story in a compelling way that will get you noticed.
- LinkedIn optimization because this is the often the front door to many opportunities.
- Interview and salary negotiation coaching to help you put your best foot forward throughout the process.
My Experience
I’ve been working in the digital content industry since 2009. I’ve worked as an intern, contractor, individual contributor, manager, and self-employed freelancer. I’ve worked at mom-and-pop businesses, startups, magazines, corporations, and tech giants. I’ve been around the block, and having found a job that I truly love, I want to share the wisdom on how I got here.
I’ve hit my stride in my career and I’m ready to help you hit yours, too.
I’ve been on both sides of the hiring table. I’ve seen a lot of resumes and have interviewed a lot of candidates, which has helped me develop my best practices. Over the years, I’ve helped advise countless people with their resumes and job-hunting skills across a variety of industries, including technical and mechanic jobs, accounting, digital content, and marketing.
The Career Come-Up?
I’m a huge music person — I love metal, rock, shoegaze, blues, soul, indie, and of course hip hop, which is where I got the name “The Career Come-Up.” I’d always heard hip hop artists talk about coming up in their respective scenes and neighborhoods. How they made it and achieved their success, usually through hard work and key opportunities, doors being opened, meeting the right people, and taking their careers to the next level. If you’re interested in reading those stories, there’s a brilliant book aptly called “The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip Hop” by Jonathan Abrams, which I highly recommend.
In devotion to the idea of the come-up and achieving success, I’ve created a space where you can find career advice, resources, and services to help you take your own career the to the next level. And I’ll guide you every step of the way.
I can’t wait to work with you, and I hope you enjoy this and find it valuable.