From her very first job out of college, Lorraine has built her career on the practice of coaching others to succeed. Lorraine and her team at Career UpRising have served over 400 clients in dozens of industries, both public and private. Many Career UpRising clients come from some of the most recognizable firms in the country, including Microsoft, Amazon, Fannie Mae, Coca-Cola, IBM and more.
Lorraine Rise, Career UpRising
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I’m Lorraine Rise and I’m based in the northern Virginia area in Loudoun County, where I grew up. I’ve lived here most of my life and I love it! My husband and I met in high school and both of our parents still live here. We have a daughter, Samantha, and a poodle, Coco.
My husband is a Software Engineer, and he works in my business as well! He created my website and supports all of my IT needs.
When I’m not working in my coaching business, I practice yoga weekly and I’m a member of two book clubs. I’m averaging a book a week!
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
In 2015, I founded Career UpRising. We offer comprehensive coaching and resume writing programs for mid and late-career professionals. The biggest problems many clients have are a lack of confidence or a lack of direction in their careers.
The word I hear most often is “stuck.” Clients feel stuck as if they aren’t advancing or making the salary they want and they don’t know what to do. That’s where we come in!
What kind of audience do you target your business towards?
We work exclusively with mid and late-career professionals. Most of our clients are over 40 or even over 50. Many of them have had a long tenure at their jobs and are rusty in the modern job search process.
We want older job seekers to know that it’s NOT too late for them to change careers and find meaningful work. We truly believe that no matter how old you are, you are employable. We’ve had some incredible success stories in the last few years with clients getting hired, even in the pandemic. What is your work inspired by?
My work is inspired by a combination of my own personal job-seeking experience in my 20s and also my professional experience as a recruiter and hiring manager. I went through five layoffs in seven years in my early career and I was forced to get good at job searching! That experience laid the foundation for the work I’m doing today.
Professionally, as I progressed in my career, I fell in love with the hiring process. I knew that in one way or another, I would always be involved in helping people find work they love.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
There’s been several! I’m very proud of my podcast, Career UpRising. It’s garnered listeners from around the world and I have well over 100 episodes so far.
Recently, I was also recognized locally as an honoree for Loudoun County’s Top 40 Under 40 Professionals!
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
In 2019, I was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor and faced my first major surgery. In a strange way, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Upon returning to work, I felt more grateful and more refreshed than ever and my business has grown exponentially since.
