Karen Summerville
The Parent GPS™
Discover Your Child's Constellation of Gifts
As The Parent GPS™, my mission is to empower parents to navigate their kid’s future success through a lens of curiosity— not expectation. I want to empower parents to navigate the parenting journey through a lens of curiosity rather than expectation as they discover their kid’s constellation of gifts – that unique combination of talents and interests that make us each who we are.
Karen’s Odyssey
Career Counselor and Mom
You are invited on a transformative journey, where the compass doesn’t just point north but guides parents toward unlocking the unique brilliance within their child.
With over twenty – five years as a career counselor, I’ve had the privilege of delving into the personal stories of hundreds of attorneys, unveiling the dichotomy between their public success and untapped passions.
Behind closed doors, these professionals, many lauded as Rising Stars and Super Lawyers, confided in me, revealing a narrative not often shared. Despite external success, they had never truly contemplated what brought them joy, pride, or a sense of fulfillment. This realization struck chords with clients from their twenties to sixties, prompting a reevaluation of their career choices.
Leaving my office at the end of the day, I transitioned from career counselor to the dynamic role of mother, and I applied the invaluable “lens of curiosity” developed through my counseling practice.
Raising two boys, I witnessed the profound impact of allowing them to explore their constellation of gifts. This lens guided me to discover my own boys’ unique gifts, notably their “deep gladness” found in the world of sports, particularly baseball.
In our home, the lessons learned from my clients resonated – I resisted nudging my boys into activities I understood but they didn’t necessarily enjoy.
My Son's Odyssey
Peter, my oldest, is a testament to the unexpected brilliance that emerges when children explore their talents and interests without constraints. Despite Peter’s declaration in middle school that he didn’t read books, he found his niche devouring the sports section of the Seattle Times and exploring computer science and playing baseball.
Fast-forward through a baseball scholarship and an unforeseen journey, Peter is now a Major League Advanced Game Coordinator for the San Diego Padres – a career that didn’t exist when he was in college. The position was in many ways created for his unique talents.
Peter’s once-unconventional story now stands as a testament to the reality that most future jobs for today’s youth are yet to be created.
Karen’s Background
A graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, Karen was a litigation partner in a downtown Seattle law firm before creating Legal Career Management.
While helping over fifteen hundred attorneys find “success and satisfaction”, Karen was also raising her two sons, now young adults.
Karen’s clients became the inspiration for parenting through a lens of curiosity – not expectation. Her sons’ laughter, dreams, and the genuine joy they found in their own interests became the cornerstone of her parenting perspective. Karen has left Legal Career Management, but not without taking the lessons she learned in a new direction as The Parent GPS™.
Her mission is to transform the way parents envision their children’s future.
Karen’s goal is to empower parents to navigate the uncharted course of their child’s potential and aspirations through speaking engagements and writing, including The Parent GPS™ Newsletter.
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