Nina Price

I was born and raised in New York, went to college and business school at the University of Michigan and have spent 20 years working in high tech firms in Silicon Valley, as a software engineer and a marketing manager. I am an executive, a radio personality, an accomplished musician, arnlover of technology, a motivational speaker, a teacher, a creative problem-solver and a good listener. I am nationally certified as both arnlife coach and as a therapeutic massage practitioner. I continue tornstudy various bodywork modalities and have recently completed a secondr Masters degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine at Five Branchesr University in Santa Cruz. I am a Licensed Acpuncturist in Califo ia and a Diplomate in Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).

My clients are primarily high tech professionals. As a coach and as a massage therapist I found that health/stress and career issues were what I worked on with my clients.

I went to acupuncture school because I saw that I needed to be better able to help my clients manage their health and stress. As an acupuncturist I am a primary healthcare provider in Califo ia.

I coined the term Professional Competitiveness to explain the range of what I work on with clients.

Professional Competitiveness is having the professional life you really want.

Creating the professional life you want is a process of constantly understanding and improving your value in the marketplace, while at the same time taking incredibly good care of yourself, so that you can be resilient to the stresses and strains of a work environment defined by constant change.

Here’s what Professional Competitiveness looks like:

• Staying employed and growing professionally no matter what happens in the economy, in your industry, in your company or in your workgroup.

• Staying attractive to your current employer and potential employers.

• Having the professional opportunities you want (jobs, promotions, raises, stock options, assignments).

• Working for as long as you want to, and retiring when you choose to; on your timetable.

The Components of Professional Competitiveness are:

• Stress Management
Understanding what underlies your stress and how you can best respond to your stressors is key to resilience.

• Health and Wellness
Since you are the author of your own level of health or disease, learn how to be in charge of your own health and enlist the assistance of others you believe in, if and when you need it.

• Managing Others’ Perceptions of You
Like it or not, first impressions count especially in your professional life.

• Interpersonal Skills
Communicating your ideas, your knowledge and your value through written words and conversation is crucial to your effectiveness in any professional situation, as is knowing how to negotiate for what you need.

• Business Savvy
The more you understand how the organization you work in really works, the more effective you can be as a part of it.

• Business/Technical Skills
These skills are most likely the reason you were hired in the first place, but if you haven’t kept them up to date, others who may cost your employer less may in fact be better qualified to do what you do.