Once upon a time, Stella enjoyed a successful career in corporate accounting. She liked her work and her company, and she appreciated the benefits they provided to her and her family. And she enjoyed her volunteer work as a Brownie leader.
One day, she heard a voice calling. It was the young woman she left behind when she chose her college major, the one who wanted to teach adults. Apparently her volunteer work rekindled a passion for helping others learn.
So Stella went back to school. She started with classes in psychology, and worked with an advisor to find her groove in instructional technology. She received her M.Ed. and she became a volunteer trainer for the Girl Scouts.
And then, Stella and her husband went to an improv show. Stella was really excited about the possibility of taking classes and her husband registered her for the first one. She offered him the chance to join her, which he did, and they each completed two levels of training, a total of 11 classes, over the next three years.
By the time Stella was done with the improv classes, she was also done with corporate accounting. She was firmly on a path that led to completion of coach training, certification as an Instructor of Trainers with the Girl Scouts, certification as an Emotional and Social Intelligence Coach, and more. She even followed up her improv training with a class in comedy writing and has had some of her short plays performed at a local community theatre.
As much as Stella loved studying improvisation, she never performed with an improv troupe after her studies were over (although she has been and still is active with community theatre, beyond the writing.)
Instead, she chose to focus on applied improvisation, helping people in business to strengthen their career and life performances by employing the skills the actors use on stage.
And, of course, finding ways to help adults learn.