Meet Erin Rocchio | Executive Coach & Partner, Evolution

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Rocchio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I find that work/life balance sets the wrong target, quite honestly. I prefer to think about how my life feels on the whole, with work included. How is my sense of purpose and meaning – often experienced in my work life but also with family, friends, nature, art – expressing itself day to day?

I pay attention to my energy and how I’m renewing myself between bursts of output. I pay attention to what drains my energy, where I might need to set a firmer boundary, or where I might need to say “no” altogether. I constantly check-in on where I’m living honestly with my values and where I’m not; frequently, it’s my body that lets me know I’m aligned or off center.

These days, as a full-time working mom who teaches others about wellbeing in the workplace (check out my amazing team, Evolution), making sure I’m following my own advice can be tough – but so necessary. One trick? Blocking out time on my calendar every day for me: morning reflection or exercise, midday meditation breaks, afternoon naps (yes, naps!), quiet moments post-bedtime.

I deeply believe that we are whole human beings; we aren’t fragmented pieces that need to find some elusive state of “balance.” Paying attention with care and awareness to all of our needs – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, relational, financial – is the work of finding sustained wellbeing over our lifetime.

One of the other things I’ve seen in this current burnout epidemic – exacerbated during the pandemic, no doubt – is that each of us is grappling with an unprecedented increase in mental and emotional stressors, felt most acutely across our most vulnerable populations. This experience has culminated in a program I’ve developed called “Wholeness At Work”, a self-guided coaching program for leaders to find sustained performance, real wellbeing, and positive impact in their work and life. This program pulls from the Enneagram, positive psychology, organization development, leadership, human sustainability, social justice, integral theory, mindfulness, and self-compassion research.

Everyone, most especially women and women of color, have experienced the complexities and pressures of their work in the last two years, and these stressors continue to stack up for leaders everywhere. We are desperately seeking something else – mental downtime, emotional nourishment, physical recovery, or spiritual salve. Not only do we crave it, we deeply need it, as human beings and as leaders. My passion is to end suffering at work and amplify the need for wellbeing and wholeness, for all of us.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
EXPERIENCE: For fifteen years, Erin has worked with executives across industries to find the sweet spot between business results and personal meaning. She designs and delivers transformational leader, team, and organization development in line with business strategy. Released in 2020, Erin’s inaugural publication, Wholeness at Work: Free Yourself from Burnout for Good, addresses the science behind workplace burnout. She explores the symptoms, sources, and solutions across three levels: individual, relational, and systemic. Her Roadmap to Wholeness supports leaders in finding a lifelong path to sustainable wellbeing in their work.

Erin’s clients are curious, values-driven, emotionally intelligent leaders up to big things. She works with C-level executives at billion-dollar companies and founders of proven start-ups, helping them cultivate sustainable, high-performing leadership teams based on metrics that drive engagement and results. Erin brings a philosophical orientation to her work rooted in Appreciative Inquiry (strengths-based change), the Enneagram personality system, Integral theory, and neuroscience-based organizational and leadership wellbeing.

PARTNERSHIP:
Erin is a partner at Evolution, a coaching, consulting, and investment firm that partners with start-up and high-growth companies to drive long-term, holistic success through developing leadership, alignment and culture. Evolution works exclusively with companies that strive to be iconic, world-enriching, evolutionary businesses.

Erin’s clients include Medtronic, City of Hope, Community Psychiatry, Uber, Paylocity, Radiology Partners, Snap, Chevron, Deloitte, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, DaVita, New Capital Partners, Surgical Care Affiliates, MTS Health Partners, National Cardiovascular Partners, UC San Diego Health System, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Yahoo!, Worldwide Express, and Girl Scouts San Diego.

EDUCATION:
Erin earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University, and a Master of Science in Positive Organization Development and Change (MPOD) from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. While at Northwestern, Erin was an elite student-athlete, helping to build its Women’s Softball program to national distinction.

Erin is a certified Integral Coach with Integral Coaching Canada and a Senior Member of the Enneagram in Business Network. She holds additional certifications in Advanced Coaching with the Enneagram, a robust personality typing system (via Enneagram in Business) and Developing Leadership with Emotional Intelligence (via CWRU). Erin is also a member of the Organizational Development Network and International Positive Psychology Association. Erin is a graduate of Landmark Education’s Team, Management and Leadership Program, and is an avid fan of mindfulness and self-compassion meditation.

PERSONAL:
Erin enjoys her free time watching her two young daughters discover the wonders of life around them in their beloved San Diego community. Erin also has a soft spot for talking global politics and poetry. More than ever, she is an advocate for the development of young women as leaders in their communities.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Diego has so many incredible places to explore. My favorite local restaurants: Lotus Thai downtown, The Rose in South Park, Fort Oak in Mission Hills, and La Puerta in Mission Hills. My dream weekends with friends and family here usually include the magic of Balboa Park, the beaches of Coronado, and the playgrounds of Liberty Station.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My amazingly talented and values-centered team at Evolution (www.evolution.team), as well as the inspiring team of creatives supporting my product line, Wholeness at Work (www.ourwholenessatwork.com).

Website: www.ourwholenessatwork.com / www.evolution.team

Instagram: @wholenessatwork

Linkedin: @erintrocchio / @wholenessatwork / @evolution-service-corporation

Twitter: @wholeatwork / @erintrocchio / @evolutionSvc

Facebook: @wholenessatwork

Youtube: Wholeness at Work

Image Credits
Photos by Hale Production Studios, San Diego, CA.