Q&A With Udall DeOleo, CEO of All About Relationships Consulting.
1. Tell us a bit about All About Relationships Consulting Company.
Relationships are the catalyst and foundation through which we can learn about ourselves and through which we can accomplish great work with others. Thus, we guide our clients in building, sustaining, and maintaining their relationships with self and others.
We serve our clients from a holistic perspective as their relationships are at work and home. Thus, our relationship services foci are coaching, training, and facilitation, specifically in the areas of executive coaching, leadership development, diversity, sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention, emotional competence, group/team development, and coupledom (pre-marital consult and love after divorce).
We are a woman-owned company that has been around for 18 years. We started as Unique Work ‘n Progress which evolved as I evolved into All About Relationships Consulting Company.
2. What gave you the idea for your business and how did it start?
I was an internal organization development consultant for several years prior to stepping out on my own. I became an external consultant to forgo some of the politics that sometimes hinder internal consultants. I could be more effective in providing the “truth” to my clients and they would be more willing to allow me to do so when I wasn’t in their “family”. I learned the hard way that more than not leaders do not want to hear the truth from their employees.
I also loved the prospect of working with many types of clients which leads to variety and never a dull moment.
3. What’s your favorite thing about your job?
The variety of people I meet and helping people to reframe their perspectives.
4. What are your keys to making yourself productive?
I don’t make myself productive but I do keep in mind that I am my own client. As my own client, I must work to meet the objectives and outcomes of my client. This has led to some revealing and healing conversations with myself.
5. Tell us one long-term goal in your career.
I want to continue doing what I do with clients as long as possible. In the future, we may offer our services in a different format but as long as we are human, relationships will be significant.
6. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned through the course of your career?
I learned to not to place all of my eggs in one basket. It’s best in today’s economy to have multiple sources of income.
7. What advice would you give to others aspiring to succeed in your field?
If you decide to work as an independent consultant, learn how to manage a business as well as be a practitioner.
8. What are your favorite things to do outside of work?
I love to exercise, watch movies and cook. I’m a foodie.
9. Name a few influential books you’ve read and/or websites you keep up with that you’d recommend to readers.
The most influential book I’ve read is, Your Life: Why It Is the Way It Is and What You Can Do About It by Bruce McArthur.
I keep up with the following websites: www.PEWResearch.org, https://www.psychologytoday.com/
