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Alumni ProfilesMake a Living fromWhat You LoveFollowing the money isn’t always the highway tohappiness. As a career coach on satellite radio and asher own boss, Maggie Mistal ’95 VSB tells why.BY TAINAH MICHIDA ’08 A&SWhen she graduated fromthe College of Commerceand Finance(now the VillanovaSchool of Business) with a B.S. inaccounting, Maggie Mistal ’95 VSB knewher goal was to become financially independentand to be happy.A firm believer in professional success as apath to economic independence, Mistal notlong after graduation went to work for theinternationally renowned Arthur Andersenaccounting firm. Yet, while surrounded by coworkerswho had become her close friends,Mistal felt she did not have it all. She had thejob, but she lacked the happiness.After Arthur Andersen executives wereindicted in 2002 for obstruction of justiceover the auditing of Enron, Mistal saw heropportunity to seek the missing elementsof her existence. What she found was astrong desire to help others who, like herself,were unhappy in their careers.Today, Mistal has achieved personal andprofessional satisfaction as a certified careercoach and motivational speaker, as well asthe host of the satellite radio show “CareerTalk with Maggie.” Her weekly program ison Martha Stewart Living Radio (SIRIUS112), Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. E.S.T.On October 17, 2006, Mistal returnedto her alma mater as an accomplishedprofessional and a content individual. Atthe Villanova University Alumni Association’sVillanova Networking Night, Mistaladdressed about 75 alumni, studentsand guests, offering adviceon effective networking andcareer satisfaction. On January10, she again shared her expertiseat a Villanova NetworkingNight, held at the PrincetonClub of New York.Since her debut in the careercoaching business four years ago,Mistal estimates she has helped perhapsmillions of unhappy men and women tofind and follow their paths towards personalfulfillment—from individual clients andworkshop attendees to SIRIUS listeners.Q. Tainah Michida ’08 A&S: You havea very successful career. What would yousay is your current mission as a professional?A. Maggie Mistal ’95 VSB: As a professional,it is really to help people who areunhappy in their careers find what theylove to do and what they’re best at—tohelp them actually feel encouraged andempowered to make that happen, tobecome happy by really getting into thatideal career.Q. What motivated you to follow thismission in life?A. Basically, Arthur Andersen’s demise iswhat motivated me. I was an accountingmajor at Villanova. I did the accountinginternship, which was a great program, andI landed my dream job at Arthur Andersen,which was the cream of the crop at thetime. I thought, “Wow, great company,great job and I got my C.P.A.,” but I hatedit. I said, “Wait a minute. I don’t even likenumbers, what am I doing?”I was able to switch to consulting, tohave a creative career within ArthurAndersen that was much closer to myneeds. I was there for about seven or eightyears and had a great network, but I wastired of it and ready to quit and move onto something else. But I loved the peopleso much, it was hard to make that choice.Then Arthur Andersen went away.There was no Arthur Andersen, there wasno longer an option. I decided it was timeto figure out what it was I really wanted todo. I found a process called the Life PurposeProcess, and I thought, “This soundslike a good way to figure out what my lifepurpose is.” I wanted my career to meansomething to me and to others—I wantedit to mean something valuable. I wentthrough the Life Purpose Process right atthe time when Arthur Andersen waswinding down, and I ended up realizing,“Hey, this is kind of fun.” I loved goingthrough it—I got a lot out of it.The woman who created and runs theLife Purpose Institute said, “You can getcertified if you want. You can do this forother people,” and I said, “Wow.” She said,“Yes, it’s called career coaching.”I did a workshop for 20-to-25 of myclosest Andersen friends to say not only“Here is what I am doing now,” but also“Here’s how it can help you, because we’reall on the same boat.”That is where my new career came from—my new mission.Q. Would you say your mission as aprofessional, as a career coach, is the samemission you have as a person?A. Definitely. They are not separate thingsto me. What is exciting is that I am finallyin a place where my work reflects who I am.It’s not different. I’m able to express mycreativity, I’m able to share my talents. Ireally do have a talent in helping people to6 Villanova Magazine