Spencer knows a thing or two about happy endings, but the outcome of his story wasn’t always so certain.

“I was working as a career counselor in Iowa, and I had one of those baseball bat moments where it was like, ‘Drop what you’re doing and move.’” Spencer recalls. “I went against all the advice I’ve ever given anybody and quit my job and moved without having anything lined up.”

The decision took Spencer across the country to Utah, but it was not clear to him what he was supposed to do next.

“While I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I went shopping at a DI store and met one of the job coaches there,” Spencer says. “We got talking about what he did, and it was one of those moments like, ‘This is exactly what I want to do. It’s the type of work that I really enjoy. I get to be boots on the ground, in the trenches with the people that I work with.'”

After pursuing a position as a DI job coach, Spencer was ultimately hired. He is now using his experience to prepare associates for future employment opportunities.

“One of my biggest strengths is building capability,” Spencer says. “By helping associates see what they do well, they gain confidence and can then build on that to do new things and to develop new skills and talents.”

Spencer has seen that focusing on the associates instead of the work ensures that his team is able to reach their goals.

“I make sure the associates know I care about them and that I’m there to take the journey with them,” Spencer says. “By doing so, the goals we have just naturally happen. There’s not a single day I have to worry about it because they know I trust them and vice versa.”

As he sees associates make progress, Spencer is reminded why he loves what he does.

“My favorite part of the job is seeing where people can get to,” Spencer says. “Some of our associates go on to fill leadership roles or find great paying jobs, and that cycle is just so rewarding for me. [I love] being able to say, ‘Look how far you’ve come.’”