What Careers Need
 

Derrick bass, jr

I embarked on this journey for one reason…

 
 

To evolve.

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 I’m not sure which hurt more… the sacrifices I made to obtain the things I thought I wanted, or reaching that success and feeling emptier and more confused than ever. The beauty in that “void” was that it forced me to ask some tough questions—over and over again—which helped me to define who I am, what I wanted, and how to get it in a way that was right for me. This is literally the same work I now get to do with my clients. I’m not preaching from some mountaintop either. I said I’m here to evolve, and evolution is a lifelong process… a lifelong fight for clarity, peace, happiness, joy, sunshine, etc. I’m just a willing participant in that fight… no matter the weather!

 
 
 
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Bio

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Like you, lifelong learner and eternal optimist Derrick Bass Jr. has seen the word success defined numerous ways over the years: making lots of money, attaining a certain title and status, even living a certain lifestyle. How do you define it?

Derrick’s view is radically different. He believes success is about maximizing your unique potential in fulfilling ways that serve a greater good. From pencils to people, he feels everything and everyone has a purpose. This belief served as the impetus for launching his coaching business, Clarity Provoked, where he works with people struggling to reach their full professional potential. Derrick helps them gain the clarity and confidence needed to create purpose-driven careers. His fusion of honesty, humor, and creativity fosters an intimate and strong, yet malleable connection with his audience.

For the past decade, Derrick had a very rewarding career at Goldman Sachs—one of the top financial institutions in the world. Utilizing his engineering degree from Cornell University, he began his career first managing and helping to improve processes, before having the opportunity to do the same with people. During his tenure he also served as a project manager, leading and collaborating with some of the best and brightest minds in the industry. For balance, Derrick held leadership positions in several affinity groups and recruiting teams. He remains a staunch advocate for diversity.  

Derrick lives inspired. He considers the marriage to the love of his life and college sweetheart and being a father to his three children as his greatest successes. He encourages you to live fulfilled and to approach every moment intentionally.

 
 

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Simply put, Derrick gave me a roadmap to myself.

Jennifer / New York, NY / Retail Management

 
 

Client Experience

It’s inspiring to see how you can inspire others. Helping people add life and joy back into their careers is literally my “job” and it’s one of the most amazing things I get to do each and every day. My clients come from a few different industries, including:

HUMAN RESOURCES
CAREER CHANGERS
ENTREPRENEURS
TEAM LEADERS

OPERATIONS
TEACHERS
FINANCE
ANALYSTS

PROJECT MANAGERS
CONSULTANTS
ACCOUNTANTS
DEVELOPERS

A few success stories

Client Success Stories
Jennifer

KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT

“Simply put, Derrick gave me a roadmap to myself. I was able to tap into who I am at my core and get to the exact career that I wanted by following the core values and beliefs that I learned to define!”

— Jennifer | New York, NY | Retail Management

Naomi

FEEL SUPPORTED AND CHALLENGED

“Some of my biggest breakthroughs were improving the relationship I had with myself, being more intentional and aware of the work I choose to do, and finding more reasons to celebrate. I will always remember this coaching journey as one of those things I really needed but didn't know just how much. He was my BS-caller, biggest cheerleader, and fluff-cutter, all in one... hire him!"

— Naomi | South Korea | Education

Sean

CAREER AND LIFE CHANGING

“Working with Derrick is one of the best decisions I made for my business and my life. With his help, I was able to peel away some of that self-inflicted noise and doubt that was unconsciously holding me back from obtaining my goals and being happy with myself. If you are looking to make that next push toward greater things in your business, career or even yourself, look no further!”

— Sean | Bronx, NY | Healthcare Entrepreneur

Sophie

IMPROVE SELF-CONFIDENCE

"Derrick’s ability to distill my thoughts into coherent messages is truly a gift. The biggest thing for me is my improved self confidence. I feel more confident about applying who I am more wholly to my work. He really listens to you and delivers coaching that reflects what you need."

— Sophie | San Francisco, CA | Nonprofit Mastermind

Marielys

CREATE INTERNAL ALIGNMENT

“Some of my biggest breakthroughs include a much clearer, more defined purpose for my life and career, which are intertwined. I was able to take on a new opportunity that will assist a future career transition/new business development and create goals that have positively impacted my personal and work relationships.”

— Marielys | Washington, DC | Academic Development

Aaron

REVEAL UNCONSCIOUS BEHAVIOR

“One of my most memorable moments with Derrick was within the first few weeks helping me understand my thoughts and uncover some of my unconscious behaviors. If you’re considering hiring Derrick as a coach it will be one of the best decisions you ever made to push yourself to the next level.”

— Aaron | Jersey City, NJ | Project Management

Leslie

REMOVE UNNECESSARY PRESSURE

"The experience of working with Derrick helped me to drill down and find out what was most valuable to me and decide what I really wanted for myself. The best thing I learned was how to stop beating myself up when I didn’t reach my goals. If you are willing to put in the work, it will be more than worth your while."

— Leslie | Hackensack, NJ | Career Transition

Phela

ACHIEVE BIG BREAKTHROUGHS

"Derrick's coaching is only for someone who is really serious about going deeper and challenging themselves to achieve big breakthroughs in career and life. Don’t take this on unless you’re willing and ready to get to the next level."

— Phela | New Brunswick, NY | Consultant - Change & Conflict Management

Travonnie

LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

“Every time I got to share progress on something we talked about it was magnificent. Each celebration led to more progress. My biggest takeaway is knowing I am great, I am ready, and that I am uniquely poised to do all the things I want to do. I just have to leap. FYI - Only call him if you’re ready to change your life, not a moment before.”

— Travonnie | Lawrenceville, GA | CEO, What Schools Need

Anna

FIND YOUR VOICE

“With his help, I was able to find my voice and actually use it. This helped me force conversations with my manager that were enlightening and helped stave off a lot of anxiety and frustration. It was great having someone believe in you when going through a major change in responsibilities.”

— Anna | Jersey City, NJ | HR - Talent Management

Nakia

DEFINE YOUR PATH

“Derrick really listened to what I had to say and forced me to really listen to myself as well. If you’re looking to clarify your path to your purpose, he will help you do that by helping you to embrace your confidence and change your attitude and energy.”

— Nakia | Brooklyn, NY

Irma

SUCCEED THROUGH CHANGE

“Working with Derrick helped me to focus my efforts in a way that built on my personal and professional strengths. He brought great energy and intentionality to a process that can sometimes feel overwhelming and confusing. I also walked away with helpful tactics for dealing with change and transition that have now become habits.”

— Irma | Talent Management | NY

Christine

MAXIMIZE YOUR POTENTIAL

"I was immediately able to maximize my potential in my current position, taking on more responsibility with greater financial reward. The same principles that brought me clarity in my quest to transform my career also helped me to successfully navigate all of the personal obstacles I was facing."

— Christine | Atlanta, GA | Sales

 

Workshops

The workshops are also a lot of fun. Each topic relates to an aspect of my Career Catalyst coaching program. And the goal is to create an atmosphere of transparency and vulnerability that fosters connection and teamwork long after our session is done.

Snapshot of the themes we’ve provoked:

Mask Off: The Experience

A bold and fun workshop to build authentic confidence. Think escape room meets career coaching! Give your people a provocative experience that will change the way they see themselves by removing the masks they wear at work Revealing their true self will catapult their confidence and release their professional potential.

Winning with emotional intelligence

Our careers are defined by our emotions. Everything we do, everything we experience, it’s all driven by how we feel. In fact, raw emotion is one of the most powerful forces in our lives, and learning to master your emotions allows you to direct that power as needed leaving you free and unchained.

HOW TO BUILD UNSHAKABLE CONFIDENCE

True success in your career ultimately comes from having a sense of fulfillment. You can only be fulfilled when you have the confidence to be yourself and do the things that matter to you in ways that make sense for you. That level of confidence must be predicated on clarity. In other words, knowing yourself is the cornerstone to your success.

COMMUNICATING WITH IMPACT

The level of success you experience, both internally and externally, is the direct result of how you communicate. Many have even said the quality of your life is the quality of your communication. So in a professional world governed by the perception others have of you, how do you rise above the fear of that perception and communicate in ways that are authentic for you?

THE ANTI-GOAL SYSTEM FOR SUCCESS

Did you know that over 90% of the people who set New Year’s resolutions never follow through? We actually expect to fail—so much so that half the country doesn’t even bother setting goals. The reason is that most people don’t understand how to create lasting results. We’ll show you how to create momentum that will drive you to follow through!

BUILDING TEAM CULTURE

Culture doesn't happen by accident. Every team, every division, and every firm claims to have one... and you'll likely find a nice description of it on the company's website. The real question is, what does it look like when you’re up close and personal? Ideals like "excellence above everything," and "a company-wide commitment to diversity & inclusion," may not trickle down to the people who operate within that culture.

MAXIMIZING SIGNIFICANT TURNING POINTS IN YOUR CAREER

Targeted workshop to help a firm move through a tough transition. Focus areas of this session included moving from the victim to the victor in your “stories”; maximizing significant turning points in your career; creating a powerful theme and direction for your next chapter; discovering tools to handle anything unexpected that comes your way.

Conscious Conversations

Facilitated a full-day session to help them delivery candid feedback to each other in a constructive way. In the midst of the feedback, we reviewed the principles of a high-functioning team, the skill of conscious communication, how to be professionally vulnerable and communicate without fear. connecting without judgment, and how to build rapport.

Thoughts from a few partners

Workshop Testimonials

“Derrick’s ability to pull from his experience in the workplace, coupled with his gift to connect with a broad spectrum of individuals in a short period of time, really set the stage for something magical. I fully believe that his honesty, vulnerability and commitment to listening and understanding participants allows him to move people from thinking to actually doing and becoming the leaders they want to be.”

- Chimere | Manager, NYC DOE Recruitment

“Derrick did an excellent job laying the foundation of emotions and guiding listeners to the new possibilities in how to deal with them. Participants were left with a blueprint on using their emotions more effectively.”

- Jackie | Regional Operations Director, AT&T

“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and appreciated the fact that you did not ask the typical questions but questions that really required the participants to delve deep and think. I also liked the fact that it was interactive. You engaged the participants and made it personal. Great job!”

- Cynthia | Professional Development Chair, NABA NNJ

“100% would recommend this workshop to any company. The message, exercises, and discussion are engaging and more importantly, leave the participant with action items. It was a success not only because of the content, but because of Derrick’s authenticity. Opening up, sharing emotions and thoughts, especially at work, is not an easy feat. However, Derrick created a genuinely comfortable atmosphere.”

— Krystle | AVP, Citi Shared Services

“I’m happy to say that your approach of starting with a bit of self-reflection went over wonderfully. It will now provide a foundation upon which we can continue to build. My favorite part was taking time to reflect on what made me happy, proud and satisfied. In order to get the most out of the workshop, you have to be totally honest with yourself and forth-coming.”

— Marcus | Lead, Bloomberg Black Professional Community

“The workshop went well and it sparked that little person inside of me to push a little harder.”

— Rob | President, NABA NJ

“When organizing events for the members it is always my concern that they walk away with something, either hints of a new skill they need to develop, a new connection on their network or additional insight about our organization. I’m happy to say that all of our members that participated in the event walked away with one goal to accomplish.”

— Paola | Co-Lead, Bloomberg Latino Professional Community

“Derrick’s energetic approach to moderating the panel kept the audience engaged and the panelists eager to respond!”

— Kim | President, NABA NY

 
 

"
Derrick's coaching is only for someone who is really serious about going deeper and challenging themselves to achieve big breakthroughs in career and life.

Phela / New Brunswick, NY / Consulting