My road to coachdom, and introducing Kate's "The Coaching Blueprint"
A long time ago, I was in a rather, shall we say, “unfulfilling” career. Plenty of good stuff, to be sure, like, ummm, a steady paycheck and no-guilt breaks to grab a Starbucks with a colleague, wherein we’d complain and natter about our meany boss and how under-appreciated we were. My husband would pick me up at the end of the day, and I’d continue my tale of woe-is-me. (Sidebar: I was a real joy to be married to.)
Rinse and repeat.
I climbed the ladder. I got paid more. And then more. And things were supposed to be good. ‘Cause good bucks = good career, right?
And then the complaints would evolve slightly. Under-appreciative bosses would be the main course, with a sprinkling of whining about the art department, and a side of unreasonable clients. And there would be cocktails at the end of the day. Often many.
Rinse and repeat.
The year that our daughter was born (2004), my mother passed away. And in that time of life and death, it became crystal, CRYSTAL clear: my mom’s mantra “don’t postpone joy” wasn’t just a pretty catch phrase; it was the secret to personal fulfillment.
We are meant to live joyfully. We are meant to live FULL lives…not just after 5pm.
It’s a sin that it took her passing for me to face it, but as we know, life wakes you up when you need it most, whether you’re ready or not.
Let me say this: I am incredibly grateful to my time in my former career. If I fumbled along too long, not questioning what I was truly called to do, I was simply being a martyr. And fearful of change.
And so because I was so clear about what I enjoyed about work in that career (thrills, creativity, leadership, collaboration) AND what I didn’t enjoy (micro-management…mine and others’, dissonant project work, etc) it made my “what’s next” option a whole lot juicier.
In that process, I developed the Board of Your Life program when I realized there were many, many like me, successful in careers and scared to leave for fear of what might be next. It’s an incredibly powerful and supportive program that to this day makes me proud to have conceived it.
In that process, I realized I was a Coach. Always had been, always will be.
And the angels sang.
My heart was bursting with joy that I could apply all of my favourite skills, help people’s lives immensely, witness cathartic breakthroughs, help mend marriages, forge incredible businesses and have people live their truths. AND GET PAID FOR IT.
So, I trained with CTI, became certified and started a business. Just like that.
Except, the “starting a business” part wasn’t “just like that.”
It was hard. And scary. And uncertain. And confusing. How much to charge? Board of Trade? Niche? Target market? Which events to focus on? How much time+money on marketing? EVERYONE SAYS I’M A FABULOUS COACH SO WHY AM I NOT MAKING ANY DAMNED MONEY?!
But my love of coaching sustained me. And a hellaciously supportive network.
What I was yearning for was a Blueprint. The Coaching Blueprint. That Kate Swoboda…she’s a smart cookie. She done did it.
And if you’re a new coach, this is a fabulous e-book resource for you. Kate pulls back the curtain on how to build a sustainable coaching practice because, in her words, “you did not leave a job that was not fulfilling you only to start working in another field and then have that not fulfill you”.
True dat.
It is a HUGE feather in my cap that I am one of the coaches she interviewed (and a proud affiliate, to boot) along with these folks that I admire: Julie Daley, Jamie Ridler, Dyana Valentine, Michael Bungay Stanier, Pam Slim, Tara Sophia Mohr, Tara Gentile, Jennifer Lee, Michelle Ward, Bridget PilloudandSteve Bearman.
You can pre-order it now for some fun extras (including a 60-day membership workflow app called Satori developed by my new buddyLachlan Cotter). In the meantime, here’s a wee excerpt of our interview…oh it was fun!
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