a look back + a look ahead
the final newsletter of this 8 year campaign!
WOW - January 2, 2022 marks ten years since I bought a desk, a chair, and a marker board and wrote on the top "ostrich coaching + consulting." And so it began. My new career in Coaching + Leadership Development. What a ride it's been!

For 8 of those 10 years I've sent this newsletter out on the 1st of each month almost 100% without a miss. Given where I am today, I've decided to retire this newsletter and point my followers toward my second business, Change Positive llc and the home of the Shift Positive feedback method. More on that below. So take a skim and join me on a look back and a look ahead before we wrap up this long standing newsletter campaign!
launching a business - how do you make it 10 years?

I'm often asked to speak to people who want to transition out of their first career (advertising for me) into Coaching, or move from being an Internal Coach to launching their own practice. They usually want to know - how did you do it / what was it like? As I ponder this thought now, ten years later, I want to share 4 things that got me to where I am today - successful and very content.
relentless faith

Anyone who knows me knows I can be quite relentless when there is something I want. When I set my mind to something it's rare that I ever give up - instead I chase it (note: this does not work when dating :). I will say when it came to launching my own business in a brand new industry for me, this drive to succeed largely kept me going.

However, that alone wasn't enough. Because after 18 months of living off of a line of credit at 18% interest, I couldn't help but pause and ask - at what point do I need to change my plan? And just after asking that, the universe sent me a new Client, Wieden + Kennedy who was building up a coaching roster, and I was selected! Then I knew - just have faith. Whenever I have believed that something would happen - it eventually does, in some form or fashion. So for me faith is believing it WILL happen. Combining that with my relentless drive - here I am ten years later living in abundance.
clarity + vision

Sounds obvious yet for me it became real important. In the early days/months I had generous colleagues sending work my way that could help offset the debt, help me pay the bills. However it wasn't work I wanted. What I learned was the more I stayed focused on my vision, while it may have taken longer, it led to more of what I was seeking. That ability to say 'no, thank you' and instead stay clear and focused on the path you've defined, the more likely you are to succeed doing the very thing you want to be doing.

Which leads me to the point - you need to define that path. Hold a vision for where you want to go and how you intend to get there. When I first finished Coach training I reached out to everyone to share I'm a coach. I would hear, "great, we'll call when we need one." I thought "shit, how am I paying my bills?" So I realized I needed to meet the audience where they were (in my case ad agencies) and offer group leadership development workshops - a way to introduce me and have an impact on more than one person across the company at an affordable rate. I built out a plan for what my offerings would be for those first 3 years and how they would lead me to more 1:1 coaching and BAM - that's what happened. Clarity + Vision.
authenticity

The journey of trusting who I am, just as I am, is enough. And the powerful sense of reward when you're able to help others to lead + live more authentically. This has been a parallel path for me - the more I discovered this for myself, the better I've been as a Coach. Self as Coach - a true gift that I learned at the Hudson Institute. Authenticity is my highest held value, along with honesty and integrity. I will always show up 100% myself, no matter the audience. Mark my word. And leaning into this has made the last ten years feel like FREEDOM.
support

I quote the research all the time - we don't change (or move through change) by ourselves, it's not meant to happen alone. And I certainly wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the couple of coaches who walked alongside me these last ten years as I built my business, my two brothers who celebrated every tiny win with me (I think I texted them after every single gig I booked for the first 5 years!), and the countless colleagues, mentors, friends, and even clients who every day showed up with me to do the real work. If it wasn't for all of them there is no way I'd be here saying "ten years later."
a look ahead - follow me to the future!

While I'm retiring this newsletter -- I'm still here; focused on my favorite, most impactful work of the last ten years. Below is a highlight section of how I can support you in 2022 and beyond. And please "opt in" to follow me at Change Positive, where we put out a newsletter each month on helpful ways to create healthy dialogue - through Positive Pyschology, feedback, conflict, strengths and much more. Click the button below, fill in your info, & be added to our newsletter!
Building to your Core
a 7 week leadership course

  • Gallup StrenghsFinder - learn your strengths + how to leverage them
  • Strengthen your EQ skills / self management tools
  • Learn your Enneagram type and the WHY behind how you think, feel and act
  • Let go of limiting beliefs + craft your own authentic story
  • Build your leadership brand with intentions for how to live + lead "on brand"
  • Create goals + shifts in two 1:1 coaching sessions, including a deep dive Enneagram debrief
Executive Coaching

Seeking senior leaders and executives who are eager to commit to the inner work to see how they can truly soar to great heights. We all have one or two things we could keep working at to ensure it doesn't get in our way. What's yours - I'd love to partner on naming that and putting it in its place!
At Change Positive we have lots of ways to support you and your team. Working with us is an invitation to shift your perspective + adopt more of a Positive Psychology mindset.
  • Interactive keynote on changing the feedback experience + building a more open and supportive culture
  • Executive Team feedback experiences + team coaching
  • 1:1 Executive Coaching
  • Feedback training for Managers
Solutions for Teams

We have various ways to help build a Leadership team to work even more effectively together. We've been working with one company for the last six months after doing the Shift Positive feedback method on all 11 leaders. Now we are doing quarterly coaching and helping them to give constructive feedback to each other as well as noticing when someone is making progress toward their goals or using one of their strengths. Building allyship across a team is critical to positive long term change.
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