Before I tell you WHY I'm a reluctant business coach, it's important to share the short version of my professional and personal life and the journey that led me to where I'm at now: a multiple, profitable six-figure business mentor to witchy, woo-woo women.
Freshly graduated with my Master's degree in Cultural Psychology from the University of Chicago at the height of the recession in 2007, I had such high hopes, dreams, and ambitions.
They were smashed as I applied to job after job in Western Massachusetts. I was over and under qualified for everything, but I eventually became a full-time corporate gal.
WORTH NOTING: I figured Human Resources (HR) was as close to saving the world as I could get, and I would be able to work with humans and help them - woohoo! Or so I thought, but HR is the 'bad cop' of most companies and organizations and I hated it from the moment I started.
LONG STORY CHRONOLOGICALLY SHORT (and also worth noting):
I worked a variety of HR and recruiting jobs
bought a house
became a certified yoga teacher
got divorced
went to Burning Man
got in a long term relationship with an amazing woman
did a Sacred Sexuality Shamanic Apprenticeship program
broke up with my girlfriend
sold house
apprenticed in Thai and Shiatsu bodywork
learned Acudetox
bought a new house in a new town
studied Astrology with a teacher in Guatemala
met my husband
accidentally got pregnant with our son, Cedar
While working corporate jobs (that sucked my soul dry) I was in search of something that would juice my soul and make me feel alive.
Can you tell that I was searching for something? I invested my time and money into courses, programs, and things that I was hoping would be THE thing, my thing.
I taught Intro to Sacred Intimacy to groups of 100+.
I taught shamanic journeying.
I did acudetox.
I had a successful Thai and Shiatsu bodywork practice.
None of the healing arts I studied or practiced were the thing, and I knew it.
I explored, learned, and practiced all of the above on the side while I worked my 9-5 job and paid down my $60,000 in student loan debt.
THIS WAS MY MOMENT (FORTUNATELY AND UNFORTUNATELY)
After giving birth, we learned that our son, Cedar, was born with a heart issues: a double outlet right atrium and an AVSD - a hole between the sides of his heart.
He's one of the rarest heart cases ever and doctors looked at his echocardiogram from all over the world. (Being rare and interesting in medical things is not fun. Do not recommend.)
At one month old he had his first open heart surgery and another at four months old. At just six months old, he got a pacemaker that he'll have for life.
In the midst of his surgeries, I also had my own health journey and scare and had to have a tumor removed.
As you might be able to imagine, ALL of this was unexpected. These were new life events to navigate emotionally, mentally, physically, logistically, and financially.
I'm relieved to write that years later Cedar is stable and healthy and we have check ups every six months at the fabulous Mott Children's Hospital. And I'm in good health too.
Throughout these events, and in the same timeline, I was having a come-to-Jesus moment in my life.
I realized that I couldn't spend one more damn minute doing things I didn't love.
I took all my education and healing practices and mentored with an authentic marketing coach (Tad Hargrave). I figured out WTF I had in me that could help others and make some kind of income for my family.
MY FIRST NICHE
My first full year in business and niche was helping people quit their 9 to 5 jobs and do work they loved.
I began by helping people with what I had been able to do for myself: figured out how to take off the golden handcuffs of corporate after 15 years and finally do work that mattered to me (even though I still hadn't found my thing.)
MY FIRST OFFER (LOW TICKET)
I started with $25 phone calls and free webinars in front of other people's audiences.
MY SECOND OFFER (HIGHER TICKET)
From there, I did one-on-one customized coaching.
MY THIRD OFFER (ONLINE COURSE)
The private coaching helped me develop a program I titled 'Make a Plan'.
It included guided worksheets, topics, training, coaching, and additional resources. I cobbled together a completely badass program.
THE COURSE REVOLUTION
'Make a Plan' became a 30-day program that I ran one-on-one with dozens of people. Then I turned it into and a 9-week group course. It's now an evergreen course because my niche pivoted...
THE PIVOT
Throughout that process, I realized what I really cared about was helping people start SERVICE based businesses.
Real quick: remember the point I highlighted at the beginning part of this article? I really wanted to help people. This was a common thread throughout my journey that remains prevalent today. It's what I value. It's a breadcrumb that helped me figure out what my THING or business was supposed to be about.
It's I wanted to help people who wanted to help others. To this day, this is what matters most to me.
I realized I was really good at explaining business structures, marketing, sales, strategy, and the actions to take to finally get TRACTION in your business.
To deepen my knowledge and to be able to offer more, I invested further:
I took business school with Jenny Shih, learned pleasure based business with Julia Wells, sales training with Emily Utter, niche training with Tad Hargrave and Rebecca Tracey, and learned authentic marketing and business from Mark Silver, George Kao and Alex Baisley. (Google my teachers, take their programs, they are AMAZING at what they do.)
I fell in love with learning how to do online healing business and help other healers figure it out so they can help more people and make more money.
THE FRAMEWORK & STRATEGY
The framework is easy. Here's the secret strategy:
Create something beautiful that works for YOU first, is unique AF, and really helps someone (with a problem they have.)
Build relationships (and nurture them too.)
Sell, serve, and deliver your service well.
That's it.
Now I help my clients with all the other stuff that comes up as they build a business in a rebellious way (not conventional to the patriarchy or masculine way). I help women create a business that's built with pleasure, joy and play.
⫸ What is YOUR niche?
⫸ What service do YOU want to deliver to people?
⫸ How do YOU sell?
⫸ What's YOUR unique strategy for building relationships online?
⫸ What do YOU charge and why?
I didn't become a business coach because I wanted to. I am one because I was called into it.
I had to. It is my vocation.
I tried calling myself a 'Business Mentor' or 'Intuitive Business Guide' but my clients all call me their coach.
I am blessed to have supported 60 people this year, 60 paying clients, and 30 paying clients the year before that. That's in addition to a Facebook group of 600+ people and who knows how many folks following my social media accounts.
Don't take my word for it - hear from my clients who are crafting unique healing businesses online.
I am here to help healers nail their marketing and sales so they can help more people and make more money.
If you're considering starting a healing business, pivoting niche's, or scaling, say yes to yourself already and work with me.
Let's go. You and me, the reluctant business coach :)
XO,
Emily
Want free support to building a magickal, healing business you love that makes you money and helps people? Work with me >>> Go here.