As you know it’s been my great joy and honor to share the powerful life-making tools of Life Coaching for over a decade.
What you may not know is that since 2001 I have also been supporting leaders to design their careers and businesses on purpose; working with everyone from small business owners to general Managers running $80,000,000.00 businesses across myriad industries as an Executive Coach.
For years I have served as a professional coach for life and business and for years I have pondered how to best straddle these two worlds. While clients and close friends began pointing out that “coaching” is “coaching” whether I’m serving a CEO who wants to create a culture of engagement or an individual who wants to find their personal passion, I was still aware that the global business leader may have slightly different needs and priorities than the individual seeking joyful living.
For my corporate clients: The good news is that the next time you want to refer your boss, peer or team member for a leadership tune- up you can send him or her to a less intimate and more professionally-geared business coaching site that will speak their language. www.coachjoelleinc.com
For my life coaching clients: We will continue to play at coachjoelle.com. This opens up the opportunity for us all to more fully share the latest revelations, epiphanies and generally mind-blowing stuff that arises as we walk the path to fulfilling on our highest purpose and uncover the mysteries and miracles of this thing called life.
If you have an employer or you are one: I invite you to take 5 minutes and check out the new site www.coachjoelleinc.com and see what it stirs up in you.
As you read the success stories of the courageous leaders who have gone before you be sure to ponder:
A) Who do you know who could use a coach in their corner?
B) Who are the managers in your world that want to give more and get more from their teams?
C) What would you like to achieve in your career or business that would be worth your time, attention and commitment?
And then pick up the phone and give me a call at 216 320 9298 or tell your colleagues to sign up for a no-cost consultation and let’s start shaking things up!
Here’s to rocking lives and transforming corporate America!
Yes, the holiday season is upon us but what is perhaps even more exciting than Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's all rolled together is….
wait for it… wait for it….
PLANNING TIME!!!!!
Seriously, I rarely have more fun than when I take a day just for me and my business, find a cozy spot, pull out the poster board, goals forms, charts, markers (you name it) and dig into creative planning and goal setting to launch a new project or, in this case, a new year!
Since I figure I am not the only one who loves to do this, I wanted to put an offer out to those of you in my tribe who are ready to create the vision for a new year and would like the support and partnership of a coach by your side.
So this holiday season, if you are an entrepreneur with big plans, or an individual who is ready for a year like no other, why not launch the year with your own VIRTUAL PLANNING RETREAT with me?!
I was in the Atlanta airport coming home from a foundation session with a new corporate client when I got the idea. You can check out the moment of epiphany below.
So here is the scoop.
What we are talking is a 4-hour intensive 1-on-1 virtual coaching retreat - you, me, your goals and your vision of the future and together we will create, plan and play our way to setting you up for a powerful year.
If you have Skype we can Skype it or if you are more of a phone person we can do that too. But basically you will have me at your service with all my ability, knowledge, tools and experience as a coach, entrepreneur, leader and life-maker.
For the holidays - and because this is probably my favorite way to spend an afternoon – the price for your retreat is a neat $800.00 ($400.00 savings) and that price lasts until all slots are taken or until I head for my own week-long wellness retreat the 3rd week in January (whichever comes first.)
There are 12 slots available so if you are interested in being one of my 12, call or email me to set up a launch session. We will spend 30 minutes getting acquainted and getting a feel for what you want to create on the big day. From there we will set up your retreat and we are off to the races!
To schedule your virtual coaching retreat just call me 216 320 9298
I want to tell you about a very special event that is sure to shake up your business.. My friend and fellow coach Lisa Bloom is hosting a teleseminar called "Success Story Secrets" this Saturday the 20th. Lisa is a Story coach (or should I say THE Story coach) and she will be illustrating how you can identify your success story and use it for breakthrough business success.
Read all about it below and if you have a business to grow – don’t miss it – she is masterful at what she does and it will make a huge difference in your business.
Enjoy!
Joelle
Do you have enough clients?
Have you discovered your winning niche?
Is your business as successful as you had hoped?
My colleague Lisa Bloom, founder of Story Coach Inc., has discovered that working with clients on their success story, something magical happens.
The breakthrough in their lives and businesses is amazing!
I’m delighted to invite you to Lisa’s free teleseminar “Success Story Secrets” where you’ll learn:
* How finding your story is the key to discovering your winning niche.
* How trying to appeal to everyone will likely leave you broke, frustrated and possibly even out of business!
* What are the 5 top niche discovery success techniques
* How your success story can be a magnet for attracting clients
* What are the 4 most effective stories that you can use RIGHT NOW to attract clients
Register for her NO COST 1-hour teleseminar to learn:
A few months back I was heading up to Sedona for a relaxing girls weekend with one of my best friends and fellow entrepreneurs.
As we drove out of Phoenix, the saguaros first gave way to green mesas and then towering red rocks and, as it often does, the conversation turned to our businesses.
We puzzled, pondered, cracked ourselves up and shook our heads as we discussed our daily challenges, purging them before the special energy of the vortexes and the soon to be consumed bottle of Red Zin took our minds to total chill mode.
As we neared the end of our debrief, I was hit by a sudden burst of inspiration. I turned to my friend and with a wry tone and a sparkle in my eye said…
“Oh and don’t even get me started about the bludgeoning stab of someone unsubscribing from my newsletter!”
She turned to me incredulously.
“I was just about to say that!!” she exclaimed. “That is so painful! Why is that?”
How fascinating that something so small, so innocent as an “unsubscribe request” could take two strong, confident, seasoned business people and bring them to their knees.
I know we are not alone.
You may not have a newsletter but perhaps you make your living selling, or maybe you are seeking approval for an important project at work or perhaps you are just looking for a date!
And if that weren’t enough, with all the wonders of technology, the internet, and social media we have the potential to be rejected 24/7 by people half way around the world that we haven’t even met!
(Continued From Newsletter)
Pretty much anyone with a computer and an internet connection has suffered through the confusion of an unanswered email.
“Whoa! Don’t they like me any more? I thought we had something but maybe I was wrong”
(I had an entire long distance romance implode because of this very thing.)
For the Twitter "tweeps" you may find yourself dealing with the occasional “unfollow”.
And for all you Facebook friends we have the unanswered or denied friend request. Or the heart-stopping shock of an “unfriending”. NOOOOOOOO!!!!
The faces of “rejection” are many and varied and none of us are immune to its sting.
While it may be tempting to hide out and avoid all human contact to avoid the immanent rejection, this will likely leave you jobless, sale-less, loveless, friendless, with limited possibilities and an ever shrinking world.
The alternative of course is to toughen that skin, flex those resilience muscles and get a new take on rejection.
So let’s get to it!
1) “No” does not mean “you suck!” – Stop reading between the lines
One of the reasons we are so rejection averse is because we often take someone’s “no thank you” and add elaborate embellishment.
For instance: if we go back to my newsletter story, I was taking the words, “Unsubscribe request” and somewhere between the words on the screen and my brain I created an fascinating interpretation that went something like this…
The “Rejection”
What I Added
“Unsubscribe” =
“I don’t like you! You provide nothing of value.I think you are a terrible coach and you just plain annoy me!”
Isn’t that rich?!
Now you try it.
When someone says “no” to your product or service do you take that as a rejection of you?
When your boss declines your idea do you give up, certain that no idea will ever be accepted by this killjoy?
When the guy (or gal) says “It’s not working for me.” Do you extrapolate that out 50 years to you sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair sad and alone?
Well…Stop it!
(Speaking of which – if you want to save a bunch on coaching check out Bob Newhart’s hilarious take on how to get over our stuff and get on with it.)
Stop trying to read between the lines my friend. I am willing to bet that no one has ever come right out and said….
“Hey, I just want you to know I REJECT YOU!!!!”
Let’s face it, it doesn’t happen so let’s leave story time for late night reading and when it comes to human interaction just let a “no” be a “no”.
2) It’s Not About You
It’s not about you. Really!
The “No, I don’t want any”, the unanswered email, the “unsubscribe” or the “unfollow’ is much more likely about that other person’s time, need for organization, personal preferences or cluttered inbox than about anything that has to do with you.
We are all just trying to get our jobs done and make our lives work and that means saying "no" to some things and "yes" to others – ending one relationship so another more suitable one can be found, vetoing one idea so that a more effective solution is coaxed into discovery.
It’s not personal.
Let me illustrate with a little scenario that I like to share with sales people and daters alike.
The Orange Shirt VS The Blue Shirt
Let’s imagine that you sell t-shirts.
You have blue shirts and orange shirts.
Some people are going to prefer blue shirts and some will prefer orange, that’s just how it is.
If someone prefers a blue shirt, should the orange shirt feel rejected?
Should the orange shirt try to convince the blue shirt people that they really need an orange shirt but they just don’t know it?
Should the orange shirt berate itself for not being good enough or for not being the right color to be chosen?
Of course not. Blue shirt people are going to like and purchase blue shirts and the orange shirt shouldn’t bat a sleeve at that because there are orange shirt people out there who are seeking and prefer orange shirts.
In the end it all works out. Everyone receives the shirt that lines up with their unique preferences and the orange and blue shirts find loving homes with their rightful owners.
Decode the shirt thing and the point is, just because someone doesn’t want to buy your sprinkler system doesn’t mean they don’t like you. It could mean they don’t have a lawn.
3) Rejection Is Redirection
Perhaps the most hopeful and enlightening piece of advice I can give on the subject was shared by a friend who attended an Anne Albers seminar.
Her advice on rejection?
“Rejection is Redirection.”
Simple, succinct and brilliant!
From this perspective, rejection is a gift, taking unsuitable clients, suitors, and ideas out of your life so that you can focus on those who are a match and the concepts that will go the distance.
Which brings us back to the “unsubscribe”.
I have found peace with it. I have total faith that the people who are supposed to be on the path with me will be, that those I am meant to serve, our paths will cross and that those who are not a fit or who are ready to move on, they can do so freely, leaving me with a community who is ready for and interested in my message at any given moment in time.
Feels good. Glad you are here. (And if this gives you the final permission to unsubscribe without worrying about hurting my feelings, have at it )
The Invitation:
Notice where you are bending yourself in fear of rejection…
Notice where you are creating interpretations that make a “no” more than it really is.
Notice when you are taking someone else’s preferences and making them a statement about you and what is wrong with you. Try creating a new interpretation for their choice that could foreseeably be the very best thing for all parties.
And finally, make friends with your “nos”.
If someone removes themselves from your friend list,
doesn’t want to date you,
declines your proposal
or isn’t interested in what you are selling,
consider it a gift. A cosmic redirection to better things for all.
May all your rejections be gentle and may you always have the courage to step out into the world to weather another hard won “no”.
It seemed like a good enough reason to not attend.
On the surface it sounded valid enough but if I were to be honest with myself, it was an excuse. A good excuse but an excuse none the less.
It was my last year of university and I was part of a student organization of Peer Advisors. We counseled fellow students on everything from stress management to cross-dressing. On St Patrick’s day you would find us handing out green “in case you get lucky” prophylactics and we were practiced in giving condom application instruction using anything from bananas to a handy little device aptly named “woody” designed for just the occasion.
The meeting, from which I was “excusing” myself this day was not STD related, but was instead of a more serious nature. It was an opportunity for Peers to share their experiences, to report, if you will, on their volunteer Peer Placement.
Some were placed in Job Services, others in AIDS education, and two precious souls entrusted their semester to me in the “Peer Promotions Placement”, a function I developed to express my own creative promotional ideas in service of the organization. The two team members who joined me in my quest were talented creatives able to bring my lofty visions to pen-and-paint-on-paper reality.
Leading up to the event, my team was not oozing confidence. They seemed confused on what to report. They looked to me for direction but I pushed back. They’d known about the meeting for months and on some level I was annoyed with their lack of initiative.
I left them to figure it out and sent them off to the meeting without me.
Looking back, I must have known instinctually that something was about to hit the fan but I still wasn’t quiet ready for what went down.
Some People Are Born Leaders. Apparently, I was not.
“She treats us like TRAINED MONKEYS!!!”
That’s a direct quote, conveyed to me by the Peer Coordinator in the aftermath of my missed meeting.
This comment was but a highlight in the litany of criticism they shelled out in my absence. I was shocked, shamed and hurt, but to their credit, to this very day I have not heard micromanagement described more colorfully.
With the school year almost over and my father’s death a throbbing daily ache it was easy to plead ignorance, avoid the whole situation and miss the lesson. But as with all essential life lessons, this one was going to keep coming at me until I got it.
Feed back delivered:
Response: Avoidance
12 months later I found myself once again called into the office. I was one of a dozen youth employment agents, who matched students with summer employment.
Sitting across from my boss, Doris delivered her message fast and hard without preamble.
“Joelle. EVERYONE is complaining about you. You are REALLY ABRASIVE.”
My reaction was a one two punch of defense and resentment followed by justification and a healthy dose of righteousness thrown in for good measure.
I rationalized that “everyone” was clearly an unnecessarily dramatic overstatement and I was sure the whole thing was related to a particularly blatant display of incompetence from my fellows regarding the PROPER and AGREED UPON placement of the ever-important client file paperclip (SIDE, NOT TOP! When were they going to get that strait?!)
Feedback Delivered:
Response: Justification
Next stop, Manpower.
It was a couple years into my employment as a branch manager and whether it was out of a desire for growth or a hunger for success, I had begun to seek out opportunities for development.
I learned all “7 Habits”, I was quick to throw out a deserved “Whale Done!” and I rallied my team to create “Raving Fans”.
Despite all my hard work. I ended up in the office yet again! Actually, more specifically, my staff member, Anna, came to my office, and she had news to deliver.
She was there as an ambassador of the team. She had come to tell me that they felt I was disengaged and distant and that I was not leading them.
She had me. It was true. I had been avoiding and hiding out.
Thanks to Anna’s act of faith and courage the feedback was delivered and I got back to the business of being the leader that I was committed to being.
Feedback Delivered:
Response: Action
Fast forward to 2004, I was running a branch in Tempe, AZ and I was on an active quest for great leadership, effective communication and professional satisfaction. I had received my coaching certification and every interaction with a team member, coworker or client was a place for service, an opportunity for growth and a chance to live more fully as “a fearless leader igniting the sparkle in people’s eyes.”
I was having lots of meetings in my office those days, but these meetings had a slightly different tone.
As Heather was promoted to a higher-paying position in another division she had some feedback to convey.
“I really mean it when I say that the hardest part of leaving was to know that you were not going with me. Thank you for making me feel I can reach my full potential and that I should never stop pushing myself to be the best I can be.”
Brenda had a few choice words herself as she was on her way out the door, promoted to the onsite position she had actively pursued and won.
“Joelle is by far the most personable, vivacious, understanding and knowledgeable manager. She has always made a fun work environment, she is excellent with people and has a wonderful, true caring personality.” (Take THAT Doris!)
Feedback Delivered:
Response: Do the happy dance!
Even reading this today I am a little in awe at how far I have come.
I share this journey with you for a couple of reasons.
1) First of all, I have always wanted to share the “trained monkeys” story, it was so absolutely brutal to receive at an already devastating time in my life but it is a part of my story and in the telling of it I cracked myself up and hopefully helped you realize that no case is hopeless.
2) Secondly I want to demonstrate how we all start somewhere. Whatever feedback you are getting now in your life, consider it a gift, something to help you grow.
And remember, if you don’t get the lesson the first time, don’t worry, it will come around to hit you upside the head again sooner or later (at this point in our lives my friends and I have made it a habit to get the message when it is a tap on the shoulder instead of waiting until it is a brick flying at your head.)
3) Finally, as I look back at my personal path from controlling, abrasive and avoidant to fearless and loving leader, I see it as an example of our capacity to grow in the direction of our desires.
I never wanted to be a jerk boss or a freakishly annoying coworker – I just didn’t know how to do any different. The feedback received along the way gave me an awareness of how I was showing up in the world and with that awareness came the opportunity to make a new choice; a choice to adjust, to learn, to seek my inner leader, grow into a higher version of myself and reap the rewards.
The Invitation:
The idea of feedback being a gift was first presented to me by Jim W. an internal trainer at Manpower. This one idea radically changed the exchange of information in our office and opened the door to a world of growth.
Whether it’s a direct message a la “trained monkey’s” or more subtle like the whole family secretly feeding your casserole to the dog, take a deep breath, and remember, feedback is a gift if you dare to receive and unwrap.
May all your feedback come to you from a place of love and may you have the strength and courage to find the lesson before the bricks start flying.
Several years ago I had the pleasure of meeting a brilliant young man whose capacity for risk-taking and his pure tenacity brought him significant entrepreneurial achievement well before the age of 30.
His name is Mike and, on the outside, Mike was living one heck of a success story but, on the inside, things looked much different.
With his rise came new challenges and Mike found himself alone and in unfamiliar territory. When he looked out to the business community for camaraderie, connection and support he saw nothing but hostile ground.
He found the community leaders were intimidating, aloof and elusive. Even his vendors seemed distant and disrespectful!
As with most things that are not working in our lives, we discovered that Mike had some significant disempowering beliefs he was holding, and I was certain that these were serving as a barrier to him connecting meaningfully with his peers in the business world.
When we dug in we uncovered that Mike saw himself as “an underling and a second-class citizen.”
He was certain that other business owners and the movers and shakers of the world were not only out of reach but decidedly uninterested in someone like him.
These beliefs not only stopped him from taking action and weakened any effort he might attempt but they seemed to put a grey film over his entire being.
Mike had succumbed to his own life-sucking negative thinking and it would just not do!
To help clear the shadows and reclaim his confidence I walked Mike through a process that I use in the Make Your Life Program called Exorcizing Your Alter Ego.
In this process we actually pull the negative thoughts right out of your head, and give them an identity. By distinguishing these thoughts for what they are – a useless blob of inaccurate and unhelpful mental junk – the individual gains a new power to put these thoughts aside instead of believing them and living under their tyranny.
For Mike, when he was able to distinguish the thoughts that were holding him back, pull them out and get a really good look at them, a huge light bulb went on!
This is what was illuminated….
“I can see it!” Mike exclaimed! “It is as though I have this set of advisors sitting with me around a large table.
Many of them praise me, acknowledge my successes, see all that I have done and celebrate my potential but…. there is one who is not so generous.
There is one who sees my limitations. He tells me I can’t cut it, that the people I want to know want nothing to do with me and that I will fail, crash and burn and leave my employees out on the street without jobs. “
“But get this!” He continues incredulously. “Guess where this guy is sitting? For some reason I gave him the seat at the head of the table! As though he’s right! As though what he has to say is so much more valid and important than all the good stuff coming from everyone else!! “
It was a powerful insight and a wonderful analogy but Mike wasn’t done. He went on to declare…
“From here forward I will absolutely not let “Doubt” sit at my table!!”
And that moment of clarity, freed his mind and the rest followed (A la En Vogue.)
He wrote it on his wall, looked at it every day and lived by it.
In the following 4 months Mike met more business leaders than he had spoken to over the previous 4 years.
He was connecting with the city’s movers and shakersand, lo and behold, they were actually excited to know him and collaborate!
Vendors not only found a new responsiveness, they were flying him out to see them, greeting him with limos and taking him out on yachts!
And the business community he had deeply longed to fit into had started congregating at his facility for their social mixers.
The world changed for him and a world of opportunities opened up when he stopped letting doubt sit at his table.
Who are you letting sit at your table?
As you read about Mike, you no doubt recognized that you have some of your own limiting thoughts rolling around and limiting your life. If you check in and see who the offender is, can you name him or her?
Is “Doubt” sitting at the head of your table?
Perhaps it’s “Fear”…
Or “Self hatred” (ouch)
Or “Criticism”
(I used to have someone I call “Betty” sitting at the head of my table but now I keep her in a very small box, in an attic in Switzerland!)
The invitation:
Take a few minutes to get in touch with your own self-critic by writing out some of its favorite lines (you know then ones “you’re not good enough” “you will fail” “nobody likes you”) and then give your new friend a name.
Recognize that they have no place sitting at your table (much less at the head of it) and reclaim your rightful spot in the seat of honor.
Just in case you are one of those people who has stress in your lives (A.K.A. you are a human being)… here is a little something to help unload your work week pressures and get you chilled-out for a fabulous weekend.
STRESS, we all have it, it’s a part of life, however, I think it is fair to say that most of us:
a) Don’t fully realize what a real threat stress is to our health and happiness.
b) Don’t feel truly empowered to reduce the stress in our lives.
Here is the deal. Prolonged, chronic stress is serious stuff. It will make you sick and it feels crummy. You know this.
The good new is that you have the power to make a significant and immediate impact on your stress levels with a little conscious INTENTION-setting and some focused ATTENTION to that amazing body of yours (watch the video – you will see what I mean.)
Why not take 5 minutes, right now, and bring a little more Zen to your busy day. Join “That’s Life” host, Robin Swoboda, Dr. Michael McKee of the Cleveland Clinic, and I as we discuss how you can effectively manage your stress.
I am excited to share that I will be back on Fox 8, chatting with Robin Swoboda about "how to fill your holiday with comfort and joy!"
Whether you are stressing about how to create a meaningful Christmas while weathering difficult financial times, frustrated with the unending list of holiday to do’s, or just wanting to infuse more joy into your celebration, don’t miss this inspiring and informative discussion on how you can make the best of your holiday season.
Wanna, know what I think about the youth of America?
Personally, I think they rock.
And no, not like the guitar-wailing, classic rock of their parents’ generation. I mean, they R.O.C. K. (They are Refreshingly Organized Conscientious Kids!(Ok, technically they are “young adults” but then it would spell ROCYA – which kinda works too )
It all started several months ago when I got clear on something, and that was that I was tired of trying to be a one-woman show—a coach, marketing expert, graphic designer, editor, and web designer. I had big dreams and a big vision but I was worn-out from wearing all the hats. I wanted to just be me and bring my own skills, talents and passions to the table while surrounding myself with energetic people, each working in their own area of excellence. Basically, I just wanted to coach and not be bogged down with all the technical details.
Now this all sounded great in theory, but I was not in a financial position to hire $250,000 worth of skilled professionals. Then, much to my delight, a friend shared with me a little website called ClevelandIntern.net, a website created for the purpose of matching employers with local college students. I said to myself, “What the heck, Joelle?” and I signed up. I began thinking about who I would want supporting me, if I could have anyone on my team, what skills would they bring? So I wrote out my wish list of the characteristics and abilities I wanted my team to possess.
Within days, much to my delight, the resumes started pouring in.
Less than two months later, my business is thriving thanks to the incredible support of five amazing student interns.
May I Introduce…:
• Megan and Jessica – both graphic design interns who are currently making PowerPoint presentations for various speaking events and designing logos for programs I’m developing.
• LaShawn and Theresa – both digital video interns who advised me on equipment needed to produce in-house videos and created opportunity and motivation for me to get both a brand new computer and a video camera. We are currently in production on the “Things That I’ve Learned from My Cats” coaching video (watch for it!)
• Monica – my writer/editor intern supporting the ever long-winded, spelling challenged Coach Joelle, cleaning up my writing and paying close attention to detail. She will be assisting me in writing my first book this summer and with a little direction, wrote the article you are reading right now ( so cool! .)
Life has been such an adventure recently. It is as though I woke up with the spring.
The past 6 weeks have been perhaps the most fascinating 6 weeks of business I have ever experienced. I know I should not be surprised but I am always intrigued by the magic of the world.
I woke up one day in April and decided it was time to go. It was time to get on it. It was like I told the universe “ok, Coach Joelle is open for business.” I took action, action found me and 6 weeks later I look back and marvel at the adventure.
I reemerged on the speaking circuit and perhaps for the first time felt like a grown-up, not a kid with a passion, but an expert with a message. The distinction creates something new both on my insides and to the outside world.
I have also reinitiated the “Introduction to Passionate Powerful Living” event and held a tele-class as well as a live class here in Cleveland.
As I prepared for the events, I had to laugh at myself, I had every word and every idea written down from over 18 months ago, but for some reason I had decided to leave it be until now. (I often have that experience of getting an idea, doing a search on my computer and finding out that I pretty much had the entire thing fleshed out 3 years ago and it was just waiting for the right time to be revealed.)
Needless to say, my little events, well, like I said, now I get that they have a message to bring, a message that leaves people in tears and has people laughing and puts the sparkle in their eyes. The last tele-class was followed by a flood of emails that left me smiling – life really is quite remarkable.
“Wow! I’m pretty sure that life shifted forever for me during our call last night. Is that possible in one hour?? (yes it is) I don’t mean to sound overly dramatic, but something really changed for me.
I stated my intention… "I want to create an abundant life" during the call, and then I just felt it to the core. I could see it and feel it for the first time in my life. I felt it so deeply that I could hardly articulate my thoughts. And guess what happened??….
Well…. it was literally raining abundance all over my life last night and today! “ (Love it!)
So I am doing what I have always done but it is as though there is a new me doing it. A me that can own the breadth and depth of what I get to do here with my life. A me that understands that it is not about me, that everything I have become has come together to serve this message and as I grow in it, sharing the message is like breathing.
Another part of the adventure has been an adventure is sales. 6 weeks ago I said it was time to get new business. Today, I watch it happening like someone turned on the tap. New clients come to me every day, being referred through the community, finding me on the internet and seeing something exciting for themselves through my speaking. I have actually had the thought that I might need to start hiring coaches. So interesting.
I started 5 interns in my business over the past 3 weeks. I hope to write an article on it ( or specifically, Monica, my writing editing intern will likely write the article) but let’s just say that all the old joys and fears of having a team have come sweeping over me as I have gotten to know these lovely young people, intent on making their summer one that deeply enriches their personal and professional experience.
The Make Your Life Program starts Monday and I have been diligently preparing for it over the last 3 months. I feel as thought the beginning of the program will be the start of a great exhale after months of anticipation and activity.
So here I am, and it is a good place. Many of the things I have done in the past 6 weeks have scared me, some even terrified me but I knew that courage and the capacity to find a new point of view was the answer to success and deep peace in the process.
As it turns out, it appears that I am not the only one who has been pushing the boundaries this spring. I had a conversation with a client last night who has also been stepping out and being brave. He asked when it would get easier, as he had done 7 brave things in a month and it still felt hard! I smiled and asked him how easy/hard it would have been to do it 6 months ago. His response, he would never have dreamed of doing these things 6 months ago. His homework is to do 5 “out there” things this week – just imagine what he will be creating by fall!
Ahhhhhh.
Monday was the first day the felt like summer. It was even warm in the shadows. And today I feel rested and peaceful as I enter into the quiet days of the week when I write, and organize and sit under trees.
Thank you for being a space for me to share. Sending hugs to you and wishing you all the joy that a warming spring can bring.
Hey gang! I wanted to share about the exciting program I have launching June 2nd .
It is called the Make Your Life Program™ and it is designed to guide you in becoming someone that powerfully brings your dreams into reality, someone that deeply loves your life and someone that is having a great time while you are doing it! It is my very special gift to those of you who are ready to start making your life by design and who are ready to enter into the world where bursts of inspiration, delight and magic become a regular part of your life experience.
Announcing the Make Your Life Program™June-July 2008
The Make Your Life Program™ is a one-of-a-kind tele-program which combines practical coaching skills and professional support with creativity and play, allowing you to consciously create a life you love and experience the magic of a life lived on purpose.
June 2- July 28, 2008
Mondays 11:00AM – 12:00PM Eastern
Two convenient formats:
8-week Live tele-program (Live on the phone)
8-week audio program (Anytime at your convenience)
To read all the details click here and see if the Make Your Life Program calls your name.
I am very excited to share a special coaching opportunity for those of you who are ready to make 2008 a year that knocks your socks off!
What If… you could jump out of bed each day …
• completely inspired by your business vision
• consistently reaching your boldest ambitions
• with enough time and energy for a rich, fun and fulfilling life?
Imagine for a moment… What would be possible if you had a personal board of direct”hers” to help solve problems, share challenges and celebrate triumphs?
What would it be like to have a place where you can really let your guard down and be yourself?
What could you accomplish in your business and your life if you had your own professional coach?
What could you achieve with a team of people committed to your support and success?
How would your life be different if you dedicated time for your personal development and the intentional creation of your business?
How would having all of this impact the future of you business, your growth as a leader and the quality of your life?
If this is catching your attention then you may just want to check out a new coaching program I am starting called The GirlPower Mastermind.
The Purpose of The GirlPower Mastermindis to support women business leaders and owners in working, leading and living with joy and ease. If you are unfamiliar with the Mastermind Principle Napoleon Hill described the mastermind as:
"The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony."
continues …
"No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind."
I have experienced the power of this type of collaboration and it is truly a place where remarkable things happen! To amp up Mr. Hill’s description, in The GirlPower Mastermindwe bring “GIRLPOWER” to the “MASTERMIND”, combining the power of like-minded women, professional coaching and a focus on joyful living.
The GirlPower Mastermind providesa unique opportunity for women business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders to know themselves, build their businesses and live their dreams.
So many adventures! So many Ideas brewing, stuff being created, life being lived! I often think of writing, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, if I only had someone walking around where I could dictate and they could transcribe and record the beauty of a rainy day in the middle of summer, the joy of watching my plants grow and bloom or the humor and insight from an emergency trip to the office to bring my husband a pair of pants. So much to share and I have not put writing at the front of my focus and so I will take some time to tell a little, share a little and express this morning.
For those of you who were interested and have asked me about my “body of a dancer” quest, I thank you for interest. Causing the body of a dancer was a very interesting pastime for me as I was waiting for summer. It gave me purpose and focus. It got me into my body and was a lovely distraction from my work. And then something happened. Well, actually 2 somethings.
1) summer came, life became easier in the sunshine and warmth which freed me up to walk and be outside more and revel in the beauty of it all making the body focus less of a necessity and
2) I realized that I had some work to do.
I am very focused on lifestyle. I am waaaay interested in quality of life and have no interest in building a business at the expense of my joy, peace and happiness. The challenge is that I was really enjoying my lifestyle, writing, focusing on my body, creating, but at the back of it I realized I was actually avoiding something kinda important….
Selling.
Or let’s not call it selling, let’s just say I was not spending thought, time or energy putting my energy out into the world. And then I saw that…. And then I did something about it…. And the result has been tremendous.
So here I am in this tremendous flow of abundance, taking all my action and then delivering on all the opportunity it presented and somewhere along the way, I lost my quality of life! Well, not lost it, it just kinda got absorbed into my work. And you know the old saying, all work and no play makes coach joelle, a pain in the butt to live with! And so It was time again to look and reevaluate.
My mom says that we should not be talking about “balance”, it is “balancing” – a constant ongoing process, I think she has something there.
So I realized I needed to get more life into my life, but I also wanted to do it while honoring the systems and processes I put in place which were supporting results on the business end. Hmmmm. Quite the inquiry! A couple of Fridays ago I met with my Cleveland Girl Power Mastermind group and I had a wonderful conversation that lead me to great clarity about the topic of life, leisure, creativity, professional integrity and financial prosperity. What I realized was that work worked, as long as it was inside of “my fabulous life”. If my life is inside my work then it can end up being really one dimensional, however if I have work as a key component inside of and in alignment with a delightful, beautiful, fun, joyful life, then work is just one more ride in the amusement park, executed with the same zeal as I would have for a trip to the spa or dinner with my husband.
As it turns out, my husband and I have taken on our health and wellness together and I am deeply enjoying the process and excited about the results. I have lived with this body long enough to know that when it is happy, life works out. In the end I might just end up with the body of a dancer after all, along with a thriving business and a great life… who would have thunk!?
I never went looking for miracles, but after all these years of passionate powerful living, I have to say, the miracles are undeniable. When you are clear on what you want and you stay focused, and you stay open to the magic of life, life happens in the most delightful way.
Put another way, when we are clear on what we want and we powerfully go after it, the universe conspires to our success. Life starts flowing and your goals begin happening behind the scenes.
Now, I will pause for a moment and say that we all have our own names for this force and what happens and I invite you to listen to this conversation from your own knowing of the world. Don’t let the world universe throw you off, or the world miracle. There are things at work in the world that are beyond ourselves and beyond what we can see and when we are in tune with these forces, this energy, life gets amazing! I am sharing this with you to support you in having the magic of life working in your life.
Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.
Hi guys! It has been a really exciting time at Coach Joelle Inc. and I wanted to share a couple of the latest developments with you. One of the coolest things I want to share with you is about the first installment of what my friend Kristen is calling “The Coach Joelle Club” :-) but I like to call the GirlPower Mastermind!
A couple Friday’s ago I brought together some of my favorite women in service of our businesses and it was one incredible Morning! I am so clear at this point in time, that with all I am out to create I need to reach out beyond myself. I am clear that for my contribution to be it’s biggest and best I need to bring in the insight, critique and expertise of other subject matter experts, hence the creation of the Cleveland Mastermind.
I distinguish this group as the Cleveland Mastermind because it is not to be confused with the amazing women I have in my Arizona Mastermind. You may remember Tonetta Weaver – future academy award winning actress, from a previous Livloud Profile. Well, she and Joan Jakel Business Attourney and enlighten superwoman extraordinaire and I have been meeting for years and continue meeting weekly via teleconference. These woman have been my rock, my path to enlightenment, and the mirror I need to remind me who I am and what I am capable of. (I love you girls!)
One morning 2 months ago I woke up and got very clear that I needed to create this kind of synergy and power here in my Ohio world and hence the Cleveland Mastermind was born. Participants in our very first meeting included Leslie Carruthers, the search engine guru and Kristen Kaleal, the personal stylist and image consultant who professes the opportunity to be “always appropriate but NEVER boring”!
Here is Leslie sharing herself and the vision for her business. As is the way of the mastermind, the energy in the room was electric. After introductions and sharing what we saw that we could each bring to and take away from the group we naturally flowed into a brainstorm about each other’s businesses. The room was just humming, the ideas flowing and the end result was at least one 1,000,000 idea, a brand new keynote speech, a total revamp of my business, and an incredible camaraderie and affinity among the members.
The brainstorm that lead to my fabulous new keynote speach! As a result, my new business card is being prepared for printing as we speak and adjustments to coachjoelle.com are in the works. For me the coolest thing I got is that while I have been focusing on Life Coaching (after 4 years being an executive coach) I got in touch with the fact that I really do love the business coaching. I love it, that is, as long as I am doing it the “coach joelle” way. So on the tail end of our meeting, I got that I am ready to serve business with the same passion, power and commitment to Joy that I serve my life coaching clients and I cannot wait! As a result I have changed my message to this:
Professional Coaching for business and life. Because you really can have it all!
I realized that while I had been trying to separate the two areas (life and business) that I simply cannot, because in my world the two are inexorably integrated. I believe that you can have a life that delights and inspires you and that includes your work…because you really can have it all. Ahhhh. The freedom in this is so beautiful and the future looks so bright! So much fun on the horizon!
Watch for the changes to the website (www.coachjoelle.com) as we take it to the next level and keep posted for new breaking developments!!
Hi guys! 
Hello to my fellow entrepreneurs!
Hi gang! 
focused, and you stay open to the magic of life, life happens in the most delightful way.
