Success

3 New Developments That Completely Change Your Practice

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Just like every industry, the coaching and transformation industries go through different cycles and stages of evolution that are critical.

Right now, we are going through MASSIVE developments that are changing EVERYTHING about the industry. The more you know and understand what these developments are, the better equipped you’ll be to grow a business with staying power.

Here are some of the most important developments to know about:

  1. Outdated Coaching Techniques have made Fears and Resistances Trickier and Smarter

    The transformational industry has done a great job over the last few decades in educating the community on the first steps towards growth, evolution, and deeper happiness. And many consumers in the transformational industry have been impacted deeply – they’re more aware of their mindset, they think more positively, they know how to cultivate love in their heart, they believe in their goals.This is all so wonderful.

    But now that consumers have gotten through the first layer – the surface layer – of issues, blocks, and obstacles, they are finding themselves really stuck with the deeper stuff: with the fears, with the patterned self-sabotage, with their Shadows, with their more embedded & complicated obstacles.

    Because of the initial inner work they’ve done, they’ve come very far. But at the same time, their fears, Shadows and resistances have gotten smarter & trickier at maneuvering issues, and at throwing up blocks. Much of the initial inner work has actually supported their deeper defenses to get stronger, making them way more prone to getting stuck.

    What consumers are now desperate for is coaches and practitioners who know how to navigate the deeper stuff and the trickier stuff. If you want to be a coach who thrives in the coming years, you must be willing to master diving deep with clients.

  2. The Monolithic Definition of Coach is being Smashed to Smithereens

    There are so many people these days (coaches included!) that cringe at the title of “Coach”. This is because the demand for what a coach is and does has evolved greatly since coaching began…but the industry hasn’t totally caught up with it yet.When Coaching began – and even when I was first officially trained – the primary purpose of the Coach was to be, well….a Coach. To be a client’s cheerleader and rah-rah person….to show up as the one who is motivational and able to snap clients into action…to be a 1-dimensional, high energy Activator.

    While all of these things are so important, what’s been evolving lately is that consumers in the transformational industry need for Coaches to be way more versatile than this. There are moments when a client needs their Coach to show up as their Cheerleader….but there are other moments when a client requires a different energy, perhaps the Nurturer, or the Sister, or the Tough Love Mirror, or the Holder of Patience, or the Empathizer, or the Structure Builder.

    As a practitioner, you want to develop the real, learned skill (& practice with techniques as well as Archetypal energy) to be able to break out of the Monolithic definition of coach and step into this more multi-dimensional, more dynamic, and much more effective definition of what a coach is.

  3. It takes WAY more to win Consumer Trust than ever Before

    Simply put, for a few years now, the coaching industry has lost its way. Promises were made and never delivered. Prices were raised without results and substance to back it. Glamour and surface has been prioritized.And consumers have gotten burned.

    They’ve paid inflated prices for low quality services that promised to take them to the moon and back in a day.

    And because of this, it has become harder to earn the trust of potential clients (as well as clients when they first start with you).

    What’s required to be one of the trustworthy practitioners?

    Deep skill in your craft. Proven techniques to co-create meaningful transformations with your clients. Full integrity in your marketing. Immense ability to show up with full Coaching Presence.

OK, so I know that all of this might sound tough….but actually, it’s AMAZING news. Here’s why: If you are one of the pioneers in the industry to cultivate the deeper & more advanced coaching skills NOW, you’re positioned to be one of the practitioners who will make it through these transitions, and make it through with immense success and more ease.

So, please, for the sake of your business, as well as the sake of the industry and the sake of all the individuals the industry is poised: Make it a priority to master advanced and depth coaching skills. Those skills will become a bedrock resource for you and your business.

A Not-So-Secret Ingredient to my Coaching Secret Sauce

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My first business coach, who in so many ways was truly a wonderful coach and mentor, taught me a lot about boundaries. She was the first person to really open my eyes to the dangers of over-giving and allowing yourself to be treated (or treating yourself) like a doormat.

I will be forever grateful for all she taught me in this area. I really learned how to respect my time and respect my boundaries because of it.

But.

And this is a big “but”.

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I was scared to post this….

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In lieu of a full blog post, I wanted to share with you a recent post I wrote on Facebook.

I was scared to hit post on it because I know it’s a little controversial….
and I wasn’t sure if it would trigger some people…
but I ultimately decided to post it because I feel so strongly about it.

It’s about coaching & coaching skills & ethics & so much more.

You’ll see it got some attention and a lot of folks commented very passionately on it.

Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/joanna.lindenbaum/posts/10155812738623437

Would love to hear your thoughts!

The Danger of Some Coaches…

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Here’s a coaching, facilitation, teaching (and marketing) tool that I live by:

It is vitally important to reveal yourself, your imperfections, your not-so-great outcomes, and your not-so-happy qualities to your clients, students and community.

The transformational industry is FULL of gurus who seem picture perfect. They have “perfect” businesses; they apparently learn their lessons very quickly; they apparently don’t make mistakes; they apparently don’t really have sh*t happen to them

This is damaging to their communities – and specifically to their clients.

Because as a coach or practitioner, if you don’t consciously reveal your imperfections to your clients….they can make the mistake of believing that things happen perfectly for you.

And that essentially means that you become, in my opinion, a very, very dangerous role model.

Because no one is perfect, no one’s business is perfect, no one’s health is perfect, etc.

But your clients believe that if you – their coach or leader – don’t have frustrations, don’t have obstacles, don’t have hardships, that they should be able to attain it too.

And that’s a setup for failure, for frustration, and for unhappiness.

When I am with my clients and students, I never hesitate to share about my not-so-great moments, my not-so-great launches, my not-so-pretty feelings (yes, I get jealous and negative sometimes!), and my sweaty armpits (always happens when I facilitate!).

Of course, I share only when appropriate and only as much as is necessary to make the point: that I am human, just like my client is human, and we are bound to have imperfect lives and businesses. And this is as it should be.

When we are coaching or facilitating, we need to remember that when we show that we struggle with some things, that things don’t always go according to our plans….we are giving permission to our clients to not be so hard on themselves, to not be so self-judgmental, and to not think something is very wrong with them because they haven’t achieved enough.

This is the ONLY way real growth can happen. And this is the ONLY way real movement towards goals can happen.

And quite honestly, this is the only way real self-love can deepen (& I believe that at the core of ANY coach’s or practioner’s job, this is one of the most sacred).

When I train practitioners in Sacred Depths Coach Training, we spend a full module just on how to support clients through the Myth of Perfection. In addition to the inner work tools I share with my coaches on this, I also always share this important principle:

Remember that when you are someone’s coach, teacher or facilitator…you also bear the responsibility of being their role model. And being a role model doesn’t mean showing up as an image of perfection.

Leading your clients when your personal life takes over

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Joanna Lindenbaum and children

A few years ago, while I was leading a group call with nearly 30 women, my parents telephoned me on both my home phone and my cell phone 4 times within about 2 minutes.

I could feel my heart start beating faster as I was coaching. My mother has had MS for 30 years, and there have been many emergencies, hospital visits, and even life-support situations over the years.

A version of me 3 years ago would have tried to ignore her calls until I was done teaching — yet be scared & un-present to my teaching the entire time — because I wouldn’t want to come off as unprofessional.

An even older version of myself would have freaked out completely, told the folks on the call that I needed to reschedule, and then go on to deal with whatever was happening.

Last week, instead, at an appropriate pause in between spotlight coaching moments, I let the women on the call know that my parents had called 4 times and that I was concerned enough to feel I should call back, but that it would only take a moment. I asked everyone on the call to hold for just a minute and quickly called my mom. There was a slight emergency situation, but nothing very serious. I was able to get off the phone in under 90 seconds, return to my clients with full presence, and then take care of the situation at an appropriate time.

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The Struggle About What To Charge

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In this moment, I can’t actually think of any client I’ve ever worked with that hasn’t at some point wondered or (most likely) agonized over what to charge. And I confess, I certainly have grappled with this many times in the past as well.

The question about where to set your rates brings up a whole slew of internal questions and judgments:

How valuable is my work?

What will people think when they hear my rates?

What are other people in my industry charging?

Will anyone buy from me at all?

Am I undercharging?

Am I overcharging?

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Leading your clients when your personal life takes over

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Joanna and her kids

Last week, while I was leading a group call with nearly 30 women, my parents telephoned me on both my home phone and my cellphone 4 times within about 2 minutes.

I could feel my heart start beating faster as I was coaching. My mother has had MS for 30 years, and there have been many emergencies, hospital visits, and even life-support situations over the years.

A version of me 3 years ago would have tried to ignore her calls until I was done teaching — yet be scared & un-present to my teaching the entire time — because I wouldn’t want to come off as unprofessional.

An even older version of myself would have freaked out completely, told the folks on the call that I needed to reschedule, and then go on to deal with whatever was happening.

Last week, instead, at an appropriate pause in between spotlight coaching moments, I let the women on the call know that my parents had called 4 times and that I was concerned enough to feel I should call back, but that it would only take a moment. I asked everyone on the call to hold for just a minute and quickly called my mom. There was a slight emergency situation, but nothing very serious. I was able to get off the phone in under 90 seconds, return to my clients with full presence, and then take care of the situation at an appropriate time.

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Why I work on some evenings these days…

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Last week was Autumn Equinox which — among other things — is all about the energy of Balance.

During the time of the Equinox, the daytime hours are exactly as long as the night-time hours. The Earth is in a beautiful moment of balance between light and dark, Winter and Summer, inner and outer energy.

So this is a wonderful moment to reflect upon how you are creating balance in your life and in your business.

Balance is one of the most important elements of any successful and happy business. And when things aren’t in balance, you feel off, resentful and most likely are not creating what you want. For example:

–Working so much that you don’t have enough time for rest, self-care, family or the other priorities in your life
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Some vulnerability about my business…

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I recently posted this on Facebook, and it received such an overwhelming response that it felt important to share with you as well. It’s a short article, but a VERY important one!

The last 15 months with a baby and a 1st grader and a business and a sick mom who lives far away and…well, just life and all that comes with it…has been really hard at times.

In terms of business, there has been massive, massive growth on some levels, and on other levels I’m moving way slower than ever before. I thought my re-brand would be done and ready to go by last January. Ha! I’m hoping now for end of September. I thought my Sacred Archetype Assessment would have been ready by last December. I released it in July. I had plans for writing my book and creating some really, really huge marketing moments this last Spring. That hasn’t fully happened yet.

I’m sharing this for a couple of reasons:

1) I could have easily beaten myself up through all of this, judged myself for being lazy or too slow, compared myself to others, etc. But instead I chose to honor my pace, to honor that my business is NOT my first priority in life, to honor that I choose to make time for my children FIRST, and for my business to fit in with my life and not the other way around.

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One Of My Favorite “Growth” Tools

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7-3-14journalsI’ve kept a journal since I’ve been 6 years old.

My first journal had a cover with a red and white floral design, and it had a lock and key. The pages were lined, and I wrote (with lots of miss-spellings and really bad grammar) about my first day of school, the girls I was friends with, the bully in the class, my parents’ refusal to give me an allowance, my beloved grandfather who passed away that year and how I felt about all these things.

I remember so clearly the absolute delight I took in sharing my secrets and myself in those pages. The book – which was small in size – felt to me like a sacred and magical tool. My 6-year-old self believed it had the power to make my life better.

I still have that journal, and the 45+ others that I’ve filled since then.

The writing in those journals has evolved from small words written in print letters to more sophisticated thoughts written in cursive or sometimes drawn with pastels.

The stories told in those journals have seen me get my period for the first time, fall in love with (& get heartbroken by) my first crush, realize my parents weren’t perfect, get rejected from my college of choice, graduate college and grad school, deal with my mother’s illness, travel across the world, get and recover from Bell’s palsy, quit my job to start my own business, get married, birth two children, and everything in between.

And my 38-year-old-self can say without a doubt that journaling does have the power to make your life better, richer, and happier.

Throughout the years, my journal has helped me:

  • connect deeply to myself and my desires
  • tap into my inner wisdom and uncover my intuition
  • create clarity out of confusion
  • express my anger in safe and really productive ways
  • release pain and frustration and disappointment
  • connect to Spirit
  • make better decisions
  • cultivate hope
  • cultivate self-love and confidence
  • and so much more

Over the last decade, I have also used my journal to support me in every single aspect of my business, from my confidence level & ability to value myself, to my marketing and operations plans.

Journaling has helped me grow into a successful, soul-centered entrepreneur who (for the most part) knows herself and her desires really well, has the insight and clarity to make good decisions about offerings, marketing, rates, team and systems, and has the courage to take risks and make out-the-box moves.

Here are some of my "best practices" for successful journaling:

  • Be consistent: There are periods of time when I journal every day, and then periods of time where I journal only every other week. Of course, when I am more consistent, I receive so much more from my journaling practice – each journal entry builds on the next and deep, deep insights are revealed over time. But even when I just check in for a few minutes, writing just for me has the power to transform my mood, provide me with hope and trust, and give me insight on next steps.
  • Write fast: I have found that the faster I write when I journal, the easier it is to get past all of my mental gobbelty-gook and obstacles and go to a much deeper place inside of myself that holds the real wisdom. There’s something about writing as fast as you can that eliminates your filter and gets you to your truth.
  • Write for yourself: In order to really allow your truth and wisdom to flow, it’s vital that you journal for yourself only, and not with the thought that someone else may read your writing. When you write with the knowledge that it’s just for you, you have permission to express any emotion that wants to be expressed, any idea no matter how silly it seems, and any big goal without being judged.
  • Mix it Up: I personally get a little bored with writing from the same voice in every journal entry. I get stale that way. What has really helped me continually find deeper and deeper places inside myself is to mix it up – write from different points of view, sometimes draw, sometimes write in silence and other times with music playing, write letters, make charts, make lists, etc.

Not only have I used my journal for over three decades for my own self-growth and learning, but I regularly give my clients and students journaling assignments to support them and their businesses. It has been utterly amazing to watch my clients grow on the inner and outer levels through their self-discovery and through their journaling.

And this is what I want for you, too.

That is why I am thrilled beyond thrilled to share with you the Deep Insights Business Journaling Intensive:

Next week (starting Monday, July 7th), I will send you a journaling assignment each morning. For five days in a row, you’ll receive a specially-designed journaling assignment from me to help you gain clarity, wisdom and confidence about your business. Each assignment can take as long as a half-hour, but in order for it to be effective, you don’t need to write for more than 5 minutes. You are going to get so much from your writing, and then even more by participating in our Facebook group where I’ll be doing additional teaching and coaching each day.

You don’t need to register for the Journaling Intensive – as a member of the Soulful Coaching community, you’ll get it in your inbox automatically each day-my gift to you.

What you should do right away is join our Journaling Intensive Facebook group so that you can introduce yourself to the other women in the community and get ready to share your insights from the journaling assignments. I’ll be on the Facebook group a LOT next week to share my own insights with you and coach you! Here’s the link to join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/801350099917050/

Can’t wait!