Business Coaching Behind the Scenes đ (Part 2 of 2)
The second half of 10 shifts I'm making in business this year thanks to investing in coaching.
If you missed part one, go read it for context and more thoughts!
The Rest of the 10 Shifts Iâm Making in My Business This Spring:
6 | Just wishing the world were different â Being the one who goes first
I talk a lot about being brave in a messy world. I mean, this whole platform is about Blood, Sweat + Fear. đ
I love facilitating tough conversations, shaking up the status quo, and creating the things I wish existed before.
But in coaching, I find myself telling Coach Jenni, âI just wish that [insert radical idea thatâs probably anti-capitalist and quite unconventional here]â or âWhy doesnât [put a specific resource around a taboo topic here] exist?â or âI keep talking to women who want to [think of any inspiring AF bold move here] and I want to help them, butâŚâ
And ya know what she always says? âAngie, you need to go first.â
There are SO MANY THINGS that frustrate me about our chaotic world, conventional business advice, the need for women to often work harder than men for the same outcomes⌠But sitting around wishing it were different isnât enough. I need to do the damn things that I wish other people were doing.
And I know that works â I regularly get awesome emails from outdoor organizations/groups who are looking for wilderness menstruation resources, because years ago, I couldn't find any. So my first (well, second) business filled that need. And someone just told me that they cited this post in their doctoral research poster, even though I was scared to publish it since I hadnât seen anything like it before. đ¤ˇââď¸
A big reason I share on this Substack is because I wish other people were transparent and honest about how theyâre blending life and passion and business without going entirely nuts. Iâll go first.
7 | Time pressure â Welcoming âabundance practicesâ
One of the main reasons I started business coaching this year was the feeling of time scarcity through most of last year. I felt like by the end of the week, Iâd barely gotten all my client work done, and didnât have any time for the working âonâ my business side (like outreach, offer tweaks, marketing)⌠I wanted to be more proactive in how my work would shake out each week/month.
Jenni once mentioned using waitlists to help plan ahead for a new offer. It was a simple side comment that spurred an âahaâ for me â I could use tools like waitlists more often to better know who was interested in opps when so that I didnât have to stress about âgetting it doneâ unless the timing and people came through. She called waitlists an âabundance practice,â and I might be twisting her meaning, but now Iâm looking for my idea of time abundance practices: shifting my scheduling calendar to my âsummerâ hour preferences (no Wednesday meetings!), setting deadlines further out than I think I need, using auto-responders to manage expectations⌠More coming on these!
8 | Playing safe â Doing the Edgy Growth Things
Does this even need an explanation? :) Itâs true that I could skate by for many years taking on work thatâs not a great fit for my interests, working with people who I donât share many values with, agreeing to terms Iâm slightly uncomfortable with. Honestly, Iâd be making far more money if I werenât so picky about working within personal interest areas and with people who have out-of-the-ordinary business beliefs themselves. đ¸
But my nature doesnât like to settle. While itâs been scary AF, Iâm welcoming the tough decisions and conversations that will shape the future of my work. Recent talks and thoughts around money needs, AI ethics, and time trade-offs feel like rumblings of an inner volcano that might (slowly, professionally) erupt in the near future. đ I even revised a lot of my website copy to reflect the importance of doing the scary things and welcoming those conversations. Practicing what I preach!
9 | Calling everything a playground â Being the actual expert
I LOLed when Jenni pointed out that for a handful of projects and opportunities, I kept saying things like, âThis would be a great way for me to learn and experiment,â even though Iâve been professionally doing it for years. I kept calling work a âplaygroundâ â not in the sense of fun and experimenting (which it is!) but in the sense of âMaybe after THIS one Iâll be able to call myself an expert!â
Like, Iâm already really good at what I do. â And yet, that sentence is SO HARD TO TYPE. The evidence is there: wonderful testimonials from clients, folks stopping me in public to say how much they loved my event, private messages from folks whoâve said Iâve changed how they look at menstrual cycles. But Iâm still over here being like, âIâm a baby biz owner whoâs just making it up in this playground.â
No more dismissing my work as âjust a test.â Itâs providing results and I can say that. đ
10 | Thinking people just want deliverables â Celebrating the energy I give others, too!
Someone once told me that I âleave confetti in my wake.â That is the energy I want to bring to this world. đ
A couple months ago, Jenni noted that people hire me for my energy. At first, I was like, âHmm, intriguing,â and then I was like, âWait, so many people have actually said that using other words!â
There are tons of creative directors out there. Tons of people who can launch campaigns, help you start a podcast, make your copy shine, turn up the volume on your voice and platform. But, somehow, we all have a different energy.
My energy is fast-moving. Out-of-the-box. Cyclical, coming in colorful bursts with times to pull back. (Confetti-like, perhaps.)
I allow room for â or, more truly, I welcome â messy nuance. I scoff at the âthis is the way itâs always been doneâ and âhereâs a step-by-step prescriptionâ messaging we see everywhere, and instead I spotlight the most unique parts of yourself that deserve an enthusiastic platform. Iâm your â¨hype girlâ¨, but also not afraid to call you on your bullshit. I make jokes. I make up words. I make mistakes, but we learn from them. I donât hide it when I think an idea doesnât meet our intention, because I donât want you to waste time. And, I want you to show off the quirkiest, loudest, boldest parts of yourself.
^If you donât vibe with that energy, NO WORRIES. You can stay here on Substack but never work with me in any way. You can unfollow me and find another personâs energy to feed off of. Life is short; donât consume media you wonât apply to your life.
But if that IS the energy that helps you get momentum, hi. đ Iâm so glad youâre here. And I do hope we can find a way to collaborate in the future. Letâs build something worth yelling about. If youâre ready. No presh.
This and last weekâs posts were beefy, huh?! Iâd be stoked if youâd let me know if they were interesting or helpful to you.
Next Tuesday, Iâll share my May life/goals recap.
The next will likely be another anonymous Q+A round-up! See the first one here.
Until then, see ya in the wild!
You know how when penguins dive into the water one always has to go first from the group to test for predators. Thats you!!! And we love you for it.