Why I’m Grateful I Became a Coach
Episode Summary:
Today on the podcast I’m sharing the biggest reasons why I became a coach! This pivot in my career honestly changed the trajectory for my life in a way that I am SO grateful for. You’ll hear why I believe every woman should have a side hustle, how to profit off of the skills you already have, and how I explored the ethics of coaching early on. As you can guess, this is a pretty vulnerable episode, but that really just goes back to the point of why I chose to be a coach. Tune in and let me know your favorite takeaways!
Topics Discussed:
The practice that Anna uses when she writes on vulnerable topics to make sharing easier
What Anna is thankful for as a coach vs. a therapist and why she believes she should share her own story
How your authentic voice can act as a marketing tool for your business in finding aligned clients
Anna’s story of stepping into coaching after beginning her career as a therapist and investing in her masters
How to profit off your soft skills as a woman and why this should be encouraged more
Why Anna believes all women need a side hustle
Episode Resources:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Stitcher
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Anna Rapp (00:00):
Hi friends. Hi friends. I wanna take a minute to express to you how stinking grateful I am for your support On my personal Facebook wall this week, I wrote, I posted some posts that I wrote about three years ago as I was healing from my divorce. And like all of my writing, I like to write it rough draft. You guys know I do a daily check-in. I just kind of pour out my thoughts without filtering them. A lot of those words never see the light of day. They're just for my heart and my processing. A lot of those words just make it to a text with one of my best friends that I wanna be witnessed around or to my coach. But some of the posts make it to social media or such and I'd been sitting on these series of posts for a few years and it finally felt like the right time to share it with you just as a part of my healing journey.
Anna Rapp (00:51):
But also to give hope to some women that are in the middle of releasing a relationship. So I will link my personal wall if any of you wanna see that they're public posts. But just the amount of women that wrote to me, not just that had been through similar situations but that were like, wow, I wanna share more of my story. Or I have a lot of fear around, you know, what people will say if I share my truth. It is, you guys know, I believe it's so important as online entrepreneurs to be visible so that we can sign clients, right? But I think everyone, woman needs to decide for themselves what they want, their visibility and what they want their marketing to look like, right? Because some of my clients are rather private people and they don't wanna share pictures of their kids or such, right?
Anna Rapp (01:36):
And that's okay. But I would really challenge you to ask yourself, can you at least give yourself permission to start writing down more of your story and then later you can decide if you wanna share it. And I find for me what really helps is to share things in, in a while after they've been written. Because it just gives more closure and certainty. And then if someone does have something rude to say, then it really doesn't phase you 'cause you're like, this is old <laugh>. So I'm so grateful for this practice. I honestly am. So I just wanna say thank you for your kind of words and yes to those of you who are thinking about writing your heart out. This is was such a new world to me. I remember when I started my online business, I was a therapist right before I became a coach.
Anna Rapp (02:20):
And for many reasons and good reasons, being a therapist is really a private career. Like, you literally disclose almost nothing about your personal life to your clients. Ver like, it's just almost one of the most private careers, right? You even have a talk with your clients around like, Hey, if I see you in a grocery store, I'm gonna ignore you till you'll acknowledge me because I wanna respect your confidentiality and privacy. It's just this really interesting career in that way, right? And then I became a coach and I was like, oh my gosh. Like not only do people want to hear my story, but people almost need to hear my story so that I can market my business on a bigger scale. And it was just like a polar
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Opposite, right? As a coach, being able to share some tidbits of your life with your clients and then also being able to share your thoughts on social media. And a lot of you, you know, have been in one career or another where you haven't been, had to be super public. And then you kind of move to this place where you're like, okay, what is it that I, I want to share of my life? And so just giving you <laugh>, the biggest hug is you figure out the balance that works for you. Maybe you put your hand on your heart and you affirm for yourself it's safe to be visible with the way that I want to, in the way that resonates for me and my core values in my life. It's safe for me to be visible. It's safe for me to take up space.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
It's safe for me to share my story. It's safe for me to let people misunderstand me. <Laugh>, it's safe. You know, I know enough to share my voice right now. I know enough to teach and to share. And that's gonna attract the right clients to me. I really feel like sharing with my authentic voice has been the best marketing tool I've done online, whether it's through my podcast or through social media. Because what it does is the people that aren't a fit for you, for whatever reason, because of what you believe your core values or because of your story, they find that out before they pay you money. And that's really nice for both of you, right? We're so afraid to polarize people with our content. But honestly, it's why I have like zero client drama in my business behind the scenes because people know me and my heart and my values and what I stand for.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And it doesn't mean that my clients have to have the same exact values as me, but it means they at least know them and they don't, it doesn't irritate them so much they can't handle it, right? <Laugh>, and a lot of times our dreamies, dreamies clients do have that value alignment and enjoying our personality. And so those are two things you can do in your visibility. I wanna talk a little bit today about how thankful I am for the coaching industry. The coaching industry gets a bad rap because, you know, when we're in it, we see the, the best and the worst of it. Just like any industry, right? There are coaches that are bad coaches that are doing unethical things and not being right in the work they do behind the scenes in their clients, but also in how they market selling and pushing.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
And if you don't give me your credit card right now, then you're gonna be a failure. Like the weirdest stuff I've heard online, right? But I just wanna remind you that every industry, if you're a dentist, they're a corrupt dentist and grade dentist, right? If you're a lawyer, if you're a nurse, like every profession is going to have people misbehaving, right? And I think a lot of times when we're in the coaching industry, we get and, and also because it's a newer industry, right? 20, 30 years ago, coaching really did not exist in its current form. And even think about in the last like three years working online and working from home and working on Zoom has become so much more popularized because of Covid, which is such a gift. But it really is still a new industry, a new job, right? A new era.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
And when I first heard about coaching as a therapist, to be honest, I was skeptical <laugh> that would be putting it lightly. In fact, I was so skeptical I did not call myself a coach for like six months into coaching, right? It just seemed so fluffy. It seemed like, I mean, I was two years into a master's degree, I was over 2,800 hours into therapy practice. And there are these women out there who had the audacity to be helping more people than me to be making more money than me without a degree. Like what is going on, right? So I started Googling is coaching ethical, right? Like what is this? And it really almost seemed just, just this unknown and a lot of times unknown or change seems bad or bizarre, right? I gave myself a lot of grace by calling myself a mentor, right?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Permission to call yourself whatever you need to so that it fills in alignment. One of my freebies, I'll link it below. I actually list out some of the things you can call yourself instead of a coach, strategist teacher, right? Because maybe that word doesn't align with you. Eventually I just call myself a coach 'cause I'm like, oh, that's what people are Googling for. So like, I'm just gonna make it easy for people to find me and call it what it is and know that there's bad coaches and good coaches and I'm one of the good ones, right? But I'm so glad that I allowed myself to trust myself with online entrepreneurship in general. That was scary number one. But also with the industry of coaching, right? And I hope this pep job is useful for you if you are a coach or if you're thinking about coaching.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
A lot of my clients are like, done for you providers and think about adding a coaching wing onto their business. Maybe you have a day job and they're thinking about adding coaching, but I just wanna have this conversation about it. But I really think it's a gift, right? Part of the reason why this feels so bizarre and otherworldly, in fact, I, one of my good friends on Voxer, we tell each other all the time, like, is this for real? Like, this seems like too good to be true, right? And a lot of times, I think it was Brene Brown that said like, the hardest emotion is happiness, right? It, you know, you may have been acclimated growing up to sadness, anger, discomfort, right? But to, to get used to life being happier and happier can be a real thing because we're afraid like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop, we're waiting for the bad news to come, right?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So I just want you to affirm for yourself like it's safe for me to be happy, it's safe for me to be at peace. It's safe for life to get better and better. I have this conversation with a lot of my clients, right? That are working on building happiness from happiness or wealth from more wealth. And I have had a lot of guilt before too around like, who am I? There are women out there struggling? I already am happy. Who am I to be happier? There are women out there that don't have money. I have good money. Who am I to make more money? Right? But just remembering your additional happiness, your additional money does not take away from the women that don't take have happiness and money. I think it can contribute to it and inspire them and expand, right? Because research shows us that women with money are generous women.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Here's kind of an aha moment I had a few months ago. Overwhelming gratitude for the coaching industry because we live in an era. We live in two eras, okay? We live in an era where we can profit off of our soft skills as women instead of them being taken for granted. I could do a whole podcast on this, but instead I'm just gonna say this, right? Because of the patriarchy and other things, right? Often as women, our soft skills, meaning the fact that we listen, the fact that we nurture the fact that we care, the fact that we're intuitive, the fact that we, you know, care and can help heal, right? That often was taken for granted and was not a paid skill. It was just expected as a mother, as a wife, right? But I think it's amazing. And I think what coaching has done is really, it's one of the careers that allows you to monetize off of your natural, soft feminine skills.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
And this can feel that's where it can feel too good to be true. And I hear my clients say all the time, like, but I like to do X, Y, Z, right? I like to design websites. Why should I be paid for it? I like to listen to women's problems and help them out. Why should I be paid for it? I am doing good and my work isn't an alignment. And for many centuries, a lot of the work that women did and wasn't in alignment wasn't compensated for with money, right? And so it can feel like this bizarre new paradigm, but let me tell you, it's a good paradigm to start to get used to it <laugh>. In fact, you may wanna affirm to yourself out loud right now it's safe for me to do good work in the world that is aligned and to make money <laugh>, right?
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Women say this all the time when they're like, well Anna, should I like sell to people or should I serve people? I'm like, what if serving is selling? Because number one, your sales process is gonna be heart centered. But also because after like you're selling someone into something you actually believe is gonna change their life, right? So again, I'm gonna say this truth again. We live in an era we can profit off of our soft skills instead of, you know, them being taken for granted or not being compensated for them. But it doesn't make it wrong. It's safe for you to profit off your creativity. It's safe for you to profit off your empathy. It's safe for you to profit off your intuition, right? That's not what we're marketing. But at the end of the day, that's how we're getting people the result they want, right?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
If you're an interior designer, you're profiting off your creativity. If you're a website designer, you're profiting off creativity. If you're a coach, you're profiting off your ability to ask a questions and listen and use your intuition, right? It's safe for you to profit off your soft skills and you may have never profited off of them before, right? And so that may be a new paradigm. Another era that we live in that's so beautiful is we can work from home and show up for our families and also be fulfilled as passionate working women. I love my kids. I would die for my kids. Everything I do is for my kids. And that I think about them first. I am a mama first and forever. And also, I love to work. I love to work, I love to to have adult conversations. Like I love to not be mom and not be on mom mode.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
And it didn't used to be that women had this much accessibility, but because of the internet, because of Zoom, we have these tools now where we really can multitask our families and our passions in a way that we never have before. And again, I find that women feel guilty for this instead of being grateful for it. Grateful for it, thank goodness. Like what a blessing, right? So I really want you to ask yourself in your business, like what lately have you been feeling bad about or shame around Or like maybe you had to cancel a client call so that you could go to the doctor appointment and you felt bad about it. What? Like what if you felt grateful that you have such understanding clients that you are someone that shows up so that you hardly have to cancel calls and that you have a business where you can accommodate for that, right?
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Really having gratitude instead of self, self-judgment there. Okay? one more thought that I had as I was reflecting about what I wanted to share with you lovely, lovely podcast listeners this week is just why I'm so grateful that I took the risk to start a side hustle honestly. And just grateful to the past aversions of myself that took risks, calculated risks. And I feel like as heart-centered women, you know, at least for me, I'm on the more conservative end of change. Like, I like my stability, I like control, I like predictability. You know? And so it's kind of, I'm still honestly impressed with myself that I started to side hustle and quit my job. I'm still impressed with myself that I got a divorce even though it was a hundred percent the right decision. Like just a big risk, right? I'm so impressed with myself that I bought a house even though I haven't, you know, regretted it a single minute since I bought it.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
It's been the best decision. But I, each of those things a really, it really takes a lot for me to, to make a big life change. Even if it's good, even if it's great, even if it's all the green flags. Even if I thought about it and prayed about it and my coach is supporting me. And like, but I just wanna say this to you. 'cause If you're in the middle of like a big decision, like maybe you're like thinking that you wanna have another kid or maybe like me, you wanna buy a house or maybe you wanna move or start a business or start a second business, right? Like I, this is just a pep talk for risk, okay? Like calculated risk. Because my audience, if you're like me, you are responsible. <Laugh> you're responsible, right? And so the pep talk that we need, I think we have people often in our life that are irresponsible so we get hyper responsible.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
But this is just a pep talk to like take the calculated risk, right? I think back to like when I was in corporate, right? And my sweet boss at the time, Bev lovingly called my side my business is my side hustle. 'cause I would come to work at 5:00 AM before I started work at eight for therapy. And I'm just, I just think about that era in myself and a huge pregnant belly that did not fit under my desk just with such fondness and love. And I'm just proud of her for taking that calculated risk, right? Because I truly believe that all women have entrepreneurial capabilities in them. We really do. Right? And I just feel like all women need a side hustle. You know? Like even if you love your job, even if you're financially stable, even if you have financially stable partner, right? But especially if you hate your job, especially if you're not financially stable, especially <laugh> if you don't have financial independence, right?
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I just think there is nothing as a woman that's more powerful than having a way to make money outside of a boss in a way that's a hundred percent flexible in a way that's location independent. You know, I do think having a cash reserve is important. That's why I wrote 20 K Freedom Fund book. But I really believe that having a way to make money on demand in a way ideally that uses your skills and passions is the dream as a woman because it really allows you to live in full value alignment 24 7. You know? And it's why I'm so passionate, it's why I created my program gate and coach your first client. Because I really feel like if I leave the earth, like one thing I wouldn't leave behind is just letting women know that it's possible to whatever coaching niche you pick. You know, I really analyze all the businesses that my clients had of all their different profitable coaching niches, fertility coaches, parenting coaches, sexuality coaches, right?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
All the niches that are profitable that people will actually pay money to get results in. And I listed the top 12 and I have a freebie all link for it in the comments, but I really feel like it's almost like the career, you know, when you're small and you're like, what do you wanna be when you grow up a firefighter, a police woman, right? Like all the things, I just wanted to create a little menu of like, this is an option for 12 other jobs. You can do all this types of coaching, right? And the nice thing about these jobs is you can be location independent and flexible and work part-time hours and make a full-time income, right? And just really having that menu and having, for me, the reason I created getting Coach the 12 week program is I really wanted to teach women not just how to get clients, though I think that's important and it's such a proven dialed process that you can follow.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
But also coaching skills on how to coach in a way that's ethical, how to coach in a way that's heart-centered. I have a coaching workbook of all my favorite coaching skills because I really feel like that's what defines a good coach. Yes, to get clients, but also to be able to have skills that support and help your clients get actual lasting results and change. In school, when I studied my master's, it's so ironic because we, you all pick a theory, a research backed theory that most resonates with your personality and style for doing therapy. And the theory I picked was solution focused coaching. It was actually a theory that had been researched and developed and proven in the therapy world, but there's a version of it for coaching as well. But it's very coaching. Like, it's very present focused, it's very solution oriented, it's very client driven.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
And I just think like really from day one, I have always enjoyed, you know, sitting with women in the hard things and seeing them change, right? And in my mastermind, sell with hard, I have half coaches and have done for you ladies, but I really find that my clients that are coaches, it sounds wild, but there's nothing else we would rather do than to sit with women in their brave dreams, in their brave desires and see them do it and see them do the hard work it takes to, to do that thing, to lose the weight, to get pregnant, to start their business, to you know, what, you know, become a better mom, right? There is nothing for me that's more fulfilling than seeing someone change. I think as a human it's the hardest thing to do. And that's why coaching is such a gift because it's really someone holding your hand and walking alongside of you and seeing you through the hardest, deepest times.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
But I'm just grateful, I'm grateful for this career path. Okay, that was the pep talk I wanted to give you. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the next round of my group program. Getting coach, your first client. It is live with me personally and I support you in Slack on calls and really help you get coaching clients, but also help you tweak your package so you feel good about it. So many swipe files, because when I was starting my business, I just was overwhelmed. And so that's why I have a lot of done for you things in the program so that you can swipe my pre-survey questions. You can swipe you know, content on marketing your coaching business, right? Just really a lot of swipe files so you can really understand once you are a coach, you know, how do you, what do you do if a client you know is upset with you?
Speaker 2 (20:06):
What do you do if a client isn't changing? What do you do if your sessions keep going over? Like just really all the behind the scenes nitty gritty about running a coaching practice, structures and policies and what if someone doesn't pay and all of that, right? But also the pieces about getting the clients too, right? Let me know if you have any questions or if you want to join the wait list. Make sure that you do that. And I just wanted to invite you in if you've thought about doing this. Okay. My love. So grateful for you times 10, and hope you have an amazing day.
PS: In the midst of this challenging time I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help? One of the #1 ways I support my clients is by helping them simplify their business so that they can increase the flow of money without creating extra work. In this season simplified visibility and sales is needed more than ever.
So if you’re craving personal support as you reposition your free and paid work, I’d love to help you simplify your sales process so that you can produce income in your business even during a challenging time. If you want support you can check out my services and book a free discovery call here, or you can send me a DM on Instagram.