While I’m a big believer in professional development to improve my skills as a grant professional, it actually took the suggestion of my business partner, Kimberly, to even consider the idea of hiring a professional coach.
I don’t know what my holdup was. Actually, I do. The idea of spending money on something I thought I should be able to figure out on my own was so foreign to me. But what I’ve since realized is that there are always going to be things I cannot figure out on my own – from running a thriving business to overcoming imposter syndrome. Heck, sometimes you just need a little help in figuring out how to juggle all the things without pulling all your hair out.
In the latest episode of the Fundraising HayDay Podcast, we are talking with John Hall – Award Winning Storyteller, Keynote, Human Being Coach, Performance Advisor, and Motivational Speaker. He shares the aspects of Coaching Up – his approach to enhancing your organization’s overall performance. Take a listen HERE.
Here are three ways I’ve participated in a form of coaching over the past two years, each very different, and yet all very useful in my personal and professional life. I’m sharing details and links to the actual training/coaching experts, because I am a big believer in lifting up others who rock their roles!
If you’ve ever had a great coaching experience, I’d love to hear about it! Email me at hello@haydayservices.com. Coaching is a great means to understanding your passion, finding your footing, and getting back on track. Here are my three experiences in making all that happen:
(1) One-on-one Coaching with Charlisa Garg
Kimberly recommended Charlisa as a coach, and after 20 years of professional experience and juggling way too many responsibilities, I knew it was past time. I cannot say enough about Charlisa’s ability to listen, guide, and provide a steadying voice of reason amidst that chaos of my workload. I am balancing part-time work for a consulting firm, growing my own business, a family, and a STRONG desire for work life balance. Charlisa walked me through some hard decisions and tough conversations I needed to have. She gave a variety of tools to help manage my time (for which I desperately needed), and she was a brilliant (and needed) touchpoint thanks to weekly meetings to keep my progress, well, progressing.
We met once a week over an 8-week period, and I know I can always re-engage if a tune-up is needed.
(2) The Smart Gets Paid Academy with Leah Neaderthal
Kimberly and I were looking for a business coach to help us start and grow HayDay Services. The Academy is a year-long commitment/training program for women running Business-to-Business (B2B) consulting businesses. There were monthly live learning gatherings, plus a whole host of on-demand content. Through this course Kimberly and I learned how to charge our worth, develop proposals that highlighted all we brought to the table, and more.
It’s one thing to understand you are good at what you do, but another thing to understand the ins and outs of running a business. This experience was a great introduction to concepts and ideas we hadn’t considered – but we also learned that investing in business development takes money, time, and brainpower. My recommendation: before jumping into a long-term training obligation, make sure you can invest all three.
(3) Courageous Leadership with Julie Boll
Julie Boll invited Kimberly and me to participate in a group coaching program focused on courageous leadership. We both loved the idea of coaching from a place of courage.
We signed up immediately, and I can’t stop raving about the experience. Not only did I love all the insights and inspiration that Julie brought to the table, but I formed a community with the women in my cohort. Best of all, she pushed Kimberly and I to take what we learned with our previous training and build our dream training: the Grants Lab.
When Julie asked me for a review of the experience, here’s what I wrote, “Y’all, if you’re on the fence about taking this course, let me be the nudge you need. It is better than any business prep or strategic training you could take right now. Trust me, Julie provides such thoughtful insight, gives you space to think, and provides such encouragement for chasing the work you dream of doing. Seriously, sign up today. I promise, you’ll be thanking me long before ethe 90 days are up.”
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The Fundraising HayDay Podcast charted on the 90 Best Fundraising Podcast list compiled by Feedspot . In fact, we landed at spot #4.
Thanks to our listeners and supporters! This is such a passion project for us, and we trust you love it as much as we do.
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