25 Jun 16 Paula Shannon
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[00:00:00] Okay, welcome to the Business of Executive Coaching podcast. I'm so happy and pleased to be here with Paula Shannon this morning. Paula is a coach and consultant facilitator, and she has a very interesting, , backstory. Paula, welcome. Elliot, it's so great to be here. Thanks for the opportunity and, and look forward to diving in.
, Me too. So, how I, I love to start anything where I have a guest on , this show is to ask a little bit about your backstory, so everyone who becomes a coach has a backstory. What's yours, Paula? Yeah, so I spent almost 30 years in public education here in the United States. , Never intended to be an educator.
I, , in undergrad had decided I was gonna go to law school and I was gonna become involved in, in civil rights. , Spent a bunch of time in South America studying, , democracy and, . I came back, finished my senior year and didn't wanna immediately go to law school and said, Hey, I'm going to do something that [00:01:00] matters , and get paid for it.
And so just newly launched program called Teach for America And so, I, , was accepted into Teach for America. That's how I got started teaching. , And over about 30 years worked from a, being a classroom teacher. So I have a, an innate passion for seeing potential in little and big people. Yes.
And helping. Helping folks develop it. But yeah, I worked my way up into administration, , and spent about 17 years, , in senior and executive leadership in urban school systems. And what urban school systems means here in the United States is bigger districts, right? Anywhere from, from. , 40 to 90 schools or campuses, , you know, 150 school leaders, and then a pretty big, , central office that helps coordinate all of the, , services and activities across all of those many campuses.
So I spent a lot of time working in big complex organizations, , over that, that period of time. Sounds, really [00:02:00] low, pressure, low stakes. Yeah. No pressure at all. No, 80 hour weeks. No. . Well, okay, so. So that then I guess, , when did coaching come into the picture? Was it something you'd always known about or was it something you just Yeah, I, like I said, I loved like teaching.
Mm-hmm. And found that a lot of what I did as a teacher was coaching little people. Mm-hmm. I actually became a literacy coach and, coach teachers on being better teachers when I was, , in, in education. And then as a, , a systems leader , or administrator. I found that, , you know, I wasn't filled with energy going to board meetings or, or having to speak to the media.
Mm-hmm. I was always filled with energy when I was teaching, , in most, , specifically when I was coaching. Mm-hmm. So , in, you know, team development, , kind of settings where I was moving a team along, , inherited some dysfunctional teams over time, brought them along or just one-on-one. Growing my direct reports, those were the best days, and I would actually [00:03:00] stack, you know, , all of my direct report, one-on-ones on different days.
, So that those days could be filled with what brought me lots of joy and satisfaction. So I started realizing, , oh, through the pandemic and shortly, , thereafter that. I needed to do something different. I was getting very tired at what I was doing. Mm-hmm. , That I loved coaching and development and that I wanted to, .
Take the leap and start my own thing. And so in July of 2024, that's what I did. So I imagine coming from like the public education system, it's pretty counter-cultural to say, I wanna go out and do my own thing and I want it to be something that is , profit bringing and, purpose giving. Right.
How did you, I guess, how did you think about it, but also how did you communicate that shift? Like how did it land? Well, I think I've been on a journey in recognizing that what I do has value and that all of that experience I , accrued, [00:04:00] has value. Yeah. And that I am worth being, , being paid for all of that deep value.
Mm-hmm. , So I think it was a lot of mental work that I had to do myself, right? Mm-hmm. I had to move beyond the, am I charging too much? Mm-hmm. You've helped me. Think through some of that, but am I charging too much? Yeah. You know, maybe I should give a bigger discount and in, and in really realizing that, , what I do matters.
Mm-hmm. And that, I mean, I've had the benefit of engaging a lot with philanthropy and having friends in corporate America. And I think being on the systems side in public education helps too, because. You see it is sitting at tables with business leaders. You see the complexity that you're carrying mm-hmm.
And what you're paid compared to what's happening in a very different world. , So I just reached a point where I said, enough is enough. Like I deserve to do good in this world and also be Yeah. , Appropriately compensated for [00:05:00] it. And so I'm not gonna feel bad about that. No. I've heard it as , I'm here to do good and do well.
Right. Yeah. I'm gonna, I'm gonna do both of those. , And I think that's a big part of, , of my message as well, which is we get to have this impact and it's a very, you know, a positive impact of ripple effect. And we'll talk a little bit about that. More, , and we get to be, you know, profitable and, abundant , and really do things that flourish us.
And I think the third piece of that triad is, and we get to create the lifestyle that we want. Because often, and it sounds like you were in this boat, we move away from these roles because they were demanding so much of our time and they, they don't allow for flexibility. Yeah. I think, , , two things that I would add, , just for, from the journey I've been on is.
First off, that last part of creating the life that you want. I mean, I distinctly remember, , oh, about five years ago I was, I was driving back from a ski trip, , to New Mexico. Mm-hmm. And I, you know, was thinking, I want a different [00:06:00] life. Like, I wanna be able to work from anywhere. I wanna be able to, to like be in nature.
I wanna be able to, , not be stressed out all the time. Mm-hmm. , I should just go start my own thing. Mm-hmm. , Because what I'm in doesn't allow for that. So that, that really stuck with me. Yeah. You know, I came back to that a lot. And then the second thing is I was clinically burned out when I left.
Yeah. My last role. And I understand what that feels like. I understand how numb you become emotionally, how it just diminishes your, your spark, but also I think people don't realize what it actually does to you physically. Yes. And so that's a big thing I push my clients on is how are you taking care of yourself?
Mm-hmm. Because, you know, these systems will still be there, all of the like. Craziness of them is still gonna be there, but there's only one you, right? Mm-hmm. And, and if you don't take care of your physical, mental, and emotional, , self, nobody else is going to. So I learned that the hard way. And the last point is I've spent a lot of [00:07:00] time thinking about women and wealth and the gaps.
Mm-hmm. And the power of women with wealth. And so, you know, I wanna, I wanna do good and do well. Yeah. Because I believe women with wealth actually. , Accelerate doing good in the world. Mm. I totally agree. And, and I started, , working with Rachel Rogers. If you, you've come across her work, I think. Yeah.
I love Rachel Rogers. Yeah. , , who talks a lot about the importance of women building wealth because of that, that disproportionate, , you know, contribution to things that make a difference in the world. And, and I think , , that message is, is beautiful. So. I'm going off topic a little bit, but give it, give us , the contrast.
What does life look like now for you Paula? Like, , is that, has that shifted? Absolutely. , So what does life look like now? , Equal amounts of self care, time with family. , And investing in what I love to do every day. Yeah. And you know, I think being at the beginning of this journey, and, and we'll probably get into this a little bit more later, [00:08:00] like every day is equal parts, , exhilarating.
Mm-hmm. I get to think again, right? I'm creating, I love to write and to think, , I get to pour into my clients and, and I love that. , And I still have time for myself. I sleep better. , I am like , in better shape. , Yeah. And like I'm able , to tend to, and, pour into my relationships in ways that I wasn't doing when I was, , I.
Let me say I wasn't doing consistently. Yeah. I went through ebbs and flows, particularly probably in the last, , seven years of being in a, in a really stressful leadership role. , , and I started to figure out what you have to be okay with in yourself. Mm-hmm. , When you set boundaries, when you're in a really big role.
Yeah. , So yeah. Life now , is very different and every day is exhilarating. And his equal parts terrifying. Yes. Right? Because I'm at the beginning of the business journey and , it's not easy. Yeah., I love that. , , and the theme I think , of what I always wanna share is. [00:09:00] We are, it, it is gonna be completely different, but it doesn't mean it's always going to be perfect.
And there are parts of this that are, , ups and downs and the rollercoaster is real. We try and do what we can to sort of blunt the edges and, and, you know, build some consistency. But, you know, , we do, we do have that, but it's worth it because of those, those bigger picture gains that we're making in terms of life and impact and flexibility.
Absolutely. , And I think for me, I've been on a journey , still on it. , But in the moments where cash flow is not what you would want it to be, it's easy to fall back into that kind of scarcity place. Yeah. . I'm learning how to stay focused on the abundance. Mm-hmm. , , , , in how to see wealth through different lenses, right?
Wealth just isn't how much money's in the bank account, but it's how strong your relationships are, how sound your spiritual life is, how you're taking care of yourself, right? Mm-hmm. , And, so very different place than I was 10 years ago. Yeah. , I love [00:10:00] that. I think, I think your story , is really inspiring, Paul.
What I'd love to learn a bit more about is how have you translated that experience into the work that you do now? So , who do you work with, what do you do? And, you know, like what has led you down , that particular avenue? Yeah. So, , , , I'll like kind of say my little pitch and then Yeah.
Give a little story behind it please. Because I asked you about four questions at once. Sorry. I help mission-driven leaders who are carrying a lot, right? The pressure, the visibility, the complexity lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Mm-hmm. . And I do that through strategic coaching and deep partnership.
, I help leaders move from being reactive to being intentional from over-functioning. That was a big part problem I had, , to aligned leadership. , So mission-driven leaders can really sustain the impact that they wanna have without losing themselves in the process. , This has become [00:11:00] so important to me., I started realizing that I could. Leave a greater legacy through , the people that I was, , , cultivating. Mm-hmm. If I could cultivate, you know, and, and pour into more people. Yeah. , And so it's one thing when you look at what you can do in an organization, it's another when you can bundle all of that.
Experience and help folks avoid some of the mistakes you made. Mm-hmm. Or at least give them good bridges and pathways through, through those challenges. Mm-hmm. , , and, and help give them some detour signs before they're, too far down a path. It's not gonna work out very well. , And yeah, I just started realizing that , the, there's a lot of challenge to solve in this world.
I wanna help make this world a, a more equitable, just and inclusive place. Mm-hmm. And the only way to do that is through expanding leadership. Yeah. , You know, so we need more people who, like, are channeling their passion into helping to solve those problems. And I think leadership is harder than it's ever been.
, That [00:12:00] there's not a, a, a season anymore that is not uncertain. Mm-hmm. , Or full of pressure. Or you're dealing with ambiguity, , you know, the, , , , it's the best way to say this. There is tremendous power in ai, in in opportunity. Artificial intelligence. Mm-hmm. But the rate at which change is happening is beyond anything we've, we've ever faced before.
Yeah. And it's daunting, right? Because as a leader in these situations, you're having to grapple with the tensions between caring for people and getting results. Yeah. And you're having to grapple with being like responsive to situations, but also being inclusive. Yeah. And there are real values tensions at play.
Mm-hmm. So, , I decided, , , when I was moving out to launch my own thing that I. I was tired. I needed a break and I wanted to put the armor down that I had been wearing in the arena every day. So it goes back to that Teddy Roosevelt poem. [00:13:00] Mm-hmm. , Like I've done the work, I've been in the arena. I know what it feels like and I knew how tired I was.
Yeah. I know that there are a lot of other leaders, , who I've walked alongside and who are rising in leadership that have, . The, energy that, that I didn't have anymore. Mm-hmm. And so I now have a box seat Yeah. At the arena. And I'm gonna be a big champion and cheerleader for the leaders that are still engaged in the fight.
Yeah. On the arena for every day. And, you know,, I think also I wanna acknowledge that for, for mission-driven leaders in the US at the moment, there's so much complexity that they're navigating above and beyond doing their work. Right. Which is the, the mandate to do the work that they have, the, you know, regulatory changes.
I think. So, I think, you know, those people and, and you being there to support them is, even more important than ever. People need a safe space. There's a lot to, to process and, and you know, I work with, with some of my clients, I mean, they just need to take [00:14:00] a beat, take a breath Yeah. And have a space where they can say things that they can't say to their team, they can't say to their peers or even, you know, to their boss and they just seem to be able to say it mm-hmm.
And there and not be judged for it. Yeah. , Not have consequences to it. Yeah. So, I like to,,. I feel deeply compelled to provide that space because I understand what it feels like. Yeah. , And in terms of the, the way you work with your clients, so obviously there's, there's one-on-one coaching, but I know you do a lot more than that.
Can you tell us a little bit about the work you do? I. Yeah. So, ,, I do do one-on-one. , And I've, I've tried to tailor that to where people are in their journey. Yeah. Given that I've been on that journey, right? Mm-hmm. So there's, you know, I kind of customize to people who are new mm-hmm. , , to leadership to those who , are moving into.
, Being a leader of leaders for the first time, to those who are in the C-suite and they're kind of looking at what's my legacy gonna be. Mm-hmm. , I'm also doing a lot around, , retreats. Mm-hmm. Like I love to do customized [00:15:00] retreats for senior and executive teams Yeah. That are a blend of. How are we working as a a team?
What are our dynamics? How do we better understand each other? How are we tending to the emotional culture of our team and our organization? , And balancing that , with strategy. , I think all of my, one of the gifts I have both, which is was both one of my leadership strengths when I was in roles, , that I carry into my coaching.
It was one of my clients described it as I'm able to help people navigate between being on the balcony and the dance floor. Oh, I love it. I know how to make that journey back and forth and to hold both so I can help people think strategically while also holding. All of the, how I show up work. Yeah. , So whether it's with team development, do a lot of just team development mm-hmm.
I call it elevate together. Mm-hmm. , These leadership retreats, , or individual coaching. I'm not the kind of coach you [00:16:00] wanna work with. If you just want somebody to come in and, and do some facilitation around strategy, , and help you figure out how to improve your processes or get to the bottom line.
Mm-hmm. I am the kind of coach you wanna work with. If you believe that you have to invest in people and your people centered and you understand that there's a lot of work around. , Being that how you show up, , , that who you are. Mm-hmm. , Just the act of being is as important as all the doing.
Yeah. , So I hope you get under the hood , and, you know, really figure out what's going on. So I'm gonna ask a really gnarly question about that. 'cause I think a lot of us as coaches, it's like , we deeply understand the importance of that approach, but our clients don't always understand the importance of that approach upfront.
, How do you get to that point with them? , Is it that you are filtering out clients that don't already believe that? Or is there like a, an educational journey during the sales process? And it's probably both. , And, just candidly, I'm still figuring [00:17:00] it out. Yeah. . I like , the content I put out in the world makes it pretty clear Yeah.
That I am very focused on honing emotional intelligence, tending to culture. Mm-hmm. , So I think I attract people that, that wanna do that kind of work. Yeah. I've also had some clients though that very much selected me for the depth of experience that I've had. . Yes. In, in public education and in, running big organizations.
And, , so , it's been meeting them where they are. Mm-hmm. And I have a very warm, demanding style. Right. I, mm-hmm. Just like I did when I was a teacher. Hold high, standard, high bar, let's go for excellence, but also cultivate a lot of care and compassion. Mm-hmm. , So it's a bit , , of guiding to.
We're continuing to talk about like the same tactical or strategic issue. , Like maybe we should start looking at why you keep repeating the pattern. So [00:18:00] I, guide through questions and a little bit of, maybe we should try this and see what happens if we approach this differently. Mm-hmm. And that often hooks.
Exposed. It's, I'm patient. I take time to get there. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And, , I'm, I'm really, I'm really hearing that, , that it's a process on both sides, right. To get to the point where, yeah, let's partner together on some significant pieces of work, not just a, you know, come in for an hour , , and be done.
And that. There is something about calling your people in with the content you're putting out in the world. , Yeah. Alongside, of course your outreach and all of those sorts of processes. So I, yeah, I really, I really love that. I think something else, , Ellie, that, you helped me really understand and that you talk about in the program is assessment.
The assessments that you're trained in mm-hmm. Are super important. , I find that. At the beginning of, of like a one-on-one engagement. I spend a [00:19:00] solid six weeks doing some different assessments. I use the Enneagram. Mm-hmm. , I also use a profile xt., , I like the Genos emotional intelligence as well.
So depending upon like who I'm working with, we'll do one to two of those. Mm-hmm. And I use data Yeah. To help an individual or a team start to see like. Yes, strengths, but also where are some things that we might wanna dig into a little bit more to understand how they, , are impacting. Yeah. And I find like that's often a road into deeper conversations.
. Yeah. So that's another way , that I, yeah, , , I agree and I've always found, I've found the use of assessment tools interesting. And I've found it very helpful, not just for the work we do, but also for the sales process. , Because particularly when you're talking to people who are maybe a little, , you know, for me for example, it's people who are deeply professional.
So, you know, the [00:20:00] accountants, the lawyers, the engineers. , And they like this idea of data, data driving this self-awareness process. So it's almost like a little comforting this solid, something they can hold onto in a process that can feel very ephemeral or like it can't be pinned down because we can't say what we're gonna do.
Right? We, you know, we have goals and we, we know, , but the process will be emergent. And so for them to have something to anchor on is, super helpful. , One of the things that I am, getting better at in the sales conversation is really talking about return on investment. Yeah. , You know, the, , there's a really big return on this.
You know, this, what oftentimes feel partic feels, particularly if an organization strapped for cash or they're funding it individually and individuals doing it out of pocket mm-hmm. Is, , I want you to have a big return. And I've worked with coaches. Who didn't document as well or hold me accountable, so, mm-hmm.
I'm pretty [00:21:00] meticulous about helping folks. I call it their whole leader dashboard. Yeah. Helping them build their compass and understand their purpose, their values, kinda their priorities in the role that they're in right now. Yeah. And how they're caring for themselves. And then we springboard from those assessments into.
One or two growth goals. Mm-hmm. And you know, it's attached to why , they came to me in the first place, but they get refined. And in that I help them build a measurement plan. Mm-hmm. So how are we gonna know that things are getting better? How are you gonna know that you're making progress? And I mean, these things aren't rocket science.
Right. But that makes a huge difference when people can begin to tangibly see Yeah, that I'm growing. And the way people is experience are experiencing me is different. , The way I show up is different and, , I have a coach who's helping me step back and think about and reflect upon what's changing and why.
Yeah. . Return on investment is so incredibly important. [00:22:00] I, I love that. And it's usually one of the conversations that we struggle with, right? During that sales process , , is, well, what's the ROI on on this process? Because we can't say precisely what it would be, but if we can talk to how we're gonna measure it, how are we gonna set the targets then?
And, you are doing that in a, deliberate process, I think, I think that's, , amazing and, is something we could all, and I include myself in this. Think about in, in new and better ways. So yeah. Thank you. Not easy. No, not easy. Not easy. , And especially like, obviously not you, Paula, but I dare say some of us as coaches are not necessarily , metrics.
Driven, , naturally. And so for us to implement those processes does sometimes require us to step out of our comfort zone or our natural, , preferences. So I think yeah, , a very good process to go down. So I wanna ask you a little bit about, you know, actually stepping out, running a business since you've been running your own business.
What have you [00:23:00] learned about yourself through the process? Yeah, , I've learned a lot about myself and I think one of the biggest things that I have learned is consistency matters. Mm-hmm. I'm like a routine and structure person. Mm-hmm. That helps me., I can let. Perfect. Be the enemy of good enough,
And so I'm constantly overcoming that. , I think that the, , systems and structures that you teach mm-hmm. , In the accelerator are super helpful for people like me who tend to be perfectionistic. , Because , you, I've learned that it's not about. So quality's important. Yes. But it's not about being perfect.
No. It's not about having it all figured out. It's about understanding which things matter most. Mm-hmm. And how to stay focused on those and be consistent with them. Yeah. And consistent doesn't have to be this gigantic boulder every [00:24:00] day. No. You know, consistent can be the power hour you teach. Yeah. Right.
, It's just do like these little things. Every day. Mm-hmm. And it's amazing how they add up. I mean, I think the other thing that I've learned about myself is I can fall very easily for, you know, wanting to take shortcuts for let's hurry up and, , and, you know, like, I wanna get to this thing, so, mm-hmm.
Maybe I should invest in this, you know, course or mm-hmm. Go read this book, get this training. . And so I recognize that more so now that I can be pulled into that. Yeah. And this, you know, just this idea of like discipline and consistency is so important to building a business. Mm-hmm. , I think the other thing I've learned about myself is,
I have more people cheering for me than I realized I did if I just maximize my network. Yeah. , And I think, you know, in terms of, , big lessons to offer folks who are , who are [00:25:00] just getting started is. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is like, don't fall for all of these. Here's how you get to 50 K months.
Yeah. It's all like, , and there might be some things like, I've made the mistake of, you know, fall, you know, doing these things that you, , you'll learn some stuff, but if people are talking about these outlandish numbers that you're gonna get and you're just starting out mm-hmm. You have like nothing in place to do this stuff, so don't fall for it.
I think you like. You've done a great job of breaking down what the really important first steps in business are to build the, , to focus on , the things that matter most, most. So put mm-hmm. Put first things first. Yeah. Build systems around them that are simple and easy to implement. Mm-hmm. , 'Cause I can overly complicate things.
So it's like, keep it simple so you can do it. Yeah. And yeah, it's that consistency. It's the little things every day that [00:26:00] add up to momentum and. You probably know more people than you think you do. Absolutely. So organize your network and like start there because relationships are gonna get you the business.
Yes, yes, absolutely. , You know, yeah, speaking, speaking my language, , I love that. Thank you. And what are you most proud of since, since you started your business? Like what are the big, the big wins, the big successes? What do you consider the, you know, , the biggest, I don't know, achievements is not quite the right word.
, So I was thinking about this.
I'm very hard on myself. Mm-hmm. And so, , some of my like, anchor clients that I have right now, , I mean, I, wouldn't still be here if it wasn't for them. So, I mean, I'm very grateful for them. Mm-hmm. But I don't, I haven't counted them as wins. And I think, , , in our work together, you've helped me realize No, those are huge achievements.
Oh my gosh. Yeah. So I'll say, yeah, I'm proud of that. I'm proud that like they have extended [00:27:00] contracts, , they've grown the work with me. Mm-hmm. , So I'm proud of that. , It's very affirming. I think the other thing that I'm proud of is. You know, I'm, every week, some weeks are better than other, but others in terms of quantity.
Mm-hmm. But every week I, am reaching out to people in my network. Mm-hmm. And I'm also pushing myself out to meet new people. Yeah. And what I'm finding is, you know, from at least three to four coffees or conversations each week, people genuinely wanna help. Yeah. , And. Seeds are being planted. Mm-hmm. And the conversations are starting to grow.
So that momentum Yeah. Is really exciting and empowering and , I think like that's another well, yeah. So , I'm really proud of, of , that momentum that's growing. And I'm also just really proud of, overcoming some of the. Fear of putting myself out there and, and just the like, amount of content that, that I've been putting out into, to the world.
Mm-hmm. Just like be [00:28:00] authentically me and tell my story. Mm-hmm. , , I'm proud of that. 'cause it's, it's not easy. , No, and, I would say, Paula, that you are a bit of a poster child , , for doing that, which is like,, I know that it doesn't come easy to you and you've, you're doing it anyway, right?
That there is, you know, that there's this pro, like I can see that process where Yeah, , you just do it. Through the discomfort and it's amazing, right? , The content that you put out there is helpful. It's speaking to the right people. , What, what advice would you offer people who are, are grappling with that same thing, like they feel uncomfortable.
There's a fear of maybe the judgment that people will make , based on what you say, if you say something that they don't agree with or how Yeah. What advice would you offer? Yeah. , So.
, I like, it's in my experience, just start writing, start pushing out, , particularly on LinkedIn. Like I'm not on Facebook or Instagram or the others. It's not my, my cup of tea, but like on [00:29:00] Instagram or on , LinkedIn, pardon me. , People are , pretty kind and generous. Yeah. , So. Folks that are gonna be commenting anyway are people that you're already connected to.
Mm-hmm. , And I think Linked LinkedIn's a pretty safe place. I mean, yeah. Only 4% of people who are on LinkedIn are producing content anyway. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And you can, you can involve your network and the people you're already connected to in ways, , that, that are helpful. And it's like, yeah, just get out there and start.
Putting it out there and you'll start realizing that it's not as scary as you thought, and people actually are kind and supportive. Mm-hmm. , , and that just creates kind of a virtuous flywheel, right? Like Yeah. The more that you start putting the content out there, the more you start to figure out like how the content's gonna work for you.
Mm-hmm. Then you start paying attention to the metrics and you start figuring those out. , And the only way that. To go through all those gates is to just start Yeah. [00:30:00] Putting content out there. , And the other thing I would say is, you know, some people are like, don't do this, but I spend a lot of time with chat, GPT, who I've named Sage and love it.
I've trained. , Sage to understand what's important to me and what I believe in and what my tone and style is. Yeah. And, and that's helped me a lot too. , Just in terms of having a thought partner Yes. That I can like, get copy down and refine it to be what I want it to be, and kind of vet it like mm-hmm.
You know, what might people like, take offense to, or what might I not be thinking about? And, , that's helped me as well. Yeah. Get out there and do it, and it's, you'll find it's not as scary as you once thought it was. Yeah. , And , I do love that tip about using AI smart in a smart way, right? Which is not writing your content for you, it's not replacing your voice, but it is, , as a thought partner, as an editor, as a, you know, idea bouncer, , all of those things , and you know, like [00:31:00] if we can take.
70% of the, the effort out of it so that we can apply our brilliance to the bits that matter, then we should, , absolutely. Yeah. Well, 'cause that's the thing, , , I know, you know, I, like different just colleagues who are in coaching. , And just where I, you know, kind of the institution I came from.
Mm-hmm. I wanna do the work. But running your business, man, it's not just coaching, no. It's all the business development that you have to do as well as just, , tending to the bottom line and the, the financials. Like you have to make time for all of that stuff. So when you can, you know, automate some of it, which I'm learning how to do.
When you can le leverage AI to help you think through things. Yeah. It just maximizes your time. Mm-hmm. Which goes back to where we started. It's like the kind of life that you wanna live. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. No, I love that. , So then, you know, what are your tips for people starting their coaching businesses?
Do you have , , any advice? I think you've given quite a lot of advice throughout this conversation, but anything else you'd add? , Yeah. . Sign up for your [00:32:00] accelerator. Thank you. So that you can learn how to build systems early. Yeah. , I think like, you know, , , , the, , courses that you give to really walk through how to think about content and how to think about lead gen generation.
, And, and just how to manage your time. Man, I wish I had known that. Hmm. Like, when I was first moving into this, it would've saved me a lot of, of trials and tribulations. So it's like build those systems early. 'cause when you start getting the systems in place, it just, everything kind of clicks and you spend your time more efficiently.
Yeah. , The other thing is like, don't work in isolation. Being a part of, of like your accelerator Conne, it's connected me to other people. Mm-hmm. And, you know, as, as things are settling for me, like. I'm gonna be coming like more consistently weekly. Yeah. But you know, the same groups of us tend to come to the same calls and like I always love seeing, , the individuals that are in the call, it's, this can be [00:33:00] very lonely and you can easily lose perspective.
Yeah. , Because it's hard and it doesn't happen overnight. And so having people who are going through the same thing, , , to help encourage and learn from is super important. . And like Yeah. Also, you don't have to have all the answers. The only way to get started is to get started and you're never gonna read enough books or take enough courses that you're just gonna have to like jump in and do it.
Yeah. And when you start doing it, you start figuring it out and you're gonna make a lot of mistakes. Mm-hmm. And you'll learn from them. Yeah. , But you really. That it, it's not gonna happen unless you just jump in and start doing it. Yeah. , And , the progress happens through the learning. Yeah. , It doesn't always feel like that, but when I think about where I am now versus where I was six months ago, yeah.
So much further ahead. I've learned so much. . Through the guidance that you've provided and just doing it. The doing. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I hear it , [00:34:00] and I, I see it like, I see. , And, and I would say, Paula, that you have a, a huge capacity for action taking as well, which is, amazing. And, you know, is definitely something that you are a role model for because I think, yeah.
, You've grappled , and probably through doing your own inner work, right, which as coaches we have to do, but you've grappled with that. The stuff that causes us to freeze and get into procrastination, probably things like perfectionism and, you know, get into action. I think that that's, that's extraordinary and, and it is something, you know, I do talk about with lots of people, , through our calls, , depending on where they're at.
Yeah. So, yeah, no, , I love it. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. Can I say , one more thing? Yeah. That, I would just leave as a tip is, . And I said this earlier, but there are no shortcuts. No. , It's easy to scroll through social media and you get bombarded with all of this stuff. Mm-hmm. , You know, around how to do things faster or easier.
, There are no shortcuts. , And I've learned this the hard way. It's, you know, [00:35:00] leverage. Leverage, authentic. Individuals like yourself and the real opportunity that you are offering that is built around integrity mm-hmm. To learn. And , , it's learning these needle movers that the actions that matter most.
Yeah. And how to do them consistently. And it just takes time and you're gonna, you're gonna plant seeds and they're not to going to come to fruition for months and it can be really frustrating. Yeah. , You know, the other quick tip I would give too, just from a networking standpoint is thing, the light bulb came on for me more recently when I realized.
So often I was going to, I was reaching out to my warm network. I was going to have coffees with people and such, , from a sales perspective. Mm-hmm. And when I shifted out of that and just started like thinking, Hey, I just need to reconnect with people so they know what I'm doing. Yeah. And I need to like help them understand and train them.
So they're good referral partners. [00:36:00] Yes. That was like, . That was like a huge change for me. Mm-hmm. That is actually paying dividends now, so be patient. I love that. Be consistent. It's the small things that matter. Yeah. And recognize that your, your clients aren't gonna come for your, from your kind of warm network, so to speak.
Mm-hmm. Like immediately, like directly, so much as all of those folks are gonna be your cheerleaders and your referral partners. Yeah. But they can only be referral partners if you help them understand what you do in ways that they can explain. I love that. I love that. And that is such a, you know, we talk about lots of different outreach strategies, but I think that that one is, is very powerful for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the, , you know, the, the literal, when you tap into someone else's network, like, you know, we we're opening up huge amounts of opportunity, but the other is what I heard was the way that it takes the pressure off that. Connection so that we can let go of some of that [00:37:00] pressury energy right on us and on them to, to find something that is a, an outcome when, when it might just not be the right time or, it might be right.
, And often when we're talking about things, , the opportunity in front of us emerges when we're talking about something a bit more generally. So yeah, I,, I love that approach. Can I ask you two questions without notice to wrap up on? Yes. They're not too hard, I promise. If you could coach anyone in the world, who would it be?
Wow. If I could coach anyone in the world, who would it be? Oh my goodness. ,
I could take this in many different directions.
You can have two if it's too hard, I.
,
Well, I'm thinking about, you know, if I could coach anyone in the world. That's hard. , It's, sorry I chucked that in there.
Wow. .
We can come back to this one. Can I ask you the second one and then we'll come back to it while the processes ask me the second one, book or podcast that you would recommend to coaches?
,
, The. I [00:38:00] think what I am really loving right now that is, you know, just kind of like what's important to me from coaching is emotional agility. Yes. Just emotional agility. I like Susan, Susan, David. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I love Susan David. , So I said that's a, a really great book and super Habits. Mm-hmm. Is another one.
I'm the author. , But it, , it's kind of fascinating. It goes back to St. Thomas Aquinas and Oh, how to think about habits in, . In the context of character and virtue. Mm-hmm. Like those two things really have my attention right now, and I think about how they fit into my coaching practice. Mm-hmm. , If I could coach anyone in the world, who would it be?
This is just like my, initial, like, , my initial thought, yes. I think it would be a challenge, and I would learn a lot as a coach by doing this. I would love to coach Brene Brown. Oh wow. That's amazing. Oh, she would be, I mean, one that would say something about the level of coaching that I'm practicing at.
Yes. [00:39:00] And two, I just think like she would be like an incredible person to coach. Yeah. It'd be that model of coaching that is truly emergent and a partnership. Right. Which is . That as coaches, we are, a alongside, we're not, you know, what do they say? We're the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage.
Exactly. And it'd be, yeah. Oh, incredible. Yeah. I'm a big fan of Rene Brown as well, so that, that'd kind of be like a, yeah, an amazing. Yes. No, , I love that. Great answer, great answer. Look, Paula, thank you so much for your time today. I mean, I've learned a lot, so I'm sure that everyone listening to this , is going to be, you know, really taking a lot of notes and a lot of inspiration from your story.
So I'm really grateful for your time today. I. Ali, thank you. And I'm just, you know, , can't leave without saying how incredibly grateful I am for you and all that, , you are doing to support those of us who are on this journey. , And, and if personally, you've changed my coaching trajectory, so Oh, deeply.
Thank you. Grateful to you. [00:40:00] Thank you. , And just to wrap up, you know, so if you are listening and you think the accelerator could be a good fit for you, , and you would like to get in before we, , close doors at the end of June and increase prices in July, , please head to the show notes and you can book a call, , and we can talk about, , whether the fit is right and whether you might also have some of these, , incredible.
Learnings and journeys , that Paula has shared with us. So thanks everyone, and I will be back talking to you next week.
