This Is the Boldest Thing I’ve Done (So Far)

I got this message from a client last week.

I'd told her the day before that she could have a million dollar a year coaching business, if she chose to. It's obvious to me. In our time working together she's gone from being unsure about who her clients were, having unclear messaging, and inconsistent revenue to having "product market fit" where her words deeply resonate with who she wants to serve, a consistent flow of clients, and a coaching business that's making more than $100K a year.

And she's done this while living life on her terms.

That has meant prioritizing her health, time in nature, and quality time with family. My confidence in her ability to build a million dollar coaching business isn't just based on what she's done. She's a damn good coach.

Her clients get awesome results.

And she understands the business side of things while also being in touch with her intuition. It's a powerful combo. She's curious, continues to learn, and is willing to experiment.

But she'd never even considered the possibility of building a million dollar business previously.

It's reminding me how damn important it is to have people around you who can see your potential and invite you to play bigger. Because Growth Habit might not exist if it wasn't for a mentor calling me out for trying to play small. When I was building the confidence to leave my role as Director of People & Culture in 2019 to focus full-time on coaching, I signed up for an in-person weekend program. It promised to teach me coaching and business development skills to “naturally ensure my long-term success in this rewarding, expanding profession.” And I intentionally chose one particular session of this training.

Why?

The founder of the organization, Derrick, was leading it. He'd been coaching people for over 20 years and his company had trained over 12,000 coaches. He'd left a successful career in the financial industry to go into coaching and was the author of several books.

Derrick seemed like someone I could definitely learn from.

But my biggest takeaway from the weekend almost didn't happen. We spent two days learning frameworks for leading coaching sessions, tools to use with clients, the basics of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (commonly called NLP), and some high level business advice, including ways to think about choosing your niche. I didn't just love what I was learning, but I could also see myself possibly even delivering the material.

I saw it as a potentially safe way for me to transition into coaching.

They already had a successful company and the curriculum to go with it. And I could leverage my training experience. They ran these sessions in multiple cities—would it be crazy to ask Derrick about the possibility of becoming a facilitator in his company?

Was I brave enough to even ask?

As things were wrapping up on Sunday evening, I wanted to personally thank Derrick for everything but several of my classmates were huddled around him, taking pictures, and asking questions. I waited a few minutes but people had a lot to say. There was a lineup of others already waiting to speak with him.

I grew impatient and walked away.

As I got to the end of the hall near the top of the stairs that led down to the hotel lobby, my inner voice said to GO BACK. I pivoted mid-step and turned around. I waited patiently for the last person to finish.

“Thanks for such an incredible weekend, Derrick. I learned so much and you’re exceptional at what you do,” I said.

“Thank you, I really appreciate that,” he replied.

“What would be the steps if I wanted to work with you and lead these seminars?” I then asked. It's one of those moments where the words came out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them.

“You’d have to find a city with a demand where there’s not someone already doing them,” he said.

He then paused and looked me intently in the eyes before carrying on.

“I’d love to have you with us, but you don’t need us. You’re going to have incredible success on your own.”

I was taken aback. And he continued...

“You’re meant to do this. This work is clearly from the heart for you. You have a magnetic quality about you and people trust you. You don’t need us.”

I was speechless.

He was calling me out for thinking small and pointing out potential in me that I didn’t even see in myself.

• Get into rooms with people who are further ahead than you.
• Join communities with people who are doing bold shit that inspires you.
• And find mentors who can point out the potential in you that you don't yet see in yourself.

I'll see you next Saturday.

P.S. Want to be in a room with 100 kickass humans doing bold things? Growth Habit Presents: Do Bold Shit - Saturday October 19th (in person in Toronto). This is the biggest + boldest event I've ever put on. People are flying in from Atlanta, Boston, Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal, and California to attend. Will you be in the room with us?