J. Leigh, Certified Life Coach, Founder @WorthyWomanCoach.com
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I’m thrilled to interview the incredible Worthy Woman Coach, J. Leigh! Can you tell us a bit about your journey that led you to become the Worthy Woman Coach?
The Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns provided an opportunity for self-reflection, and I realized that something was missing from my life; I identified that I wanted to do something that makes a significant personal and meaningful impact on the lives of others, and so I achieved my Life Coaching Certification. I decided to focus specifically on coaching phenomenal women to pinpoint and address the specific roadblocks that are keeping them from achieving their goals. As a woman, I understand the many extra hurdles that we have to face across all facets of our lives just for being female. I was drawn to help other women find fulfillment and success within their own lives.
Could you share how you went about starting this new business? Did it feel like a big risk or a calling you knew you would figure out? How did you go about figuring out how to turn your passion into a new profession? What fears did you have to overcome?
Starting this new business felt more like a “passion project” rather than a risk. I knew that there was this gap in my life that I needed to fulfill, and I knew that coaching was the path to get there. In order to turn this passion project into a reality though, I first had to go through an intensive life coach certification course and spend many months honing my skills with practice clients. My initial fear was wondering whether I could really improve the lives of others, as I had hoped. I’m thrilled to report that I have certainly noticeably impacted clients’ lives for the better, and that is what has made all the effort so worth it.
In the realm of personal development, there's often a distinction between life coaching and therapy. Could you explain the difference, and why would someone choose life coaching over therapy or vice versa?
I’m so glad you asked this question because there is always a lot of confusion about this. A life coach supports clients and holds them accountable to identify and navigate through personal roadblocks in order to achieve their goals. Therapists, on the other hand, are professionals that are licensed to assess, diagnose, and treat mental illness. If a prospective client came to me as a coach and asked me to help them treat their depression, I would refer them to a licensed therapist. Sometimes, a client with depression may opt to also have a life coach in addition to a therapist as another means of support; but, a life coach is not licensed to treat or diagnose mental health issues.
A life coach uses various tools and frameworks to guide a client toward new perspectives, or “a way out” of their current roadblock towards reaching their goals. This means that even “thriving” women can benefit from having a life coach, since anyone can leverage additional support while working towards a goal.
In my personal perspective, life coaching has more engagement and encourages taking action more so than psychotherapy. I find that clients may opt for a life coach versus a therapist if they feel stuck in one or more areas of their lives (career, relationships, big life transitions, etc) and want a more actively engaged approach to navigating through to a solution. For example, life coaches often assign curated “homework” to clients and leverage certain question-based frameworks to steer the client towards an action plan that feels aligned specifically for them.
You have some great questions women should ask themselves to see if your coaching is right for them including “Are you avoiding things out of your comfort zone?”, “Do you believe you are not enough or too much?”, “Do you feel behind vs your peers or family members?” Can you share more of these and perhaps discuss why these are important questions to ask?
Some other great questions you can ask to see if coaching is right for you include:
Do you feel guilty or “like a burden” when asking others for help?
Do you fear failure or others’ perception of you?
Do you question if you are qualified or deserving of something?
Do you default to the worst case scenario when making decisions?
Do you approach relationships with a fear of rejection?
Do you ever hide your true self from others for fear they will leave?
If you answer these questions very honestly and find that any of them are a “yes,” then you are someone who can likely benefit from life coaching and possibly transform your life!
I have had the great honor and pleasure of working with you to help get clarity on some of my goals and challenges. Besides sessions with you, you have shared some incredible questionnaires and tools. Is there a tool you wouldn’t mind sharing with our audience of Female Power Players?
There is one simple coaching tool that I love and believe can be helpful for anyone. For one week, simply track everything that drains your energy and also track everything that excites and energizes you. You will likely glean a lot of insights from this one exercise, and perhaps change some behaviors or make a few different decisions going forward to lean more heavily into the column that energizes you.
The concept of self-worth is central to your coaching philosophy. How do you address issues related to self-esteem and self-confidence in your coaching sessions? And, what makes a women worthy?
I think a common misconception is that someone’s worthiness is dependent upon external factors, such as wealth, education, popularity, etc. In truth, the only factor that determines your worthiness is *YOU*. Someone who is dirt poor, for example, can still have a high level of self-worth and be really happy. Conversely, it is possible that a billionaire can feel very unhappy and undeserving of good things. I work with clients to help them reclaim their self-love and self-worth by leveraging a number of tools and techniques (positive psychology, et al). If you can raise your level of self-worth, you will likely see many areas of your life shift for the better because you are making better choices for yourself based on how you believe you deserve to be treated.
Incorporating technology and remote communication in coaching is becoming more common. How do you ensure a strong and effective connection with your clients when coaching remotely?
Coaching remotely is great because it provides total flexibility for clients who live far away from me to still access the benefits of my services. In addition to dedicated one-on-one coaching sessions, I also offer unlimited messaging support for my clients in between sessions.
Success means different things to different people. How do you work with your clients to define their own version of success and guide them toward achieving it? What does success look like for some of your clients? Is it more money, a life they love, a love life, more confidence, clarity?
Clients usually approach me with some roadblock in an area of their life, and in this vein, I view “success” as discovering an aligned action plan for the client to reach their goals. The coaching framework is specifically designed for this, and I also “assign” various tools and techniques to each client to help them shift their current perspectives. Some examples that I've coached clients through with repeated success include (but aren’t limited to!):
Reaching career goals
Navigating big life changes
Unlocking core confidence in dating and relationships
Getting "unstuck" when making big decisions
Working through fear, anxiety, and limiting beliefs
If you want to be able to work with J. Leigh to up-level your life, schedule your complimentary 20-minute discovery call at worthywomancoach.com before all the slots fill up! The sooner you start, the sooner your life starts to get so much better! I know that from firsthand experience! J. Leigh, would you mind offering a special promo discount code for our Female Power Player audience?
It would be my absolute pleasure! The audience of Female Power Players can use the exclusive referral code FPP10 for 10% off a coaching package offered on my website, www.worthywomancoach.com. When you sign up for your free 20-minute discovery call with me, there is an option to provide your referral code.