Ep 207 - Balancing Your Coaching Business and Your Personal Life: A Client Conversation with Sharon Jackson

Episode 207 of the Life Coach Business Building Podcast

In this episode, I sat down with Sharon Jackson, as she shares insights into balancing her coaching business and personal life, including how she navigated multiple responsibilities, defined her niche, and overcame challenges in marketing through the Business Building Boutique.

Sharon is one of our clients in the Fast Track Program. She is a successful entrepreneur with a passion for helping women create a roadmap to healing in the aftermath of intimate betrayal. 

Despite having been a business entrepreneur for 20 years, Sharon’s passion for working with women inspired her to step out into a new field in life coaching. 

Throughout our conversation, Sharon emphasizes the importance of passion, authenticity, and community support in fueling the success of her thriving businesses today. 

Sharon's story is an inspiring example of resilience, dedication, and the power of coaching in transforming lives. Tune in to learn how passion, authenticity, and community support can also help you build your dream lifestyle and change the world one person at a time.

👉 If you or somebody you love is on a journey of healing from infidelity and intimate betrayal, you may connect with Sharon through linktr.ee/belovedandmorethanenough to help you find vision, new awareness, and purpose as move forward into your next chapter.

👉 Join us for a FREE workshop on May 17th at 12:30 pm Central Standard Time, where we're going to be teaching you about making your offer. Reserve your spot now at debbieshadid.com/workshop.

👉 Check out my FREE Canva Workshop and learn how to create stunning graphics for your coaching business!

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a review and forward this to a coach who is building and growing their coaching business. CLICK HERE TO LEAVE A REVIEW

Don’t forget to connect with me on social media: Instagram | Facebook

Transcript:

Preview:  If you have taken something and it has not been successful, I would say just, you know, stay encouraged, check it out, see what you think. But you know, for me, it's the real deal. I feel comfortable that you will gain so many insights from working with Debbie, from being, um, a part of community of other coaches, you know, actually, if you're in that place of just feeling like your energy level is down or your, your passion has, um, like the passion fire may be low, this will reignite you to get you back to a point of believing in yourself and in this business.

Intro: Hello, I'm Debbie Shadid, the host of the Life Coach Business Building podcast. If you are ready to have more clients in your life coach business, then you're in the right spot. Each week I'm gonna teach you super simple strategies to grow your business without feeling overwhelmed and without spending money on paid ads. If that sounds interesting. Stick around and let's get started.

Debbie: Welcome to the podcast. I'm excited to introduce you to Sharon Jackson. Sharon is one of our clients in the business building boutique in our fast track program. She has a business and she works full time. She has a lot of employees. And a lot of people that she's involved with on a day to day basis in her business. And she has also been able to successfully expand her business. When Sharon came to us, she already had a business. And I just want to have her talk about how she's been able to manage the expansion of her business, her coaching business, and also be able to manage the full time responsibilities in her business that she owns and just be able to have life. So come join us, learn about Sharon, learn about her niche. It's a beautiful, beautiful coaching experience that she offers. And she'll answer a lot of questions for you so that you can figure out if the business building boutique is for you. 

All right. Welcome Sharon. I am so glad to have you here. As I mentioned in the intro, we're going to be talking to Sharon about her experience in the fast track business building boutique. Sharon, let's start out by introducing yourself to everybody. Tell us what you do and who you coach. 

Sharon: Thank you so much. First of all, Debbie, for having me today. My name is Sharon Jackson and I am a betrayal recovery coach. I actually help women create a roadmap to healing in the aftermath of intimate betrayal. So just being able to walk and partner with women doing that, this, I call it the messy season of life, the unattended journey, uh, being able to meet them where they are and to help them to find hope, healing, and restoration.

Debbie: Unintended journey. Yes. That's a good way of putting that. When I first met you and you told me about your niche, I was like, Oh my goodness, that is something that is so, so essential. When we think about niches, that's a little bit challenging to find your client because it's like, nobody's raising their hand and telling everybody, Hey, I've been betrayed by my husband or by my partner. It's a little bit of a different situation. So anyway, when you came to us, Sharon, you already had a business. Do you want to kind of tell me where you were at with your business when you started working with us? 

Sharon: I've been a business entrepreneur for about 20 years. I actually work with families and children in the early childhood education field and decided to pursue coaching about three years ago. And at the time, I currently have managed, you know, anywhere from 25 to 40 employees. I'm the actual chief financial officer of the business as well. So at the time I thought it was a little crazy thinking about starting another business, but I have such a passion for women and working with them and walking with them.

And I've done that for over 10 years through ministry with my church. So it felt like this was just my calling. And my next step of just stepping out into a new field that aligned, I felt with passion, the passion I have for women, but also it's a season of transition for me. I am looking ahead towards some type of semi retirement, and I thought this would be a great time to explore life coaching.

Debbie: You know, Sharon, when we talked, one of the things that I'm sure I said to you that I appreciate is that you're not in a rush. It's like you have a plan. And if I remember right, it was like, you know, in a couple of years, I'd really like to have this in the place that I could exit. If I want to, at that point, I thought to myself, that's such a relief that you don't have to rush and hurry to make it work today. You've had time to think about what it is you're putting together and, you know, time to let it evolve, I guess, without pressure. 

Sharon: Yeah. Yeah. You know, giving yourself grace, I think, and compassion is so important when you're starting any business. But, um, for me, again, I'm looking at two to three years, like you said. At that point, if I wanted to go into some form of full time coaching, this was an opportunity for me to just learn how to do coaching, learn how to market. I had no clue before meeting you, Debbie, uh, about the online presence because my established business, you know, most of it was in person, didn't do a lot of online marketing. So this program has really helped me with both businesses, learning how to get the message out there, how to create that brand and how to stick to, you know, defining your niche.

That was a struggle for me being in such a sensitive market of working with betrayed women. It was hard for me, what type of message do I put out there and how can they relate to me personally as someone who's safe and someone that they are willing to trust and build that relationship with. So you were very instrumental in helping me define that niche to a point where I now feel comfortable being able to share that and share it in a way that comes across feeling like, Hey, I care. 

Debbie: You know, a lot of the niches that women choose, they choose because it's their path. And I just have to say, you know, that that's another thing that's challenging. I mean, you want to do it because you overcame and triumphed beyond it. But that's another thing that's difficult about putting yourself out there is you're you know, as I like to say, you're running naked down the street. Everybody gets to see what, what really your story is. So I commend you for doing that. 

Sharon: Yeah, really just helped me because when I came to you, I actually was looking at two different niches. I was an empowerment coach and I also was a trail recovery coach and I'm like, I think that was a safety net for me because I didn't know exactly how to put that message out, but when I really start following what my heart and my passion and what I've been doing for so long and walking with women, it was easy to define my message around my heart, passion around my story.

And of course my victory was also in being able to overcome the trauma, of being in a relationship that, you know, just, I call it the “fairy tale came to an end and reality set in”. So, yeah, so it really did help me to stay true to my authentic self, what I felt that God was calling me to do. And, you know, my mission, my purpose is to just partner and give women hope in the midst of this, you know, season of uncertainty, pain and trauma.

Debbie: And actually, you are an empowerment coach for those women. 

Sharon: Yes, I do empower them to be able to make the choices that are necessary and find their best future self. And they make those choices from a place of healing versus a place of trauma. So yes, I do empower and I realize that was a part of what I do. But it did not have to be in my title. 

Debbie: Yeah. Yeah. And also I think it's worth pointing out that you actually coach people outside of that as well. Even though that's not what your title is, you still get to coach women on other things. 

Sharon: Yeah. Yeah. You know, the experience of 20 years of being in business, I do have private clients that come to me with just wanting to understand what are next steps, what are leadership skills, what are time management? So I do bring a little bit of that to the table as well. And you know, just being able to help them set goals and next steps and really being able to walk in confidence that they can, you know, whatever that, what if is, or that doubt, that little seed of doubt that they may have or where they are stuck, really helping them with movement, forward movement from where they are to where they desire to be.

Debbie: So you already had a business. You already had clients. So why were you looking for help? What brought you and I together?

Sharon: I have called myself a dinosaur when it comes to online and social media marketing. So I was really looking for someone to really help me to be able to even get to the point of creating an Instagram account, being able to set up my Facebook.

And I had a website when I came, but your program helped me again to go back and redefine a clear message, be able to look at my branding, you know, just be able to see, is this aligning to what attracts the market that you're targeting? So when I came to you, I was really afraid of social media and it's not my best friend now, but I can call it an acquaintance. So I am very grateful that I actually had a model which I could follow with very clear, detailed action steps that I could do on a weekly basis to help me learn social media, learn marketing online, and not, and so at some point when I want to delegate that to someone else. I still know how to do it.

So that was very valuable for me, but I got so much more just being in the community of other coaches. You know, being a life coach can be lonely sometimes when you're not in community with others. They're doing the same thing and just being able to come weekly and hear other women where they were asking questions that helped me, that resonated with my business, just being able to offer different suggestions, being in the Facebook group, being able to post any time and saying, Hey, anybody have any ideas around this or take a look at this. You know, I just created this new message for Facebook or I want to put this on my website. What do you think? Just getting that valuable feedback from not only you and your team, but also from other coaches.

Debbie: I think that's hard for people to imagine when we talk about the Facebook group and the coaching that like they can all be different niches. And yet you got feedback based on your niche, based on where you were in your business. And that again, I think that the questions that other people ask are often questions that you didn't think to ask.

Sharon: Yeah, I mean, you go in with your question at times and sometimes you just go in to listen and you always get valuable feedback. You always have takeaways and things that you can help improve your business and incorporate in the business. But I think also, you know, just forming community, just being in community in itself, uh, group coaching brings this aspect of, uh, I call it the me too, where I am.

You know, a part of the same mindset of others that are in that community. All of us are, you know, coaches that want to really go out, help others, empower others, and create a message that comes across professionally, that comes across clear, and that comes across from a place, I think, again, of authenticity, where you're not using anybody else's words or ideas. It's really coming from within. And you do a great job of helping us pull that out to get that, you know, message, your personal message out to your audience. 

Debbie: So how do you balance it all? What's the secret? Do you have one? How do you plan for these other women who work full time and they feel like Someday they're going to have a coaching business. Someday they're going to get it started. But right now they're stuck in a job. Now you have a business that you own. So it's slightly different, but how do you manage both of those things? And how have you been able to get your business? You've made tremendous progress. How have you been able to make that much progress?

Sharon: Yeah, I think for me, it was really being intentional about focus, focus on one business at a time. For instance, to give you an example, uh, Mondays are, you know, my coaching day. So everything surrounding my coaching business, Is usually geared to my clients to working on the business, working in the business, um, and anything goes, I won't have set for the week, trying to use that dedicated time on that particular day.

Of course, there are times when you get pulled into the other business as well. But you always start off with a weekly plan. I do. I try to stick to a weekly plan. It works, not all the time. Sometimes I veer off, but the goal is on Mondays, I try to do coaching and I try to schedule my clients in those time frames. And if I find that I can do that, I'm more productive. But however, I still give myself grace and compassion in that. If for some reason I don't accomplish something, that's okay. I still have it on my to do list and I'll come back to it. 

Debbie: Yeah. For the people that work full time, I mean, what would you say about trying to do this? I would say it's probably building a business is more than what people realize it is, but how would you say it is for them to be able to manage both? 

Sharon: Time management of course is a key. However, small steps. Take a little bite out of the pie. Don't try to eat the whole pie at one time. Just be focused on you'll get there. It's no race. Take the pressure off of yourself. This was a big one for me. The perfection game. Everything had to be perfect before I moved on to do something else. So, you know, just taking that burden and changing your mindset that you are more than capable of getting there, you will get there and not to rush about it.

Debbie: Yeah, so good. So what have you accomplished? I'm just curious if you can give us some highlights of what you've been able to get done. You are actually working with this for a second round, which I'm so grateful for. Maybe you'll talk about why you decided to resign too, but what have you seen and accomplished, you know, the progress that you've seen in your business and what have you been able to accomplish?

Sharon: Wow. So much, so much, I guess some of the biggest takeaways have been creating a signature offer. So when I'm meeting with clients for them to be able to see that roadmap to healing, uh, is very valuable. Um, being able to set up a business Instagram and actually posting on Instagram on a regular basis, having a Facebook page, I also created a private Facebook group.

I've had the opportunity to do several workshops, which was scary for me doing it online live. So I've had the opportunity to do the workshops and your plan helped me with that, you know, from step one to the actual live event help me to, you know, really have the confidence to step in and, and be able to do that and not have to worry about doing it from a place of affection.

So those are just some of the milestones that I've accomplished, just, you know, being in the program for a little over six months, I decided to sign up again for it because there were still a lot of things that I did not get to really focus on and work on. And I felt like I could go back. And really slow down again and look at some of those areas that I wanted to, um, just continue to work on and change and just be a mindset of growth. I think you can always learn more. So I was excited to do another round and this time I got the basics. So now I'm just fine tuning. 

Debbie: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of like now you have the. The branding really understood, you know, the technology, you've got your message really nailed, you know what your offer really is. And now it's like we can really pour into the marketing more and make that. So that's a more of a repeatable, easier process for you. Yeah. 

Sharon: Yeah. It is time consuming, you know, like anything that you're learning new. You know, you feel uncomfortable and it's okay to feel uncomfortable. I learned that, but you know, at the end of the day, when you see the end product of whatever you've created and your message, it really comes to life. And you know, it's exciting to see that. And it's exciting for someone to like something that you put on Facebook or someone love it or comment that just brings validation that, you know, okay. Well, the message is out there. People are receiving it and, you know, I can. If I get one like, I'll get many more likes.

Debbie: Yeah. Yeah. So what would you say to somebody who had a passion for, let's say coaching or somewhere in there? We have lots of different coaches. So, I mean, we have from functional medicine to anxiety, to yours, to binge eating. I mean, there's so many different niches. What would you say to somebody who's like, I think that's what I want to do?

Sharon: Yeah, I think, you know, it starts with the passion, you know, most coaches that I've met are people who are genuinely interested in helping people. And so if you're already doing that, you know, as I look back and reflect back over the years, I think I've been a coach. I just didn't have the title of it, but, you know, I would say pursuing that passion and coaching brings so many opportunities to be able to help people, but also partner with them, be able to really start a business that is set up at your pace. You have flexibility to make it whatever you like for it to be. This is all about what fits your lifestyle. What are you looking for right now? But it starts with passion, whatever you love to do. And you feel like it's in some way helping others.

Just explore it and, you know, just step out on faith that this is a part of something you can do. And, you know, you have nothing to lose. And so, I mean, when I did it, I had no idea where this would go, but I did know that I loved what I was doing and I just wanted to learn more about how to help people move forward and become unstuck. And so coaching seemed like something that was an ideal next step for me. 

Debbie: Yeah. And I always say, when you learn how to coach anyone, then you can coach yourself and it is like magic. The things you can do with your life now that you know, coaching, it really does change you for sure. 

Sharon: Definitely. Definitely. You find that you will use coaching in so many different areas of your life and, you know, even in just day to day conversations, you learn that you begin to ask questions. You become very curious, you know, to open up conversations. Yeah. 

Debbie: Well, for anybody out there who's on the fence, they've been listening to this podcast, they've come into our workshops. They're like, I've already bought all kinds of coaching. This sounds too good to be true. What would you want to say to them? On behalf of us at the business building boutique. 

Sharon: Well, I think what makes you different, Debbie, is that you come from a place where I've been there. I've done that. And you don't promote, I call it false dreams. You know, you don't come out with, Oh, you're going to have a hundred thousand dollars, you know, in six months or, you know, 10,000 a month. I can help you get there. It's not really about the money for you. I think, you know, most of your clients know eventually we will get to whatever financial goals.

We said, I think it's more about you really showing up for people, being authentic, just being very down to earth about meeting each person where they are helping us to overcome those anxieties, being a coach or running a business, and it doesn't feel like a marketing program. It really doesn't. It feels like a community.

It feels like even you and your team, you're so proactive on anything that we need and providing resources, answering questions. And since I have started your program, I have the guide and many other offers, marketing programs, and just listening to their message and how they start off is just an immediate turnoff because it's so different from the business building boutique.

And I love the word boutique because boutique for me means special, you know, it means individualized. It's different from the rest and, and that's what you receive with the Business Building Boutique. If you have taken another marketing program, I have not. This was my first one. So I hit the jackpot right from the beginning. But if you have taken something and it has not been successful, I would say just, you know, stay encouraged, check it out, see what you think. But you know, for me, it's the real deal. I feel comfortable that you will gain so many insights from working with Debbie, from being a part of community of other coaches, you know, actually, if you're in that place of just feeling like your energy level is down or your, your passion has, like the passion fire may be low, this will reignite you to get you back to a point of believing in yourself and in this business. But I love the program. I think it's awesome. And I encourage everyone who's listening to at least check it out. 

Debbie: Oh, thank you. All right. Sharon, I want to give you the floor to speak to a woman right now. Before we wrap up this episode, I want you to speak to a woman. I'm getting chills and emotional because in this place who needs your help. And tell them how you can help them, where to find you and why they need to work with you. 

Sharon: If you're listening and inquiring about seeking hope, healing, and restoration, you are in a place where you first and foremost need to understand that you are beloved, you're worthy, you're loved. And you are more than enough the name of my business beloved and more than enough coaching. I am here to partner with you. I'm here to help you figure out the crazy. I'm here to help you understand that you are not alone. 

And I'm here to definitely just walk with you on a journey of discovering who you are, new self awareness, what your values are, and most and foremost, that you can and you are able to be able to heal regardless of the choices of others. So, if you are in that place, and you're seeking just even to talk with someone, to have a safe community, please reach out. I would love to hear your story. And I always believe that our stories are part of God's story and it can be redeemed. And you are just waiting to find your best future self. 

Debbie: Oh, Sharon, it's so good, the work that you do. I don't know, goosebumps are crying. I don't know which one I want to do because it's just so, so significant. And we've talked a lot about making sure that we communicate safety to people, you know, making sure that people feel like they can come on essentially almost anonymously. Now we do protect, we do protect you ladies to make sure that there's no men on any of your calls, but you're really good about making it so that it's safe for somebody to come forward and say, this is my story.

Sharon: Yeah, yeah. I like to start with just one on one, just, you know, coming, sharing your story. Let's talk about it. Understanding my story. How did I find coaching to help me when I was in that season of uncertainty, not knowing what to do next. And just creating a space because most of the time as partners, we don't really get to share our story because we don't have that feeling of safe people, that we can do that. People who understand, who can empathize and who can validate your story. So the first step is just connecting with me, letting me to just be there to be that safe landing for you right now. And then we see how we move forward from there, but, you know, confidentiality, safety, I put a lot of things in place to make sure that we're safe.

That is in place for all clients. And, you know, at the same time, I want you to understand that, you know, when you're seeking, you know, guidance, when you're seeking clarity, a lot of the time the answers are mostly already inside of you. It's just that I'm there to help guide the process and to help you find those answers within. So, you know, as a Christian life coach, I truly believe that God can use the things that are happening in our life for good and pain can be turned into purpose. 

Debbie: Pain can be turned to purpose. All right. Okay. We're going to wrap it up there. I will leave all of her links and everything to connect with her. I also want to encourage you, if you know somebody, a girlfriend, a sister, a sister in law, a coworker who is in this position that is not a coach, please send this to him anyway, and just tell him to fast forward towards the end. Y'all can listen and tell what point Sharon starts talking about this or get the website address that will be in the show notes and make sure that you send that onto them so that you can do something to help them really make progress in their life or make decisions on what it is they want to do with your help. 

So Sharon, thank you so much for the work that you do. Thanks for choosing us, for staying with us, and I cannot wait to see everything that unfolds for you. 

Sharon: Thank you so much, Debbie, and all that you do. It's really a joy to be able to partner with you. 

Debbie: All right, have an amazing day, and I will talk to y'all soon. Thank you. Do not forget to sign up for our upcoming workshop, where we are going to be talking about how you grow your coaching business. All right, debbieshadid.com/workshop. And we'll see y'all very soon. Bye bye.

Outro: Okay, ladies, that is it for today. Before we go, I want to invite you to head over to debbieshadid.com. I have this incredible Canva training, specifically designed for life coaches where I'm gonna teach you how to use Canva to create beautiful graphics to market your life coaching. All right. Have an amazing week. I'll talk to you very soon. Bye bye.