Natalie Micale, MS, RDN

A mistake I see SO MANY people make at networking events is to be so in their own heads about how they sound and look, that they don’t make nearly enough effort listening and connecting with the other people there. Instead of working to get your elevator pitch out before anyone else, try introducing yourself last. Give yourself time to relax, listen to what other people have to say, and remember why you’re there.

Offering support between service sessions, and then *actually* follow through on that is one of the things that separates the great from the good when it comes to any service providers, coaches included. Being consistent with this looks like setting and upholding boundaries and expectations, which is where a lot of less experienced coaches get themselves into trouble. It's a delicate line, but an important one.

I also like to remind my clients that SO MUCH of what we call imposter syndrome is normal. Not good, not great, but normal. We live in a world full of high pressure, low value societal expectations, it's no wonder so many people feel like imposters. If you're outside of your comfort zone, you're going to feel like an imposter. If you're doing big things that scare other people, you might be warned that you're likely going to fail. If you're taking a chance on yourself, you're likely going to be surrounded by people who wish they could but are too afraid to even try. I like to remind my clients that they're brilliant people doing big things. That's always going to be scary. And they're doing it anyway.

Accountability is the reason most people work with coaches. It's not our wildly unique ideas, the millions of letters after our names, or the coach trainings we went to (which is of course important, but we'd be fooling ourselves if we believed most clients care as much as we do about that), it's our ability to respectfully and directly hold our clients accountable to the things they said they wanted. By establishing accountability expectations and measures upfront, as well as reassessing them often, we set our clients up to achieve what they haven't on their own.

In my experience, people are resistant when they don’t fully believe you understand their situation. Eventually this will lead to mistrust if it’s not addressed. By ensuring your client trust you’re both there with the mission to elevate your client - not push an agenda - trust builds, and so does openness to new ideas.

Self-care rituals are the kind of thing all coaches espouse as SO CRITICAL, but I can tell you from my personal experience and those of many coaches I know and trust, it's so easy for us to fall off this wagon when times get busy. Paying attention to where we spend our greatest resources - time, attention, and money - makes all the difference when it comes to creating harmony. Personally, I prioritize physical activity and meditation. By only focusing on those 2, rather than the 10 or more I'd like to focus on in a perfect world, I'm sure to stay consistent with my rituals.