Make Some Noise with Andrea Owen

I don’t very often write about or talk on the podcast specifically to coaches. Personal development is my game, BUT, I know there is a decent amount of you that listen to the podcast as well as those of you who are interested in pursuing this profession.  First, the world needs more great coaches. This pandemic has whispered in all of our ears how precious and fragile life is, that no one gets out of here alive, and the time to live our lives is NOW. Second, many newer coaches might be worried their business isn’t viable right now. You may believe that life coaching is a luxury afforded to few. But, just like there are many ways to coach, there are many ways to offer value and help your clients and audience.    And before I jump in, we do offer consulting here (both with me and my team), click here if you’re interested. Here are ten things I highly recommend doing if you are in the beginning stages of your coaching business, and many of those hold true even if you’re a seasoned coach.  Get training. Since the coaching industry is currently unregulated, anyone can call themselves a coach, hang a shingle outside and be open for business. And I know some good coaches who have no training, only years of experience. However, coaching requires specific skills that matter for your clients. Plus, clients tend to bring emotional and heavy topics to sessions, and an untrained coach can end up causing more harm than good. So, please, get trained.  Get support. Building a coaching business is like building any business, you can’t do it with zero dollars and zero support. I’ve talked to people who’ve got their training and think it’s like moving from one job to another. You just quit your other job and start life coaching, right? No. Coaching is not a business, it’s a skill. You still need to build your practice. You are going to have overhead and need time to build, so have savings, a business loan, or a partner with income that can help (and is clear on the fact that they are supporting your business). Make goals but be flexible. Like anything, make goals. You don’t necessarily need a traditional “business plan”, but you need something in terms of goals and not just fly by the seat of your pants. How many clients do you want or need? Do you want to build your audience to offer group coaching? Speaking? Write it down like you would any other goals. And if you find out you don’t like or aren't good at one aspect, pivot and try other things. Once you make goals and plans you don’t have to marry them.  Read the remaining 7 tips HERE.If you’re a coach and you feel like you need support-- we offer consulting, as well as coaching packages. We can help you with nailing down your messaging, figuring out what’s the best way for you to market yourself, and even if you want to write a book or start a podcast, we can help with that too. Click here to read more and apply. Plus, if you’re like, “Wow, I should probably work on my fear of visibility or my nasty inner-critic so I can really get my coaching business off the ground”, we're epic at helping people do that too. (Andrea facilitates specific deep, transformational work here, or you can look at a shorter package here.)http://yourkickasslife.com/335  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today I have an interesting episode for you. When Robert Kandell approached me to be on my podcast, I was like, “Wait, whaatttt, who is this guy?” I started looking into his work and he also sent me a copy of his book; I knew I had to have him on the show. He is known as “The Modern Mantor,” is an interpersonal communications and relationship expert, speaker, and podcaster. He is also the author of the book, unHidden: Book for Men and Those Confused By Them.  Most of the listeners of this podcast are women...but obviously you have men in your lives - whether it be father, brothers, friends, or spouses. And sometimes it can be complicated. Robert and I discuss the different ways in which we can be better communicators with each other, how practicing telling the truth can build stronger relationships, and where and why men tend to hide from their own truths. In this episode you will hear:  Where men tend to hide and why they hide, plus Robert shares some brain science and explains some of the reasons why men (and women) don’t do the work. (5:18) How Burning Man and an orgy led Robert to a new path in life and relationships. (10:32) The effects of withholding your truth from your intimate partners. (14:58) We are trained to be mediocre communicators, Robert shares one way men and women can have better communication. (19:31) The #MeToo movement was a huge wakeup call to society that the toxic habits of men and women supporting those men can no longer hold up and how the movement has affected men. (25:18) The imbalance of personal development between women and their male companions (whether it be partner, brother, etc). (29:21) http://yourkickasslife.com/334  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jennifer Louden is a pioneer in the life coaching industry and author of the upcoming book, Why Bother?. I don’t know about you, but I think the title and topic of her book are incredibly timely. As we watch world events unfold, many are probably thinking things like, “Why bother to do that project right now?” Or “Why bother speaking up about the things I believe in?” Why bother?Together, Jennifer and I discuss her new book and all of the implications of asking the question, “Why bother?” We talk about why it is essential to sit in the grey area of inquiry and curiosity, even when it’s incredibly uncomfortable. And, we explore the idea of desire and the importance of letting desire flow without knowing how it’s going to turn out.In this episode you’ll hear:  How the writing of a failed memoir led Jennifer to write Why Bother? (10:00) One of the ways “Why bother?” comes visiting (18:18) As we face an unprecedented climate crisis, how asking, “why bother?” helps us address that (19:00) Jennifer shares her six-step process for turning to the bright side of “why bother?” (24:03) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amy Ahlers returns to the Your Kick-Ass Life podcast! She has been a life coach for many, many years and is a dear friend of mine. She is a master women’s leadership and life coach, keynote speaker, and the bestselling author of Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves and Reform Your Inner Mean Girl. Amy is on a mission to STOP women from self-bullying and being so darn hard on themselves so they can make their greatest possible contribution.Today we talk about managing your inner mean girl during times of crisis, such as what we’re all going through right now. Together we discuss the idea of leaning into the depth of what is really important to you currently— which could be napping or jumping into a passion project. What is your soul’s message? We also chat about writing and how it can be a powerful tool for healing. In this episode you’ll hear: Reform Your Inner Mean Girl: why Amy decided to co-author the book (5:00) Don’t let your inner mean girl beat you up about what you are doing or not during this time of crisis (7:00) The stress response and the antidote to the stress response; the relaxation response (9:00) Common lies women tell themselves like, “It’s too late for me.” (12:00) The many different ways to journal and how Amy’s practice of writing a letter to her inner wisdom (30:00) Don’t forget to sign up for our free community call, Top 10 Kick-Ass tips to Get Your Project Started, Done or Out the door which will be held on April 22nd at 3 pm Eastern time. You’ll walk away with concrete tools so that you can create new awareness, heal some old stuff that’s been hanging around, and/or finish that novel or blog you’ve been putting off for years. http://yourkickasslife.com/332  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is a certified life coach, Liz Applegate. I’ve been wanting to introduce you to Liz because she is my lead coach here at Your Kick-Ass Life! (I so rarely use exclamation marks, so please know, this is very exciting!) She was hand-selected to assist me with my private coaching clients and I could not be more thrilled to have someone as fantastic as a coach as she is on my team. She is a certified Courageous Living Coach and has been called an inner-critic whisperer by many of her clients.One of the reasons I wanted to bring Liz onto the show was to speak on the topic of breaking the good girl rules, which is one of her areas of expertise. She explains that these rules are those in which keep grown women playing small. In this episode, we talk about what it actually means to play small, why we move through life unaware of our tolerations, and how we can work to let our innate gifts shine. We also talk about one of Liz’s deepest passions, creating connections with other women. I am super pumped to bring this episode to you today. I hope you enjoy it!In this episode you’ll hear: Liz’s introduction into the world of coaching, first through being life coached and then transitioning to becoming a life coach herself, in 2015. (6:00) What Liz means when she says, ‘breaking the good girl rules’  How Liz helps women get to the place of being their biggest/best self Breaking limiting beliefs: what they are and how to break them Creating connections with other women (29:00) http://yourkickasslife.com/331  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is a mixed bag of topics! First, I talk about how exhausted you might be, and not understand why. Most of us are emotionally and mentally exhausted, so if you need a nap, this is why. Next, I move on to values. Values are still important, even though you’re probably not living your life like you were the last time you did values work.I give an assignment in this section of the episode and talk about how the real work happens in the dark. I then move into some advice for other life coaches (I know there are a lot of you who listen!). About halfway through the episode, I speak to other life coaches, wellness people, and those of you that run online businesses. I’ve seen some people comment that life coaches and healers should stop promoting their services during this crisis, and I’ve got some things to say about this. In a nutshell, if you’re a coach or healer, don’t stop promoting your business because that would essentially be shutting down your business and that won’t help the economy. At the same time (and this is for everyone)-- be present as to what’s happening right now. Communicate about it. Be of service as best you can and know your limits and capacity. http://yourkickasslife.com/330  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’ve known Sam Bennet for many years now. She’s a writer, speaker, actor, and creativity-productivity specialist as well as the author of the best-selling books, Get It Done and Start Right Where You Are. Sam is the creator of the Organized Artist Company where she helps creative individuals get unstuck and move forward with their goals. She is such a joy and she gives the best advice when I need to hear it.In this episode, Sam and I discuss procrastination and overwhelm. She reminds us that other people can’t make us feel overwhelmed, it’s a feeling we put onto ourselves. And, she shares some ways to reclaim our power. As Sam said, “When you are doing something you like, in the way you like to do it, it’s not so hard to get stuff done.” In this episode you’ll hear:  What if you let this thing (whatever that thing is for you) be as big as it wants to be? (8:22) Overwhelm and procrastination are BIG words and used to describe many things (10:39) Setting worthy goals and how one can achieve them; plus the ‘groan’ zone (14:56) Some action steps to use your imagination for good (20:50) The eye-opening thing Sam does when she sees people doing things in which she disapproves (30:10) A 5-minute art exercise you can do to help you work through your feelings (32:19) The difference between being creative and being artistic (39:33) http://yourkickasslife.com/329 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I want to start this episode by telling you about two resources you may or may not know about. The United Way Emergency Relief Fund is there to help, click here to check it out and apply locally if you are in need. And if you have extra, you can help by donating here. Glennon Doyle, along with her sister, run Together Rising, a non-profit that helps people in need. If you can donate, click here, if you need help, contact contact@togetherrising.org. You may or may not know Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York. He posted something on Instagram last week that made me pause and think. What I want to focus on is the part where he’s talking about our behavior. Of course, our first instinct is to protect ourselves, our children, and our families. That’s normal, human behavior and if we didn’t have this instinct, we wouldn't all be here now. So if you’re beating yourself up for panic buying, or for not having reached out to anyone yet, try to practice self-compassion and let’s move on. I’m hoping by the time this episode reaches you, the dust has mostly settled. And by “dust mostly settled”, I mean the shock has worn off, you’ve figured out what your situation is right now, you understand we all need to take this day by day, and if you’re not there yet, you’re working towards a place of surrender. And if that’s the case, may we all be able to think about our behavior. Listen in to this episode as I break this down more for you and talk about how to be your best self during this time. I also get into GRIEF, as this might be something you’re dismissing without knowing how important it is. Lastly, on April 7th, I’m hosting a free Book CLub Q & A. If you’ve read 52 Ways to Live a Kick-Ass Life and/or How to Stop Feeling Like Shit, you don’t want to miss this! Bring your questions if you have them, and even if you don’t, I can guarantee you’ll learn something from the other women who bring their questions. Click HERE to sign up. http://yourkickasslife.com/328  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week I sent out two episodes to help you cope through these uncertain times. You can find them here and here. I’ll be airing another one later this week. But, today, I wanted to put out a regular interview. While we are overwhelmed with heightened anxiety and unsure of what will come next, many may be looking for a reprieve; just 45 minutes to focus on something else. Anything else. I hope this episode is that for you. I recorded this particular interview several months ago, with guest Regena Thomashauer (a.k.a. “Mama Gena”). I am such a fan of her work and of her, as a person! She is a teacher, mother, founder, and CEO of the School of Womanly Arts. She has authored four popular books, including her newest New York Times Bestseller, Pussy: A Reclamation. In this episode, we discuss why women should reclaim the use of the word pussy, developing sex appeal and exploring pleasure, and the importance of allowing yourself to feel a full range of emotions. In this episode you’ll hear:  Why women should use the word “pussy”, and why many women don’t want to (5:12) A woman who owns her pussy owns her life (18:00) Some ways women can begin to develop their own sex appeal and how to take it back (19:00) How women can start to experience a full range of emotions (33:00) http://yourkickasslife.com/327  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, first and foremost, I hope you are well, taking care of yourself, and taking care of your loved ones and community if you can. During these uncertain times, that’s the main thing we all need to focus on. Before I get into what’s on this extra-bonus episode this week, I wanted to urge you to take social distancing very seriously. If you haven’t played the Social Distancing Game, I urge you to go to this website and play around with the numbers. This is great to do with kids too. It shows you the math on what happens (in other words, how many people will die) if we wait to do social distancing, or if we just have a few friends over who aren’t sick, etc. Yes, people still need to work in order to make money. And yes, it breaks my heart that so many people in the service industry and other industries will take a huge hit during this time. If we work together in our communities, we can help those people recover, and if we practice social distancing we can collectively hit the brakes on this virus and less people will die. On Wednesday I sent out a podcast episode where I talked about knowing your boundaries in terms of news and other media. By no means is this the time for spiritual bypassing, but being glued to the news is likely not helpful either. Consume what you need to, take appropriate action, and take breaks. I also gave a few more ideas on how to cope, and today I’m back with more. In this episode I’m talking about your physical health (exercise can be your best medicine right now!), your spiritual, and now that I think about it, your mental and emotional health too. All of this is being tested for us, so it’s incredibly important to do your best to stay on top of it. In this episode, I also talk about trying to find something to ground you-- a symbol you might see on a fairly regular basis that you can use as a reminder to practice gratitude and/or to remind you to focus on what you CAN control right now. I close out the show talking about how eventually, maybe not right now, but eventually this will teach us all something. If you’re in a place to look and listen for that, that’s great. If you’re just barely trying to keep it together, your lessons will come later. Lastly, I’m putting together a playlist on Spotify of songs to help get us through this time. Please send me your song suggestions! Once we have a good playlist I’ll send the link out. You can reply to this email or DM me on Instagram. Please tell me the song AND artist. http://yourkickasslife.com/326  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices