How I Overcame the Title & Embraced the Career of a Coach
“The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.” - Barbara De Angelis
We are currently in a time of constant flux as we continue to ride the wave of our social, economic, and political conditions. We struggle with overwork and burnout as our responsibilities extend beyond our expectations at work, and at home. We try to navigate the unknown, the unpredictability, and the unexpected, but our GPS keeps changing direction; we lose focus every time we refresh to a new location and we are left feeling tired and depleted.
But we get up and do it all again the next day.
Before long, the stress turns into overwhelm, the pressure into indecisiveness, and the anxiety into numbness. We feel nothing more than a victim of our circumstances.
This was me at the beginning of 2021.
Life now is radically different.
Why?
Because I made a choice.
I chose possibility over limitation.
I chose creativity over productivity.
I chose expansion over resistance.
I chose transformation over information.
I chose faith over fear.
And it all started when I changed my mindset around coaching.
For a long time I believed coaches to be overrated, overvalued, and well, over. But I found myself at a crossroads: I could take the easy route, continuing to go through the motions and be “okay”. Or I could step into the unknown, do the hard work, and take what turned out to be the path of least resistance.
It was in the practice of coaching that I was led to discover a new way of living, a new way of being;
One in which I could feel aligned in my purpose, good in my work, and fulfilled in my life.
I was no longer shrugging my shoulders and throwing my hands up at my circumstances. Instead, I was learning to stand in choice. I was learning that I could choose to create a life for me, instead of one that was happening to me.
It was in this work that I found clarity on my next step, the next path of my career: coaching.
These days, the conversation often goes like this:
“What are you up to?”
“I’m a coach.”
“What kind of coaching do you do?”
Well… a quick look at my bio on social gives you my best attempt at summarizing it: “building prosperous businesses and fulfilling careers with purpose”.
But the truth is, it’s much more than that.
I help clients dig up the dirt, so they can understand what it is that they really want.
I help clients by holding up the mirror, so they can face the truth they aren’t seeing.
I help clients get clear on their goals, so they can align their actions to the outcome they desire.
I help clients understand themselves, so they can better understand others.
I help clients to show up fully as themselves, so they can live a life where they are integrated in all parts of who they are.
Call me whatever you want:
a business coach,
a career coach,
a clarity coach,
a leadership coach,
an integrated life coach…
But at the end of the day, it all comes down to your curiosity and courage to see possibility - in your life, your career, and your relationships. To have an open mind to a different way of thinking, of doing, of being. The best way to learn more about what I’m up to, is to have a conversation.
Kirsten Schmidtke is a professional coach, creator, and lover of lake life. She works with leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs to help them up-level their careers, businesses, and lives. Are you ready to explore what’s possible for you? Contact Kirsten to start the conversation!
