Tracy Hart - 'Helping people move from good to great'

What brought you to coaching? 

I was planning to take early retirement and wanted to take the bit of my corporate role, that gave me the most joy, which was the working with people and develop a role for myself that would allow me to continue helping people, but has more time and flexibility.  

So, when I saw an advert for the free webinar, I thought, why not go along and see if coaching could fit the bill.

What was the most rewarding part of the training journey?

Meeting and working with other awesome coaches. Also reigniting my love or learning.

Which bits did you enjoy the most?  

The buzz and energy at the live training. You always come away super motivated and I used to get so much accomplished the weeks following an Accelerator Day.  Is this why you guys called them Accelerator Days? (It is!)

What did you find most interesting to learn? 

The big 'ah-ha' for me was learning what coaching wasn’t and just how powerful it can be.  It never feels like work, because you get such a buzz when someone leaves your coaching session in a better place.

How did the qualification fit into your busy life?  

I was still working when I first enrolled so time was scarce, but I would use my time on aeroplanes – as I travelled frequently for work - to study or do research and I would coach in the evenings/weekends, if the time zones allowed, or when I was at home.   

Where are you now? How are you using your coaching skills? 

I am newly qualified and slowly building my coaching business.  My policy is quality over quantity, so, I only work with a limited number of clients at any one time. I want to be able to give my full focus and commitment to helping them achieve success and keep a comfortable work/life balance.

What is your coaching niche and why did you choose it?  

My niche found me really, it may be my corporate background, but most of my clients come to me for help with their Business, Career or when they want help with a significant change in their life such as retirement, redundancy or their nest is about to be empty and they want to start working on that 'bucket list.'

What is the best thing that could happen to your coaching business in the next 2 years? 

My client base increases and varied.  In addition to individual coaching, I would love to partner with another coach with different skills/background and see where that might take us.  I also want to do some volunteer coaching, maybe for school/university leavers or business startups.

What is your favourite coaching question? 

If I could grant you a wish for this session, what would it be?

What do you enjoy most about being a coach? 

Being able to help people move from good to great and seeing how they can improve their lives.

What are your top tips for:

People who are looking at coaching? 

If you love to help people be successful, then why not.  I wish I had learnt to coach early in my corporate career, who knows where it would have led me, but I do know it would have made me an even better leader.

Those coaches currently in training? 

Be consistent, set time aside that you can commit too and then use it wisely ensuring you do your course work, LRS’s etc. as you go along.  Get coaching immediately and coach as much and as many different people as you possibly can.

Coaches that are about to qualify? 

Building a coaching business is more than just coaching.  As much as we would like clients to miraculously find us, they don’t, so start thinking about your marketing and how you are going to lead clients to your door.  It will take more time than you think to build your client case, but don’t give up, keep at it, be consistent and don’t be afraid to outsource if marketing isn’t your thing.

People that are in a similar situation to yourself?  

Running your own business from home can be isolating, so make sure you stay connected to your coaching network, stay up to date with the coaching industry and attend as many CPD days as you can to continue your learning and keep your skills current.