We are pleased to be featuring Natalie Macaluso as our Coach in the Spotlight in today’s blog. Natalie is one of our graduate coaches whose business is focused on coaching creative self-employed people and business owners. She shares with us a little about her coaching journey and what she calls the ‘charming persistence’ needed to grow a coaching business.
What has led you to coaching?
I was going through a tough time in my life and a friend invited me to join a meditation challenge for 21 Days. Looking for anything practical to pull myself out of the mire, I threw myself into it. Along that journey, I had a bit of an epiphany. It’s kind of cliché, but it’s totally true. I wanted to help people fulfil their potential. I wasn’t sure about the specifics, but the sentiment was certain.
At the time I was Head of Customer Success at an employee engagement platform and coaching was something we advocated and supported within our customers’ businesses.
In previous businesses that I have started or been involved in, I have always been interested in having a positive impact on people’s lives. That came in a variety of ways, but I realised there had always been a coaching element to my work, I just wasn’t completely aware of it.
Sharing my thoughts with another friend, she suggested I investigate Life Coaching and sent me a link to The Coaching Academy Introduction to Life Coaching event. Very quickly it was like a penny dropped. “Oh, so this is the ‘room’ I was always supposed to be in.”
Most people become a coach to change the lives of others, how has coaching benefited your own life?
I have always said that I am my biggest experiment. If I am encouraging others to do things, I must be doing them too. With the knowledge I have, it has helped me structure my life differently and I see the impact that has.
Tell us about your journey as a TCA student, how did the qualification slot in with your busy life?
The bulk of my study happened during the peak of the pandemic so I can’t lie, my life was far less busy than normal! There isn’t some crazy rush though and the study is flexible.
My study started in the ‘old normal’ and I made a schedule to fit everything in. I read The One Thing and used time blocking to plot out my month. I now use this with my clients when they need support with time management too.
What was the most rewarding part of your Coaching journey?
I really value the tangible knowledge I gained. However, I met some incredible people through my studies that have become close friends. When you love coaching, generally you love to talk about it and having like-minded people to do that with is very handy!
Tell us about the work you do, how are you using your coaching skills?
I left my full-time job and set up my own private practice called The Orange Side. I have been coaching creative self-employed people, or business owners that need an injection of structure, motivation, and outside perspective to help them drive revenue. I have also helped other people leave their full-time jobs and launch their own businesses. I coach executives within corporate and run group facilitation which was always a goal of mine.
I will say, a huge part of that journey has been about sales and marketing and the commitment to go out and have conversations with people. I don’t love the word hustle, so my own personal brand of that is ‘charming persistence’.
What’s the biggest area in coaching you are curious about and why?
It gives me a lot of joy when I see other people love the work that they do and achieve what they want with it. When I talk to people about what is standing in the way of them achieving their goals, rarely do they say it’s that they don’t have the money or the contacts or the knowledge. The answer is almost always internal. Getting over those internal obstacles and making sure people are equipped to do it again and again, is very interesting for me.
I am also slightly obsessed with turning interesting theories into useful practice. That is what moves people forward!
What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue a life coaching career?
Be curious, open, and confident that you can be whatever coach you choose to be. You are not too old, or too young and your experience will always be of value because your experience is totally unique to you.
What are the best resources that have helped you along your coach training?
The Coaching Academy’s student platform is a huge wealth of knowledge as are all the learning materials. I read and listen to a lot of books, and I seek out thought leaders in my field to learn from. Following on from before, your own curiosity will be your greatest resource because you will always keep learning! Thank you Natalie for sharing your coaching journey with us!
If you are feeling inspired and would you like to have a coaching business you can run from the comfort of your own home, then do join us on our Introduction to Life Coaching webinar - choose from available dates here.
Are you already qualified as a coach? Our wide range of coaching training events, webinars and courses will enable you to upskill in your career or grow your coaching business – you can see the booking calendar here.
The Coaching Academy was established in 1999, and is now the world's largest coaching school.
In that time we have trained over 14,000 people to become life coaches.
We are accredited by the International Coach Federation and the Association for Coaching, and we're rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
