When starting out on any new journey, it’s good to have a roadmap to get there. But what if you want to stop for photos or bathroom breaks along the way?
Myth: You have to know exactly who you’re going to coach and what your “niche” will be before you can begin coach training.
It’s a common misconception that you have to know exactly what your journey will look like before you set out on the road. We’re here to dispel this myth!
Pamela Mulhearn, iPEC Certified Professional Coach, thought she had a good idea of what she wanted from her coach training program. Fortunately, she was open and receptive to any new possibilities that could come her way. This led to starting a business she never would have dreamt of before!
Her Podium® public speaking programs are about women, and for women, to empower their voices. Hear from Pamela and iPEC Admissions Coach, Christina Lord, in the latest episode of the Energy Explorer Live Series to learn how to discover your dream with a roadmap from coach training (and how to watch for the important pivots along the way!).
You’ll also find a transcribed excerpt from their conversation below.
This interview is part of iPEC’s Energy Explorer Live Series, which highlights members of the iPEC Coach Community who are using their talents, drive, and highest selves in order to live their purpose.
Christina Lord: The brain loves certainty, doesn’t it? And one of the things we do learn within coaching and within iPEC specifically is to surrender a little bit and be open to opportunities, as we’ll go on to share. From that experience, [you] really saw that your challenge turned into your opportunity; it actually unfolded your next step?
Pamela Mulhearn: It did, because I realized that I couldn’t live like this—I was living small and I was not taking advantage of any opportunity. I was just hoping the clients would come to me [through] referrals, which happens, but I wasn’t putting myself out there. And then I looked back, and I saw that common thread through all my [other] businesses. I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to put myself out there. It is very comfortable to sit back behind my computer and not worry about trying to get myself out there.
So, I eventually enrolled in a [public speaking] program and it was life changing for me, but while I was in that program it hit me like a bolt of lightning—this is what i’m supposed to be doing.
I loved working with women. And I understood the fear of using your voice—not having an empowered voice—not being able to speak in front of a group. I understood it. So it hit me immediately, “This is what you should be doing Pam!” And within an hour, the name Her Podium® came to me and I went right on GoDaddy and got my domain.
“I just knew that this is what I was supposed to be doing. It just felt right. And now the rest is history, and I’m empowering women.”
Christina Lord: Yeah, you are! And this is an inspiring story as well because, there you were, exactly where the clients are that you’re helping now, so it seems no surprise that you’re actually helping women say, “Well, if I can do it, you can do it, too!” because you’ve got that foundation of coaching and have that perspective.
But then also saying that this is another learned skill that you can actually empower women to see that if you step into your learning zone, then it sounds like a whole new world can open up before you.
Pamela Mulhearn: Absolutely! And I use my coaching skills every time I teach a class because the public speaking fear is based on limiting beliefs. And so we put the umbrella of limiting beliefs over everything that iPEC teaches you.
And I’m able to work with women and get them through that, to talk to them, to understand it, and I’m not sure that if I wasn’t a coach, if I would be able to do that.
Curious About Becoming a Professional Coach?
Check out our in-depth guide to the field of coaching, and find out whether it might be the right career path for you!
