Guest Post: The Power of Hiring The Right Coach

This is a guest post from Melissa Brown at Coach Ready Content.

“I don’t blow flowers up your rear. I tell it like it is and some folks don’t like that. If you want real help with your business, then I’m the coach for you. If you want someone to blow flowers up your butt, keep looking!”

I don’t know if those were the exact words. It’s how I remember hearing them, though, as Kelly McCausey laid out the description for her new People Power private coaching program in 2018.

Commitments

We were heading into October of 2018. I was finishing up the intensive month-long Stretch Yourself Challenge Kelly hosts every September. I had played all out during the challenge. This led me to commit to hosting my first-ever online bundle in early November 2018. I  decided to make it a fundraiser for my favorite non-profit, BlinkNow.org. This commitment was stretching me way outside of my comfort zone. I was excited and also full of fear and doubts about my ability to pull it off.

I wanted to keep the momentum going from the Stretch Yourself Challenge. I knew I needed help to fulfill the vision for the bundle fundraiser I wanted to create. When Kelly talked about the support she was envisioning for her People Power program, I knew it was something I wanted to explore. My interest was piqued but was I ready for this kind of commitment?

Would It Be Déjà Vu?

I was no stranger to the coaching process. I believe in the effectiveness of coaching  to help someone move from where they are, to where they want to be. In the past, though, I had signed up with other business coaches and was left disappointed with the results. There was something about Kelly’s description of People Power combined with what I knew about Kelly from being in her community for several years that made me believe this coaching experience promised to be different.

Kelly and I got on a phone call and she answered all my questions about the program. This was a brand-new coaching program she was launching. As Kelly laid out her description for the logistics for the year-long program, I caught her vision for what she wanted to create with this experience. It was unlike any of the other coaching programs I had participated in previously.

Specifically, I paid attention when Kelly promised not to blow flowers up my butt. I knew Kelly tells it like it is whether you want to hear it or not. I wanted that honesty and direction.

What I Needed and What I Got

There were two things I was looking for with hiring a coach/mentor. I didn’t realize it at the time, but by hiring Kelly, I gained so much more than those two things.

First, I wanted someone with experience to speed up my learning process and help me move forward when I got stuck. Someone who could help me avoid the mistakes that inevitably slow down the process.

Second, I also wanted accountability—someone who would hold my feet to the fire with what I said I wanted and was willing to do to get there.

I took a deep breath, jumped in, and there was no need to look back. After the outstanding results of one year in People Power, I signed up for a second year! Initially, I may have had only a few things on my wish list for a coach, however by hiring Kelly, I got all that and much more!

Different From My Past Coaching Experiences

What makes coaching with Kelly different and outstanding is her experience and knowledge of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the online world. She definitely doesn’t blow flowers up anyone’s rear end. You work and get results. Or you don’t do the work and your results are commensurate. Kelly doesn’t sugar-coat and coddle.

Personal Responsibility

One of Kelly’s favorite lines is, ‘We’re all grown-ass [women/people] here.’ Kelly expects people to step up with personal responsibility and follow through. We’re all adults and we can make responsible choices to do the work or we can choose to slack off. It’s not the responsibility of the coach to guarantee results when the client is repeatedly choosing to not fulfill personal responsibility. I learned this from watching Kelly interact with others—she takes no bullshit and calls people out with their excuses. Yeah, and she did that with me, too, when it was needed.

Community

Coaching with Kelly comes with a side dish of community; a carefully curated, supportive, and smart community. One of Kelly’s personal values is creating community. She treasures and tends her community like no one I’ve ever witnessed.

This community is a priceless resource. Joint venture partnerships are hatched here. Support and feedback are requested and given freely. Everyone is genuinely interested and invested in the success of each and every member. I’ve never felt more connectedness with another online community. This is the model for all others.

Stretching

Throughout the 2 years I was in Kelly’s People Power coaching program, time and again I felt challenged by Kelly to step outside my comfort zone. The result of this stretching was the creation of products I’m proud of—PLR content products, products to teach content creation, and the creation of several collaborative events like the Everyone Wins Bundle and the She’s Got Content Virtual Summit 2020.

I continue to stretch and like any muscle that is exercised, the stretching gets less difficult each time a new stretch is attempted.

Confidence

Coaching with Kelly gave me the confidence to step into my zone of genius. Through the Coaching in Triads experience that Kelly brings to her community, I re-discovered my love for coaching. I’m certified as a life coach and I’d drifted away from that as an offering in my toolbox. As a result of this re-awakening my love of coaching, I’ve created a new personal brand with She’s Got Content. I’ve created a group coaching experience and now offer private coaching and VIP coaching.

Boundaries

I admire how Kelly sets her boundaries with her clients, yet as a client of hers, you feel like she’s always readily accessible. She does this through Voxer coaching access. If she’s ‘off’, she merely answers your Voxer message when she’s back ‘on’ the clock. Having worked in a career where I was available to my patients 24/7 and had no boundaries, Kelly’s ability to do this is remarkable. She sets a healthy example of a practice to prevent coach burn-out.

Staying Connected

After 2 years of private coaching with Kelly, I feel complete. For now! I know I want to stay connected with Kelly and her community—after all, I’m a lifer! I’m staying involved with Kelly’s group coaching, Momentum Monthly Mastermind, which is another great opportunity Kelly offers to continue accountability, connection, and community.

Your Kind of Coach?

Kelly was right. She doesn’t blow flowers where the sun doesn’t shine. If you’re looking for that in a coach, keep looking.

On the other hand, if you want a coach with experience, knowledge, and the ability to move you more quickly from where you are to where you want to be, look no further. Kelly’s the coach you’ve been searching for.

About Melissa

Dr. Melissa Brown’s career journey has always had an element of teaching–initially teaching parents and children how to live a healthy life through her work as a pediatrician.

After retirement from clinical practice in 2009, Dr. Brown has taught and mentored as a healthy lifestyle coach, author, and speaker.

Dr. Brown now helps teach and train solopreneurs and coaches to stop being the world’s best-kept secret. Her mission is to help others:

Create great content. Impact people. Change the world. 

You can find her at Coach Ready Content.

Note from Kelly: I read this and grin from ear to ear. It’s been a pure pleasure working with Melissa over the last two years. I consider her a precious friend and valued contemporary in the world of content marketing ❤

I can’t recommend her enough if you’re looking for support with your efforts to make an impact with your content.