Why I Joined The Life Coach School Certification with Brooke Castillo

I’ve completed a lot of training in my lifetime. This is proven by the fact that I earned a Ph.D. in 2013! But even since earning a doctoral degree, you may be surprised to hear that The Life Coach School Certification process is the certificate I’m most proud of. It’s the first one that I earned simply because I wanted to. I didn’t do it for external validation or praise. I did it for me.

Let me take you back to the beginning of the story. In 2016, I was going through a career crisis. I was finishing up my third year as an assistant professor in my dream job, but it had been a difficult year for me. I was struggling with teaching. Our university president had just resigned. And a project I was emotionally invested in came to a screeching halt. 

I was devastated. I found myself searching for what was next. 

Getting Started with Life Coaching

So I dipped my toes into coaching that summer and into the fall. I found Brooke Castillo’s podcast in a random search and started listening. I proceeded to complete a foundational course in an ICF accredited program and then got to work coaching. My first paid coaching client started in January 2017. 

I was thrilled to be doing something that I felt connected to. I started coaching more clients, but then I started to run into a wall. While some of my clients were taking actions and getting results, some of them weren’t and I didn’t know why. I wanted to help them.

As I continued listening to Brooke’s podcast, I absorbed more of her wisdom. (Honestly, I was very suspicious of the fake nails and eyelashes. That’s not how we typically roll in academia! I wanted to see authentic evidence.) As reticent as I was, the more I read the books she recommended, the more I realized she really knew what she was talking about.

In the summer of 2018, I began wondering about my business. I questioned whether I should keep moving forward with it. If I should continue spending my free time coaching. But then it happened, as if by magic: Brooke revealed her first online certification cohort.

Something inside of me screamed YES. You have to do this! You must make this happen. I had heard the siren call when she first opened up Self-Coaching Scholars and ignored it. Now was my time and I wouldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. 

But I was PETRIFIED of spending that kind of money. I had spent less money on my car than this program cost. I had never paid for tuition in school as I was always on scholarship or fully funded in graduate school. (I took out loans for living expenses, for sure.) But this? This was a huge deal. I was on a mission to get out of debt and this felt like moving in the opposite direction.

The Life Coach School Certification

Even so, I took the leap and signed up. That’s also when I had my first experience with quality coaching for myself. I hired someone to help me work on my money beliefs (fortuitously, she’s now my accountant). A Life Coach School certified coach helped me to process through my thoughts and fears as we geared up for the program starting in October 2018. I had so many thoughts to manage but, through that coaching, I overcame my constant worrying.

And then I became unstoppable! 

Learning all of the tools and techniques from Brooke, I knew exactly how to help my clients get results. Now I have the model and I can understand what keeps a person from taking action. It’s because of the feelings that drive them. Circumstances are neutral. But it’s thoughts that create feelings. And the good news? I get to choose my thoughts.

I couldn’t have anticipated the monumental results I got simply from showing up for myself. Just from being coached, I was able to: 

• Become a time ninja as I balanced coaching and being a professor.

• Figure out with my husband how to reconnect after years of him traveling and me “being busy.”

• Become a confident mom when we adopted out of foster care.

• Reconnect with my own mother after years of not talking.

• Earn back all of the money I invested in certification (and more) within 6 months.

• Give myself permission to trust myself and make decisions for myself instead of asking everyone else around me what I should do.

• Stop outrunning myself.

• Deal with my emotions (boredom, worry, overwhelmedness, etc).

• Realize I wasn’t supposed to be happy all of the time. (100% happiness is a myth.)

And then I created an amazing result. Brooke asked me to be on the podcast.

Brooke Castillo’s Life Coach Podcast 

Her podcast is regularly in the top 250 list of all podcasts. This was huge. If you had asked me in 2016, when I started listening to her, “Do you know you’ll be on a future episode?” I would have looked at you quizzically. In 2018, I might have said, “Yeah, maybe in 2025?” 

But here I am, on one of Brooke’s episodes in 2020, sharing my enthusiasm with the world!

Related to that experience, I was also flown out to Dallas for a photo/video shoot to talk about my experience in Coach Certification. It all happened in the same week and I only had about two weeks to prepare. You know your true priorities when an event like this happens - I could have easily said my schedule was full or I was too busy. But I dropped everything!

In order from top left to bottom right - Andrea Scalici, Lauren Cash, Elizabeth Salazar, Lisa Hatlestad, Lindsay Dotzlaf, Janet Archer, myself, and Carrie Marshall

I was privileged to spend the day in Dallas surrounded by other incredible women. The conversations in between videos (and in such a fancy house!) were mind-blowing. I saw the evidence of what it’s like to put yourself in the room with smart people. These women were mirrors for myself and what I had also accomplished. 

As I soaked everything in, I heard earth-shattering statements just casually mentioned on the car ride or at dinner. We all helped each other to shine brighter. That trip gave me so much energy to move forward. 

Although Dallas was magical, I did need to come back home. But after being surrounded by these encouraging women, I am more trusting of myself now. I used this experience to anchor myself, to remember how far I’ve come and where I’m headed.

Is Life Coaching for You?

I want the same kind of energy and motivation for you to accomplish your dreams. I want you to “trust your knowing”, as Glennon Doyle puts it. When an opportunity taps you on the shoulder and you feel pulled to it - you go for it. That’s what certification was about for me. Listening to and acting on something I truly wanted to do, just for myself. 

You probably have things like this too. Are you pushing them away or leaning into them? Even if it’s scary. It’s time to take the leap! 

My Practical Strategies for Changing Your Money Mindset

For me, money seemed to be this ongoing, unresolved issue that hung over my head. I've lived most of my life thinking, "I don't have enough money and there will never be enough money." But as I’ve worked on my thoughts, I recognize that those are limiting beliefs. These thoughts are something I can change.

I also recognize I have a lot of privilege when it comes to money. The Global Rich List helps me put it all into perspective. It's really easy to perceive that everyone around us has more money than we do.

So this summer I decided to put my academic skills to work and research the topic. I wanted to share my process, so you can see if any of it appeals to you on your own money mindset journey.

First, I started with the books.

I had already read Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey in my early twenties. If you're not familiar with their work, it's a great place to start for the nuts and bolts of budgeting. But I needed something else. I didn't want to start with simple budgeting tools, I needed money mindset work.

What's a money mindset? It's the ideas that you carry around about money.

We all have them. By saying we want to learn, we can channel that growth mindset work (see Dr. Dweck’s work) and reshape our money mindsets.

Books I Recommend -

Jen Sincero's - You Are a Badass at Making Money. I was skeptical about this one. I thought Jen Sincero's original “You are a Badass” was okay and covered a lot of ground I had already read. But this one was amazing for me. My main takeaway was to embrace fear and take on those risks that seem to be calling your name.

Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanny (now Huson). This book is actually a wonderful workbook full of activities to take seriously. If you do the work, it's like hiring a money coach to walk you through uncovering what's inside your brain. I did the work and I'm so glad I did. A lot of our money issues stem from childhood, so uncovering those was really insightful for me. Returning to these exercises a second time this summer helped me see them in a new light.

Get Rich, Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas. Another helpful example of someone who turned their financial life around. She started with fewer resources than I  have and now makes seven-plus figures in her business. I am fascinated by other people's stories and how I can learn from them. She has great advice in this book.

Reading those books, I realized I needed more positive messages about money in my life. So I turned to a few podcasts too.

Personal Finance for PhDs by Dr. Emily Roberts. I may be biased since I was a guest on her show, but Emily has so many wonderful resources for academics concerned about their finances. We’re in a different situation than most and Emily is tuned into that because she has lived the life.

Be Wealthy and Smart with Linda P. Jones. - These are short podcasts that break down complicated topics into simple tips. I love how Linda makes it all very accessible.

Other Actions I Took -

Hiring an accountant. I always had thoughts in my head like:

• "Rich people are the only people who hire accountants."

• "You have to have a lot of money to hire someone to help you with your finances."

Those thoughts are self-limiting thoughts, I recognize that now. Someone recommended Kaylee Summyt to me and I can't sing her praises enough.

She held my hand through each getting started step, in a kind and non-judgmental way.

I upgraded my software with her help (from free Wave to Quickbooks). We streamlined my business expenses and invoices, preparing them each month. She also showed me exactly how much profit I make each month, instead of it being a hazy thought in my head. I thought I knew, but when you actually see the numbers in black and white, it makes all the difference. I wasn't ready to hire Kaylee during my first year of business, but now she is a critical asset as I continue to grow.

Kaylee also recommended Mint.com, which I had heard about, but ignored all these years.

I knew I needed to budget better, but it felt impossible to save every receipt, log it, and then add it up. I love Mint because it gathers all my family accounts in one spot and tracks the categories for me. How much did I spend on fast food, for real, last month? Mint tells me. It also helps me see the bigger picture with my net worth and paying off debt. Since I love statistics and graphs, it was a natural fit. I use it both on my phone and laptop.

Participating in a 30-day no spend challenge.

Kaylee hosted this one and it made such a difference. I like to stay “it stopped the hemorrhaging of money” from my budget. I realized that when I think I have a problem, one of my first go-to solutions was to buy something to fix it. “Oh I need a place to store these clothes, I could buy a clothes rack!” During the no spend challenge, I had to stop and say, “What’s an alternative to this?” I didn’t need a new clothes rack at all. I just needed to convert something I already had. The no spend challenge also helped me see that buying in bulk can backfire for me. When I have more food, I tend to eat more. I had to come to peace with knowing I could go buy more when I needed it.

Listening to money affirmation audio on YouTube.

It sounds a little strange until you consume a lot of money mindset content, but now I see how it works. I used to have a lot of negative thoughts about money. Listening to the affirmations gives me new phrases to use.

Some of my favorite money affirmations:

• I am worthy of great success.

• I clearly see opportunities to effortlessly make money.

• I am grateful for the wealth I have in my life.

• Money always flow to me easily.

• I know there is ample prosperity for all.

I tried to get a free, mini-support going this summer too. We were going to work through some of the Undercoming Underearning exercises together. There were several people interested, but our schedules didn't line up. So I stuck to the worksheets and readings on my own schedule. Support groups can be a great way to do the work together and it can’t hurt to try to put a group together.

Taking the time to do the work around my money mindsets continues to feel transformative.

I could have kept pushing it off, ignoring it, but it was time. If you're on your own money mindset journey, I hear you! Now, when I run into a big money block, I stop. I recognize it. I talk to a coach about the issue if I can't see solutions myself. We identify why my mind wants to think the negative thoughts and ways to change the thoughts. I still have a long way to go on my money mindsets, but that is part of the journey.

(The above post references an opinion and is for information purposes only.  It is not intended to be investment or financial advice. Seek a licensed professional for investment and financial advice.)