How Failing Helped Me Start bCoached

My journey as an entrepreneur was anything but what I wanted and far from what I dreamed.  I had romanticized making a difference in the world through my company and the employees that I hoped to hire one day.  Instead I went through many sleepless nights, periods of anxiety, bouts of low days, and loneliness despite being surrounded by people.  These parts of entrepreneurship are often not considered as us dreamers take on the cross of entrepreneurship. 

Sure we know that it won’t be easy, but easy from a physical and mental standpoint. We will work hard, have many late nights, and make tough decisions; this is expected. What is often unexpected is the emotional and spiritual strain.  The feeling of never reaching your best, because there’s always something more to learn or do.  The idea that your friends and family just don’t get it.  The perpetual rejections and the insane drive to keep going. This is all part of entrepreneurial life.

As I write this, I am overwhelmed with emotion. I am thankful to remember where I came from and for where I am today.  There were times I wrote in my journal, “This is a shit moment, but remember it so that you can give thanks when you reach the top.”  I have not reached the top, but yet I am so thankful for this moment.  This moment is beyond what I would have dreamed for myself in 2016 when I started my venture.  

In 2016 I never would have imagined that I would be helping others learn and grow.  What’s crazy is that I truly believe that I had to experience those “shit moments” to reach where I am today as coach, and I absolutely love what I do.  I love it!  I love when my clients come back and tell me that they felt prepared and calm during a difficult conversation.  I love when my clients get to the bottom of their fears and turn it into strength.  I love when participants in a webinar or group coaching take a moment at the end to share gratitude.  I love when my students sign-up for subsequent courses and say thank you for a great class.  I love it, I love it, I love it!

This is my calling!  And in finally understanding my calling, I am diving deep into the world of entrepreneurship once again to help people be even better people.  To meet them where they are on their personal and professional development journey.  This is why I founded bCoached.  

The power of coaching

Coaching has become an integral part of my learning and personal growth. I felt like a failure when my company didn’t succeed.  Not only did I feel it, I thought that I was a failure.  I had given everything that I had to my company.  My best wasn’t enough.  I wasn’t enough.  My identity was tied to my business. I battled with this for many months, which caused me to withdraw, lose motivation, and drained my energy.  

Through coaching I discovered that my beliefs were holding me back and I was not living my values.  My fear of failure prevented me from advocating for myself and taking small steps forward toward my dreams.  Although I valued my family and friends, I avoided them like the plague.  I now know this cognitive dissonance was rooted in the collapse of my identity, which I rediscovered.  I discovered all of this by going through the coaching journey (and was further expanded upon in my coach training course).  Each conversation, reading, and “homework” assignment helped get rid of the bad weeds, one by one, before they consumed my potential.  I now stand firmly planted and ready to support others through bCoached.

Coaching is powerful.  Those who go through the coaching journey will transform their mindset, become more self aware, discover blindspots and opportunities, create more options, and lead the life of their choosing.  Through bCoached I aim to help you gain the self insights and awareness that will lead you to be even better than you are today.

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Danielle Francis is the founder of bCoached and a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. Interested in working with a coach?  Contact us to be matched with one of our experienced coaches and receive a complimentary discovery session.

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