Permission to Evolve
When I launched my first website, the original home page had a picture of a sunrise and the words ‘Live an Illuminated Life’ across the image. What I was trying to communicate was to connect to what was inside of you and find a way to bring it out into the world. Everyone said the website looked beautiful, but then my cousin Victoria said, “ It is too woo woo. You are a business woman and you are doing yourself (and those you want to work with), a total disservice.” I was heartbroken, but I knew she was telling me the truth. So, I changed it.
Over the years, I’ve given myself permission to evolve. My website has changed, but my mission has stayed the same: To help people discover what matters to them and help them create the life they want. So, when I launched Helen Churko Coaching. I also coined the phrase “ Shine a Light on What Matters. In Life, At Work, On Stage “ .
I knew that this was the manifestation of my brand; one that resonates for me, but just as importantly, with the people I want to serve.
Learning to cultivate the freedom to change and give myself the permission to evolve, was the greatest act of growth I ever gave myself, and doing it with others has made all the difference.
Here are some of the ways my clients have evolved:
An Author came to coaching so she could explore what her next book should be. While her intellectual focus was strong, underneath she struggled with beliefs about her expertise. When we started to explore where that message came from, we discovered a lifetime of experiences which encouraged her to not shine too brightly. We are often our own worst enemies! While old habits can die hard, she is now claiming her excellence, which today is generating new professional opportunities
An Executive Director at a non-profit organization who traditionally spent no more than 8 years in a position, was coming close to a tenth anniversary so she felt the push to start a job search. What emerged in our work was the realization that it was not a new job she desired, but the time to think deeply about the ideas that mattered to her. Doing that would allow her to embrace her role as a thought leader, while helping her to decide what she wanted to write a book on. She ended up keeping her job and has enrolled in graduate school
A Journalist started coaching to explore what her next professional project should be. As we worked together she realized that since she had two young children, what she really wanted was to carve out more time with her family. While work remained important, she decided that all projects she would explore in the future had to have enough time and space for her family's well being.
We think we want one thing, but as we grow, perhaps we want something different, or maybe we want a new version of our dreams. Evolving is healthy.
Is there a project you have always wanted to start?
A self-limiting belief that needs to be retired, but you don’t know how?
Perhaps working with a life coach will give you the direction and boost you need.
“What, then, is the best course for the real experts? To help the public understand how their field works, in particular how science works.”
A Case Study of Growth
Back in the late 1990's our speaker agency needed a new speaker on foreign policy, and the one name keep coming up was Fareed Zakaria. While at the time he had little visibility, his credentials were vast, and our client Thomas Friedman said ' He is the one you want. Fareed knows more about every corner of the world than almost anyone else'. After we heard that we moved forward with the negotiations to sign him.
I remember the first time I arranged for him to speak at a national trade association, their review was 'Smart and he will be something when he gets older.’ Ouch.
Still we believed in Fareed, and that he had a lot to offer, so the team worked hard to get him speaking engagements.Then the attacks on 9/11 happened and within a month Fareed wrote the Why Do They Hate Us cover story for Newsweek, and shortly after that Jon Stewart invited him onto The Daily Show.
Things began to shift.
“Hello, I want to book Fayrid Zachary” the caller would begin. My response was always, “Fareed Zakaria, yes I would be happy to help you.” Interest began to grow.
While outside events can deeply affect demand, it is up to the speaker to decide how they will respond to new opportunities.
Fareed Zakaria was a foreign affairs scholar, used to talking to think tanks and academics. Now he realized he would be speaking to the general public which would require a different set of skills.
While never dumbing down his content, he began using more stories to balance his political analysis, presenting complicated ideas in a way that resonated with every group he spoke in front of. He understood his responsibility to make his remarks accessible and leave audiences more equipped to understand the complexity of the world they were living in. Host organizations often say to a speaker, "oh we will have you back", but rarely does that actually happen. With Fareed, however, it became the norm.
Then came the bestselling books, a variety of media positions and finally joining CNN to launch his show, Fareed Zakaria: Global Public Square. With GPS, his visibility skyrocketed and invitations to speak started to flood in from all over the world.
Some individuals, when they get to that level, scale back their willingness to customize their remarks, or get on the phone with a host organization to understand the focus of those who will be in attendance. People were always surprised that as Fareed’s fame grew, he continued to be accessible and work as hard as when he started. He was and still is a man of integrity.
There are many things we cannot control, but how we respond to the opportunities that come our way is something we can choose to do.
Often, we think we have to get permission from others to live our lives, but at the end of the day permission is an inside job.
What do you believe is possible?
What actions are you willing to take?
What decisions are you committed to make?
What will the next step in your evolution be?
Are you an expert looking to develop your public offerings? A seasoned speaker looking to refresh your message? An agency looking to expand your speakers reach?
Either way let's arrange a time to explore how my public speaker coaching services and talent development consulting services could help YOU evolve..