Shelly-Anne Mckay: Five Things You Need To Create a Highly Successful Career As a Life or Business Coach
Plant lots of seeds and water them frequently — By seeds I mean relationships, seek out the people or organizations that you would be thrilled to work with or be a part of on some level. Reach out to the individuals who are key stakeholders and find out how you might be able to support their mission or vision. Offer to volunteer or take on some task related to a project in an effort to build connections and relationships. Then as you create these relationships, nurture (water) them regularly. Do not expect to speak to someone one time and have them remember you. Make a consistent effort to reach out, build rapport and trust. People like to do business with people they know and trust. So work towards that.
The coaching industry is now tremendous. It is a 15 billion dollar industry. Many professionals have left their office jobs to become highly successful coaches. At the same time, not everyone who starts a coaching business sees success. What does someone starting a career as a life coach, wellness coach, or business coach need to know to turn it into a very successful and rewarding career?
In this interview series, called “Five Things You Need To Create a Highly Successful Career As a Life or Business Coach” we are interviewing experienced and successful life coaches, wellness coaches, fitness coaches, business and executive coaches and other forms of coaches who share the strategies you need to create a successful career as a life or business coach.
In this particular interview, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Shelly-Anne Mckay
Shelly-Anne is a four-time internationally Certified Balance and Performance Coach with more than three decades of experience in media, consulting, and coaching. She has helped thousands of exceptional performers discover and achieve their sense of purpose and fulfillment in a way that supports their business, personal and wellness goals; rather than destroying these in pursuit of success. Shelly-Anne’s expertise and passion are rooted in the areas of Functional Medicine, Addiction Recovery, Executive Leadership and Corporate Development.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and what brought you to this particular career path?
I truly believe I came to the field of coaching through divine intervention, the universe aligning and my commitment to taking one small step forward every single day. I spent over twenty years in the entertainment and music industry, striving to reach the top and ended up completely burned out. In an attempt to recover, I accepted the role of Director of Communications for a health and safety organization thinking a change of industry would be the answer. It wasn’t. I quickly discovered how much I missed the creative work I was doing and deep down always wanted to return to the entertainment industry. So when an opportunity to return presented itself — I took the leap back in. I was quickly reminded how demanding the industry could be which had a huge impact on me mentally and physically. I decided to take a stress leave and recover a second time. I knew that I had to find a better way to earn a living, but how? I headed for Saint Lucia to get re-acquainted with myself and long story short, I met this woman in the ocean who is an Executive coach and she mentored me to get clear on a new path. Originally I thought it was to become a psychologist or social worker and here I am now with thousands of hours of coaching under my belt, a thriving successful practice and I leap out of bed every day curious about each of my clients both personal and corporate. I still pinch myself sometimes because some days I had no idea how I would make a dime to pay the mortgage and here I am living what I will call is the life I once considered a dream. It is now my reality and I am grateful for every waking moment. I still have to be mindful of how I balance my life and business to ensure I can perform at my best, but I get better and better at this every day.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Commitment — There were times I felt like giving up and throwing in the towel, but I stayed the course. I remained committed to my decision to create a new path and continued to take one small step forward every day. Deep down I knew that it would pay off someday.
Bravery — I had to be super brave. It was scary to leave a high paying industry and jump into something new. At times I did not know if I would have enough clients or work to make ends meet. This meant I had to do things at times that were outside my comfort zone. Like calling up the talent manager for the largest corporation in my city to find out how they hired coaches and what they looked for. It was that phone call, genuine curiosity for what mattered to him and a few Starbucks coffees that earned me a position on the coaching roster for the executive leadership team. That one call gave me the confidence to make more calls.
Trust — I had to trust daily that everything was happening in my life for a reason, even if it wasn’t completely obvious as to why. I trusted that every brave step I took would work out if it was “supposed” to. If it wasn’t the right step for me, then the door would be closed. I still say I leaned into faith and trusted that if I walked through the open doors and left those that were closed that all would work out — which it did.
How have habits played a role in your success? Can you share some success habits that have helped you in your journey?
Habits have played a significant part in my ability to create success. The number one habit is honoring my mantra of “Today I will do just one small thing to move X forward” and then actually taking action on the small thing. This helped me create steady forward movement, even if it was a snail’s pace at times. As long as I saw I was moving towards what I wanted, I was happy that I was making progress and that kept me going. The other habit is creating boundaries around my personal time, my creative time, my physical wellness, my workday and my business vision. Carving out time for these things and holding true to them is essential for my mental, physical and spiritual health. Another daily habit is I schedule all the things that matter to me. This is true for personal wellness, clients, group sessions, meetings, physical care, indulgent self care practices i.e. manicure and dinner with friends. I believe that what gets scheduled gets done. So every key detail and important task is scheduled through my calendar or the task management program that I use. The last big one is making sure I spend time in nature at minimum once a week in some way. This resets my nervous system and gives me the ability to maintain balance and be more creative.
This will be intuitive to you but it will be helpful to spell this out directly. Can you help explain a few reasons why it is so important to create good habits? Can you share a story or give some examples?
I feel like if I don’t have habits or routines to support what I do then I would be operating more or less on autopilot and be more “reactive” to my environment versus pro-active. It creates great peace for me mentally to have things planned out each day to ensure that I don’t overdo it and find myself out of balance. Habits become second nature after a while and therefore the outcomes I want to attain are created. I couldn’t imagine the cognitive energy that would be required to be juggling a number of tasks with no habits to support me to the end result. Waking each day to mindfully read positive inspirational messages, take a few deep breaths, do some meditation and stretch my body prepares my mindset for the day ahead. As does ensuring I have healthy and nutritious grab-and-go options for the really busy days on hand. All of these habits help sustain my energy, my brain function and my body to meet the demands each day.
Speaking in general, what is the best way to develop good habits? Conversely, how can one stop bad habits?
In my opinion, one way to develop good habits is through habit stacking. Essentially this is choosing a habit or routine that I do consistently each day and then adding something new onto that one. For example, I always start the day with a fresh cup of ground coffee, so putting my vitamins and supplements next to the coffee maker the night before ensures that I will likely remember to take them when I pour my coffee. Or doing my daily stretches before I get dressed for the workday by putting my yoga mat near my clothes reminds me to stretch before getting dressed. These actions are helping me create successful outcomes. Stopping habits that are not supportive is super important, yet not easy to do. When I have wanted to stop a habit I have had success in replacing it or substituting it with a healthy more desirable habit. Many years ago when I smoked; it is the first thing I would do after pouring my first cup of coffee. Now I have replaced the cigarette that goes with my coffee with my vitamins and supplements. It took some time to create the change; but the idea of replacing something that was bad for me with something that was good for me truly helped to make this habit stick.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
“Anything you can imagine, you can create.” — Oprah
This truly is what I believe to the core. If you can’t imagine or envision what you want, then how could one ever create it? I completely imagined what I wanted in terms of my business and the way I want to live my life and that is exactly what I created. Now I am dreaming again and envisioning what I want the next chapter to look like. Dream big, why limit yourself?
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Right now I am super excited to be the lead and Master Mentor Coach creating a corporate recovery coaching designation (CRCD) credential for an organization called iCare which is focused on strategic sobriety solutions for the corporate workforce. The pandemic has challenged teams and organizations on so many levels and this has resulted in an even greater increase in addictions among individuals in every age category. It is my hope that by credentialing highly skilled coaches to effectively partner with team members in corporations to make choices that support their health instead of harm it; the better off we will all be. As someone who has over a decade of recovery under my belt, I only wish the organizations I worked with or for in the past really took actions to support mental health and wellness of its team members; not just talked about it.
I am excited to be developing a customized approach to support organizations and its leadership to create the healthiest workplaces for their team members to thrive in. In order for an organization to have a workplace that is truly balanced it has to begin with the leadership walking the walk. Balanced leadership translates into balanced team members which is essential to organizations achieving their vision, mission and reaching their peak performance levels.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Many coaches are successful, but some are not very successful. From your experience or perspective, what are the main factors that distinguish successful coaches from unsuccessful ones? What are your “Five Things You Need To Create a Highly Successful Career As a Life or Business Coach”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
A clear vision of success; what does this look like exactly? We cannot create that which we do not see. So the first step is deciding what exactly you want to create. Right down to the smallest details. What does your workspace look like? Who are you coaching? How? What are you coaching them on? Capture this in a meaningful way so you can refer back to this; when opportunities come your way to ensure they align with your vision and to keep you going when you maybe don’t feel like it anymore.
Get off the comparison train — I found myself second-guessing every single move I was making in the beginning as I spent more time watching what my colleagues were doing; instead of just putting my own ideas out there in the world. I would go on social media and see that my colleagues created workshops or retreats and found myself reacting and creating out of the desire to “keep up” versus creating what truly spoke to my heart. Do not focus on what others are doing so much. It’s good to know our competition and their offers, but do not let it define your direction. Instead, create your own!
Have a plan — Think through your steps to get to the final end goal you desire. What key factors or milestones will need to be completed along the way and what is realistic in terms of a timeframe to make these things happen? Be overly generous with dates and timelines to ensure you can confidently execute your plan. The last thing you want is pressure driving your decision-making. How will you generate that level of revenue that you wish to earn? Work backward essentially; break down the numbers and determine what it will take to get there.
Invest in yourself — Do not hold back when it comes to supporting your professional development and business goals. Take that certification that you feel will give you the edge, hire that mentor coach/coach supervisor to have an accountability partner, seek out others that are successful, and learn from them. Spend some money in this area and invest in yourself and your future. You don’t know what you don’t know — so seek out successful people and programs to support your dream and desire. You deserve nothing but the best that you can afford and if you can stretch yourself a little — do it!
Plant lots of seeds and water them frequently — By seeds I mean relationships, seek out the people or organizations that you would be thrilled to work with or be a part of on some level. Reach out to the individuals who are key stakeholders and find out how you might be able to support their mission or vision. Offer to volunteer or take on some task related to a project in an effort to build connections and relationships. Then as you create these relationships, nurture (water) them regularly. Do not expect to speak to someone one time and have them remember you. Make a consistent effort to reach out, build rapport and trust. People like to do business with people they know and trust. So work towards that.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen coaches make when they start their business? What can be done to avoid those errors?
The biggest mistake in my opinion is being super focused on increasing the fee/rate they charge for coaching. Instead, put your efforts into becoming the most skillful coach you can be. It is successful outcomes with clients that make for a long waiting list. If your clients are attaining their goals and making progress they won’t want to leave. I say it’s easier to maintain clients than seek out new ones over and over again. I have a waiting list that is approximately a year long, and people wait patiently to work together with me. So do whatever it takes to hone your skills so you can create powerful outcomes for clients; then raise your rates accordingly. The second mistake is letting perfectionism hold you back; if you wait until things are perfect you may never get your practice started. The beautiful part about us living in a digital age is that you can always update/add/edit/revise your website should you wish to add something to it or offer a new service. So do not let your desire to be perfect out of the gate hold you back. Just start with what you can when you can and trust that you will evolve as the cash flow grows and things will change over time in due course.
Based on your experience and success, what are a few of the most important things a coach should know in order to create a Wow! Customer Experience? Please share a story or an example for each.
Always be in service to your client. Do what will create an incredible client experience versus be easiest for you as the coach. Make it super easy for potential clients to schedule an initial meeting with you; place a link on your site that allows them to book an appointment online rather than having them go back and forth a dozen times via email. Take the work out of the process for them. Have an agreement to fill out that is digital so they can easily complete it online versus having to print it, sign it, scan it and try to send it back to you. Always be thinking of what impact every step or action has on the client. If you can find ways to make things easier for them — do it. They will be grateful for the efforts you make. Be super professional at all times. It is flakey to cancel appointments with clients or ask them to reschedule over and over again. Honor what is booked every single time barring some unforeseen emergency of course. Trust is hard to build with clients so do not do anything that will shake this or negatively impact things. Even if for some reason you need to process a refund, do it promptly and with a smile just as you would like to receive if you were the customer making the request. Always put yourself in their shoes.
Lead generation is one of the most important aspects of any business, and particularly in coaching. What are the best ways for a coach to find customers? Can you share some of the strategies you use to generate good, qualified leads?
Number one is exposure. The more people who get exposed to you and the subject matter you are most passionate about the better. Offer free mini-workshops, informational webinars, provide info sessions for organizations that have your ideal clients as customers and do this to provide exceptional value and tangible takeaways; not with the intention of “upselling” the clients onto a bigger package. Instead, serve every single soul as fully as you can; with no attachment to outcomes. Clients immediately know when they are being “sold” so instead come from honorable intentions — always.
Coaches are similar to startup founders who often work extremely long hours and it’s easy to end up burning the candle at both ends. What would you recommend to your fellow coaches about how to best take care of their physical and mental wellness when starting their business?
Set boundaries early on. Carve out the time that you need and/or want to take care of yourself in the way you desire. For example on weekends I do not do any work unless it is mission-critical; the time on the weekends is for my body, mind, and spirit to recharge and it’s critical to my health. As a result of burning the candle at both ends and using substances to help with that for many years, it is essential that I take care of myself now in the healthiest way possible. When you love what you do (like me) it’s hard to not get sucked into working 24/7 but we need to have boundaries so our personal lives are not impacted negatively. Do what brings you joy and make time for it. For me, I ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle and whenever I can get time on the road for a nice ride I crank up the music and put my knees in the breeze. This fuels my spirit and makes me feel so strong and powerful. The perfect way to tackle the next day.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I want to make a difference by spreading inspiration, hope, and healing to the many people out there who are not financially able to afford coaching, or do not understand the power and possibilities but deserve access to it through an online YouTube series. I want to share stories that are powerfully inspiring, obtain answers to questions that have remained unanswered for me in the search of deep healing with various experts and take coaching into public community settings where access is not limited by a financial inability to pay. Free coaching conversations for anyone that wants to have one, with the end goal of uplifting millions of lives and leaving this world in an even better place. The movement would be an equal opportunity for all to thrive not just survive. Inspired and intentional communities will make this world an amazing place to “be” and live out our purpose.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Oprah and Tony Robbins. I always tell others that I am the combination of these two people put together. I look up to and admire Oprah who has forged the way for powerful successful women who are on a mission to make a difference in a deep and meaningful way. I remember watching her show daily as a young person. I just want to leave people a little lighter and a little happier and a little healthier after they have spent time in conversations with me, and she makes that look so easy. She has brought inspiration, hope, and healing to many and I want to do the same. Tony is someone who deeply inspires me; his story about where he comes from and the success he has created by powerfully impacting the lives of so many is super inspiring to me. I figure if Tony could create success then so can I. His straight forward and to the point nature is something I highly respect and I tap into his energy every coaching session and say what needs to be said, even it that might be shocking to my client. Tony has such an incredible ability to listen at a very deep level and the courage to say what needs to be said. I admire this skill and want to channel him and Oprah in all that I do.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Visit my website: www.shellyannemckay.com
Subscribe to my VIP list: www.shellyannemckay.com/vip-list
Find me on Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachshellyanne
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachshellyanne/
Linked-In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-anne-mckay-balanced-performance-coach/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9IA-fLeEKqnHipMd2LBhXA
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
