Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gabriela Holt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Gabriela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Some people take one big risk in their lifetime. I seem to collect them.
It started at 17. I was a small-town Nebraska girl who applied to Arizona State University when everyone around me thought I’d lost my mind. I didn’t know a single person in Arizona. I had no roadmap. I just had a feeling — something deep and stubborn inside me that said there is more out there for you. I ignored the doubt, packed my bags, and went.
That one decision changed everything. I graduated from ASU, earned my Master’s from University of Phoenix, and began a career as a high school counselor. What I didn’t fully realize at the time was that I was already coaching. Every day, young people sat across from me carrying things most adults couldn’t hold — bullying, suicidal ideation, questions about identity, and the terrifying pressure of figuring out who they wanted to be, not who everyone else needed them to be. I was 20 years into that work before I had a name for what I was doing.
Then came risk number two. I had built a beautiful life in Arizona — 20 years, roots, community, no plans to leave. But I refused to settle in love. So I got intentional. I started dating myself first. I took jewelry making classes, interior design workshops — perks of being an adjunct instructor — just to be around people, to stay curious, to stay open. I kissed a lot of frogs. Every bad date and toxic situationship was data, not defeat.
And then I met Seth.
Turns out my person lived in Tacoma, Washington. So I took risk number three: I wasn’t willing to do long distance, which meant I had to choose. I chose him. I chose us. I relocated across the country, and I can say without a single ounce of doubt — every frog was worth it.
The most recent risk? In December 2025, I left the institutional safety net of nearly 20 years and launched Golden Hour Life Coaching full-time. No grant funding. No guaranteed paycheck. Just an unshakeable belief that the work I’d been doing my whole life — helping people uncover their self-worth and stop shrinking — deserved a bigger stage.
Within weeks, I had clients. A workshop. A feature in Woman’s World. And a business built on the truth I’ve lived: that betting on yourself isn’t reckless. It’s the only logical move.
If any part of this story sounds familiar — if you’re a high-achiever who keeps playing it safe while something stubborn inside you says there is more — I’d love to connect at goldenhourlifecoaching.com.
Gabriela, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Gabriela Holt, a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation and a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, and the Founder & CEO of Golden Hour Life Coaching, LLC. Based in Tacoma, Washington and coaching clients virtually around the globe — so you never get stuck in traffic or miss a session.
My top five CliftonStrengths — Empathy, Relator, Positivity, Arranger, and WOO — aren’t just words on a badge. They’re how I show up for every single client. I naturally tune into what people are feeling beneath the surface, build genuine trust quickly, bring energy and optimism into hard conversations, and help people see how all the moving pieces of their life can work together. That combination creates a coaching experience that feels less like a session and more like a breakthrough.
I work with clients in three primary ways: one-on-one coaching for professionals who feel like they’ve lost themselves somewhere between achievement and exhaustion; small businesses looking to strengthen team dynamics and communication; and leaders in higher education and community college settings who are navigating the unique pressures of that world.
But at the heart of every engagement is one core commitment — I am your sounding board, not your answer key. I hold space. I listen actively. And I ask the questions that help you recognize the self-worth and clarity that was already inside you all along. We celebrate what went well, we get honest about what got in the way, and using a variety of coaching tools alongside my proprietary LOVE™ Framework (Let Others Value Everything about you), we go exactly as deep as you want to go.
You are the expert of your own life. My job is to help you remember that.
What I’m most proud of is this: I don’t hand people a roadmap. I help them trust the one they were already holding. If you’re a high-achiever who’s been showing up for everyone else and quietly wondering when it’s your turn — I built this for you.
Learn more at goldenhourlifecoaching.com.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that my worth was measured by my productivity.
For nearly 20 years, I was the person everyone came to. Students, colleagues, administrators — I was the counselor, the problem-solver, the one who held it all together. And I was good at it. Really good. So good that I confused being needed with being valued. I kept giving, kept showing up, kept saying yes — because somewhere along the way I had learned that love and approval were things you earned by how much you did for others.
It took doing my own inner work to realize that I had been running on empty for years, mistaking exhaustion for dedication. I was coaching everyone around me to find their self-worth while quietly outsourcing my own.
The unlearning wasn’t dramatic. There was no single moment. It was a slow, sometimes uncomfortable process of asking myself the questions I asked my clients. What do you actually need? What are you afraid will happen if you stop over-giving? Who are you when no one needs anything from you?
The answers changed everything. I stopped performing productivity and started practicing presence. I set boundaries that felt terrifying at first and liberating within weeks. I left a career that looked successful from the outside but was quietly shrinking me from the inside. And I built Golden Hour Life Coaching on the foundation of everything I had to unlearn — because I know firsthand that the most high-achieving, capable, generous people are often the ones most disconnected from their own worth.
That’s exactly who I built this for. If you’re tired of earning your place in rooms you already belong in, I’d love to connect at goldenhourlifecoaching.com.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Honestly? Showing up in real life.
In a world where everyone is chasing algorithms and optimizing their content strategy, my most meaningful client connections have come from simply being present in my community. I moved to Tacoma in August 2025 and made a deliberate decision early on — I was going to get to know this city, and I was going to let this city get to know me.
I joined the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. I said yes to conversations over coffee. I created my “Confidence & Cocktails” monthly workshop series at a local tapas bar where strangers show up, do real work, and leave feeling like they found their people. Every event has been a reminder that human beings are starving for genuine connection — and that when you create a safe space for it, word travels fast.
My other secret weapon? Referrals from people who have seen me work. Whether it’s a former colleague, a student I counseled years ago who is now a professional navigating their own crossroads, or someone who caught me speaking at an event — the through line is always the same. Someone trusted someone who trusted me.
Social media and email marketing are part of my strategy too, and I invest in them intentionally. But no funnel has ever been warmer than a real conversation with a real human being who genuinely believes in what you do.
If you’re a coach or service-based entrepreneur just starting out, my advice is simple: go be somewhere. Join something. Host something. The right clients are already in your orbit — sometimes they just need to see you in person first.
Learn more at goldenhourlifecoaching.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goldenhourlifecoaching.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldenhourlifecoaching/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriela-holt-m-a-ed-pcc-mhp-33a57150/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BPYTbQqONSv6wSHcT1wyAeg%3D%3D
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN0b3rx31DtBo6B-2S0LE9g
Image Credits
Photography by Tamara Hudson Studios