We were lucky to catch up with Dianne McKim recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dianne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The Story Behind My Coaching Business

2016 started with uncertainty I hadn’t expected.

After 10 years with a Christian-owned company, I was transitioned from full-time W-2 to part-time 1099. The owner was gracious – he truly had no choice as contracts fell through – but I found myself in unfamiliar territory. As part of a two-income household, I wasn’t sure how this would affect our finances. There was fear, yes. But there was also something deeper: a certainty that God would provide whatever we needed.

So I did what I’ve always done in times of uncertainty – I sought the Lord. I started looking for full-time work, but as I searched, I felt a stirring in my heart. The Holy Spirit was working, though I couldn’t yet see the full picture. I felt called to help women somehow, but the “how” remained unclear.

After a few months of this internal wrestling, I decided to seek pastoral counsel. I met with my pastor and his wife to share what I was experiencing. During our conversation, I mentioned that years earlier, I had co-led a divorce recovery ministry at a different church.

My pastor stopped the meeting right there.

He told me he’d wanted to start a divorce recovery ministry at our church for years, but hadn’t known anyone who could run it. He asked me to pray about it and discuss it with my husband. When I did, my husband was fully supportive. This felt like something I could do to give back.

In our follow-up meeting, I brought the materials I’d used years before. As we talked through them, I felt excited, valued, and truly seen. When he said yes and told me I was approved to start immediately – no micromanaging, no lengthy approval process – something shifted in me. This empowerment was a profound confidence boost. He had faith in me.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

As I began researching divorce recovery ministries and collecting information, I came across the concept of coaching. The moment I saw it, it felt like an arrow to my heart. I heard the Lord clearly: This is what I have for you. I felt convicted in the best way – certain, clear, purposeful. This wasn’t just an idea. This was my calling and destiny.

Here’s what’s interesting: I didn’t spend much time wondering whether I should start a business. I didn’t create elaborate business plans or analyze the market. I just began moving in that direction. The conviction was that strong.

The path forward felt natural. I had that stirring to help women, and now I had the vehicle: coaching. I would help women become more confident, overcome low self-esteem, know their true identity as Christians, and understand their value and worth. These were all things I had overcome in my own journey – through my divorce, 14 years as a single mother, the challenges of corporate America, and my deepening walk with Jesus.

At the time, I wasn’t thinking about what made my approach unique or what competitive advantage I had. I was simply moving forward in faith. But looking back, I can see what I brought to the table: a combination of corporate experience spanning over 35 years and a faith journey marked by genuine transformation. I had a wealth of experience both professionally and personally. I knew what it was like to overcome, to grow, to be changed by walking with Jesus.

As I moved forward, I invested in coaching courses, adding formal training and credentials to what I already knew from living it. The business grew organically from there – not just helping women, but also supporting leaders, managers, and pastors who wanted to excel as servant leaders.

What got me most excited? The realization that these principles – confidence, identity, value, worth – apply whether someone is navigating professional challenges or personal ones. Whether they’re facing a career transition or a life crisis. The coaching could serve people in multiple capacities, meeting them wherever they were.

Was I solving a problem no one else was solving? Perhaps not entirely. But I was bringing my unique combination of corporate leadership experience, personal adversity overcome, and faith-centered transformation to the table. I was offering deep listening, genuine care, and a safe space for people to be vulnerable and grow.

Nine years later, that arrow-to-the-heart moment has become a thriving coaching practice and ministry. The divorce recovery ministry I started nine years ago continues to run. My coaching business continues to serve individuals, groups, and teams through leadership development, career coaching, life coaching, and Christian spiritual growth.

Looking back, the logic was simple: God called me to it; I had lived through the transformation I wanted to help others achieve; and I was willing to take the first step, even when I couldn’t see the entire staircase.

That’s been enough.

Dianne, 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?

About Me and My Work

I’m Dianne – a leadership, career, life, and Christian spiritual growth coach with over 35 years of corporate experience and a heart for helping people discover who they’re truly meant to be.

My journey hasn’t been linear, and that’s exactly what makes me effective at what I do.

I’ve worked across large publicly traded companies, global private organizations, and small private businesses. I’ve navigated the complexities of corporate America, of starting my own business, experienced the devastation of divorce, spent 14 years as a single mother, and rebuilt my life from the ground up. I am a licensed pastor, an author, a public speaker, and for nine years, I founded and led a women-only divorce recovery ministry.

Every challenge I’ve faced, every obstacle I’ve overcome, every moment of transformation in my own life – it all informs how I coach today.

What I Do

I provide leadership, career, life, and Christian spiritual growth coaching to individuals, groups, and teams. My coaching relationships are typically ongoing – continuing for many months and sometimes years – because real transformation isn’t a quick fix. It’s a journey, and I walk alongside my clients until they’ve accomplished their goals.

I also facilitate and present workshops, both live and via Zoom, that are tailored to support client development, with flexible pricing based on specific needs. Most of my individual work is delivered virtually via Zoom, which allows me to serve clients wherever they are; however, I have and do offer team coaching, speaking engagements, and workshops live.

The Focus Areas Where I Most Often Coach:

– Leadership skills and development – helping emerging leaders build foundational skills and established leaders develop strategic approaches to move up in their organizations

– Managing life after divorce – guiding women through the process of working through hurts, releasing them, forgiving those who caused pain, and building a new life for themselves

– Christian faith development and growth – deepening spiritual maturity and helping people live out their faith with confidence and purpose

– Feeling stuck personally or professionally – breaking through barriers that keep people from moving forward

– Starting or growing a business – supporting entrepreneurs in building sustainable, purpose-driven ventures

– Overcoming offenses – helping people release bitterness, truly forgive, and move forward in freedom

Who I Serve

My clients are diverse, but they all share one thing: a desire for meaningful transformation.

I work with corporate professionals – both emerging leaders who need to develop their leadership capabilities and established leaders looking to advance strategically. I help women who feel stuck after divorce to rebuild their confidence and create a life they love. I support business owners who are starting or scaling their ventures. I coach Christian youth leaders who want to strengthen their own leadership skills, build powerful leadership teams, and develop deep faith in their students. I coach Christians who want to deepen their faith walk.

I’ve helped people overcome profound hurts, release offenses that were holding them back, navigate career transitions after layoffs, and step into their calling with clarity and confidence.

What Sets Me Apart

First and foremost, I rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me in every coaching situation. That’s not just a nice sentiment – it’s how I operate. I believe God gives me insight, wisdom, and discernment for each person I serve.

Beyond that, I bring a unique combination of corporate expertise and ministry experience. I’ve lived in both worlds – the office and the church – and I understand how to integrate faith authentically into professional development without compromising either.

My own story of overcoming matters too. I’ve been broken. I’ve been stuck. I’ve wondered if transformation was even possible for me. That lived experience gives me genuine empathy and credibility when I’m coaching someone through their own struggles.

But perhaps what truly distinguishes my approach is the safe space I create. I practice deep listening – the kind where clients feel truly heard, not just processed. I create an environment where people can be open and vulnerable without fear of judgment or breach of confidentiality. That trust is sacred to me, and it’s the foundation of every coaching relationship.

My work is grounded in core values of integrity, honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility, and honoring God in all I do. These aren’t just words on a page – they’re how I live and how I coach.

What I’m Most Proud Of

When I think back over these nine years of coaching and ministry, what fills me with the deepest joy is witnessing transformation. Seeing someone grow from where they started to achieving goals they once thought impossible – that’s why I do this work.

I love those AHA moments when a client suddenly sees things differently and everything shifts. I love when a Christian experiences a depth of faith they never knew existed. I love watching women in the divorce recovery group go from broken and raw to confident and see them build beautiful lives for themselves. I love seeing emerging leaders step into their authority with wisdom and grace. I love hearing a client say, “I never thought I could do this, but here I am.”

Every breakthrough, every moment of clarity, every step forward – these are what I’m most proud of. Not my credentials or my experience, but the lives that have been transformed through this work.

What I Want You to Know

If you’re reading this and wondering whether coaching could help you, here’s what I want you to understand: You can achieve your goals. That transformation you thought you might never have? That breakthrough you’ve struggled to achieve? It’s possible.

With the right guidance, support, and tools – and with someone who genuinely cares about your success – you can experience the meaningful growth you’re seeking. Whether you’re a leader wanting to excel as a servant leader, a woman rebuilding after life’s challenges, someone navigating a career transition, or a person wanting to grow deeper in your faith and confidence… there’s a path forward.

My mission is simple: to help you achieve transformational growth. To walk with you through the challenges, celebrate the victories, and help you discover the purpose, confidence, and identity that’s been there all along.

I’m not here to give you quick fixes or surface-level advice. I’m here for the real work – the kind that changes lives from the inside out.

Ready to begin the journey? I’d love to hear from you.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A Story of Pivot: Learning to Ask the Right Questions

Early in my corporate career in the 1980s, I worked in the marketing support department of a huge global company’s agriculture division. One of my key responsibilities was securing reports from our IT department for marketing managers based on their requests.

The process seemed straightforward: a marketing manager would tell me what report they needed, I’d relay that exact request to IT, and I’d deliver what they asked for.

Except… it never worked.

Time after time, I’d hand over the report and the marketing manager would look at it and say, “This isn’t what I wanted.” I’d feel that sinking feeling of frustration mixed with inadequacy. If they responded in a way that indicated it was my fault, that inadequacy deepened. I was trying so hard to help, but I kept missing the mark.

Then something shifted.

I realized I needed to change MY approach instead of just being frustrated with them for not being clear. So I started asking a different first question: “What are you trying to accomplish?”

That one question changed everything.

Based on their answer and appropriate follow-up questions, I could now understand what they really needed – not just what they thought they should ask for. When this approach worked, the frustration disappeared. I felt great because I was finally providing the help they needed and the help I had always wanted to provide.

That pivot – from order-taker to problem-solver – became foundational to everything I do today.

As a coach, I don’t just listen to what clients say they want. I ask probing, thought-provoking questions to uncover what they’re truly trying to accomplish. I’ve learned that the presenting problem is rarely the real problem. The stated goal often isn’t the deepest goal.

That frustrating cycle in the 1980s taught me one of my most valuable skills: deep listening paired with strategic questioning. It’s why my clients experience breakthroughs – because we’re addressing what they actually need, not just what they initially thought they needed.

Sometimes our most important pivots happen in the mundane moments of early career frustration. We just don’t realize it until years later.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A Story of Resilience: When the Numbers Never Added Up

If you want to understand my resilience, you need to know about my 14 years as a single mother.

After my divorce, I faced financial distress that felt overwhelming. I would sit down to budget, determined to make it work on paper. But every single time, the numbers never added up. The income never covered the outgo. No matter how I arranged things, no matter what I cut, the math simply didn’t work.

I would throw up my hands in frustration and distress and tell the Lord, “You have to do it because I can’t.”

And He did.

In all those years of single motherhood, I never missed paying a bill. Not once. I was able to take my kids on vacation. I was able to make home upgrades to our home. We didn’t have the latest and greatest of everything, but we had all we needed.

God’s faithful provision over time became my testimony. I surrendered it to Him, and He made sure everything was covered – often in ways I couldn’t have orchestrated myself.

One particular moment stands out. I was in job search mode after losing my job – another time when the numbers absolutely didn’t work. Someone at church put an envelope with $200 in my church mailbox. It was unlabeled. To this day, I don’t know who put it there.

But I know EXACTLY who it was from.

That experience of radical trust, when the spreadsheet screamed “impossible,” became my foundation for resilience. It taught me to flow in faith when circumstances looked bleak. When I was put on part-time 1099 status after 10 years with a company. When I started my coaching business, clients were hard to find. When any situation looked financially or emotionally impossible on paper.

I already knew what to do: surrender it and trust God to provide.

This resilience isn’t about being tough or just pushing through. It’s about learning to lean on God when your own strength and resources aren’t enough. It’s about discovering that His provision is faithful even when – especially when – you can’t see how it’s going to work out.

Now, as a coach, I use this story to give others hope. When clients are facing their own “the numbers don’t add up” moments – whether financial, emotional, relational, or professional – I can speak from lived experience. There IS a way forward, even when you can’t see it yet. God’s Word tells us He will provide for all our needs, and I’ve watched Him do exactly that, again and again.

That’s the kind of resilience I want to help my clients develop: not just grit and determination, but a deep trust that carries you through when your own efforts aren’t enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.preciousstonescoaching.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianne.mckim
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannemckim/