Today we’d like to introduce you to Calle Foster

Hi Calle, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

Like many professionals early in their career, I misunderstood coaching as purely remedial – something you needed when you did something wrong or performance was poor. It wasn’t until my later years working in corporate that I realized how valuable this cheerleader-for-hire was. Knowing what I know now, the unbiased support with a singular goal; helping you achieve your goals, is a remarkable and irreplaceable tool that could’ve made a huge impact on me sooner. Luckily, later I was given several, that had different purposes; an executive coach who helped me develop crucial leadership skills, a peer coach who made me feel capable through thought-provoking questions, and a leader who balanced trust with constructive challenge.

The transition from corporate employee to coach started to show up naturally as I watched my team members and peers experience their own “lightbulb moments” under my guidance and through the safe space I made for them to explore. I realized I was effortlessly providing the same transformative space my coaches had created for me, and I wanted to dedicate myself to this craft fully.

Out of high school. I didn’t pursue a college degree. I didn’t have the financial support to go to college, and I didn’t want to engage in loans. Plus…I WANTED to work. But as I got older, progressed in my career – despite the fact that I was making more money and experiencing more success than many of my peers who did graduate college, I started to feel self conscious…like I would never be as valuable without that degree. Time and time again, this was disproven – through promotions, accolades, and high achieving performance reviews, but I still felt like something was missing.

So when I left corporate to pursue coaching, I wanted it to be official, and to fill that “hole” I felt for not achieving the college degree. I invested in my credibility by enrolling in the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, one of the top three coaching schools internationally. After investing over 1/10th of my normal corporate salary, and hundreds of hours in training, I earned my Certified Professional Coach certification, Energy Leadership Master Practitioner designation, and ICF Associate Certified Coach credentials.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

No, of course not! But I’ve enjoyed so much of it despite that.

Business ebbed and flowed, client funnels had months where they were dried up, and then a random month where I would get a few unexpectedly. This was hard – because for me, feelings of success came from feeling financially stable (which I had felt for so many years because of what my corporate job brought me). I didn’t have that safety anymore, but I did have a very supportive, and very financially savvy husband who budgeted for us and kept us on track. But this was still difficult, I felt like I wasn’t contributing, and my biological clock was starting to get antsy…getting louder, telling me to take action. But we weren’t ready, my business wasn’t ready for me to be distracted by motherhood. So in came another BIG investment, embryo freezing. I know this was the right decision, for us, and for my business, but it put even more financial pressure on me, and made me feel like my financial contribution was even more important now.

In my first year of business my weeks were packed with networking events with HR organizations, local coaching connections, women’s entrepreneur events, financial networking, and all of the coffee-date/happy hour/zoom calls that followed these events in order to try to establish connections and expand my network. But honestly, for the first year, I hated these events. I felt like I was putting on a show, telling myself stories about what all these people might be thinking about me, judging me, and operating from a place of scarcity. Every conversation I had I was trying to jam my little elevator pitch in, and talk about myself, trying to see what stuck and what lost them. One day I was even called out in a small group, “Hey can I give you some feedback? Your niche pitch there wasn’t great… I get what you are doing…but what about this instead…?”. Oh man, I was caught off guard, embarrassed, my ego was melting into a pile of mush. So I took her feedback and went back to the drawing table. After months of iterations, trial and error, I finally realized that it didn’t have to be perfect, but what did have to come through, was ME, authentically, as a coach. So instead of showing up to events trying to cram in ME, I put on my coach hat, started to listen more, and ask deeper questions, validate people, and make them feel heard. THIS is what started working, THIS is what brought me clients. Being the coach I just spent all those hours creating…be her.

In my first year I thought I’d have 10x more clients, and be making 5x what I was. And while my first year didn’t meet my ambitious financial targets, it taught me to prioritize authenticity, and quality over quantity. I’ve since expanded my business in unexpected directions, taking on diverse clients and developing new service offerings. Most importantly, I’ve found confidence in presenting my authentic self as a coach.

As you know, we’re big fans of Calle Foster Coaching & Consulting. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

The clients I support come to me because they need help working through confidence barriers, emotional regulation, work-life balance, overwhelm, and building trust within their team (so they can delegate and operate effectively as a leader). My clients often lead multi-generational teams, comprised of millennials and gen-z who value a more modernized leader and workplace.

Through 1:1 coaching, workshops, and (upcoming) digital courses, I support clients in tailored environments created and supporting their very unique needs. My digital courses and workshops are most often leadership development training that clients and non-clients can use to sustain skill development, but the truly transformative work comes in the intimate, trusting, confidential setting of 1:1 coaching.

My approach centers on intentionally designing & embodying your leadership style or personal brand. We create a plan to get there by identifying the skills needed, the perceived gaps currently impacting achieving that brand, and the things that actively work against us as we execute the plan (like self-doubt, emotional distraction, self-destructing narratives, etc).

We explore self-perception (how you show up in the world based on your life experiences through your thoughts, feelings, emotions, behaviors, actions), and external perception (how the people who have an impact on your goals and progress perceive you, compared to how you see yourself).

I have a specialty in how to lead Gen-Z and the development of Gen-Z and Millennial leadership capability, as well as how someone outside of these 2 generations can lead, develop, and engage them, while still progressing in their own paths.

This blend of focused generational expertise, emphasis on authentic leadership presence, and additional development tools creates a unique coaching experience that bridges traditional corporate expectations with modern workplace dynamics.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?

I don’t know if it was my favorite childhood memory, but its one that brings me joy and has always felt incredibly profound, and now today feels like it makes perfect, serendipitous sense.

We had a funny shaped house, with front stairs and back stairs. The back stairs went from the playroom down to the family/living room, and also my dad’s office alcove. On a very regular basis I would sit at the bottom of the stairs, with my feet dangling in my dad’s office, talking to him about my day. I was bullied, had friend drama, and thought the world was ending at the most minor things. And he always made space for me to talk it out. He asked questions like “what do you think you should do about it, Calle?” or “tell me why you’re feeling that way”… He rarely told me what to do, he just listened, asked questions, and helped me discover the right answers.

A coach.

I had a Coach for a Dad.

While I can’t remember specific stories, I know they ranged from the boy I liked, how I wanted to be popular, homework topics, or other problems I had, I do remember feeling empowered to take action, I remember feeling resolve when I felt lost, and feeling calmed-down when I thought the world was ending.

Pricing:

• Self-Awareness Accelerator Program: $600
• Custom-tailored packaging typically ranging from 3mos-1yr

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.CalleFoster.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millennialleadershipcoach/

Image Credits

Sam Hardy Portraits