We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Diedre Goree a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Diedre, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My father was a policeman and my mother was maid and they stayed married forever. As parents of 8 kids they worked harder than hard, but somehow they showed us integrity and true grit. They pushed us to excel yet be humble about it. My mother was a master of balancing love and strong discipline. Despite having a house full of kids, my parents still helped anybody and everybody in the neighborhood. My mother was always available to “talk to somebody” which was my biggest influence when it came to being a life coach. Mothers from the neighborhood would come and sit on our couch and complain, cry and ask for guidance from my mother which she always provided with some food and a cold Pepsi. I watched how she listened and sometimes rarely said anything but somehow empowering them women with love and energy. Each person left feeling 10 times better than they arrived and i thought that was amazing. My mother, with a high school education was transforming lives by talking, listening and giving lots of tissues and hugs.

Now my dad was different. He was the only Black police officer on the police force in our small hometown of Hannibal Mo. Of course, he was assigned our Black neighborhood to police. Since we knew EVERYBODY, he rarely arrested anybody, instead he brought them to our house. My mother would jump up and help them deal with their issue until they could go home. Nine times out of ten it was a drunk neighbor, or somebody mad and needed to cool off, or a few domestic violence incidents, but nothing she couldn’t handle. My dad never felt like anything was so serious they needed to get arrested and sent downtown. Our neighbors and neighborhood always gave my parents the utmost respect and love for how they were and all of us kids got the overflow.

Their actions set my career path in motion.

Diedre, 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 am an Organic therapist, Personal mental trainer , Self-esteem booster, Good-hearted Devil’s advocate, relationship Guru, Archeologist of the soul and a Boss all rolled up into one. I help clients deal with family and personal relationships, self-esteem, trauma and unhappiness. My job is to guide, deepen, and challenge the thoughts and actions of my clients and expose them to new mental talk and action steps. While influencing them with innovative and insightful information I motivate, provoke, and influence their actions. After working with me, they will be empowered, educated and ready to make the necessary changes to do a 180 with their life.

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

I worked as a case manager for many many years for numerous non-profits. After 20 plus years I decided to start setting myself up to become independent. My hubby and I put ourselves on a 5 year debt free plan and once we reached that mark, i quit my job and launched if Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes Life Coaching.

During our debt-free strategic plan we both worked harder than hard, both of us working multiple jobs. I was also using that time to start my business. I worked with a business coach, practiced my craft for free on parent groups at local school and churches, and started doing workshops with non-profits in the area. By the time our 5 year plan had come to an end, i was 100% ready to transition.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The 4 best ways i get clientele is through word of mouth, good connections, social media, and workshops.

1. Most of my clients recommend me to at least 2-3 other people. Once my clients start making significant changes in their life, their peers and family will start wanting to do the same thing.

2. I attend as many community and local business functions that i can. I’m always ready to mingle and discuss my business and see if i can make any connections and/or collaborations.

3. I do lots of workshops (virtual and in person), so I’m always inviting people to get one-on-one coaching to go deeper and more personal.

4. of course, social media helps too. I post a lot EVERY day on Facebook and Instagram. I also send my digital flyer to businesses I would like to work for to see if they are interested in what i have to offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: coachdiedre.com
• Instagram: @coachdiedre
• Facebook: If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes Life coaching
• Linkedin: Diedre Goree