We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Donna Spina Pcc Cpc Eli-mp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Donna , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Growing up, I had my life perfectly mapped out: College, Medical School, Marriage, House, Children. It was the traditional path to success and happiness. When life unexpectedly steers you off your charted course and upsets carefully laid plans, sometimes it leads to an even more significant destination.
Like many high achievers, my course changed in an instant and found myself in unfamiliar waters – facing uncertainty, shame, confusion, and self-doubt without a backup plan.
Then came an unexpected opportunity: entrepreneurship. Despite having no formal business background, I built my first company from zero to seven figures without loans or outside funding in under three years. This baptism by fire experience taught me invaluable lessons about rapid growth, authentic leadership, and personal resilience.
Success without fulfillment is its own kind of failure. My journey of maneuvering failing business partnerships, personal transitions, and profound self-discovery was guided by the wisdom of mentors. I discovered my true calling and a new way forward: helping other driven business owners and corporate executives bridge the gap between external success and internal satisfaction.
Today, I work with clients who find themselves at similar crossroads. Many successful professionals reach a point where they feel adrift – overwhelmed by competing demands, information overload, work/life imbalances, or questioning their direction.
As an ICF-credentialed coach and avid learner, I guide clients through periods of change and proficiency renovation to prevent burnout while maintaining high performance. Through focused, insightful conversations, and new habit strategies, we work together to realign their professional success with personal fulfillment.
My approach combines practical business acumen with deep emotional and positive intelligence, helping clients rediscover their authentic leadership style while navigating complex business situations. Every setback carries the seed of growth and sometimes we need someone to help us see the the gold hidden within them.
For professionals seeking to advance their accomplishments into lasting impact, I offer this insight: “True leadership isn’t just about reaching your destination – it’s about becoming someone worthy of the journey. When we align our external achievements with our internal values, that’s when we create meaningful, sustainable success.”
Water has always been my sanctuary. The ocean represents infinite possibilities and the courage to chart a new course. Like a lighthouse standing firm against crashing waves, I emerged from my life’s disruptions with a clear purpose: guiding fellow high achievers through their own periods of fog to freedom of coming ashore.
Every frustration we face presents insights for growth, discovery, and opportunity. I am honored to help clients chart their course toward greater clarity, driving purpose, and impact by bridging the experience- ambition gap.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an ICF-credentialed leadership and business coach who transforms seasoned professionals into visionary, empathetic leaders through customized, holistic coaching. My journey into coaching was deeply personal and shaped by triumphs and adversity. These experiences became valuable teaching moments that impacted my coaching philosophy. From them emerged a dynamic career path that began with pre-medical studies and led unexpectedly to entrepreneurship, where I built my first business to seven-figure revenues without a significant business background or external funding.
Drawing from both successes and failures in business ownership and personal life, helped me to tailor a comprehensive approach to professional development that addresses the complete human spectrum of entrepreneurial and leadership challenges. This integrates business acumen with holistic wellness principles, gleaned from my eclectic background in entrepreneurship, leadership communication, and mind-body practices.
As an executive and business coach, my work focused on helping high-achieving professionals navigate:
– Strategic decision-making and vivid vision development
– Leadership influence using authentic communication
– Work-life integration and sustainable healthy success
– Business growth and operational excellence
– Career transitions and professional advancement
– Personal power recognition and stress management
– Unraveling Imposter Syndrome to grasp WHO you are in WHAT you do
What distinguishes my coaching practice is the lighthouse approach – providing unwavering guidance through uncertainty while empowering clients to chart their own course. To expedite progress, I employ science-based assessment tools and proven holistic well-being frameworks while maintaining a focus on practical, actionable strategies that drive measurable results. My service-based business owner clients shed the “corporate job” owner mindset and executive leaders learn to think like business owners to ask better questions and have a competitive edge.
I have had the good fortune of client success stories that span globally, from the United States to Germany and Australia, encompassing executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals across industries. Notable client achievements include 50% salary increases, successful career transitions from toxic work environments, business expansion, enhanced leadership capabilities, communicating well defined unique value, and improved work-life balance.
My core coaching philosophy is encapsulated in my belief that “Being a High Achieving Professional is a Journey of Discovery. Regardless of the outcome, success or failure, because you pursued the vast learning curve, you will never be the same person again. You Will Be BETTER.”
As an ICF-credentialed coach, I am committed to maintain the highest standards of professional coaching ethics while bringing real-world experience to each engagement. My approach is particularly effective for:
– Executives seeking to elevate their leadership impact
– Business owners navigating growth and reinvention
– Professionals pursuing significant career advancement
– Leaders managing complex organizational changes
– High achievers seeking sustainable success without burnout
Understanding that each professional’s journey is unique, I empathetically personalize my services to the individual’s “humanized” goals, perceived obstacles, and learning styles. Clients need support to overcome common challenges such as decision fatigue, information overload, leadership isolation, and work-life imbalance while building the skills and confidence needed to attain their aspirations and more.
This foundational methodology integrates:
– Strategic business planning and execution
– Leadership development and communication enhancement
– Science-based assessments and performance metrics
– Holistic well-being and sustainable performance practices
– Personal effectiveness, positive, and emotional intelligence development
My commitment to client success extends beyond traditional coaching boundaries, encompassing both professional achievement and personal fulfillment.
I understand the pressure of building something meaningful while trying to maintain balance in your life. The constant changes in business or family life, the weight of decision-making, the difficulty of staying focused amid chaos – these aren’t just concepts to me; they’re challenges I have lived through and helped others overcome.
Sometimes, the most important step is having someone in your corner who’s been there, done that, and can help you navigate passage to a safe harbor.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I’ve built my reputation by being real about both my wins and my falls. Everyone faces obstacles in life and business, they are intertwined, and I’m not afraid to share what I’ve learned from mine. Whether it was building a seven-figure business from scratch or navigating tough personal transitions, each experience has added depth to how I support my clients.
I believe in staying sharp through continuous learning and keeping up with the latest in leadership and business development. But knowledge alone isn’t enough – it’s about putting it into practice and sharing what works. When I find great resources or make valuable connections, I share them with my network. Why? Because success isn’t a zero-sum game.
Above all, what really resonates with my clients is my genuine passion for this work. I’m deeply committed to helping others succeed, and that enthusiasm shows in everything I do. When you love what you do and truly care about your clients’ success, word gets around.
What sets me apart isn’t just my experience or credentials – it’s the authentic way I bring all of these elements together to help my clients navigate their own journeys to success.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
Let me tell you about the early days of my first business – because growth comes with growing pains. When we were expanding rapidly, cash flow was like a roller coaster, and making payroll was my number one priority. Non-negotiable.
You know those moments that test your entrepreneurial spirit? I had plenty. We were constantly experimenting with new services (which means spending money before seeing any return), juggling multiple projects (talk about stress!), and dealing with the harsh reality that some hires weren’t quite as skilled as their interviews suggested. Nothing like fixing mistakes and doing damage control with customers to keep you up at night!
Sometimes we had to get creative to keep things moving. That meant making tough calls – like selling equipment we didn’t absolutely need, or adjusting proposal prices to land a contract that would bring in crucial deposits. Not ideal, but sometimes you do what you have to do to keep the business healthy and your team paid.
These challenges taught me invaluable lessons about business management, especially about the importance of cash flow planning (budgets and cost accounting) and having multiple backup strategies. They’re the kind of experiences that make you a better leader – and now, a more effective coach for others facing similar situations.
Looking back, those close calls weren’t just obstacles; they were crash courses in resilience and creative problem-solving. These are the kinds of real-world insights I now share with my clients to help them resiliently navigate their own lives and business challenges more smoothly.
For those whose heart and minds this article has touched, I am happy to offer a complimentary 45 minute conversation. I feel strongly even if we do not work together, you will leave with a perspective shift and an actionable item to improve even one frustration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://coachingindeed.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachingInDeed
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-j-spina-focusedleaderscoaching/
- Other: Alignable: https://www.alignable.com/lancaster-pa/focused-business-leadership-career-icf-coach
Image Credits
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My camera given to someone in the meetings to take action shots for me