We caught up with the brilliant and insightful L. Michelle McCormick a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, L. Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

SHIFT Transformation Academy was not something in my thoughts but it was however buried deep down inside of me. I was coaching teacher in another program that allowed me to help individuals seeking a certification in Christian Life Coaching. I really enjoyed doing that but when the owner of that school decided to shift, it caused me to shift even though I did not want to.
The idea of SHIFT Transformation Academy came while seating in a quiet place and listening to my inner man. It was then that heard the word shift and how it would be an academy that provides coaching and mentorship for women that struggle with identity, vision, and purpose for life and would cause them to shift through mindset transformation. This was in 2021 and there were moments of excitement, joy, fear, and anticipation all activated at the same time. I needed to figure out what systems I need to run the business efficiently, what framework would I use a coaching model, and who could help me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into the industry of coaching first because I wanted to help women heal from past traumas that causing them to not know their identity, vision, or purpose in life. I wanted to help them achieve goals that would not only discover but uncover the ideas and creativity that they have in them. Alongside of that, I took the skills and knowledge that I already possessed and also began to teach and train women that are called to be certified christian coaches. Coaching individually and training coaches has become very rewarding because I get to experience women go through breakthroughs that allows to break out into what the desires and passions are. Mentorship is something that came about a year late because I had the personal experience to guide women into starting their own businesses and or writing books. The problem I solve is what i call VIP (vision, identity, & purpose). I really help women uncover their true identity, discover their purpose, and execute their vision. What helps me to do this and sets me apart is my own life experiences that have taken me from trauma to triumph and how I give me clients 1000 percent of me. I am proud of my ability to overcome and to help my clients do the same.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was that my idea did not need to be perfect to start. I learned that seeking perfection is not the same as moving in excellence and that perfection gives life to stagnation and procrastination. Another lesson that I learned about procrastination is that is was coming from a place in me called fear. Fear was me being of afraid of executing the idea, It was me being afraid of what people would think or that I had nothing to offer.
The backstory is simply that I lived my entire life in fear. This fear was probably rooted in my childhood trauma and becoming a teenage mother. I never really seen myself doing anything more and when I did, the thought scared me. So the shift started with me and it started with my mindset and how I thought about myself. I decided that it did not have to be perfect and if only one person benefited than I can say I did it. I began to also change habits that impacted my momentum.

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

Resilience is often defined as a constant hustle or momentum that never stops. In 2023, through half of 2024, SHIFT Transfomation Academy entered a silent season. Life distractions had piled up on me and I began to once question my value and could I live up to the vision of SHIFT. It was at times through the silent moments that I felt like a failure and the vision did not seem clear based on the inactivity that was present.
But most people do not realize that resilience sometimes shows up in the silent seasons of life. My resilience starting with understanding that it was just a season and that season was really about me been pruned. During this pruning I gained a mantle to SHIFTHer. SHIFTHe meant that I had a responsibility to first shift myself and then help other women shift. That was my responsibility and I had to move forward.
Resilience is not always the absence of setbacks but it is the decision to rise after them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michelleshifts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.michelle.mccormick/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmichellemccormick/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@dr.michelle_mccormick United States Joined Jan 17, 2022 18 subscribers 19 videos 110 views