We were lucky to catch up with Laurel Holland recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laurel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents were very independent, progressive thinkers. They challenged the status quo through their own choices – my father in wanting to establish his own business and my mother in not being the typical “neighborhood” mom who sat out on the lawn gossiping. My Dad was into Eastern philosophy and had no interest in organized religion. Not being indoctrinated into any religious belief system, we were left to discover our own spiritual path and nature. I have felt like this was a gift they gave us, and today have a spiritual practice/philosophy that supports both my life and my professional work. My Mom went back and finished her undergraduate degree work while we children were in school, and I think that inspired me to know you can begin again at any age, and that study and learning can be a lifelong pursuit. In my own professional journey, I began as a cost accountant like my Dad, and soon discovered why he was so disenchanted with the corporate world. I worked for a large defense systems company which was a poor fit for me as well as an institution that was laced with sexist behaviors. Leaving that job after four years, I promised myself never to go back to that world, and eventually my work took a long and twisting path that brought me into work in the mental health field. My work developed into Life Coaching because I was able to incorporate all the study and practices I had been learning and personally using in energy medicine, women’s empowerment, and emotional wellness.

Laurel, 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?

My work interest developed through my own deep commitment to a personal healing and growth journey.

In my thirties I attended Adult Children of Alcoholics meetings, began wellness work as an aerobics instructor, went into individual counseling, trained as a Tai Chi instructor, began what has become a 35 years long daily meditation practice and co-founded a women’s wellness center. During that decade, I felt steeped in self-discovery and got grounded in my own body and re-focused on making my inner life a safe and productive place from which to rest and live.

In my forties, I returned to college, pursuing a Master’s of Education in Counseling Psychology, eventually working in mental health counseling, specializing in addictions and working with dually diagnosed folks. When I started work as a counselor, I immediately felt at home in the experience. Although I hadn’t initially planned to become a counselor, I continued my degree work to fulfill the requirements to become licensed as a mental health counselor. During that time, I was also learning more about Chinese medicine and energy medicine, doing trainings as a Tai Chi instructor, Reiki training, taking two years to go through the medicine wheel work based in Incan Shamanism, and developing myself as a proficient group leader and counselor. I practiced tapping and continued to deepen my own healing and understanding of the interplay of the nervous system and the ability to make healthy choices when trauma has impacted us. All of this led me to eventually take the path of Life Coach, which was a newly emerging profession in the early 2000’s and allowed me to incorporate all the study and health models I had come to understand while working with individuals.

With all of this personal work, and professional study, I’ve blended both Eastern and Western medicine in my own way to focus in on each person’s underlying wholeness while working with clients. Instead of seeing their “problems” as issues to solve, I’m focused on bringing forth their innate wisdom and strengths for them to apply to their own choices, eventually allowing them to solve their own problems through healthier choices aligned with a deeper sense of their truth and desires. I often open our discussions into the energy realm. This can allow clients to get in closer contact with their inner life, and their own subtle sensitivities that we often are disengaged from in our childhood development phase of life. In recovering these sensitivities, often clients reconnect with their intuition as well as strengthen their ability to own the truth that was always there but may not have aligned with what they were conditioned to see and believe. It’s a very holistic approach that empowers clients to move forth with more confidence and clarity of self.

As part of my journey, I spent time reflecting on how I work with clients, and what I discovered was that I was teaching clients repetitively the same practices I had been using in my own life to discover a true sense of wholeness and inner peace.

In my fifties, I dedicated work time to writing about these practices, eventually authoring “Courageous Woman” a self-help book that describes and teaches what I call the 8 practices of the inner power wheel. In this book I share my own story of going through my divorce as an example of how these practices empowered me and helped me grow through a very difficult time in a way that I ultimately felt good about. I brought these practices into a 10-month program to support women in their own healing and empowerment. That became an online program as well, and then another publication, “Live Your Inner Power, The Journal” which is a 256 page journal that leads women through a journaling process that mirrors the program, learning and integrating the 8 practices of the inner power wheel. Those practices are – listen to the wake-up call, practice acceptance, choose consciously, release the past, transform and heal grief, create healthy, flexible boundaries, live through the heart, and return inward. I’m really proud of all my work and the transformations women have experienced who’ve been a part of learning and applying these practices in their own lives.

As I continue to read self-help and spiritually oriented self-development books, I’m always affirmed that these inner power wheel practices seem to be the themes that many others also identify as crucial for others to discover their own inner power, their authentic voice, and develop a life that feels fulfilling and meaningful . I’m a living testament to the beauty of this inner work, having a life that I love and that feels full of purpose and meaning.

In my sixties, I’ve enjoyed co-hosting a weekly podcast, Beautiful Work Beautiful Life where I share conversations, guidance and support in navigating the inner terrain. I also wrote and published my first book of poetry entitled, Crossroads, Poetry for the Courageous Soul. It’s been an amazing life journey!

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Integrity is essential. For those in the coaching field, this means integrating the work itself in your personal and professional life. Providers that have not done their own inner work can actually hamper or hurt others in their own growth and healing journey. It’s important for clients to do their homework so they understand what a provider’s background is so they know what the provider can offer.

Many coaches are professing monetary success and yet the coaches who I follow, who continue to do well in their businesses, do so because they are evolving all the time and continuing to grow in their work and lives, rather than solely focusing on making a big salary.

If money is the driving force for success for a coach, they are in a misaligned business or have their own money issues to work through.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My business has been sustained solely on referrals from past clients. When you have clients who are happy with their transformation in the work, they will share that with others who also want to grow and change. It’s the easiest and least expensive way to market in the end. It’s cheaper to continue to grow and work with integrity than to use costly marketing methods that may or may not draw the clients you want.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://liveyourinnerpower.com
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeautifulWorkBeautifulLife