We were lucky to catch up with Lauren Lemieux recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
In the year leading up to my 40th birthday in December, I experienced what some may call a mid life crisis; however, I believe it truly was more of a deep knowing and building of feeling my clear and strong mid life confidence that sparked the idea it was time for me to leave the family business after 20 years. In hindsight, however, I realized my desire to leave the boat yard was born the day I started working there.
After bumbling my way through college, my lack of direction after graduation paired with a skewed sense of obligation, led me to settling for the easy path that had been presented to me. The boat yard was a beautiful setting and I actually loved working with my family; yet apathy quietly simmered below the surface for decades. I enjoyed a water view, earned a great salary, reveled in lots of freedom and there were even a few dogs. What I rarely shared with anyone was I had a dark truth – I had settled into a hollow professional life and I felt myself disappearing.
During one pivotal and painful conversation in April with the a family member, my whole perception of the company shifted. That one unanticipated, emotional conversation occurred bringing everything into focus for me. After years of feeling the dense fog of obligation, I felt it lift. I had been telling myself a story that I had no options, that I had to stay and, in that moment, all my options became clear. Who I wanted to be and how I wanted to live my life meant it was time to move on.
So I did.
As I shared what was unfolding with a childhood friend, she asked what I wanted to do next. I told her I had no solid plan. I knew I wanted to inspire and empower people to live the lives they want to live. What she said next was a gift I will be forever grateful for: What about life coaching? My response was, “WTF is life coaching?” I truly had never heard the phrase and the excitement began to build.
I started poking around online and after a few clicks and inquiries, what came next brought my true life’s purpose into view. I trained, studied, and earned my professional coaching certifications from the Coaches Training Institute and the International Coaching Federation and I have not looked back.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
The prior page describes how I found coaching.
I call myself a ‘whole life coach’ for a few reasons. One, I feel I’ve had a coaching mindset my whole life, encouraging family and friends to follow their hearts and do what was right from them. The other is, when I work with a client, I focus on their whole life. Their personal life affects their work, and what happens at work affects their life. Working one on one with me, clients explore the reasons behind self-doubt and realize the solutions to overcome them. They gain new tools to create the life they envision and stop settling for living life on a surface level. Identifying values, honoring emotions and shifting perspectives are all a part of the process.
My clients are people who aspire to live a complete, joyful, purposeful life. They may be feeling stuck or uninspired or simply are done settling for the mundane and want to become the version of themselves they envision. They aspire to embody peace and contentment, while fulfilling their personal and professional dreams.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Like most entrepreneurs, there is working on your business and within your business. As a professional life coach, what is most helpful when working within my business to show up for my clients 100% as myself, using my unique intuition, warm empathy, and intentional listening to be present for whatever they bring to the individual session or complete engagement. This is how the space for exploration is created, building a connection with vulnerability, trust and curiosity.
What is most helpful for succeeding working on my business is consistency, resiliency and determination. I strive to have my messaging be consistent so who I am comes through, in person and virtually. Having resiliency is important to keep the focus on the mission and vision even when things feel hard and the opportunities don’t work out. Being able to have the next conversation, go to the next meeting, and show up for the next networking event focused and determined to keep going and doing what I love to do.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
My advice is to prioritize appreciation. It’s truly amazing how something so simple as showing and telling people how appreciated and valued they are can reap so many benefits. Now, more than ever, expressing gratitude for who people are, what people do and how they contribute is the easiest way to build connection, respect and trust.
Whether an intentional 2 minute conversation sharing a heartfelt acknowledgment, an email message recognizing a superior accomplishment, or offering a simple, thankful gesture, let them know you see them, value them and appreciate them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.coachingtofulfilldreams.com
- Instagram: @coachingtofulfilldreams
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenleduclemieux/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coachingtofulfilldreams1814/about
Image Credits
Alexandria Mauck Cindy Ko Photography