We were lucky to catch up with Mariah Bess recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mariah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I became a coach after experiencing the transformative, life-altering power of coaching firsthand. I was in my mid-twenties and my world was rocked by a mystery illness that seemed to sap all of the fun, energy, and glitter out of what’s meant to be one of the most exciting periods of life. At first I thought what I was experiencing was a character defect – that I didn’t have what it took to succeed as an adult in this world, that my fear was too big, that something in me was broken. I was taking multiple naps a day, struggling to complete sentences, and finding myself knocked out for days after physical exertion. After much doubt, I began to question if my suffering was physical, rather than mental. I spent years digging and received various diagnoses that just didn’t feel accurate…something was missing, and the root of my chronic fatigue was being overlooked.

Enter coaching. I said “yes” to an opportunity to join a three-month health coaching group with my now mentor, Sascha Alexander, and at the end of that period, I had a proper diagnosis (Lyme Disease and EBV, among others), tools to care for myself mind, body, and spirit, and a medical team that I could relate to as consultants on my case, rather than authorities over my body. After completing the group, I had a powerful coaching conversation with Sascha where she asked me if I’d ever considered being a coach…and the truth is, I had.

When I was a student at Barnard College, an executive coach gave a presentation on campus and I remember thinking “Wow, I’d be really good at this, but I’m an actress.”

Growing up, I always felt like an exact combination of my parents. My dad was an actor and my mom was a psychologist. My whole life I’d been told I should be a therapist, but I couldn’t imagine putting my love of performing to bed.

When I found coaching years later, I found a career that offers me as much creativity as the performing arts and as much opportunity to deeply serve as therapy. Not only that, but when I take on the occasional film endeavor, it enhances my work as a coach. My coaching clients want to work with me because of the robustness of my life and passions, not in spite of it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a coach because I am a deep believer in the power of coaching. As someone with an inclination towards deep, unceasing rumination, receiving coaching has helped me get out of my head and into action in the real world.

So much of my work is about undoing rather than doing more or adding on. It’s about questioning beliefs that no longer serve us and finding new ways to relate to our lived experiences that bring us more joy, peace, and possibility.

As time has gone on, I’ve discovered that something truly remarkable happens in a coaching practice. My clients have had such disparate life experiences and careers, yet oftentimes, they’re journeying similar paths to my own. I’ve helped guide clients through career transitions, rate/salary increases, boundary setting, codependency, obstacles in love and sex, receiving and advocating for proper health diagnoses, self-esteem and body image, clearing debt, executive functioning skills, ADHD, and developing effective communication skills, among other things. I’ve worked with CEOs, creatives, entertainment executives, real estate agents, healthcare practitioners, fitness professionals, psychotherapists, technology researchers and product managers, and so many more fascinating individuals. The common thread that unites my clients is that they are all highly motivated, high-functioning people seeking to uplevel their lives.

I work with individual clients on a longer term basis, typically ranging from six months to one year. This is because when my clients work with me, they’re embarking on a project-based endeavor, whether that be something tangible like thriving on the set of their feature film or developing a deeper sense of integrity. These are goals that demand we enter the cocoon of transformation and withstand the inherent highs and lows absolutely necessary for growth.

I also lead phenomenal coaching groups that vary in focus. There’s something so magical about being coached alongside other individuals equally committed to their process.

I’ve been described as “one of the safest coaches I know” and “always supportive, always kind, and always on my team.” In coaching with me, a client can expect to feel deeply loved and seen, to be encouraged to experiment with new modes of thinking and being, and to laugh…a lot.

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

Love of people.
Orientation towards service.
Radical honesty.
Integrity.
Deep commitment to lifelong learning.
Vulnerability.
Empathy.
Passion for the business/entrepreneurial side of things, not just the coaching.
Creativity.
Surrender.
Walking the walk.
Self-awareness.
And perhaps most importantly, having a coach yourself (I cannot emphasize this one enough).

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

Genuine and courageous service without attachment is the lifeblood of my business.

I serve my clients and community with deep intentionality and without expectation. Whether it be a slowed down conversation or a complimentary workshop, people best understand the nature of my work when they experience it firsthand.

With every passing year, I understand the impact of nurturing relationships over time. I never know who is going to become a client, so I practice releasing control of this process, which is frankly, the domain of God and magic. I’ve received referrals from people who’ve attended one of my workshops for free and never become paying clients themselves. I have people who I never in a million years anticipated would work with me signing up for coaching year after year. Sometimes, the people I think are for sure “yeses” turn out not to be. Sometimes, people out of the blue tell me that for years they’ve been considering partnering with me on going after their dreams.

The less I make meaning out of the “yeses” and the “nos,” the more resilient and trusting I am – and the more frequently clients come my way.

My job is to show up, to listen from a place of deep loving, and see where I can be of service. My job is to get comfortable being vulnerable, sharing about what I have to offer and risking embarrassment or shame in favor of truly making an impact.

The more I share from my own experience, show up for the people around me, and tend to my own personal growth, the more my business flourishes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kingmariah

Image Credits

Theo Macabeo