We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Patricia Cosulich-Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Patricia below.

Hi Patricia, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I wish I had started my business sooner, or to be more precise, I wish I had taken it seriously from the beginning. Let me share the backstory to explain why.

I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey around the age of 20 when I became an independent consultant with a direct sales company. This opportunity opened my eyes to the world of entrepreneurship, teaching me valuable lessons in relationship management, attraction marketing, and wellness. I also learned I had an entrepreneurial spirit and discovered freedom as one of my core values. This opportunity opened my eyes to the possibility of running my own business, making an impact, and having the flexibility to stay home with kids someday.

From ages 14 to 26, I battled severe chronic Lyme disease. This profoundly influenced my desire to design a career that allowed me to dictate my own schedule, primarily work from home, and leverage my strengths in a way that challenged me intellectually and personally. The dream of running my own online business, applying my potential to make a difference, living creatively, and being an active mother remained alive. I just struggled with making it happen.

Additionally, my educational background, which includes a Master’s in Social Innovation and a Bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Humanities, equipped me with the knowledge and skills necessary for entrepreneurship. Pitch competitions sharpened my business acumen, leadership studies expanded my capacity for thoughtful reflection and integration, and theatre augmented my aptitude for creative expression, communication, and collaboration.

Later, I transitioned into coaching and podcasting, but I’ll delve into that part of my journey later.

Now, I am pregnant! My husband and I are beyond excited. My why feels so much stronger. Before, it was a distant dream (in other words, very future-focused rather than present).

Looking back, I can see the advantages of starting my business when I did. I am grateful for the seeds I planted in my early twenties– because of the effort I invested then, I have a strong foundation to build upon and launch forward from. On the other hand, it would be remiss not to admit I do harbor some regrets. I wish I had been more disciplined, established better boundaries, implemented stronger systems, and managed my time more effectively. In other words, I wish I had treated my business more like a business and less like a hobby.

It’s worth mentioning that my ongoing direct sales income, which I initiated years ago, now covers the expenses of my coaching business. While my coaching venture has yet to become as profitable as I’d hoped, considering the investments I’ve made in credentials, personal development, websites, and miscellaneous overhead expenses, I’m grateful for the financial support from my earlier efforts.

With all of this being said, I also believe in divine timing. I trust that everything unfolds when it is meant to. So, there is inherent contradiction. While I regret not accelerating my entrepreneurial journey sooner, I also embrace the notion that my path is evolving precisely as it is meant to.

Patricia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m deeply passionate about personal development, creativity, social impact, and entrepreneurship. Currently, coaching and podcasting are the vehicles through which I share those passions and empower other individuals to lead fulfilled lives and find their unique paths to success. As far as how I “got into podcasting,” acquaintances and strangers started commenting “you have a nice voice for podcasting.” After months of these unsolicited remarks, I decided to take the plunge and start my own show!

My podcast, The Transitions Project, is about practicing personal leadership through periods of change. Whether you’re switching careers/ majors, becoming a first-time parent, grappling with grief or a diagnosis, reentering the workforce, celebrating a big accomplishment, or shifting your worldview, one thing’s for sure: Life is a never-ending series of transitions. It is full of new beginnings, endings, celebrations, losses, and adventures. The podcast offers a space to explore the “messy middle” – that liminal space when you can’t go back to where you were, and yet you also haven’t ‘arrived.’ With guests, I share a range of stories, coaching calls, and practical tips on how to become the active designer of your life no matter what transitional phase you’re in.

In the realm of coaching, I offer a range of services to help individuals unlock their potential, set and achieve meaningful goals, and navigate personal and professional challenges. My background allows me to provide an interdisciplinary and holistic perspective tailored guidance to my clients. Whether it’s life coaching or creative coaching, I strive to be a supportive partner on my clients’ journeys to self-discovery and growth.

Many of my clients are dreamers brimming with big ideas. It’s second nature for them to pour their hearts and souls into these ideas. However, there is a delicate balance to learning how to bring these dreams to life without becoming overwhelmed, overcommitted, and ultimately burnt out.

I offer a curious, compassionate space and guide clients through reflection and open-ended questions. In doing so, I guide clients toward fuller self-expression and integrated, healthy lives. Whether you’re seeking personal growth, creative inspiration, or a path to navigate life’s transitions, I’m here to help you make it happen.

I feel most proud when clients take a deep breath and settle into more clarity or ease; when the lightbulb goes off and they are able to give themselves more grace or compassion, and also when their creative ideas come together and they move forward.

As for what sets me apart, I believe it’s my combination of education, authenticity, energy, experience, and a deep commitment to personal growth. I’ve been studying and practicing leadership development since I was a teenager, and was often the youngest person in the room (and one of the most active participants). After years of facilitation and group leadership experience, I earned my coaching certification through an ICF-accredited program. Through social innovation, I learned design thinking and how to iterate for better solutions to complex problems. Additionally, my own experiences, including battling chronic Lyme disease and surviving multiple types of grief, allow me to connect with clients on a profound level. I’m not just a coach; I’m someone who has faced life’s challenges and emerged stronger and more resilient.

I’m proud of the positive impact I’ve had on my clients’ lives. Witnessing their transformations and being a part of their growth journey is incredibly fulfilling for me. It’s not just about achieving goals; it’s about helping individuals become the best versions of themselves.

What I want potential clients and followers to know about me and my brand is that I’m here to provide unwavering support, guidance, and inspiration. No matter where you are or what you’ve been through, it’s possible to design or redesign a life that aligns with your values and aspirations.

Feel free to explore my website and podcast for more insights into my work and the resources I offer. It’s always a joy to connect with creative, growth-minded folks.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Because of how chronic Lyme disease affected my physical and neurological ability, I had to be really creative about my career and educational choices. This required many pivots.

Multiple sensitivities and symptoms cause additional obstacles in traditional office environments. It can be challenging to receive accommodations, and even to figure out what would be reasonable. For example, I suffer from a light sensitivity called Irlen Syndrome. I get headaches and become disoriented and nauseous under bright or fluorescent lights. This is hard to avoid in spaces with other people, as it is likely colleagues will want or even need brighter lights in order for them to see and do their best work.

Knowing I was capable of high-level work and feeling stunted in my career growth felt extremely frustrating. When I realized how difficult it was to contribute my best and thrive in a traditional environment, I knew I needed to adapt and do something different. This, in large part, drove me to start my own business.

Another big pivot was transitioning into Lyme advocacy after years of advocating for other humanitarian and environmental causes, and then pivoting and expanding beyond chronic illness again. For a season (years, actually), it was powerful to focus on the Lyme and chronic illness community. This was when I wrote my documentary play, The Great Imitator. I became known as “the Lyme girl.” I learned a lot and was able to give back to a community for a cause that had affected my life so completely. Then, after a time, I felt the nudge to expand and reclaim lost parts of my identity and dreams, which was when I shifted my focus to podcasting and coaching.

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

I had to unlearn perfectionism, which is an ongoing journey. It especially affected my well-being in my younger years, and definitely held me back. It has been a conscious effort to learn to take messy action.

It wasn’t until my 20s that I learned perfectionism can manifest in multiple forms, and many popular ideas about perfectionism are unhelpful misconceptions that lack actionable advice.

Perfectionism can fuel impossibly high standards that actually prompt procrastination and overwhelm, as well as an all-or-nothing mindset.

I had to learn to break down my big ideas and reduce my initial expectations so that I could get through a first draft, and embrace the concept of iterating through future versions. Much of the beauty lies in the evolution; in allowing a project to unfold and grow over time. After all, the Sistine Chapel was certainly not painted in one day or one week. Consistency is more important than bursts of genius. Systems and a variety of tools can help with that. Ultimately, it’s about adopting a growth mindset rather than a fixed one.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.patriciacosulich.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricia.cosulich/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-cosulich/
• Other: https://www.patriciacosulich.com/podcast https://thetransitionspodcast.libsyn.com/

Image Credits
Headshots w/ colored gradient backgrounds: Candice Swanson photography