We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Toni Thrash a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Toni, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Starting any business is a risk. I started Fortitude Life Coaching around 6 years ago. It’s now Toni Thrash Coaching which is a new transition in the past year. Starting a business is always hard and the overthinking of every decision will stall you. I have learned that imperfection is okay and to go ahead and put it out there. The risks are the steps to failure. Failure lends itself to growth which lends itself to the direction you want to go. The specific fear of putting yourself out there can cause some anxiety. Then a client will mention something you said in a reel or your podcast that lets you know for that day you pointed someone to their answer. My story is one of a newly divorced woman 10 years ago wondering what was next. I had some major help along the way to start this coaching business. I’ve known since I was in 8th grade I wanted to coach. I coached volleyball, basketball, and tennis for over 25 years, and those lessons from the court and whiteboard transfer very easily to life in general. Establishing a relationship with my clients is paramount to anything I do. The ability to hear what they are not saying helps me point them to “get off the bench” through any life transition they may be walking through.

Toni, 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 knew I wanted to coach in the 8th grade. I begin my career in a small school coaching PE. I did some work for USTA when my kids were younger. I begin coaching volleyball, basketball, and tennis. Strategy in any sport translates easily to personal or business life coaching. I began looking at life coaching in 2014 and decided to pursue my certification in 2015. I was still coaching tennis and I had seniors in high school asking me to help them as they started college. I enjoy helping people get off the bench and into the game. Sometimes Life transitions cause us to be benched. So starting your comeback by getting off the bench requires a coach. I provide one-to-one and group coaching. My niche is helping anyone who is currently going through a divorce, empty nesting, retirement, or a job change. My clients are in shock, or limbo, or are reentering a world after a transition, and the rules have changed. They may not know how to buy a car, set a budget, or, what to do with their time now they have either retired or have an empty nest. In the Fall of 2023, I started a podcast “Start Your Comeback” to let people know how to move through these transitions. This has gotten great feedback because we, unfortunately, know someone either in one of these transitions or it is soon. I’m most proud of this work because I went through a divorce 10 years ago and became an empty nester at the same time. I know firsthand what it looks and feels like. I love building a relationship with my clients because this is how I can truly help them.

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

I was married for 25 years and honestly, the divorce was the biggest pivot in life for me. I’m the one who left and my two sons were older and they decided to stay in the house I left. I didn’t blame them. So I became an empty nester at the same time. I can say without question this was the hardest time in my life. I had to figure out what to do with the loneliness and the lack of people around. I went from a very lush lifestyle to about the poverty level in less than 6 months. Research said at the time it takes about 5 years to regain your life back after a divorce. It took 7 years for me and even though it was a struggle, I learned to make decisions that I could trust. I’m still learning and hope to continue learning for the rest of my life. The resilience you gain from a period in life is one of the most intoxicating lessons. You want more and more because you finally believe that you have worth.

How did you build your audience on social media?

This is always a work in progress. This is the one area that tends to frustrate me often. I’m still building it. I met with an agent 2 years ago to talk about the book I was writing and she said I needed 100,000 people in my platform. I have taken classes to learn more about social media and how to market my coaching, podcast, and book. Authentic Online Marketing is an 8-week class by Ruthis Gray. I learned what not to do and how to do some things I hated. I took a class by Christa Hutchins called Rocket Your Reach and that taught me how to plan. I guess for those just starting I would recommend being consistent. Pick how many times you can post and stick with it per week. Don’t get in perfection mode. You will never post if you do. My two sons who are in their late 20’s and early 30’s tell me this one statement every day: People need to see your face and hear your voice.” This is how they get to know you. The other way to grow your audience is to have a lead magnet and talk about it on social media. Give great value. Under promise and over-deliver. This will win clients over every time. It builds loyalty to your brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tonithrash.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonithrash
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-your-comeback/id1711845172?i=1000648334249

Image Credits
Photos by: Brittany Tinsley Photography