Interview with life coach and course creator Sarah Watts
Find out how having children inspired Sarah Watts to become a life coach – and how she’s now helping women to become abundant business queens with her new online course.
What’s your career background?
I ran a successful business for six years in the on-line short stay industry – with Airbnb as a direct competitor.
I started the business 12 years ago in Berlin which grew into profitability within three months. After closing the business, I worked at a large eCommerce company best known as a booking platform for hair, beauty and spa breaks.
My role was a digital account manager and consultant for spas offering marketing and business advice to grow their business on-line.
After returning from maternity leave it just didn’t feel right anymore, so I changed tack and decided to become a life coach which is something I’d felt very passionate about in the past. I just needed to bite the bullet. Take the leap of faith. I did, and the rest is history, so they say.
How did having children change the way you view your work ?
My children are what in part inspired me to train to be a life coach and leave my stable part-time job. I started to think about what my future looked like and what I wanted to do in 10 years time. I wanted to be there for my children on my terms and have freedom to travel, pick them up from school and have lots of fun.
I realised working for myself again in the capacity of helping others which felt fully aligned with who I am. It’s what i’ve wanted to do since I was a teenager if I’m honest. During these unsettled times especially and after the tragic death of George Floyd, it really made me think of how my coaching could contribute to the world.
Healing fears and limiting beliefs that women may have about themselves in order so they can live a life of freedom really drives what I do. I hope in some small way that through my coaching I can spread a little joy and harmony in the world. So it’s a little better place for my children to inherit.
I want my children to be proud of my choices too. They are such a driving force in my work.
What’s your USP?
I think it’s as simple as saying, just being me! We are all unique and have wonderful gifts to offer the world. I am a born “encourager” of others which is one of my highest values. I am your biggest cheerleader.
Everything I do in my business is heart-centred and aligned with my own personal values, my personal ‘why’ and the larger impact I want to have in the world. Building and maintaining trust is so important in this industry and I want to make sure that at the centre of everything I do.
Who’s your target audience?
That’s simple, purpose-led, heart-centred business women a bit like me! My clients are usually women who are ambitious and are now embarking upon or transitioning towards running or growing their own service based business.
They are health, business or life coaches, nutritionists, creatives, yoga teachers, VAs or social media consultants just starting out or in the first six months.
Typically they may have a few self-doubts about their capabilities or limiting beliefs about themselves they want to shift that are impacting their business potential. Or, they may feel really overwhelmed with all the things they ‘should’ be doing and need someone to talk to, keep them accountable and to help them focus on the key areas of their business.
It’s important as I mentioned before, that trust and truth are the centre focus, so my clients need to be true to themselves and ready to want to make shifts and take leaps. Often they are also at the start of cultivating a spiritual or mindful practice and have maybe tried mediation.
What’s been the key to your marketing strategy?
I think it’s really important to know what your potential client needs from you, rather than guessing. Asking their opinion, asking them to let you know how you can help and listening. Through surveys, being active in Facebook Groups where they are, taking time to read their comments and respond to any of my posts.
Being truly connected to my audience is so important in order to best serve them and in return, they trust me. That’s a key element for me to gain ideal clients.
What’s been the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in your journey of becoming a life coach?
When I first started out as a life coach it was my mindset. Self-doubt, without a doubt. Thoughts like, “I’m not expert enough to do this or post on social media”, or, “what if I fail publicly and people see me”.
It’s so hard to overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome when you think you’re alone in feeling that way. But you aren’t. It’s such a common feeling that everyone has felt. Even Emma Watson and Michelle Obama!
Although self-doubts still cast clouds for me from time to time, I’ve learnt tools and techniques to deal with it so it never lasts for very long. Also, balancing my work with my home life as my daughters aren’t going to school yet. We all pull together, myself, my husband and my Mum is a huge support.
What are some of the proudest moments in your life ?
Moving to Berlin when I didn’t know a single person. Landing a job, founded and launched my first business and created a life there that I enjoyed for five years.
I have a fond memory of when I first moved there and went to a concert on my own. I approached a group of people I had never met, introduced myself in German and had a conversation in German with them on and off throughout the evening, and they didn’t think I was weird! It felt pretty good.
More recently becoming a mum to twins and surviving the first 3 months!
I guess I’m also proud of how I coped and finally faced the darker moments in my life that we all have. Family bereavements coupled with anxiety and self-esteem issues in my younger years took its toll. I’ve worked through a lot of these emotions and moved on.
It’s made me the person I am now. And it’s come full circle in the sense I work with some women who have self-esteem issues and I’m now their guider and supporter.
Why is work so important to you?
My work is important to me because it means I’m creating an impact in the world. I help ladies working in the wellness and creative industries overcome their fears to feel confident about who they are so they can live financially sustainable lives full of freedom.
My work not only empowers them, which I love to see, but it always means they can empower others through their enriching and healing work. Spreading more joy and harmony in the world as a result
Who inspires you?
Michelle Obama is a true inspiration to me. For a start, she used to suffer from imposter syndrome, but she overcame it. She embodies the idea of living in hope over fear.
Even before she carried status, she worked to help people out of poverty and fought to bring awareness to major issues she and her fellow students were suffering, such as discrimination based on race, gender and econmic class.
She’s always used her intellect to help others and despite previously suffering with imposter syndrome, she now uses her self-belief to inspire others.
How do you balance your work with your family?
Balancing work and family isn’t something that is easy, especially with small children and a growing business so it takes a lot of awareness to maintain the balance. I love spending time with my family. We enjoy park life, tennis, visiting family, the beach or just straight up mucking about.
I make sure I remind myself of the things I’m grateful for every day as part of my morning routine. I also have a strong awareness about the benefits of maintaining harmony in my life. I act upon it if I feel my self-care is slipping and business creeping in more.
For example, recently I realised I needed more fun outside work so I enrolled myself and my husband on a tennis course and I made sure we took the opportunities to enjoy the lovely weather on the beach.
My business means the world to me so I know there are times I need to focus on it more. So I let my family know in advance if there is going to be a busy but short period when mum needs to focus on work and we all pull together. We make a plan that includes easy to cook meals for that week, for example.
But as much as I love it, I do know that it is work so that also means that when that busy period is over it’s very much the family that takes the priority for the main. A lot of what I do is for my family at the end of the day and so we can enjoy a life of freedom and travel.
What are your three top pieces of advice for someone wanting to do something similar?
If you’re thinking of or starting out as a wellness professional or in a creative profession serving others. Maybe you’re a coach or training to be one like me. Here are three pieces of advice.
1) Plan everything out
Make a detailed road map of how you see your business in 12 months time, how much you want to earn, what your idea of success is (personal and business impact) and work back from that. Break everything down into mini but doable goals.
2) Be open to learning
After your training is ended and you’ve qualified, be open to learning and growing even more along the way so try and factor this in financially and give yourself a buffer. Get help if you need.
Not many people can carve out this journey alone. In my first business the big game-changer for me was having a business mentor.
3) Your mindset will be key to you succeeding
Just a small shift in how you feel about your worth can have a huge impact on attracting clients. You may see others pop up on social media claiming to earn a ton of money from various launches but don’t get sucked into the comparison trap. Remember they had to start somewhere too.
What needs to shift for you to concentrate on you? Just remember your own unique gift doesn’t have to be anything more than showing up as you. The world needs you too, there is room for us all. Extend yourself a big dollop of self-compassion regularly.
Sarah’s course I’m in Charge – from self doubt to Abundant Business Queen in 16 days opens on October 27th with an early bird discount of £129.
It covers all of her three points above and more. You’ll also learn her fun inner Princess spell to banish all those niggly voices saying, “You’re not good enough”, or “You’re a fraud. As well as visualizations, meditations and the supereasy ONE plan.
You walk a way with a strategy (you’ll want to marry her for that module alone!) Find out more and book your place here.
Love to know how Sarah created her online course? Find out more here.
