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Foundation Four- January 2019
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Initial Post:
This is a question that has eluded me for some time. Before I started this program, my ideal client was the sad lonely girl. The one I could “fix”. This is the peer I would associate with the most through high school and college and on after. This is the girl, to be frank, I am most attracted to. This is the girl that arouses my addictive, monstrous side. For that very reason, this sad girl CANNOT be my client. It has taken counseling and deep self-reflection to get to the point of understanding who I am as a person and as a coach to be able to say that she is not my ideal client. If not for the techniques learned through EBI and the coaching I have received during the intensives, I may have never moved beyond the safe, sad client.
After making that realization, I allowed myself to consider other clients. Who do I want to serve? And, why would they be drawn to my services? So, I cast a pretty wide net. My ideal client was someone who recognized that they simply needed to get back out into nature. Even though at its core, this is what I believe in, this isn’t actually the client I want. I discovered that trying to attract virtually anyone meant that I was attracting no one. Literally, my pitch to prospective clients and partners, when I went to trade shows was, lets get outside and talk about it. Even the best coach will need a bit more of a sales pitch.
So, round three of finding my ideal client. One day, I had a vision that hit me hard. I was told to basically quit beating around the bush and serve the people that your heart speaks to. Not the safe, sad girl. Not even the nature deprived. No. My ideal client is the postpartum dad. All the respect to moms out there, but dad is often forgotten about during this important time. Dads get postpartum depression and anxiety too. Someone needs to show these men validation and compassion and let them know that its ok if there are times that they think this new chapter sucks. I want to be that person. In meetings with mentors and prospective partners, I have gotten more excited about the prospect of serving new dads than I ever did when I was talking about serving the nature deprived.
Now, what does this new chapter mean for the mission of Fresh Air Coaching? Only time will tell.
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Taylor, no worries. I might be the furthest behind.
I love that your vision is all encompassing. Connection to nature is important and something I’m sure most of us are striving for. But you go beyond just going for a walk in the woods. Yours is a deep and personal connection at a soul level.
Having gotten to know you over the past year, I can say that you are one of the most compassionate, real people that I know. This isn’t some pet project for you. This is something you live and something you teach to others.
Having worked with you as a coach throughout the intensives, I can attest to your coaching ability and skills. You will rock at this! -
Summary Post:
In reading through everyone’s posts, I am finding that what unites us all is our unwavering commitment to serving others. For most of us, that will take place out in nature, for others of us, that process will take place in the client’s home, in an office, or at the gym. Others in cohorts before ours have taken the skills learned in EBI back to the corporate world and others are using this to supplement careers in related fields. Some of us want to work with young adults, while others want to work with elders. Some with veterans, others with marginalized populations. My point in all this is that we all have a passion for service. That is why we are here. That is what has pulled at our hearts and directed us to fly across the country. We do this because this is us. We are coaches. We are guides. We are servants to others. And I am proud to know each and every one of you servants.
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When contemplating coaching and guiding clients my mind turn to helping teenagers and young adults. I also think of people with addictions. I have a desire to influence young men and women’s live at a relatively young age with the intention of really allowing for personal growth and change at an earlier stage in life. This excites me because of the potential outcome and possibilities to work with those trying to grow and understand the world around them, I think its one of the most important times in our lives when we need guidance. I also get excited about working with addicts simply because I personally have experienced how painful and life altering addiction can be. To think I could help shift or change that in another’s life would be fulfilling.
I often think about working in a wilderness therapy program. It seems to be a place I can find my target clients as well as the ability to readily incorporate nature. Having gone through one of these programs my self a decade ago, I really started to experience the power of just being in nature and working on my self. It is a large part of why I started with EBI in the first place and plan to return with my career in mind. -
Finding my Ideal client. Coming into this EBI program I had a general idea of who I wanted to be working with. On the video call it was said that your ideal client can be a “version of yourself” This is really where that stemmed from for me. I have a past with addiction and other situations that I’ve had to overcome. When picturing my ideal client I knew I knew I wanted to work with addicts as well as the younger generation, specifically those that may be lost or having difficulty over coming certain tasks in life related to their vision. I think we all pull aspects from ourselves and past to help us find where our gifts will be best utilized. The material we have covered can benefit almost anyone, but after this module and the video call I really am centering in more on the specific client I think I can service the best. With that in mind I still push myself to keep a wide scope on the possibilities of who I can service and help. I don’t want to close the door on anyone that can benefit for nature connected coaching.To summarize keeping an open mind on potential clients is important to me as well as drawing from my personal past to understand who I can service the most. This module has been great for laying out the basics in the direction and the marketing I plan on doing as a coach.
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Ben Marchaman,
I too, have tried to fit everybody into my ideal client, but the truth is that not everyone will resonate with what you are offering, I found. I am amazed that you are able to include so much into your program! You must have great focus! -
Hey MJ,
You are using what you like as a basis for what kind of client you want and that is really smart. You will be able to speak their language and meet them where they are at this way. -
*Initial Post*
When I was thinking about guiding, the first thing that came to mind was that I wanted to help everyone! I realized that this wasn’t very practical though. I don’t speak the same language or have the same experience as every single person on this planet. I will connect to some better than others.When I was honest with myself, I realized that what I really wanted was to guide people into remote areas, preferably the Sierras, to find their true selves. What I mean by that is that I want to work with people who have had trauma and would benefit with an immersion experience with nature, and include grounding and somatic work to ease hypervigilance, sympathetic overdrive, sleep disorders and other symptoms of PTSD. I stongly believe that getting away from our technology riddled man made society will help people to come back down to a calmer baseline and have opportunity to heal. I would like to work with women 20-50’s who are capable enough to cover long mile days in the mountains. The closest thing I have seen to this type of business is outword bound, but they usually work with kids. I also feel like NCC is unique because of the coyote guiding aspect, not just coaching and leadership.
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*Summary Post*
Everyone is so different that I think none of us will have the same exact client type which is the beauty of it. We all have some of our own special gifts and experiences to offer. We really owe it to ourselves, to set up OURSELVES for success. Creating specific goals so that we can become the guides that we were meant to be. It is really helpful to see everyone’s discriptions so I be inspired. -
MJ, I see a lot of similarities in your uncertainty and my own. I had my initial “ideal” client, but I realized that I picked this person because of my own needs, then I wanted to serve everyone and in doing so, was unable to serve anyone or feel confident as a coach. Finally, I found my calling, but even in doing so, I have yet to find my client Like you, I want to serve. And I also know who and how I do not want to serve.
I hope that in the roughly year and a half since your original post, you have been able to really hone in on who is the best fit for you, because I know that you have a lot to offer. Whoever you serve will be fortunate to have you as their coach.
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Adriana, like you, I also initially wanted to serve everyone. In that pursuit, though, I wound up serving no one, and without a clear path to begin seeing clients. Even the potential clients that I shared a language with, as you say, were not the best fit for me. It has taken me a lot of deep self-reflection to find out who I really want to serve and how I want those interactions to look.
I remember fondly you talking about your hikes and connection to the Sierras. I hope that in the months since your initial post, you have been able to define your vision and are now fully immersed in service to others, in an area that is close to your heart.
NCC is a great jumping off point for any coach, and really, any interaction as a member of society. I hope that the skills learned through EBI have propelled you for a career in guiding others.
