“The fastest way to get anywhere is slowly, and the best thing you can do is be easy on yourself and recognize that you are doing much better than you think. “
Keren Eldad is an international life transformation coach, speaker, and founder of With Enthusiasm. She does not only excel in helping professionals and entrepreneurs achieve their business goals. She also teaches the importance of self-awareness, acceptance, and humility as part of personal development.
“It’s good to reflect and see if there are ways that we can improve. I’m just living by doing and I’m learning, and I’m growing, and I’m still making tons of mistakes, but I’m okay with that because it’s not a race. It’s a journey and being opportunistic in life. You be healthier to have stronger relationships to be financially stable, right? Constantly grow trying to get better, but don’t compare hardly compare to anyone. I don’t know. It doesn’t bother me. It’s a method like I’m at a good state.”
Join Keren Eldad as she recalls all the challenges in her life and how she successfully rediscovered her purpose and changed her mindset that has inspired her to enter the world of transformational coaching. Be sure to listen to our podcast and learn how a good mindset can be essential in building your business.
Website: https://www.kereneldad.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keren-eldad-5232033
Twitter: https://twitter.com/realcoachkeren
John: Thank you for listening to the Business Sphere. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode. My guest today is coach Keren Eldad, Keren founded with enthusiasm coaching where she helps professionals and entrepreneurs achieve business goals and personal development. Thanks for joining me today, Keren.
Keren: Thank you for matching my level of enthusiasm John, it’s a real joy to be here.
John: Well, that’s how you should always take on life, right? Every single minute of the day should be the best life you should be living. So thank you, I really wanna thank you for the time that we’re gonna have today and this is gonna be a lot of fun. But before we start, if you don’t mind sharing with the listeners a little bit about yourself, how you became who you are today? What’s your kind of expertise and authority figure? What people know you by today?
Keren: My life has ended up where it is today through collapse. I got really lucky John about 10 years ago, pretty much everything I was using to define myself, the big fancy job, the big fancy marriage, the nice house, all of it collapsed. And as I lost one thing after the other, and to be very honest as I walked away from one thing after the other, I started facing a big shitstorm and really had to ask the questions that I’d probably been avoiding most of my life. Like, what do I actually want to do? Who am I really? What lights me up inside? What would I like to do with the rest of my life? These are very typical questions for midlife crises and I’m glad I went through it 10 years before the midlife age kicked in. And that’s because I answered them almost preemptively and that’s allowed me to live a pretty solid life now. Before this, I was chasing prestige and status like most people have been most of their lives, whether they’re aware of it or not. Went to the right schools? Married the right person? And the right is in quotation marks of course, like what you’re expected to marry. Had the right kind of job at the right kind of organization? Big, safe, prestigious organization.
And really didn’t understand why I was so burned out and so unmotivated most of the time. It’s like low-grade anxiety, depression kind of situation where you really have no reason to be suffering. Overtly speaking, the world can probably not see why you’re not feeling very happy. But it was because the choices I made were antithetical to my soul. And so one day, as I walked away from what was really an abusive marriage, if you saw it from the outside it looked good on Instagram but was an abusive, emotionally and physically abusive marriage. As I walked away from it, I started to reach for the unthinkable, which was coaching and self-help books and personal development books. You’re sitting right now in front of at least a dozen books that changed my life, completely changed my life. And that was the beginning of the transformation John, that’s when I started to really change profoundly how I thought. Which changed my mindset, which changed my chain of reaction. And not only did it put me on this path of deciding to become a coach and helping other people to do this. Just make me a happy person.
John: This is great because for all the listeners who don’t know who you are it resonates with a lot of people. Because if you are working Nine to Five, working in the rat race or your business owner and your entrepreneur, you’re struggling to figure out what’s the reason you’re doing what you’re doing. You wake up every morning for that struggle, and it’s hard to get up motivated, happy, enjoying the process and learning and growing. Make sure that you’re doing everything because you really want to. Really focus on like why you’re doing what you’re doing. I know that you mentioned some of these big milestones and big things that happened throughout your life. Take us a little bit beforehand on the journey of going to a prestigious school, taking on that profile job because you know, people perceive from the outside, the dream of glossy magazine covers, you know TV superstars, nice fancy homes, nice cars. But what was it that didn’t live up to the expectations? What really went on? Because you know again, for all the listeners that’s what their goal is. Let’s see all these nice cars, nice trips. If you don’t mind sharing, that would be great.
Keren: Absolutely, I think you could have seen that and back in the day, I think you would have seen me partying with Rockstar on Instagram where it’s very, very fabulous clothes, which I don’t mind telling the listeners, I still enjoy very much. And the tall husband who was constantly dressed to match my outfit. So you could see that everything was working out for me but you weren’t seeing what you’re not seeing in the case of most overachievers, and I coached overachievers, I have coached more than 600 individuals who definitely have achieved success above and beyond the norm and consistently do so, what you’re not seeing is anxiety constantly looking over my shoulder. For where the bottom is going to drop where the other shoe is going to drop. I was always worried about what other people thought of me so I was living in constant, trying to keep up with the Joneses mode which is awful. And by the way, economically terrible for you and I think more than anything the easiest way to describe this to anyone who’s feeling a certain malaise and knows that their life is not as good as it looks on Instagram.
What’s really going on, I think, is we have become doing creatures. We’ve become human doings. We go to work, we come back from work, we go to work, we come back from work, we pursue one achievement we get it doesn’t feel that good then we pursue the next height, instead of being spiritual beings. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience and we seem to have forgotten that, and that’s what the book started to do for me. What eventually coaching did for me was it kind of really changed the ratio. There’s a book behind you that says 80-20 sales and marketing, Pareto principle obviously. Well if the Pareto principle 20% of our effort yields 80% over the results. Then, for crying out loud we have got to start focusing on the spiritual backbone that sustains us, feeds us emotionally, and makes us happy rather than the 15 bucks at the end of the month that get you the stuff that will make you maybe, maybe 5% feeling better for a very short period of time. When we flip the switch on this we start living a very different, very rich life. And that’s what was really going on behind the scenes and that’s what I truly managed so far. Nothing is forever so far to reverse.
John: That’s amazing to hear. And I would love to ask you a little bit, you know, of these questions where, you know, you realize and you kind of broke everything off. You know, some of the bad habits and some of the bad structures and you know, marriage and job and whatnot. You start consuming, you started reading. Were there people instrumental in your life that you gravitated towards that were more like coaches, mentors, people that you saw a different side of things because when you’re living this glorious life on paper from visual, from the outside everyone would love to be like you, but inside you’re like rotting or you’re not feeling well, right? How did you navigate through all this and find people that were similar to you? Because I’m sure it’s all about community, it’s all about that network, right? And what did you do to overcome that?
Keren: Well, I had to find that community. What I said before was my whole life collapsed and I mean, my whole life collapsed within a very short period of time. The divorce was contentious, I lost all my money and also realized that technically, we had no money. That’s another one of the fun realizations you discover in a contentious divorce, and I ended up leaving my job because I wanted to go back to the United States. I was living in Switzerland, and then I couldn’t find a job for many months. So you wanna marry broke with six months plus of unemployment and you’ve got yourself a serious problem. in short order, some other catastrophes befall me, the few things I got to keep after the divorce were burned in a fire, and there was a fire in my storage unit. And my two cats who were my constant companions, and I don’t have children, the only companions I had also died within a month of each other, so I’m having a really, really tough time. It went from alright, I need the books to try to help me navigate a difficult transition, I’m in rock bottom here. And when I was at rock bottom, I decided to do the unthinkable. I gave myself, Are you ready for this? A break. Unlike most overachievers, who move into hyperdrive and do more and call 50 LinkedIn contacts and go completely bananas. I withdrew, I decided this was the time to think, this was the time to understand what had happened. This was the time to really make sense of my moves previously, and why they got me the results that they got me. And reframe my thinking in order to get vastly different results and it was the smartest thing I ever did.
That’s also when I took the very big financial risk of hiring coaches, coaching especially world-class coaching is not cheap. This isn’t, I know a lot of people think therapy is expensive. Coaching is a short burst of inspiration, and it’s usually if you’re working with a master, it’s not a cheap endeavour. I forked over the sums for Jen Sincero who wrote “You’re a badass at making money”. The entire badass series ’cause she was freaking hilarious, and I just thought I’d connect with her because of her humour. And Catherine Alice, who’s another coach. Who works with the healing of the heart, and I went to Kabbalah classes. I really reached from a very white breath of spiritual programming again for an Ivy Leaguer, this is unthinkable. Like I really used to make fun of people who did this. But within a year my thinking was transformed, and my financial situation was transformed. I was back in action, I felt like myself again and this time I was in a completely different mode because I knew when to say no. I knew it was not for me, I was not chasing the approval of others anymore, which was a transformation for me, and everything really started to change, and this is essentially when I begin to build my own business. And I know this podcast is about building your own business. But the fundamental thing I want to say to people is I built businesses before they failed. The main difference is the reason with enthusiasm coaching has become a huge a 7 figure success within five years, which I think after five years you can start really feeling comfortable with saying you’re successful. Is because of that transformation, it was because of the radical change in the way I thought I was no longer bringing the hustler to the table. I was bringing a person who was relaxed and who knew that they were doing what they loved to the table.
John: And that’s amazing, Five years of that transformation and self-realization. To come to realize what really is important, what are your values and what do you ultimately want? Goal setting? Making sure that you have people in place that is in alignment with what you want to achieve, right and coaches, mentors, people that can understand what you’re feeling, that kind of gone through it or and have experience, right? Different perspectives, understand because you’re jaded with your own experience. And you feel like no one knows what’s going on, no one appreciates or can feel what you went through. But there are thousands of people going through the exact same challenges that you are.
You just have to go out there and seek them out because got to go find them. And so that’s why, you know, coaching and mentoring really got a different route like I kind of didn’t do coaching and mentoring. I’m more a somehow kind of you know gone home kind of person, spirituality for me has been all about meditation and just being very, very present. Slow down don’t compare you know and it’s all about not chasing being happy and content, being grateful because understanding that we’re so fortunate in the Western Society and the world to have a choice, abundance and access where 95-99% of the world is on bare necessity needs. Right, so don’t compare to people ahead of you, compared to other people that are below you and you’re gonna be far happier in that sense.
Keren: Well, you’re onto three different things, John. The first is to have the humility to reach for any of the work, whether you can hire a coach or mentor or work with a mentor or you can really start consuming 400 of the books and really make this a lifestyle with the spiritual lifestyle right? You have to first have the humility to say the truth is not everything is okay. I don’t get this, I could use some help, and for most overachievers, this is very hard to do, to look around and to say, well I got this money and I’m doing a kind of okay and I am technically married, don’t matter we have not sex in like the last year. I’m definitely fine. You’re not fine. It’s okay to ask for help. It will change your life. Why live out the rest of your days, okay or even doing well when you can have fabulous.
The second thing you’re saying is, I think really describing for people what happiness is. John and I have public behavioural styles. We look very happy but that’s not what happiness really consists of. Its acceptance and gratitude, acceptance and gratitude. And if you really start to move in a place that’s truly always looking at the advantage of where you are, the luckiness to be where you are, the luckiness of still having time ahead. You will be in a deep reverence for life. That is what allows you to have resilience, behind you is Angela Duckworth’s book Grit, the resilience, the courage to run a business long term.
John: Amazing, I mean these things that you’re talking about resonate with me and that’s why you’re on the show, by the way, Keren I love it. So what are some of the things that you’ve transformed because you’ve been running your business for 5 years now or plus? And in the early days I would love that journey, right? How did you get started knowing that this is something you wanted to do? And how did that come about? Because usually the first couple of years are a struggle. They’re hard and people who see you now think it’s an overnight success, they can do it in 6 months, right? Yeah, you gotta put in the time, you gotta put in that grit, you gotta put in the hard work, education. And these are sleepless nights and stress and things that everyone. Like no one really realized until you’re in, right? So if you don’t mind sharing a little bit of that journey.
Keren: The two things that transformed my life are my business and my relationship. I am remarried, I have married the most wonderful human being on the planet. Honestly, the most decent, kindest, relaxed, happiest, most generous person on the planet. And that is what you’re looking for if you are out there and you’re single. Forget any of the accoutrements. Look for a kind, decent, loving, supportive person, and that’s what you’re looking for, by the way in a coach as well, somebody who’s been through it and somebody who’s got your back and there’s no substitute for that. The second is a business that has my back, and a business that feels absolutely good to me, that is kind and decent and generous. So two Identical structures in love and in business.
And I love talking about this, John, because coaches are seldom asked about how you built your business, right? We’re asked about mindset, we’re asked about all of the accoutrements that people can use. But I’m gonna talk to you right now about the business of coaching. There are, I think, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), numbers of the last 2 years. We’ve gone from a country that was 34% side hustle to over 50% side hustle. This means there are a lot of consultants out there, a lot of freelancers out there and guess what? You are in our industry now and John and my industry are in the service industry. And in the service industry, I like to say there are three phases of the business. Are you ready?
John: Let’s go.
Keren: Number one is Imagination, all of it is happening in the head, and people disqualify this because nothing is really moving. The study, the work on yourself, then reading the books, the talking to other people, the ideations process, the writing and journaling, visualizing the greatness of it. The same other examples and being awakened by their example of people were doing what you want to do. That is 30% of the equation, yes it’s an enormous chunk of the puzzle. So that moment that I was talking about, that year essentially where I went inward and did study and practice and thinking and really started to reflect upon my purpose, I’m giving a purpose workshop today. And really started to think about who I am and what I want, 30% of the equation is in that moment, you think nothing is happening but the whole world is changing in those moments. And the more you feed yourself, books and coaching of strength. The mindset of resilience, the passion, the understanding of where you’re going, the better off you’re gonna be, right? Because it’s like setting up a GPS system. If you don’t know where you’re gonna go, trust me, you’re not going there. Number two is the hedging your bets phase. Most people, John, when they start a consulting business, are not independently wealthy. I know shocking but true. And by the way, I always believe when you have a rich spouse or you’ve inherited money, you’re at an incredible disadvantage because you’re much less likely to be hungry and you’re going to be much slower to go to the market to really earn the money.
People like me broke a very big advantage. Guess why, ’cause you actually need the money. And that also makes you very much more cautious and calculated in your moves, not too calculated I wasn’t a risk-averse and I wasn’t not starting a business but I was gonna do this pragmatically. I had to make money, spend money, make money, spend money, I could not spend what I did not have. And so there were two things that I did in that era. The first year and a half of my business after launching the business, which by the way was successful from the onset. I sold out every possible slot that I had in coaching from the beginning and the referrals started to move very quickly. But the only thing I didn’t tell you was that I also had a full-time job at that time. This is called hedging your bet. So I went to work, worked until six o’clock, came home, took a coaching session, works on the weekend, wrote on the weekend, prepared my program on the weekends, seated talks when I could, on a day that I had to take off, in order to give a talk. Invited my colleagues to my talks, and involved them in what I was building and doing. This allows me to steady the shift. Every time I needed to film a video series or do a photoshoot, I had money ’cause I was earning money at my day job and then I was applying it forward. And then of course with time you level the playing field, you’ll have enough coaching business to just let go of the anchor. And that is when the business really takes off. I launched in January 2017 and in June of 2018, I quit my day job and I’m happy to tell you, John, I never looked back the rest of it was just a nice steep scaling. I now work with three people on my team and it’s a new world out there and it’s amazing.
John: That’s so fun to hear. And you know, you telling the story of bootstrapping side hustle and being in this position because for all the listeners that have been listening to my show. My parents came from Vietnam and we lived in government housing. We didn’t have an education like all this stuff that people are born with, like next-generation kind of passing on some funds, some resources access, learnings about how things work. We didn’t know how to navigate, you have to figure it out. So when you’re able to struggle, learn, put in that extra time and always have security like you mentioned job and do a little side hustle and make sure that there is something there. Because you’re selling out or there’s enough income to support the lifestyle that you wanna choose and then you can double down.
These are things that a lot of business people don’t really talk about, right. And this whole world that we’re living in where you know, this technology, you know boom on crypto NFT’s and then angel investing, dragons den whatever all these show shark tanks. They’re all trying to capture your attention on how easy it is to start a business. You get funding and you don’t have to worry because your set. You won’t realize how many of those people fail. Right, because they don’t talk to people that are successful already. Like you need X amount of revenue to support it to get on the show. Like all these things are challenging, but in the world, we’re living in today, it’s real-time. People want information and success immediately and even for yourself, they’re probably looking at you now saying “Wow I can do that, easy!”.
Keren: Yeah, and by the way look at the coaching industry. The coaching industry is absolutely exploded that’s why I’m going to do a series called coaches on zoom getting coffee, which launches next month. It’s really awesome because I wanna give people a glimpse of this industry. I think a lot of people see me especially if it’s juncture right, it’s been five and a half years now and thinks, I could do that and that looks pretty simple and what they do is copy materials and they start to move out into the universe. Now look, no discredits to anyone they don’t get proper accreditation. For some reason have made it seem okay to say that accreditation is not important, it is you’re dealing with people’s mental health and livelihoods accreditation and ethics matter enormously.
The shortcuts do not ultimately serve you. I think what John and I are having is a conversation for the listeners that I think is super important, right John? Is to say it’s not easy, but if you love it enough and you’re passionate enough, you will not cut corners. Warren Buffett always says time is the friend of the long term business and the enemy of the short term business. You only blow yourself up when you’re thinking short-term, when you’re playing a short game and when your hustling to win or close the gap. This is a long game you should expect it, to involve hard work and tenacity, and that’s the only way to the other side.
John: And you mentioned Warren Buffett, he didn’t start earning a good living until he was 60. After doing it for 20 or 30 years. And this applies to every professional expert business owner that sees some sort of success they put in their time, put their skilled labour. They understand the art, there’s a failure, there’s ups and downs, and self-realization. But no one talks about those ten, twenty, and thirty years of grinding it out, right? They expect, “Wow, someone in the 30s or 40s, I wanna be like them”. They don’t want to put in the time and effort, right? So they read a book, they go to the course, they join the community, they get some coaching and they realized.
They have to realize you got to put in the time and that could be volunteering, or learning about the business. Go out there and get dirty, go out there and learn as much as you can because there’s so much to it in terms of running a business. Even the transformation in the last five years, you’re a solopreneur side hustler to then running it yourself, to then hiring people operations system processes and planning. All that takes time, right? And it depends on what your goals are ultimately, but if you’re happy with what you have then you can sustain it. But if you’re looking at scaling growth and having bigger visions and there are different levels of where you’re at and there are people that have already gone through it and you can kind of tap on their doors to see if they can assist.
Keren: I agree with you, If you just wanna hustle It doesn’t particularly matter and you just want to get rich or really want us to acquire certain status or look a certain way. But if you are very serious about your endeavour, being the best SEO expert on the planet does matter, being the best coach you can be, does matter. It’s exactly the same approach I took in love, take time to invest in yourself, take time to get yourself together, take time to be the person who is worthy of the marriage of your dreams and really line up with that person. It’s exactly the same in business, take the time to be the superstar, you know yourself to be.
Do not cut the corners and don’t worry unlike Warren Buffet for most of us it will not take 30 or 40 years of investment. And I think for some people their mindset is so tight it’ll be a very quick turnaround and long sustainable results. But if you really are playing the long game, realized that you came here for the journey, you did not come here for the success which is very short, very fleeting, and doesn’t excite most of us long term. And you’re not to be deterred by failure which is what Oprah says “it’s just redirection, it’s okay. You will live to fight another day”. So we are all playing the long game here and that is the ultimate secret to building a business that rocks.
John: And understanding to slow down because there’s all this, you know ways to get rich, ways to grow, scaling faster, quicker, cheaper or whatever it is, right? Just stay grounded with your path because there’s always this shiny object syndrome, there’s always something that’s going to capture attention. This is a different story, psychologically they’re trying to deceive you and try to motivate different actions, right? So you have to really understand the root of their business to then figure out what makes sense for your business and who you really wanna cater towards, and what kind of provider, service, and pricing. There are so many variables, right? And life will be happier when you’re closer and you’re on this path of clarity. That journey and yes, there’s going to be a lot of mistakes that you gonna go through. And it’s more about how you overcome them, how you take on those mistakes, rejection, and regret. I would have could have, should have make it to a positive spin. Because people are very down on themselves when things happen, they go into this rabbit hole of depression, go to therapists and try to find quick ways around it. Look on the bright side.
Keren: It’s very hard to say that to somebody who is down on themselves, what I can say instead if it’s alright John is, what you’re saying is the fastest way to get anywhere is slowly. This is an absolute truth. The fastest way to get anywhere is slowly, but an equal truth is to be easy on yourself because you are doing much better than you think. I volunteered on a suicide hotline for many years, crisis text line, which is still the biggest hotline in the country and be easy on yourself, is probably the message I repeated most frequently with the mostly very young people who were on the line. We lose perspective in moments that look to us like we’re not measuring up, we can’t get ahead. But this moment comes to us all, they are part of the universal experience of going for anything worthwhile in life. The best thing you can do is be easy on yourself and recognize that you are doing much better than you think.
John: That’s amazing words, because you know mentally people have to realize that life is a huge long journey of people, interactions, relationship experiences and things go on. There’s a lot of information thrown at you and you’re gonna compare, you gonna try to figure it out. But we’re human creatures that can distinguish, sort things out, figure things out and yes we are creatures of habit as well. So you need to figure out who are stronger, like how you become that strong person/human that can overcome these challenges, these situations. And if you have people that love you unconditionally, your parents, your friends family, community, coaches mentors, these are people that you should be reaching out to.
Because they can bring a different perspective in the situation that you’re going through. And it’s hard right to self realize when you’re at a young age because they haven’t lived much. right? Like someone in their teenage years versus someone in their 20s or 30s or 40s. Life experiences go on and so don’t put so much stress on yourself like everyone’s very self- detrimental sometimes when they’re pressuring, trying to chase and trying to compare to others. Like why? You know I kind of realized those early days and I’m very fortunate in that sense, but a lot of people struggle for that.
Keren: They do, but you’re sitting in front of one of the best books for that and that’s “Mindset” by Carol Dweck. Mindset really posits that there are two types of mindsets, the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. The fixed mindset or the perfectionist mindset as I call it always looks at the last things that happened as a determinant of what’s going on, what your numbers in the bank account right now that is your state. What is your weight today that is our state, how well you did on the last conversation versus whether somebody said to you “we need to talk” that is your state. When we think that way, first of all, we’re thinking a little bit like children it’s very binary, whether it’s bad or good. But the growth mindset in stark contrast accepts that we are a body in progress “That what I am worth today is certainly no reflection over what I will be worth one year from now.
I learned to understand that yesterday is chewed up old gum, it’s lost all the flavour why I am even paying attention to it. It has absolutely no reflection, it matters not at all, it is diddly squat compared to what is coming. And when you start to understand that, you start to be opportunity-oriented, you start to be possibility-oriented. My Ted Talk, I gave a ted talk two years ago called “ You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know” is one of the transformative solutions to what you’re talking about John. And that is to really start to recognize that everything that’s happened thus far, has happened thus far. But it is not even a paltry reflection of what is still possible for you, what you can still learn around here. When you ask yourself and demand yourself to open up, to level up your skill, to still ask more questions and to still aim for more. You’re gonna get it.
John: That’s amazing, I mean I love Carol Dweck’s mindset. I’ve been preaching that to my son about the good habits, that stop comparing, just trying to grow every single day and live present like we live for today and nothing in the past history. It’s good to reflect and see if there are ways that we can improve but it’s already gone past. Like how do we forecast in terms of goal sessions and all the things that I’m learning and are trying to share with the world. I’m no expert, I’m just living by doing and I’m learning and I’m growing and I’m still making tons of mistakes but im okay with that because it’s not a race, It’s a journey. And being opportunistic in life, right? To be healthier, to have stronger relationships, to be financially stable, to have a choice, abundance. That’s what it’s all about, right? Constantly grow, trying to get better. But don’t compare, I hardly compare to anyone. It doesn’t bother me, I’m in a good state.
Keren: We will always lose, don’t compare. There’s always better than you, there’s always gonna be somebody younger than you. The arrogance that thinks that they can beat that is crazy, it’s madness. So just give it up and enjoy your life.
John: And have fun! Right? Life is all about just happiness, kindness, being generous, and being an opportunist. And growing every single day and getting closer to these goals, whatever you have set. So I love this. I know I’m gonna come to the end very soon, but Keren what are some of the big killers? If you had to tell one business owner that thinking about hiring you as a coach. What are some of the things that you look for in a successful driven person to wanna be working with someone like yourself?
Keren: Absolutely well, I know how to answer that question as I take all the superstars that I’ve coached to a similar trajectory. The first is to get your mindset right and for that there’s only one requisite, humility. By the way, I also believe this as I know a lot of people say perseverance is the bedrock of leadership. It is not, it is humility and if it’s not humility then I won’t brag on myself. It’s the humility to know that you don’t know, what you don’t know. It’s the humility to know that you still have the curiosity and the ability to learn around here. And without that, coaching does not work. The “know it all stance”, is a skeptical stance and it was by the way what prevented me from absorbing any coaching for a very long period of time. I knew that already what could this woman, Jen Sincero teach me? And it turns out to change my life, so I’m really glad! I showed up saying, I don’t get this, I don’t have the result I want, can you help me?
The second thing you look for is real follow-through, a strong ability to follow through because words don’t teach and I can’t do the work for you. Coaching unlike therapy does involve a lot of active doing, you are not only engaged in actual homework. Through the process of coaching exercises, just like cognitive behavioural therapy, we rely on exercises, but you are actually expected to work with me on setting goals, establishing your priorities, and reorganizing your organizational chart. Really looking at your business plan and then executing on that plan. Again, I will co-create it with you, I will ask you questions that may open your mind to new possibilities, but you gotta do it! And the third is, I think slight spiritual bent, not only curiosity and humility. But a real beginning of the understanding that there is something else going on here. There’s got to be a bigger reason to life than just going to work, paying the bills and keeping my weight down. Really! There has to be something bigger going on around here. And that thirst, the real desire for the inner journey. For the unleashing of the soul has to be there as well. So that’s usually what I’m looking for and what people should be prepared for. Because I think coaching doesn’t just get you your results, it gets you way more than you’re asking for. It’s a return to self, a return to love which is truly freeing.
John: Amazing final words. And transformation, right? It’s all about making yourself live to that expectation that you always wanted to live. As well as you know just being happy at the end of the day, is like finding that true inner self of you. So what are some of the platforms/contacts that people can reach out to you, Keren? Because I watched your Ted talk, I’m gonna have that link in this podcast as well. But if someone wants to check you out, check out some of the zoom meetings, and some of the courses that you have in coaching sessions. What’s the best way to reach out to you?
Keren: The best way to check me out is https://kereneldad.com/. And also if they’ll be interested in private or executive coaching or sessions for their team, can book a free consultation on the website and we’ll be able to talk some more. The best other places to find me are Instagram (@coachkeren) and The Coached Podcast. Which I really hope John, you’ll join me on for the next season.
John: Amazing. Well, I really wanna thank you. I’m ultra grateful for this opportunity to speak with you. I’m honoured, I really had a lot of fun and that’s what it’s all about, right? Every day making the most of every single situation, conversation, and being present. And this is why I love having conversations with great humans like yourself, Keren.
Keren: Amen. Amen.
John: Thank you so much.
