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182 | From Director of Comms to 94K Tik Tok Followers with Louise Thompson · Women in The Coaching Arena

• 0:00
  Jo: Today I am joined by Louise Thompson, a leadership coach, keynote speaker, and former board director of communications with over 20 years experience in the NHS, private sector, and Silicone Valley startups.
• 0:14
  Jo: She joined the business of coaching three years ago, and I thought it would be super interesting to catch up with someone a few years into starting their business.
• 0:25
  Jo: She has since built up a community of 94,000 people on TikTok, and she coaches senior women at organizations like Google, the NHS, and Charlotte Tilbury, and she's just brilliant, and I've really noticed in the last year or so
• 0:42
  Jo: her entire presence like just massively burst open for want of a better words.
• 0:51
  Jo: Do take us back to your time at director of communications, and what made you finally decide to leave?
• 1:00
  Jo: 'Cause that must have been a very scary moment at the time.
• 1:03
  Louise: So I'm 50 this year, so I'm 49 now, and I decided to pivot my career, so move away from corporate communications into coaching at the age of 44, which I found out after the fact is a very significant
• 1:18
  Louise: age, in terms of aging.
• 1:20
  Louise: So I think it's 44 and 60 are what they call the two age cliffs, terrifying, where your aging accelerates, but it also is kind of a reckoning.
• 1:31
  Louise: So for a lot of women, that also coincides with things like perimenopause.
• 1:35
  Louise: So I was working as a director of communications in an organization at that time that was supporting the NHS.
• 1:43
  Louise: It was actually in the pandemic as well.
• 1:45
  Louise: So I had perimenopause symptoms appear out of nowhere, like overnight, and I was working really, really hard, and I was very proud of the work that I had done during this time.
• 1:55
  Louise: But I did get to that stage where I was like, "Okay, is it time now to do something else?"
• 2:02
  Louise: And at the age of 44, I also realized that I actually had another 20 years of work ahead of me, which, you know, in your 40s when you've worked for 20 years, you're like, "Surely this must be it,
• 2:13
  Louise: but it's not.
• 2:14
  Louise: It's actually the middle, not the end.
• 2:16
  Louise: So that was quite a liberating thought.
• 2:18
  Louise: I've got time to build up a new career- To the same level, to the same standard, same fulfillment as I did my first career.
• 2:28
  Louise: So that was all of those things combined, also with a bit of burnout, I have to say, after 20 years in corporate, to make me, arrive at that decision.
• 2:37
  Jo: I remember that exact same moment when I kept thinking, "I must be at nearly retirement age."
• 2:45
  Jo: And then you're like, "Oh my God, I've actually got the same, if not more, to go."
• 2:50
  Louise: 'Cause we could be working till we're 70.
• 2:52
  Louise: So then it's like, oh, hang on, a whole second career act that could take you even beyond your first.
• 2:59
  Speaker: So thinking back to those early days of your coaching business, do you remember what it felt like you, did your qualification, came out the other side?
• 3:08
  Speaker: Tell us more.
• 3:09
  Louise: So I actually did my coaching qualification whilst I was still working corporate.
• 3:13
  Louise: So I was a director of communications.
• 3:15
  Louise: I had had some brilliant coaching, as a leader, and I was really interested in it, so I did the qualification and kind of parked it for a couple of years because I was still working.
• 3:26
  Louise: And then it came time for me to think, "Well, I actually want to do this."
• 3:29
  Louise: So it was really scary, l- for lots of reasons, financial a- and other reasons.
• 3:36
  Louise: And I remember thinking, it's pretty naive of me, which is why I found you, by the way, so thank you.
• 3:42
  Louise: I remember thinking, "Oh, well, it'll be easy.
• 3:45
  Louise: And of course that- that's not how it typically goes for most of us.
• 3:49
  Louise: You'll get some clients that way, but not enough to sustain an actual business.
• 3:54
  Louise: So I remember thinking, "Oh, okay.
• 3:57
  Louise: I'm actually going to have to figure out how to market my services as a coach," and I, embarrassingly, because I was a director of communications, had never really thought about that.
• 4:09
  Louise: Didn't really know how to go about it and that was when I found you and, the Business of Coaching course.
• 4:14
  Speaker: I remember on our first case study call- Yeah so you can listen back to when Louise had left the Business of Coaching, and I remember you saying you had no idea, and they just don't teach you anything- No
• 4:27
  Speaker: about this business side- No when you're training as a coach.
• 4:29
  Louise: No clue.
• 4:30
  Louise: Yeah.
• 4:30
  Louise: It's a I mean, it is a big gap, which is why, obviously, your program is so valuable, because Yes, you can be qualified as a coach.
• 4:38
  Louise: You can be an amazing coach.
• 4:40
  Louise: But without clients- You know, it, it's difficult.
• 4:44
  Louise: It's difficult to make a business out of it It
• 4:47
  Speaker: So I know you use LinkedIn, and you still do use LinkedIn.
• 4:51
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 4:51
  Speaker: But I know you also then moved over to TikTok.
• 4:53
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 4:54
  Speaker: So tell us why you made that decision- and tell us more.
• 4:57
  Louise: I'm like one of the oldest creators on TikTok.
• 5:00
  Louise: I, I'm not, but I joke about that all the time.
• 5:02
  Louise: So I remember thinking, and this was about three years ago, so it was when, I was doing your program.
• 5:09
  Louise: And I remember thinking, well, I'm actually fairly w- I am fairly well-established on LinkedIn.
• 5:13
  Louise: That works for me, but it's still not enough.
• 5:16
  Louise: I need something else.
• 5:18
  Louise: And to be honest, as a 40-something woman I was on TikTok, so I, I like using it.
• 5:23
  Louise: There's no shame in it.
• 5:24
  Louise: I, I like, you know, I get skincare tips and fitness and all that kind of stuff off women like me in their mid-40s.
• 5:33
  Louise: So then I kind of had this light bulb moment of, like, well, if I'm on TikTok, and I'm a professional woman in her mid-40s, there must be other women like me on there.
• 5:43
  Louise: So maybe that's a channel I could use.
• 5:47
  Louise: So that was kind of how I arrived at it, to be honest.
• 5:50
  Louise: I was thinking, well, I'm on here scrolling probably far too much, so maybe there are other women like me who I could help.
• 5:57
  Speaker: Yeah, exactly.
• 5:59
  Speaker: And so you went from zero to now 94,000- Yeah followers.
• 6:04
  Speaker: What did you learn along the way?
• 6:06
  Louise: I mean, if I look back at my first video, I don't mind because it was the first video, so it is a little bit embarrassing because, it's not fantastic.
• 6:16
  Louise: I've got all these big pauses in there.
• 6:18
  Louise: But you start and you learn.
• 6:20
  Louise: So I think what I've learned, a couple of things, and I have to say, they are really boring.
• 6:24
  Louise: They'll probably sound really dull, but it's key.
• 6:29
  Louise: Repetition, practice, and consistency is what has helped me grow my TikTok channel.
• 6:35
  Louise: So there's the whole theory from Malcolm Gladwell about you need 10,000 hours of practice at something in order to become really skilled at it, to become expert.
• 6:46
  Louise: And I reckon, I don't know if I've done 10,000 hours, but I have definitely put the hours in on TikTok.
• 6:52
  Louise: And that probably sounds a bit boring because it's not an overnight thing.
• 6:57
  Louise: You've got to commit.
• 6:58
  Louise: I now do one a day, Monday to Friday, so five videos a week.
• 7:02
  Louise: But it's a lot.
• 7:03
  Louise: But I was like, "No, I need to do this because I'm not fully booked with clients, so I need to spend my time marketing."
• 7:10
  Louise: And it was just repetition, commitment, consistency, and then of course you get better and better over time.
• 7:16
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 7:16
  Speaker: Exactly.
• 7:17
  Speaker: And I promise I didn't pay Louise to say those boring words-
• 7:21
  Louise: But it's true, and I think it's, it's, you know, you don't want to say them because people don't want to hear that.
• 7:27
  Louise: And it's like, no, of course it wasn't like that.
• 7:29
  Louise: You know, t- it takes time and consistency and commitment.
• 7:32
  Louise: Yeah.
• 7:33
  Speaker: So tell us about finding a client on TikTok from these 60-second videos, pretty much.
• 7:38
  Speaker: Like, is...
• 7:38
  Speaker: Tell us how it works.
• 7:39
  Louise: So I have had a lot of coaching clients through TikTok, and also clients that book me for workshops and speaking.
• 7:46
  Louise: So usually what will happen is...
• 7:48
  Louise: I think of TikTok, and actually any social media channel and podcasts, and all of this stuff, as a short- shortcut.
• 7:57
  Louise: It's not a shortcut in terms of your time, but a shortcut in the customer's mind to establishing trust.
• 8:04
  Louise: Because, you know coaching, y- you need high levels of trust in order to go on that journey with somebody.
• 8:10
  Louise: Somebody that shows up consistently, podcasts, videos, whatever it is, and shows you who they are, is a really effective way to actually shortcut that trust with a new prospect, with a new client.
• 8:24
  Louise: So what I often find is that when prospects come to me through something like TikTok, they will usually say something like, "Oh, I've actually followed you for quite a while.
• 8:34
  Louise: I watch your videos and I just think, that's me.
• 8:38
  Louise: She's talking about me, so I had to meet you because I need help with that thing."
• 8:43
  Louise: So that's what usually happens and, that's really gratifying because it means hopefully I'm tapping into the things that my clients need help with.
• 8:51
  Speaker: And I think you share your beliefs, a- and strong beliefs, that could be, nerve-wracking for some people to share quite often, which I do think you need to do, and I think we often start- Trying to be really
• 9:05
  Speaker: nice and maybe just bland.
• 9:08
  Speaker: Yes.
• 9:08
  Speaker: And then I think what I've noticed is you've really upleveled who you are in terms of your content and your presence.
• 9:15
  Louise: Yeah.
• 9:16
  Louise: And I think, you know, your brand identity or your personal brand, again, sounds a bit uncomfortable I think for some people to kind of come to terms with, but if you're running your own business, and I'm a one-person
• 9:28
  Louise: business still at this stage, that is everything because people are buying you, and people buy from people.
• 9:34
  Louise: So that was a real journey I think I had to go on through TikTok and other means.
• 9:39
  Louise: What do I stand for, and actually, what can people expect if they work with me, and I want them to experience me on TikTok the same way they would experience me in real life.
• 9:50
  Louise: So I am who I am, I like to have a bit of fun.
• 9:53
  Louise: I was on a TikTok live last night, brilliant.
• 9:56
  Louise: I like to do them every month, and we were talking about executive presence for women.
• 10:00
  Louise: But, you know, I was telling some stories from my career, and I said, "I take what I do really seriously, but I don't always take myself seriously."
• 10:08
  Louise: And I did in my corporate career.
• 10:10
  Louise: I was very self-serious.
• 10:12
  Louise: But I actually think that entrepreneurship, getting older, going through menopause, so you gain some confidence and lose some of those people-pleasing tendencies, has really helped me kind of establish who I really am, on camera and off it as
• 10:29
  Louise: well.
• 10:29
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 10:30
  Speaker: Totally.
• 10:31
  Speaker: So your core message is, it's not a confidence problem, it's positioning, which is very relevant to us as coaches as well as your people maybe that are working in the workplace.
• 10:41
  Louise: So I have actually gone on a real journey with confidence.
• 10:44
  Louise: When I started out as a coach, I actually had a group program, very successful, group program, called The Confident Leader, was all about confidence for women at work.
• 10:54
  Louise: And it was great, and I still stand by that, but I have gone on such a journey since then through talking to so many women and going into a lot of workplaces to actually now arrive at the fact
• 11:05
  Louise: that, I think for a lot of women, brilliant women, we think that lack of confidence is like a design flaw that is just inherent in being a woman.
• 11:14
  Louise: Actually, what I see most of the time, these women don't lack confidence in what they do.
• 11:18
  Louise: They know they're good at what they do.
• 11:20
  Louise: Their lack of confidence is a- Quite understandable response to situations they find themselves in or corporate environments that were built by men for men.
• 11:32
  Louise: And actually, that's a lot of what I'm now seeing and talking about is, it's not you.
• 11:37
  Louise: You don't need fixing, you're not a problem.
• 11:40
  Louise: You are responding to your environment as a woman at work, and that's challenging, so let's work on that.
• 11:47
  Louise: So that is now kind of where I am with the whole confidence thing.
• 11:50
  Jo: Oh, love it so much.
• 11:52
  Jo: you have had corporate clients recently.
• 11:55
  Jo: Tell us more about how you've gained those.
• 11:58
  Louise: So I've actually kind of branched out, I would say, in the last 18 months.
• 12:01
  Louise: So I do, I still do a lot of one-to-one coaching.
• 12:04
  Louise: That, that's the core of my business.
• 12:05
  Louise: But I now do, corporate workshops and corporate speaking as well.
• 12:10
  Louise: And to be honest, TikTok has been, the vehicle through which these clients have found me.
• 12:15
  Louise: So, I did quite a bit of work last year for Charlotte Tilbury, the global beauty brand.
• 12:20
  Louise: They found me on TikTok because one of their directors was like, "Oh, I love your TikToks, Louise.
• 12:25
  Louise: We, we need to get Louise in for a workshop."
• 12:27
  Louise: Other clients kind of do the same.
• 12:29
  Louise: So they will often find me in the same way.
• 12:31
  Louise: It's often someone in the organization who follows me and knows me and likes me, then makes the argument internally like, "Oh, at our next workshop offsite, can we talk about getting Louise in?
• 12:46
  Louise: Because I think she's talking about some of the things we need to tackle."
• 12:49
  Jo: That's so amazing, and I'm sure so many people will be surprised that you gain- from TikTok.
• 12:55
  Louise: Yes.
• 12:55
  Louise: I, a lot of people are genuinely very surprised by that.
• 12:59
  Louise: But I always think, again, I go back to myself, if I'm on TikTok as a professional, experienced woman, why aren't there other experienced professional women on there?
• 13:11
  Louise: Of course, they are.
• 13:12
  Louise: So if they are in leadership positions in these corporates, that's usually where it starts, is they will find me, they will go and make the case internally, and then we'll go from there.
• 13:23
  Jo: Yeah.
• 13:24
  Jo: Another thing you've done recently is really up your speaking presence.
• 13:28
  Jo: It's been so noticeable in everything that I see you're doing.
• 13:31
  Jo: So take us back to your decision to make that a core part of your business, and how did you go about doing it?
• 13:37
  Louise: Oh, yes.
• 13:38
  Louise: So my journey on TikTok has given me so much.
• 13:42
  Louise: One of the things it actually gave me, talking about confidence, was a lot more confidence in how I show up and how I speak, and people would often give me feedback, you know, "You're really engaging."
• 13:53
  Louise: So I thought, actually, could I now translate that to public speaking?
• 13:58
  Louise: Because the irony was, as a director of communications, I was often behind the scenes, so I wasn't often to be found on stages talking about my work, because I was the one preparing the execs to do it.
• 14:11
  Louise: But TikTok made me think, oh, maybe I could do this, and it's another revenue stream to be frank, And I think income diversification, it is important if you are someone like me.
• 14:23
  Louise: And it just gave me another thing where I could channel my ideas, my thoughts, and hopefully be helpful.
• 14:30
  Louise: So I decided to do it seriously probably about 12 months ago..
• 14:34
  Louise: I found another community, 'cause I like to work with my trusted people.
• 14:38
  Louise: So you are one of them, and, Alex Merry is another.
• 14:42
  Louise: So he runs this community called Mic Drop, and it's all about people who want to make public speaking a part of their business.
• 14:49
  Louise: So it's a great community, like yours, really engaged community, and it's been great.
• 14:53
  Louise: And I've started to slowly work up my offer, start to do more speaking, and then of course it kind of snowballs from there.
• 15:02
  Jo: And how do you get the gigs?
• 15:04
  Jo: Do you- pitch them?
• 15:05
  Jo: Where, how do you research?
• 15:06
  Jo: How do you do that type of thing?
• 15:07
  Louise: Yeah.
• 15:08
  Louise: It's a mix.
• 15:08
  Louise: So I do get, I get people off my social channels, so it could be LinkedIn, it could be TikTok.
• 15:14
  Louise: Actually, Instagram is growing for me.
• 15:15
  Louise: I've...
• 15:15
  Louise: that's where I've got one, opportunity lately.
• 15:18
  Louise: So they will just come to me.
• 15:20
  Louise: I have a speaker page now on my website.
• 15:21
  Louise: They can submit all the details.
• 15:23
  Louise: We'll have a chat.
• 15:24
  Louise: But I also do pitch myself and my services, so I am now using LinkedIn a lot more, as you've seen, to do that.
• 15:32
  Louise: And, it's for networking, isn't it?
• 15:34
  Louise: I mean, that's the other thing, is I do speak at certain events, and then I always try and think, "Okay, well, who else is here, and how else could I potentially talk to these people about doing something else
• 15:46
  Louise: for them?"
• 15:47
  Louise: And all that kind of thing.
• 15:48
  Louise: So it's a real blend, but again, it's like anything.
• 15:51
  Louise: It takes effort and work and consistency to kind of get the results.
• 15:55
  Louise: And certainly in corporate some of those timescales are quite long, so you have to have patience as, as well, Sometimes it can be a quick turnaround.
• 16:05
  Louise: Often it's like, "Well, we wanna plan this for next year."
• 16:08
  Jo: Yeah.
• 16:09
  Jo: Exactly.
• 16:09
  Jo: It's probably just why I've started noticing now, 12 months on- Yes, yes oh wow, she's actually doing this now a lot.
• 16:17
  Louise: So- Because there's a lot, similar to marketing yourself as a coach, which obviously is what you cover so well, there is a lot of work you do have to do in terms of your foundations, your positioning, your message,
• 16:27
  Louise: understanding what people are looking for in a speaker.
• 16:30
  Louise: You've got to kind of do the work on that first, and then you can kind of feel confident about going out there.
• 16:36
  Jo: Yeah.
• 16:37
  Jo: Exactly.
• 16:38
  Jo: So I know menopause has been a huge part of your business journey, and something you talk about really openly.
• 16:45
  Jo: So tell us more about how that has impacted on your business.
• 16:50
  Louise: Well, I, 44 when I started, noticing, it kind of hit me like a truck, these perimenopausal symptoms, and that was part of my decision to do something different in my career.
• 17:01
  Louise: I'm now 49 and a half, and I am now post-menopausal.
• 17:05
  Louise: So I went through, I think I hit menopause, which is the 12-month point, about probably eight months ago, actually.
• 17:13
  Louise: So I'm firmly post-menopausal, and it has been a real, revelation to me, actually, in really surprising ways that I don't think we talk about enough.
• 17:22
  Louise: So I now feel much more confident in myself having gone through menopause than I think I ever did in my late 30s, early to mid-40s.
• 17:34
  Louise: And I think partly because when your estrogen drops, that's, estrogen is responsible for a lot of those people-pleasing instincts, you know, hormones.
• 17:44
  Louise: So when those kind of start to ebb away, you're like, "Oh, hang on a minute.
• 17:49
  Louise: Who am I?
• 17:50
  Louise: What do I want to do?
• 17:51
  Louise: What do I deserve?"
• 17:54
  Louise: And let me think about myself for a bit.
• 17:57
  Louise: Maybe in a bit of a selfish way, but to be honest, I haven't done that for 20 years, so it is time.
• 18:03
  Louise: So that has given me so much in terms of my business, because it's meant that I just feel a lot more confident in terms of putting myself out there and being more visible, and I just, I don't think
• 18:15
  Louise: we talk about that enough.
• 18:16
  Louise: I think we talk a lot, which we should do, about perimenopause and awareness of that, and what we can do in workplaces, but there are benefits to being on the other side as well.
• 18:28
  Speaker: Ah, great to hear.
• 18:29
  Jo: I look forward to it, Louise.
• 18:30
  Jo: Tell us more then about the identity from being behind the scenes in your previous career and now being the brand and having to show up so publicly.
• 18:41
  Louise: Yes.
• 18:42
  Louise: It's been I mean, that has been a real journey, and I think, you know, the irony for a lot of communications leaders is, yes, that's your specialist subject, but you are behind the scenes.
• 18:52
  Louise: Very different kettle of fish when you're talking about promoting yourself.
• 18:56
  Louise: And that was the issue that I had, that I brought to you, is I should know this stuff, I should be doing it, but, but I'm not because it's for me, and that feels different and scary and challenging.
• 19:07
  Louise: So I think what I've learnt is self-promotion and visibility as women, it's not bragging and it's not selfish.
• 19:18
  Louise: And I think you've said this actually, Jo, before.
• 19:20
  Louise: When you put yourself out there, that is an unselfish act because you are helping other people who might need you to find you, and therefore benefit from what you have to offer.
• 19:32
  Louise: If they don't feel they can benefit, they don't have to work with you.
• 19:35
  Louise: Yeah.
• 19:35
  Louise: So nothing's lost, but actually you might find the woman, in my case, who really needs to hear what I have to say, and if I wasn't showing up, she wouldn't hear that, and maybe she wouldn't do anything about
• 19:49
  Louise: it.
• 19:50
  Louise: And I think you have a similar philosophy, don't you?
• 19:52
  Jo: Yeah, totally.
• 19:54
  Jo: Yeah.
• 19:54
  Jo: And I do think people keep thinking it's all about them.
• 19:56
  Jo: It's not about you.
• 19:57
  Jo: It's about your ideal client.
• 19:58
  Jo: And I think that's so key to remember in this world where people think marketing is some shady thing.
• 20:05
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 20:06
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 20:06
  Jo: And like I've changed people's lives through my marketing.
• 20:09
  Jo: They don't even need to work with me,
• 20:10
  Louise: and I think when you know that and you can stand in that and be grounded in that confidently because you know who you are as well, I think that, that really helps.
• 20:19
  Louise: One big thing that happened for me this year, which, never in a million years would I have thought would happen, I was actually on the center spread, massive photo of me, of the Mail on Sunday recently in a
• 20:30
  Louise: big feature on midlife entrepreneurship.
• 20:33
  Louise: And I was like, actually, that's brilliant because women can see me and read about my journey, and maybe they will be inspired to do something as well.
• 20:43
  Louise: So again, things like that are, I think, really important when you have your own business.
• 20:47
  Louise: You've got to think about the impact you want to have for other people.
• 20:52
  Jo: Oh, I love that.
• 20:53
  Jo: And like you say, it feels so cringey sometimes- Yeah when you get into that position, but actually, you really need people to inspire you.
• 21:02
  Jo: And I think, like I hate, for example, shouting about my income in school hours, term time only.
• 21:08
  Jo: But actually, if I hadn't seen somebody else that was brave enough to share that, I would not have this business, because I didn't know it was possible.
• 21:16
  Louise: Exactly.
• 21:17
  Jo: And so we need to show people that it is possible.
• 21:20
  Louise: Yeah.
• 21:20
  Louise: Yes, it's a burden on women to be role models, but it's actually a responsibility that I'm kind of very happy to have, and I think you are as well, is we all need role models to look at and
• 21:29
  Louise: think, "Okay, well, if that person can do that and they had their challenges, maybe I can do it, too."
• 21:35
  Jo: So it leads me perfectly on to talking about the compound effect, which I'm really big on, because people just underestimate just keep doing it.
• 21:43
  Jo: That's the secret.
• 21:45
  Jo: So tell us more about what's compounded over the last three years that you could never have predicted when you started.
• 21:52
  Louise: So the compound effect is a real thing.
• 21:55
  Louise: So I could have got discouraged at any point early on in my TikTok journey when I wasn't getting many views or many followers and thought, "No, this isn't working.
• 22:04
  Louise: But I kept going, and that has compounded over three years to now being, you know- approaching 100,000 followers and I have an engaged community.
• 22:16
  Louise: And again, I did a live session last night.
• 22:18
  Louise: So I do these every month on TikTok for 90 minutes and pick a different topic that's related to women in leadership, and it's amazing because people have lots of questions, they talk to each other in the comments, and
• 22:31
  Louise: it just feels great, and none of that would've been possible if I hadn't decided three years ago that I was gonna go on and do my first kind of little video and then keep going.
• 22:40
  Louise: So I do think that's really important, and I think it's easy to get discouraged because we all, I mean, we all do, you know, I love the dopamine.
• 22:51
  Louise: I love to get instant gratification from something working, but it's not always like that.
• 22:56
  Louise: Sometimes it is a journey, and frankly, sometimes a bit of a slog, but the compound effect makes it worth it in your business.
• 23:04
  Jo: And then tell us more about The Mail on Sunday.
• 23:08
  Jo: Yeah.
• 23:08
  Jo: How did you get that gig?
• 23:10
  Louise: I must have seen them on LinkedIn, freelance journalist, she put a case study request out on LinkedIn for, a woman, I can't remember what she was looking for exactly, but I thought I, I fit the bill.
• 23:21
  Louise: So I messaged her on LinkedIn and we- We're gonna do this thing.
• 23:25
  Louise: I think it was for The Independent, actually, and then that actually fell through, so I didn't do that interview and she didn't need me.
• 23:32
  Louise: But we'd established a good rapport, and she was like, "Oh, I'll bear your story in mind if I'm doing something for another newspaper."
• 23:39
  Louise: And it was probably about four months went by, didn't hear anything, and then she did come back to me, which just goes to show, you know, you've got to get out there 'cause you never know how these things
• 23:48
  Louise: are gonna turn out.
• 23:48
  Louise: She came back to me after four months and said, "Oh, I'm now doing a piece for the Mail on Sunday about midlife entrepreneurs.
• 23:54
  Louise: Like, what made you, you know, pivot from corporate into this?"
• 23:57
  Louise: And I was like, "Brilliant," "Let's do this."
• 23:59
  Louise: So that, that was how that came about, actually, just, a freelance journalist contact on LinkedIn.
• 24:05
  Louise: Yeah.
• 24:05
  Louise: 'Cause I don't have a PR agency and the irony is I, I'm pretty terrible about having a process to remember to do my own PR, but I do try and look for these types of opportunities.
• 24:17
  Louise: Because again, people want to hear your story because you're the brand.
• 24:21
  Louise: So if you are comfortable, and I do have boundaries, we all do, but if you are comfortable sharing your story, to the extent that you want to, then I think that can be quite powerful.
• 24:32
  Jo: Love it, and especially that it wasn't the instant gratification- but it comes later- It did because I suppose people who listen to this podcast are at all different stages of their coaching journey, but many are starting out, so
• 24:45
  Jo: I suppose they're in that really disheartened phase- Yeah where you're trying all these things, you're feeling depressed at that discovery call said no or whatever it might be.
• 24:55
  Jo: So thinking back to those early days, maybe your first six months or so in business, what advice would you give now to your former self or to that listener maybe that might be listening today?
• 25:07
  Louise: Immediately think about how you are going to market your business, which is why your program is it fills a need that is not being fulfilled in your coaching qualifications.
• 25:18
  Louise: They just don't touch on it.
• 25:20
  Louise: That is as important as your coaching qualification genuinely, because again, without it you could be the most qualified, brilliant coach in the world, you've got no clients.
• 25:30
  Louise: You need to find your clients.
• 25:31
  Louise: So I think the first thing is think about marketing as a business-critical part of you being successful, and then think about how you can make it work for you.
• 25:42
  Louise: So not everybody wants to go on social media.
• 25:44
  Louise: That's fine.
• 25:46
  Louise: I, know a brilliant woman who is not about social media.
• 25:50
  Louise: She's fantastic at in-person networking, far better than I am but that's where she gets her clients from because she thrives in that situation.
• 25:59
  Louise: That works for her.
• 26:00
  Louise: So you've got to find something that you want to do because you are going to have to keep doing it.
• 26:07
  Louise: So I do know some people who- hate the idea of being on social media, but they kinda do it 'cause they feel they have to, and then they don't stick at it 'cause they hate doing it.
• 26:17
  Louise: So in that case, do something else.
• 26:19
  Louise: It could be a newsletter, podcast, networking events.
• 26:23
  Louise: There will be something that you want to do.
• 26:26
  Louise: Find that thing and kind of double down on it would be my advice.
• 26:30
  Jo: Yeah, exactly, and it's something I notice with you, that you obviously enjoy what you're doing marketing-wise.
• 26:37
  Jo: You enjoy the impact you're having.
• 26:39
  Jo: You enjoy knowing yourself so much more- Yeah through having to communicate- Thanks all of the time.
• 26:45
  Louise: Yeah.
• 26:46
  Speaker: Tell us more about how you found that joy.
• 26:49
  Speaker: Like, was it always there?
• 26:50
  Speaker: Did you go through these stages, you're like, "Oh, God, do I have to do this?"
• 26:53
  Speaker: Tell us more about like realizing- Oh,
• 26:54
  Louise: I still do sometimes, but I definitely did.
• 26:57
  Louise: But, I think for me, it was a process and you've kind of nailed it, of revealing something about myself as I was in the process of doing it.
• 27:08
  Louise: So would I have said three years ago that I was a natural person to show up on video and make jokes and do all this stuff?
• 27:17
  Louise: Absolutely not, 'cause I am actually an introvert.
• 27:20
  Louise: I'm pretty confident introvert, but I am an introvert.
• 27:23
  Louise: But actually doing it revealed to me that I liked doing it, and I did get fulfillment and joy and connection from it, and it was telling me things, exactly as you've said, about myself, that, oh, I am actually...
• 27:39
  Louise: I'm quite funny.
• 27:40
  Louise: Like, I didn't think of myself as a, as humorous, like funny person, 'cause I definitely wasn't in my corporate job, because I was often very stressed, and sense of humor is not the thing that you would've associated with
• 27:52
  Louise: me in my corporate days.
• 27:54
  Louise: Now, it is actually a part of my brand.
• 27:57
  Louise: I mean, I'm not out there cracking jokes all the time, but I, I like to think I have a lightness of touch and I don't always take things so seriously, but that was never the case.
• 28:06
  Louise: So that's an example of something that has been revealed to me that's been quite joyful, so I'm like, "Oh, okay.
• 28:13
  Louise: I do have a sense of humor.
• 28:15
  Louise: That's great."
• 28:16
  Louise: It got buried for so many years in my corporate career that I forgot.
• 28:21
  Jo: It's such a gift, learning about ourselves in the process- Yeah because I'm exactly the same.
• 28:26
  Jo: I like marketing 'cause I get to think about what I believe in- Yeah which otherwise you just don't.
• 28:31
  Jo: You just carry on with life, don't you?
• 28:35
  Louise: The- it's a real forcing factor, isn't it, to actually go through and process what do I believe, why is that important?
• 28:44
  Louise: 'Cause o- otherwise, you often don't think about these things.
• 28:47
  Louise: And it's actually the same now with my speaker work.
• 28:50
  Louise: That's the work I've been forced to do, which has been incredibly valuable.
• 28:53
  Louise: Why would anyone listen to you, and what's your thesis?
• 28:56
  Louise: What's your core argument, and how are you going to articulate that?
• 29:00
  Louise: It's a really, really good process to go through.
• 29:03
  Jo: Totally good process.
• 29:04
  Jo: So what's next for you, Louise?
• 29:08
  Louise: Summer holidays, thank goodness.
• 29:09
  Louise: Because it has been intense, and I think that's the other thing, isn't it?
• 29:12
  Louise: We don't talk about that as much, and I'm very careful what I say here because I am somebody that has...
• 29:18
  Louise: I have had a period of proper burnout in the past, so I would never advocate working to that level again.
• 29:24
  Louise: However, I'm a woman building a business, so the past year has felt pretty intense, and I have given it a lot, but that's because I recognize I'm in this phase of really building something.
• 29:37
  Louise: It's not always gonna feel as intense.
• 29:38
  Louise: But yes, in the immediate term, a bit like you, I'm taking most of August off, so I'm just like, "Okay that's good."
• 29:45
  Louise: More coaching, hopefully a lot more speaking.
• 29:49
  Louise: So I've got a couple of really exciting things that I'm doing in September.
• 29:53
  Louise: I'm starting to kind of talk about doing more of that.
• 29:57
  Louise: I keep saying it to hold myself accountable publicly, I will be launching a community for women who want to get into leadership, hopefully later this year.
• 30:07
  Louise: It's going to be called Take Your Seat, and I'm really excited about it.
• 30:12
  Louise: Is it ready?
• 30:13
  Louise: No, of course it's not.
• 30:14
  Louise: But that is something that I'm looking forward to because that for me is a natural extension of my TikTok community, where we can take those conversations, into a community with coaching circles and, training and all that kind of
• 30:26
  Louise: good stuff.
• 30:27
  Jo: Love it, and I love that you've been patient enough to wait for that membership because I have clients all the time that are brand new, never had one client, yet they want to launch a membership or a group-
• 30:40
  Jo: Oh, yeah and you just don't realize that actually you need to build the audience before you
• 30:46
  Louise: Exactly this, and I am now, after three years on TikTok, now in a position where I feel I can do that.
• 30:50
  Louise: Y- but you're absolutely correct because I now know I have an engaged community over there, which hopefully I can now bring into my community where they'll get extra things from me.
• 31:00
  Louise: Three years ago, why would anyone have joined me in this journey?
• 31:04
  Louise: They didn't know me.
• 31:05
  Louise: They didn't trust me.
• 31:06
  Louise: So yeah, very important.
• 31:09
  Jo: Wonderful.
• 31:10
  Jo: So where can people find you if they want to follow you on LinkedIn, TikTok, et cetera?
• 31:14
  Louise: So on TikTok and Instagram, people can find me at leadwithlouise, so same handle for both, TikTok and Instagram.
• 31:22
  Louise: You can find me on LinkedIn, Louise Thompson, Leadership Coach.
• 31:26
  Louise: Not the Louise Thompson that was in Made in Chelsea.
• 31:30
  Louise: That mistake happens a lot.
• 31:31
  Louise: I do get some very exciting emails that are meant for her- Oh about luxury holidays and stuff, and I always have to go back to them and say, "Sorry to disappoint you, I am not that Louise Thompson."
• 31:42
  Louise: And my website, is louisetompsoncoaching.com.
• 31:46
  Jo: Brilliant.
• 31:47
  Jo: Thank you so much, Louise.
• 31:48
  Jo: Any parting words for the listener thinking, "How did she do this?"
• 31:53
  Louise: I think trust yourself, believe in yourself, commit to the process, which sounds very dull, but is the cornerstone of everything, as you and I have talked about, and, believe that you are worthy of actually being seen.
• 32:10
  Louise: 'Cause I think that is a massive message for anyone starting their business, particularly women.
• 32:15
  Louise: You do deserve to be seen, and you have a lot to offer.
• 32:19
  Louise: So whatever channel it is that works for you, find that thing and lean into it, because there will be people out there that need to hear it from you.
• 32:27
  Louise: Yeah.
• 32:28
  Jo: Oh, perfect words.
• 32:30
  Jo: And I always end these episodes with trust yourself, believe in yourself, and be the wise gardener who keeps on watering the seed.
• 32:39
  Jo: In other words, keep going.
• 32:41
  Louise: We're so in sync.
• 32:42
  Speaker: You nailed it.
• 32:43
  Speaker: Thank you so, so much, Louise, for your time and sharing your amazing story.
• 32:47
  Louise: Thank you, Jo.
• 32:48
  Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone): Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.
• 32:53
  Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone): I have a mess of free resources on my website joannalottcoaching.com.
• 32:59
  Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone): That's Joanna with an A and Lott with two T's.
• 33:03
  Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone): joannalottcoaching.com.
• 33:05
  Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone): And I'll also put links in the show notes.
• 33:09
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• 33:12
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• 33:18
  Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone): Remember to trust yourself, believe in yourself and be the wise Gardner who keeps on watering the seed.
• 33:24
  Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone): Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.