Julie Duncan
julie@julieduncancoaching.com
Virginia
julieduncancoaching.com
Empowering Life Coaching & Consulting, LLC
“Ignite your inner power, achieve extraordinary results.”
I’m Julie, a Certified Master Life Coach, passionate about helping women unlock their full potential, fulfill their dreams, and crush their goals. I have over 30 years in the helping profession. I am an entrepreneur in the life coaching space and the health and wellness arena. I am a wife and a mother of two young adults. My family is the source of my greatest joy, along with my life coaching business. I am a coauthor in a book with Les Brown, a motivational speaker and a best-selling author. My chapter, “Coming Full Square,” was released in July.
What is your niche (coaching focus) and how did you choose it?
I specialize in helping women aged 45-60 who are struggling with limiting beliefs, mindset issues, and sometimes even past trauma. I choose this niche because I know what it’s like to face and overcome challenges. My journey began in a small town, where I was cruelly told by my guidance counselor that I wasn’t college material. I’ll never forget the hopelessness I felt when he wouldn’t even give me an application. Despite that, I earned my master’s degree in counseling psychology and became a Certified Master Life Coach. Overcoming these challenges, plus being a wife and a mother, has taught me the power of perseverance and the importance of believing your yourself.
I’ve dedicated my life to helping women just like me break through limiting beliefs and rewrite their stories. I’ve seen firsthand how shifting your mindset can open new possibilities and bring incredible joy and fulfillment.
Who is your ideal client?
My ideal clients are professional woman in the age range of 45-60. They are established professionals working in various industries and/or entrepreneurs who are:
- Highly driven and motivated.
- Goal oriented.
- Hungry for more in their life.
- Looking for work-life balance.
- Have a growth mindset.
- Leaders.
- Health-conscious.
- Financially Savvy.
Their pain points may include:
- Limiting beliefs.
- Not living their life purpose or passion
- Lack of self-confidence/self-esteem.
- Fear of change.
- Stress.
- Burnout.
- Past trauma.
What inspired you to become a life coach?
After spending many years in the counseling arena, life coaching seemed like a natural progression. I have an entrepreneurial spirit. I believe wholeheartedly in the value of owning your own business. It was time for a career change. Life coaching has provided that meaningful life purpose I was seeking.
How long have you been coaching?
I like to say I’ve been coaching my whole life, having a natural inclination for active listening, empathy towards others, and curiosity about people’s concerns and problems. That said, my LLC was created in August 2023.
How did you get your first client?
My first client was a referral from a life coach who knew I would be a better fit for her.
She was my ideal client and a dream first client.
How has your coaching journey changed your life?
We often think of the ways in which a journey of 1,000 miles changes our life. For example, if one embarks upon a solo, 100-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail, they would surely learn a great bit about themselves. Additionally, how many times have you heard these solo adventurers talk about the people they met along the way with great terms of endearment? People who stop to engage in conversations, offer a meal or a place to rest their head. Often, these adventurers are most grateful for these kinds of people and recognize the reciprocal relationships. The adventurer walks away with a sense of gratitude and enrichment. They are made better by the people they meet along the way.
In concert, life coaching is and should be a two-way street if we are to offer up the best version of ourselves to our clients. The exchange of knowledge and insights between myself and my clients has been mutually beneficial. I learn through my clients’ stories, insights and transformations. The client-coach relationship is a collaborative journey. There is much for a life coach to learn from their clients to enhance their work individually and collectively.
What is the most challenging part of being a life coach?
As a life coach, I have a natural penchant towards helping. It’s hard to admit that I may not be the best fit for someone or my program isn’t suited for them. Being transparent and recommending other resources is important if I am not the right fit.
What is the most fulfilling part of being a life coach?
The most fulfilling part of being a life coach is being a part of a client’s transformation. Clients have come to me feeling “broken.” To help them adopt new identities and rewrite their stories of strength and determination is an honor. Breaking through a feeling of brokenness to triumph is incredibly fulfilling.
What has been your most inspirational coaching moment, with a client?
I created an e-book entitled, Shattering the Limits. A client, who was ridden with limiting beliefs about herself and her role as a mother, worked through the e-book. As she unmasked the long-held beliefs and challenged them, I listened in awe. She made the transition from “I am not a good mother, and I wounded my children” to “I am a loving, caring mother who gives to my children over and over.” The transformation in her belief system and identity was remarkable. She truly rewrote her story.
What is your favorite coaching activity or exercise to do with clients?
In life coaching, we sometimes have clients who come to us feeling broken. In this situation, I love the “Broken” exercise. It goes like this:
Visual:
Imagine you are holding a glass, and it falls on the floor. It hits the hard wooden floor. What happens? Can it be fixed or is it in a million small pieces? Most likely, its damaged beyond repair, correct?
This visual opens the door to cognitive reframing and a new perspective.
Client questions:
Are you completely broken like the glass? Are you healing or are you broken? What would it mean to be healed? What would that look like? Feel like? What would you let go of? What would you keep? How can you pick up the pieces to heal? How can you reframe your perception and adopt a new identity of strength and healing vs. feeling broken?
What has been the most effective strategy for finding clients and/or growing your business?
Starting my own business has called for a variety of steps along the way. Branding myself as a life coach and creating a website to marry my brand were the first steps. The second step was getting certified. I opted for the Master Life Coaching certification through Transformation Academy for credibility and solid resources.
Then I let people know I was a life coach. One can’t get clients if no one knows what you offer. I also opted to advertise through Facebook to attract my ideal client. I also network with fellow entrepreneurs and have found collaborative partners. Social media presence also is an important step, across all the platforms.
What advice would you give YOURSELF back when you first dreamed of becoming a coach?
When the idea of being a life coach was first pitched to me, I reacted with much fear and ambivalence. This was a whole new arena. I’ve often heard it said: Lean on others’ belief in you, if you don’t believe in yourself. That is precisely what I did. I had others supporting me and cheering me on.
Building my own business from the ground up seemed quite overwhelming if not impossible. I was however hungry for a change, so I went all in. I had a deep why. Hence, my advice to myself at the start would be to:
- Identify my support people and borrow their belief in me.
- Find my why and stay hungry.
- Take it one day at a time. We only live in today. Do what I can today. Tackle tomorrow, tomorrow. Don’t borrow tomorrow’s troubles today.
- How do you eat an elephant? “One bite at a time.” I would add, “One day at a time.”
This approach will surely limit the overwhelm and anxiety that can come with new ventures.
What is the impact you want to make in this world?
As far back as I can remember, I had a strong desire to have a positive impact on others. My grandmother worked to help those on Public Assistance when I was a child. She would take me and my siblings to her office. I knew at a young age that I would do some type of “social work.”
Decades later, it is very important to me to leave a legacy for my family and the world. I want to teach others that their life matters, empower others to live out their dreams and fulfil their life’s passion and purpose.
Is there anything else you would like to share with Transformation Coaching Magazine readers?
Whether you are brand new to life coaching or a seasoned life coach, I hope you not only see, but own your gifts. Life coaches can make a huge difference in their clients’ lives. We have a responsibility to our clients to share our own gifts of empathy, kindness and a belief that transformations are not only possible—they are necessary.
