How I Chose My Life Coaching Niche: A Lesson In Hope
Lumia Coaching alumni Graciela Moore talks about the process of "niching down", and how she discovered her deepest calling... and coaching specialty!
Guest blog by Graciela Moore
Graciela Moore is a motivational story-teller and creator of the Hope Series and the Hope Enthusiasts Club. She helps people thrive in mindfulness, confidence and hope, by facilitating a transcendental journey into soul-alignment.
Graciela graduated from the Lumia Coach Training program in 2021. You can connect and follow her work on Instagram @SongofMyself.IG or explore her work on her website: www.SoMCoaching.com
A LESSON IN HOPE
Or... How I Chose My Life Coaching Niche
I was six-years-old and pretending to have a conversation with someone who wasn’t there. They were speaking to me in English and I was answering in English, although I didn’t know what I was saying since Spanish is my first language and the only language spoken in my house growing up.
That little six year old wanted to speak, she had a story to tell, she had a message and a mission!
Since that time, I’ve spent my whole life exercising hope (and growing into that concept). In so doing, I've learned a lot about waiting, and the patience needed to focus on the goal ahead... while still in the process of accomplishing it. It's something that I've been hyper-focused on since forever, really. The eagerness of being caught in the “in between” while you work on one thing and then the next.
From that first scene at six years old, let's fast forward 30 years.
There I am, in the middle of my training program to become a Certified Life Coach with Lumia Coaching. Putting in the hours, making the connections and spending a considerable amount of time questioning and pondering coaching niches and my unique "message" as a coach. I was on the cusp of discomfort; analyzing my past experiences one by one and still feeling like I was failing to make sense of it all.
Despite all the homework exercises and the revelatory conversations I was having, I still had no clue how to narrow down a whole lifetime of experience into a single concept that would serve as my coaching “niche”. I remembered John Kim’s words in the Everything Life Coaching podcast episode Stop Obsessing Over Your Niche:
“Your story is your niche, so share it!” - John Kim
This insight allowed me to look at the experiences I had already highlighted in my life story, and find the common thread through it all. It gave me permission to ease up on the search, and to look within.
On a parallel note, at the same time that I’m trying to figure this “coaching niche thing” for my life coach certification, I received a call to talk about the topic of Hope for the members of my church.
They could’ve asked me to talk about anything, but Hope was it. As I thought about it, I realized that this “hope thing” was not just about a speaking opportunity with my church. I decided to look at my coaching assignments through the lens of hope as well.
I reviewed my journals from 15 years ago and found HOPE all over them! It was a signature theme in my life, and the thread that held my story together.
Through limitations and broken dreams growing up in Puerto Rico, hope was still at the center of it all. Hope was always the beacon of light beckoning me forward, to keep growing and working towards magnifying my purpose. I went through it all knowing, and hoping with all that I had, that I would make it to this moment.
When it came to explore my personal story and how it might relate to choosing a coaching niche, I asked myself 3 questions:
- What matters most to me?
- What do I want to talk about?
- What do I want others to walk away with, after meeting with me?
The answer was the same for all three: HOPE.
Just like that, that six-year-old island girl who grew up fantasizing about moving to the USA and creating a life of positive impact for other people was finally put to work on a legit purpose and a concrete path!
Just a few days after being invited to talk about hope, I tuned into the Everything Life Coaching podcast again. This time it was episode “The Value of A Coaching Session”, where Lumia co-founders Noelle and John discuss the values that we bring to the table as coaches. As they were talking about concepts related to confidentiality and the coaching relationship itself, I was really struck when John Kim added to that list “an injection of hope.”
Two mentions of Hope in a single week?
That was enough of a sign and confirmation for me that this was real, so I went for it. I sat down with my coach hat on and started investigating hope from a psychological perspective. From there, my Hope Series was born: “Creating and Maintaining Hope in Difficult Times” (or How to Achieve a Perfect Brightness of Hope).
I believe that it’s important to understand and master the art of waiting for goals to manifest and good things to come. Why? Because I’ve learned that it’s what we choose to do in the "in between" time that makes all the difference.
That’s what the coaching series I was inspired to create is all about.
When we understand the neuroscience of it, what’s clear is that a mindset of Hopefulness can in fact be learned, practiced and maintained, just like any other good (or not-so-helpful!) habit.
Learning more about how neuroplasticity allows us to actually rewire our brains for hope was a huge source of inspiration for my coaching practice. It inspired me to come up with 31 daily affirmations and journal promptings, and to create a coaching space where people can actively come together, support one another, and practice hope together.
In my work, understanding hope as a habit is a critical element in the process of goal attainment.
It’s like everything else in life: it starts within you. What begins with self awareness evolves into something more: a change of heart. When we set goals, what we’re doing is not only making a commitment to pursue a particular outcome or course of action, but to also hold space for HOPE to work its magic.
As individuals, hope is the anchor that keeps us grounded every single day in between the present moment and the day when we reach any given goal in our life. Holding hope is essential for flourishing. Hope is my life, I’m working hard every day and still waiting for other things to come.
As coaches, we can only be a vessel of hope for our clients after we master this concept for ourselves. Our own cup must be full before we can pour into others. I feel honored and blessed to be able to share this message and even privileged to hold a space of hope for others.
Whether you are a coach, or are aspiring to become one, I invite all who are interested in building your Hope muscles to join me in Creating and Maintaining Hope in Difficult Times, a 6-week experience of reframing and hoping... together.
Want to Become A Coach?
One of our values at Lumia is that we dare to be different. Our coaches like Graciela ignore the expectations society tries to impose on them, and seek to live from their own truth instead. If you are ready to step into your power and you’d like some partners in the process, come check out Lumia Life Coach Training. Grounded in science, our ICF accredited program features authentic instructors, a robust curriculum, and business instruction to prepare you for liftoff.
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