Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Gartman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jackie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Twelve years ago, I was living with my husband of 20+ years. Raising my two teenage children and working part-time as a sales rep. For a court reporting firm. This was neither a field I had prior experience or interest in. I accepted the job primarily because it paid well and offered me flexible hours. After seven years in this business, I started to experience what I refer to as the Sunday Night Blues. You know, that sinking feeling you get in your chest when you know you have to go to work the following morning? I was also getting headaches, which was unusual for me and noticed an increasing temptation to shop – a lot. My body was sending me very clear messages that I was on the wrong path and I knew that if I didn’t start honoring what I now refer to as my trusty inner guidance system (my body), that my depression would grow, not to mention my Nordstrom credit card bill!
As such, I gave up my job despite the fact that I had nothing to replace it with. People told me I was crazy for giving up such a lucrative position and relentlessly questioned me about what I would do next. My answer was simply: “I have no idea”. I just knew that I was not living my best life and that somewhere along the line, I bartered my dreams away for doing something I despised in exchange for a paycheck and decent hours. At the end of my life, I didn’t want to be the woman who said “I wish I would have…or I wonder what might have happened if I….”. In short, I didn’t want to live with the regret of not going for what I wanted, wondering if I would have been successful and thus living a mediocre life. That’s when I discovered life coaching – on the Internet of all places and I knew immediately that this was my calling.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not exactly. Within a year of building my practice, my husband’s business was on the verge of bankruptcy. He told me at a restaurant of all places right before meeting friends for dinner. Nice planning! I awoke at 3 am in the morning freaked out and sobbing about potentially having to pull our kids out of their private school and losing our home. I was not making much money as a coach at that time, so we couldn’t rely on my income to pay the school tuition and our living expenses. When I got up the following morning, I had a complete about face. In the coaching world, we live by the fundamental principle, “Live it to Give it”. This means that in order to best serve our clients, we need to live from the same mindset we try to teach our clients to live by – which starts with believing that your circumstance(s) are not responsible for your feeling state, holding yourself accountable for your own emotional response to whatever arises and either self-coach or get coached if/when necessary. At that juncture, I had every confidence in my and my husband’s capacity and emotional resourcefulness to either turn the situation around or start over. Paradoxically, that confidence is exactly what my husband needed to dig himself out of the bankruptcy hole. It’s also what I needed to foster a practice that ultimately helped keep us afloat.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m most proud of the fact that despite our financial struggles, I persisted and became not just a Life Coach but a solopreneur. I’m also super proud that I had the determination and grit to work through my confidence issues. Like anyone who attempts to master something new, whether it’s a new language or a sport, it’s quite common to experience doubt, fear and uncertainty along the way. Those feelings can be particularly challenging when there’s something important or meaningful at stake. And coaching was very meaningful to me. I had to face a lot of obstacles as I grew my practice, from how to market myself and my services to how to write a blog that people would actually read! My determination, however, paid off when I had two blogs published in the Huffington Post!
Because I was stuck with myself long enough to work through my uncertainty and self-doubt, I become known as The Confidence Coach. Now, I work primarily with women who like myself, want more confidence and self-assurance in the places that matter – their career, their relationships, financial or home life. This is really what sets me apart from other coaches – with confidence, you have the freedom to fully engage in life, with other people and face the challenges in front of you – which is particularly essential right now as we navigate life in a pandemic and with more uncertainty than ever before.
What were you like growing up?
As a young girl, I was quiet, introverted and fiercely independent. I was a mediocre student, had two best friends and loved to be and play outdoors. I also read a lot of books and played tennis until I discovered boys – which was my sole focus and purpose from middle school on besides plotting to leave the nest as soon as I turned 18. In High School, I became very interested in Psychology and read any self-help book I could get my hands on. I journaled constantly and even wrote poetry for a time – mostly about romance and love. Back then, my friends would describe be as brutally honest, direct, funny and a wee bit crazy!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jackiegartman.com
- Phone: 818-703-8272
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: jackiegartmanlifecoach
- Facebook: Jackie Gartman Life Coach
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jackie-gartman-master-certified-life-coach-woodland-hills
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