Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Barron and Lori Tabb.
Please kick things off for us – where does this story begin?
Covid-19 had just started to sink in. We were in quarantine. Not surprisingly, our clients were struggling to commit to their goals due to the sudden and unexpected uncertainty that came on full force. Clients were sharing they felt alone, overwhelmed and paralyzed with fear. They also shared they were no longer sure what they wanted in life. Career transitions were looming, either because they were restless in their current positions, concerned about the implications of a global pandemic on their employment status or curious about what might be possible now that the world was going remote.
Many women were afraid they had been in their current position too long to make a bold move, or they felt shackled by golden handcuffs and were stuck. We heard stories of overwhelm due to pandemic circumstances that were leaving many women with a disproportionate amount of additional responsibilities related to childcare, schooling, cleaning and other caretaking roles. These women felt alone and exhausted, with no end in sight. Feelings of isolation sinking in, our clients wanted clarity and were desperately craving community.
These women, their needs and desires became the impetus for us to create the Women Leading Powerfully Leadership Lab.
We met at an International Coaching Federation chapter event in late 2019 and had an instant connection. Both former corporate executives with over 25 years of experience, we had pivoted our careers to open our own businesses providing Executive & Leadership Coaching services for individuals and businesses. We talked weekly about our goals for our respective businesses, what we were hearing from clients, and what the dreams and aspirations of our impact might be. During one of those calls in mid-April 2020, it hit us. We needed to collaborate and create something special for women. Right now. The Women Leading Powerfully Leadership Lab was born as an experience that would bring women together to explore their own individual leadership, personally and professionally, in the safety of a small group of other successful women who were on a similar journey.
The Women Leading Powerfully Leadership Lab helps women drive up their career value by empowering them with confidence and clarity in all areas of their lives and creates a community for women to authentically connect with other like-minded women to build relationships that outlast the program. Each cohort represents a diverse group of 12-15 women each with individual program goals who want to develop the tools and techniques to propel themselves forward, personally and professionally.
Here’s what a few of our Leadership Lab members have shared:
Joan Coraggio: “In the group, I received an incredible connection with women that were truly invested in each other. Making the investment of time, energy and focus for yourself can be a serious game-changer. The Leadership Lab gives you a great framework that you can go back to many times because you’re creating what you want out of the program.”
Caroline Creamer: “Through The Leadership Lab, it gave me the clarity to understand I’m so much stronger than I thought. It also gave me the clarity to stand up and start looking for that next jump in my career feeling stronger, more confident and as a much better leader. The gift I will take with me from the program is being more of my authentic self.”
Kimberley Nixon: “The perfect person to sign up for the Leadership Lab is the woman that has read all the self-help books, listened to all of the podcasts, watched all the Youtube videos and still dreads going to work in the morning. This is the next action step you need to take.”
Jenn Johnson: “I would describe The Leadership Lab as a great program if you’re looking to get clear on what it is you really want out of life, whether it be professional or personal. It will help you identify any personal roadblocks standing in the way of you being the best version of you.”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Building the program and enrolling a full cohort to launch in just six weeks was definitely not an easy road. We found ourselves needing to take our own advice, advice that women so often need, which is that it was okay to build the plane while we were flying it.
We were honest with our first cohort that they were the first. And they were full of grace as we faced technical glitches and forms that didn’t load at the start of the program. We were our own biggest critics, having very high standards for our work and sometimes missing the mark at the start.
And what became very clear is that the two of us were meant to be in partnership with this work. We can honestly say, if not for Covid, we would not have built and launched this program, and many women would not have had the experience they have had as a result.
We are finishing up our third cohort now and currently filling spots in our January cohorts. We know this is special and we now have even bigger plans for what we will continue to build powered by this community of women.
Please tell us about Women Leading Powerfully.
The day Lori and met for lunch the first time, we realized we had so much more than coaching in common. We are moms, wives, former-corporate executives now entrepreneurs, hold leadership positions with a variety of non-profit organizations, and we share the core value of service. The Women Leading Powerfully Leadership Lab was created to serve the deep restlessness that women feel inside that they were meant for more…more meaning, more purpose, more fulfillment, more impact, more adventure, more fun, more of whatever they decided to put their minds to.
When women sign up for our program, we take them on a 12 weeks journey. The first pillar of our program is all about self-awareness. We help women understand their own core values. These values become the compass for every choice that women are faced with, and when defined clearly, can create a clarity that allows women the opportunity to make quick decisions without self-doubt or rumination. In the self-awareness phase, we also help women understand what gets in their way. For all of us, it’s about understanding the Saboteur voice in our heads and how to turn down the volume of that self-critical voice that is so pervasive in all aspects of life.
In the second phase of the program called Clarity, we help our participants find and articulate their life purpose. Some women come to the program very clear on what that is, and for others, this is their first journey into thinking about their special gifts, why they are here and what legacy they would like to leave in their life. Participants are energized by this phase because they now have a clear roadmap for the next five years and beyond of their lives.
In the third phase, it’s all about taking action. As coaches, we want our clients to dream big AND we also give them the tools and the accountability to make those dreams a reality. Upon leaving the Leadership Lab, the women in our group leave the program not only with a clear action plan for the next five years but they have built a connection with women in the Leadership Lab community that will continue to inspire and help them grow.
The feedback that we have received from every group that has completed the program is that the Leadership Lab is unique because of the curated community of women that are in the group. Women are admitted to the program who not only have a deep desire to grow and develop, but they also want to lift other women up along the way. We curate women from diverse backgrounds, industries, experiences, ages and stages, and it works because no matter where you are, there’s always an opportunity to grow.
The community of women and the magic they create together is what we are most proud of. These women trust, respect, and admire each other. We are told from many of the women in our program that they have never experienced a community like the one nurtured in the Leadership Lab in their entire lives.
Now, the Women Leading Powerfully alumni Momentum Mastermind has been created in response to our clients’ desires to stay connected and continue growing in this community. Three cohorts so far have come together as one Mastermind and meet monthly to discuss relevant topics and continue to dig deeper in their personal learning and growth journey. Next year, we plan to offer quarterly retreats to further build on the foundations that are established during the Leadership Lab, we know that together this group can soar!
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years?
Coaching has evolved greatly over the past few decades and will continue to do so to meet the needs and opportunities that will serve our communities. We will see a continued shift toward democratizing coaching, no longer will it be accessible only for very senior, wealthy individuals nor solely for those with performance issues. Instead, the benefits of coaching will be taught in leadership and management training institutions and injected into the culture of organizations of all types.
In the meantime, we are seeing more people turning to coaching as a solution provider as they look to uplevel their personal and professional lives. The truth is, the things that we are so good at are often the things that we over-index on to the detriment of our own success. And likewise, the things we are good at, we often don’t give ourselves enough credit for – we self-sabotage and hold ourselves back from reaching our goals. A collaborative coaching relationship can bring awareness, clarity and action to one’s strengths, opportunities and ultimately fulfillment.
Our clients tell us, “everyone should have a coach”, and we couldn’t agree with them more. The women in our group coaching community share with us, “I no longer feel alone”, and it fills us to the brim knowing that we have helped create a safe space and a community where women feel heard, understood, and empowered.
Pricing:
- Information on the Women Leading Powerfully Leadership Lab can be found on our website, and we offer a variety of 1:1 and group coaching programs starting at $997.
- Voyage readers receive a free month in our Momentum Mastermind
Contact Info:
- Address: 16311 Ventura Boulevard
Suite 1030
Encino, CA 91436 - Website: www.womenleadingpowerfully.com
- Phone: Natalie (805) 358-8707 or Lori (310) 991-1647
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womenleadingpowerfully
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-leading-powerfully-leadership-lab
Image Credit:
Debbie Walton Branding Photography
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