Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki SooHoo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nikki. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I had a quarter life crisis. I was 25, pursuing a career in acting, feeling like I needed to grow up and get a “real job,” but unable to find any job that I enjoyed as much as acting. The biggest problem about pursuing acting was the lack of control I had over booking the jobs, which meant unpredictability and the self-belief of instability in my life.
Barely out of college, I was already freaking out with the lack of structure and predictable progress that school had always provided for me. Lucky for me, my mentor in my grad program happened to be a life coach and the clarity and direction she helped me find was game changing.
She helped me hone in on what actually made ME happy, and unclouded the conflicting confusion in my mind about what I SHOULD be doing compared to what I would WANT to be doing. What I actually realized was that inspiring people to live a life they loved was my calling and both acting and coaching were some of my favorite tools to do that. The game changing part was recognizing that I could do BOTH of them together.
I started off by volunteering to mentor the current students at both my alma maters: Orange County School of the Arts and UCLA. I found so much joy and self-fulfillment in conceptualizing what truly made a person happy, deconstructing the societal norms and expectations that were placed on all of us since we were children and ensuring that what we are pursuing is what will actually bring us fulfillment. I love strategizing plans of action that really motivate and excite people to get up everyday and put their energy and effort towards their goals. I get so much satisfaction watching someone get closer to their dreams and even achieve them. That moment in my life where I realized what was going to make my heart sing changed the way I approached the rest of my life and I feel so grateful to be living a life that I love so much and wish that everyone has the tools and opportunities to experience this feeling.
The interesting thing is that I had no intention of turning mentoring into a legitimate business, but randomly, people would find me online and contact me about coaching them, so I started picking up random clients whom I later found out were drawn to my lifestyle and how I went about life. Being a lifelong learner is a part of my identity so I am constantly looking for ways to grow and work towards becoming the best version of myself. Now, I have people to share that journey with! I love sharing all my tools and new lessons I’ve learned with my coaching clients. I feel like we are both growing together and we have a supportive community to do it with.
Has it been a smooth road?
I feel like this profession was calling me. I never thought I’d be a coach growing up. I didn’t dream about doing this as a kid. I feel like it found me and I needed to learn to embrace it and run with it. I’m still in the early stages of my coaching business as most of my experience came from clients that were given to me or found me. So now, I’m focusing on how I can expand my reach and positively impact as many people as possible. I try not to view any struggles as a negative thing, but all efforts and lessons that will help me grow and eventually get to where I want to be. I have been inspired to complete Project 100 this year. It’s to gift 100 1-on-1 coaching sessions to people in my community so that as I learn and grow my coaching skills, I can be spreading goodness into the world through giving, and hopefully help people along the way. So if you are interested in a free coaching session with me, please email me at: [email protected]. I’d love to see how I can help you in whatever area you’d like to cover: relationships, health/fitness, networking/connecting, self development, organization/ goal setting and planning, etc.
There are days when I think that running a business seems like an overwhelming task in tandem to pursuing an acting career, but I’ve learned that the best way for me to take something overwhelming and make it less scary to attack, is by breaking down the big goal into smaller achievable goals and writing it all down so it’s out of your head. It helps you hold yourself accountable for taking small steps towards your goal everyday, and eventually you will reach your large goal.
Another thing that I had to get better at was valuing my time and knowing my worth. Putting a price on my coaching was tough for me because I originally started by giving my time for free to the students. One of my good friends who was also a coach reframed the way I was seeing the situation. She said that I wasn’t really giving my time for free, I was giving my time as a gift to my alma maters for helping me get to where I am in life. She also taught me that people who pay for coaching typically take the sessions more seriously, listen and learn more intently, and see progress faster because they value your time more. Putting that into perspective helped me create a sustainable business model.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I call myself a life coach/mentor. I specialize in helping people who want to be or are currently in entertainment because I’ve been a part of that industry for over 15 years. Many of my current clients have a similar outlook on life as me and like to pursue many interests at the same time, or are looking for a sense of stability while also trying to pursue their passion. Since I began my acting career while in high school, and continued to pursue my career all throughout college, grad school, and then while starting a business, being able to balance all the things that are important to me in life is a skill I often practice.
I have a passion for self-development so I’ve read a number of books, attended seminars and conferences, and have watched countless hours of content on becoming better at things such as: self-confidence, creating wealth, manifesting your reality, meditation, health and nutrition, business, efficiency, mindset, creating and maintaining great relationships, networking, communicating, emotional intelligence, creating structure and organization, etc. I love being able to share all the knowledge I’ve learned and help people apply that to their lives. I feel like I am a filter system of useful information for people who don’t have the time to read all the books, watch all the content, or attend all the seminars.
My strengths as a coach are in helping you define your goals, then creating structure and a clear plan of action for you to work towards achieving those goals. My coaching style is very supportive and encouraging, much like a teacher would be rather than a tough-love type of coach. I am your cheerleader and motivator, encouraging you to continue working hard towards creating the life that you desire.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think coaching is going to continue to grow in the next 5-10 years. As the working culture has started to shift and people are realizing that job security may not necessarily exist the way it did in the past and that it’s ok to work in many different industries throughout your lifetime, I think people will go through more transitional periods and will look to coaches to help guide them through it. Coaches bring clarity and structure when things feel chaotic. As technology and media have shifted the way people view themselves and relate to others, I think coaches will be the answer to people developing the tools and skills they need to live happy, successful lives. Coaches will be the key to mental, emotional, psychological, spiritual, financial, and physical well-being.
In the future, I will be creating online and in-person communities for my clients to share their struggles, goals, and dreams with each other so that they can learn, grow, and have a larger support system. Community and connection is what will help our society rise to a higher frequency and I am excited to start creating spaces for people to do that and relate to others like them. It will be necessary as our society keeps growing and shifting.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nikkisohoo.com/coaching
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nikkisoohoo
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nikkisoohoo
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nikki-soohoo-santa-monica?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
Image Credit:
CreativeVue
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