Meet Sue Koch of Three Squares Coaching and Consulting

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sue Koch.

Sue, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was still working in the corporate world, I took a personal growth course. That’s where I first learned about coaching. Throughout the three-month course, we had weekly coaching calls. Their purpose was to keep us accountable, and to help us break through barriers we put in our way.

I admit it. I simultaneously loved and hated having a coach. I hated being called on not being accountable. I hated feeling uncomfortable about pushing myself to break through limiting beliefs and barriers.

By the end of the course I loved it. My coach knew exactly when to push and exactly when to step back and let me deal with what I needed to deal with.

When the course was offered again, I was invited back to coach it. I accepted. After only one session as a coach, I was hooked. I had discovered something I loved.

I had reached a point in my life where I was starting to consider retirement and what I could do to stay active and engaged. Coaching seemed to be a viable option as a retirement career.

Timing-wise, the Universe seemed to have other plans for me. A few months after September 11th, I was let go from my job. I had to figure out what I was going to do next.

I was too young too young to retire. I was ready for a change. I decided that this was my big chance to become a coach for real. With the support of colleagues and friends who encouraged me, I started over, got some additional training, and began my journey into what I would later identify as my “Sexy Second Act.”

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Were there struggles? Absolutely!

In the beginning, I felt like I was drinking from a firehose as I struggled to improve my coaching skills, identify who I would like to serve through coaching, and figure out how best I could serve them.

On top of that, I had to learn the business side of coaching – branding, marketing, selling, and navigating social media. After more than 30 years in the corporate arena, starting over was incredibly daunting.

It would be great to say that the struggle is over, but it’s not. The coaching field has grown exponentially since I began my practice. Staying visible in an increasingly crowded field is challenging. Keeping up with the continuing evolution of technology is tough.

When you’re working on your own, you can easily get caught up in working all the time. You can get trapped in your own head about whether you are good enough, or if you are doing enough, or whether you are doing the “right” stuff to become successful.

So it’s important to surround yourself with people who have your back and who are willing to give you honest feedback. It’s important to take time to rest, relax and recharge.

And it’s important to want to be doing whatever you love doing for the long haul. That’s where passion comes in. You have to have a “why” that matters and the patience to manifest it. That’s purpose. Your paycheck can be monetary, or it can be the internal reward of fulfillment. Or preferably both!

Please tell us about Three Squares Coaching and Consulting.
I help my clients, primarily Boomers and Gen X-ers, design and build a Sexy Second Act career and/or life that includes Passion, Purpose, and a Paycheck®.

The problem often is that people “of a certain age” don’t know where or how to begin as we evolve into this new era of changing the way we work. That’s where I come in.

A few things set me apart:

1. I’ve been where my clients find themselves or may find themselves in the future, so I understand their apprehension and confusion about starting over.

2. I have extra training as an Advanced Certified Behavior Style Practitioner in DISC, Motivators, Emotional Intelligence Assessments, and others, so I have practical tools to help my clients gain clarity about what’s next for them. I also work with companies, using Behavior Style Assessments in hiring and in career development, and team building.

3. I’m a great listener. I listen for things people aren’t consciously aware they are communicating. My favorite thing is the look of surprise and delight that comes over them when I point something out that lights them up that they couldn’t see until that moment.

4. I’m doing what I coach my clients to do. I’m going after my big, juicy dreams. Last year, I published my first book, Sexy Second Act: Remodel Your Life with Passion, Purpose, and a Paycheck®, available on Kindle and Amazon. This year, I’m starting to write my second book.

5. I encourage my clients to go at their own pace, not the pace I think they should go. Each person’s circumstances are different and must be taken into consideration. Some are ready to jump in all the way, while others do better by taking it slowly. Pace matters less than forward motion.

I’m known for being insightful, playful, light-hearted and trustworthy. I don’t go into a coaching relationship with an agenda other than to get into a client’s world and help them discover their most cherished, and sometimes deeply buried dreams – the ones I call Big, Juicy Dreams.

I then assist them to develop a workable plan that they feel good about for accomplishing those dreams and goals. I want them to be excited, otherwise it’s not going to happen. And besides, a Sexy Second Act should be fun, don’t you think?

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’m not sure I could have done anything differently based on what I knew at the time. I was pretty naive about what it takes to start and run a business. But the learning has been so valuable that I’m not sure I would change anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://3squarescoaching.com/
• Phone: 949-212-4345
• Email: sue@threesquarescoaching.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koch_sue/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sexy.Second.Act
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/freshstartcoach
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/threesquarescoaching/

Image Credit:
Sue Koch

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