Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sara Gebriel, Founder of Present Health, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am a Clarity Coach practicing a therapeutic modality called Mind Clearing. I help people to work through life problems, navigate life transitions and grow in challenging circumstances by cultivating inner wisdom. I work with people 1:1 (90-minute sessions), couples (2-hr sessions), and group facilitation. My clients are self-reflective adults wanting to improve or heal an area of their life so they can live more fully and authentically. My clients live across multiple time zones from North America and Europe to Asia and Australia. They are diverse across cultures, religions, nationalities, life stages, gender, beliefs, and value systems.
Tell us about yourself
I come from a holistic health background. I didn't set out to be a solopreneur. I started in 2003 as a holistic nutritionist employed at a health care clinic and as an instructor at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. My "business" started by me offering 3-hr talks on nutritional wellness. Participants were paying me, and so I thought, "I guess I am running a business." Back then, I didn't need to print business cards, build a website, or hustle for clients. I could focus on creating and delivering content because the nutrition school was a community of people who knew and trusted me and wanted to learn from me. Yep, those were the days.
At the health care clinic, I noticed that the clients who followed recommendations got results. And, the clients who didn't follow recommendations didn't get results. It's not rocket science, but I wanted to get more people beyond their barriers and experience the results they wanted. So, I was certified as a Life Coach, embodied the coach approach, and more clients reached their health goals. Fast forward three years and a few thousand clients, I had overworked my adrenals, and the burnout was real. Exhausted, I revaluated everything and decided to keep teaching at the school, leave the clinic and reduce my private practice so that I could recharge and clarify the way forward.
My style of coaching was no longer fulfilling. It wasn't enough to help people achieve external targets and goals while mental chaos, anxiety, and self-doubt, echoed in their minds. In 2007, I went to a meditation retreat called the Enlightenment Intensive. I discovered a quiet, still peace within me that I could access anytime and experience an undeniable sense of okay-ness. It never went away and has become more accessible and trustworthy. I've come to hear and trust my inner wisdom and be able to handle life's inevitable challenges with more ease and grace. I relied on this part of me through my divorce, losing a parent, and to ground my perspective when business gets tough and clients are few.
This was fulfilling. I wanted this for my clients. It turns out that the originator of the Enlightenment Intensive also developed a therapeutic modality called Mind Clearing, and I trained with his predecessor. Mind Clearing relies on communication techniques that bridge ancient awareness practices and modern psychotherapies. The session format and each process used is designed to cut through the busy mind and resolve the heart of a problem very quickly. There is no analysis, no advice, no belief system to adopt. Rather, clients are guided to their truth and innermost wisdom. In 2009 I was restored, and Present Health was born.
In my practice, I draw from an extraordinary tool kit of processes that quiet the mind resulting in clarity, resolve, and inspired action. I offer dedicated time, sacred space, and expert guidance so that clients can turn life's problems into manageable projects. My clients are self-reflective, resourceful, responsible, and become better able to communicate, relate, cultivate healthy boundaries, and process their past so they can be more present.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Having the tenacity to stick with the ups, downs, pivots, slow times, and the other inevitable challenges of being a solopreneur.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I don't have a good 'off' button, so I'm always 'on,' usually thinking about what to create and offer next, more effective ways to serve my clients, keeping up with marketing, and that I have not taken to social media.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Cultivate a community of supportive solopreneurs or peers.
- Ongoing self-care in ways truly regenerative to you.
- Mentorship.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.presenthealth.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-gebriel/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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