From Stuck to Strategic: Designing a Career That Works for You with Rachael Thomas

In this episode of Career Coaching Secrets our guest is Rachael Thomas, a career coach dedicated to helping professionals gain clarity, confidence, and direction in their career journeys, drawing from her experience in guiding individuals through career transitions, personal branding, and strategic growth; we explore her insights on overcoming career stagnation, building a strong professional identity, and making intentional moves that align with long-term goals, along with practical advice for navigating today’s competitive job market and creating meaningful success.

You can find her on:
https://www.createyourself.co.nz/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-thomas-65a801169/
https://www.instagram.com/create_yourself_coaching/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Create-Yourself-Coaching/61574136627641/
Email: rachael@createyourself.co.nz

Transcript

Rachael Thomas 0:00

I was really lucky I was actually inducted into the coaching world and the corporate space. I got a job as an associate and sort of worked my way up from the back end side of things, producing coaching calls and doing virtual coaching to eventually being put in front of clients and facilitating large groups. So for me, I actually was just doing it right off the bat.

Davis Nguyen 0:26

Welcome to Career Coaching Secrets, the podcast where we talk with successful career coaches on how they built their success and the hard lessons they learned along the way. My name is Davis Wynne, and I'm the founder of Purple Circle, where we help career coaches scale their business to $100,000 years, $100,000 months, and even $100,000 weeks. Before Purple Circle, I've grown several seven and eight figure career coaching businesses myself and have been a consultant at two career coaching businesses that are doing over $100 million each. Whether you're an established coach or building your practice for the first time, you'll discover the secrets to elevating your coaching business.

Pedro Stein 0:57

Welcome to Career Coaching Secrets Podcast. I'm Pedro and today I'm joined by Rachel Thomas, founder of Create Yourself Coaching, who works with business owners and executive women who are capable, intelligent, and successful, yet quietly know they're playing smaller than they want to. She specializes in helping high achievers move past imposter syndrome, overthinking, and that endless waiting to feel more ready. Her approach blends executive coaching with neuroscience-informed guided visualization to help women access the part of their brain that isn't driven by fear. When you work from that space, decisions become clearer, ideas bolder, and action feels aligned rather than forced. Welcome to the show, Rachel.

Rachael Thomas 1:52

Thank you. It's actually really nice to hear my intro. That was cool. I like, yeah, that is me. I do do that. Cool.

Pedro Stein 2:00

Yeah, let's start by killing that imposter syndrome that I mentioned, right? You're awesome. Let's move forward with that. Now I'm excited that you're here. Okay. And before we get into what you do now, always curious how this all actually started, you know, the origin story. So what was going on in your life when coaching became more than just an idea?

Rachael Thomas 2:22

Yeah. So I it was back in 2020, early 2020, uh, or mid-2020, sorry. And I was in a different career then. I was flying, I was in aviation. I had been for 17 years, believe it or not. Something that I did pretty much straight out of uni. So it was really, it was my life. I'd done all the bases around New Zealand. I'd done all the types of flying from domestic, um, you know, rural to international, long haul. I'd also been a leader on the ground and in the sky. So I'd kind of dotted myself around and tried everything. I really loved it. It was, it was interesting, it was fun. I got to see the world. And then I lost my job just overnight. And obviously, you know, because of COVID, everyone lost their jobs. And we had the option to take furloughs, so to just wait until everything calmed down, until you know, this aircraft got back in the scrub in the sky again, or to do something else. And I just kind of knew this was my universal slap in the face, as you do. This was time for me to really think about what I wanted, where I wanted to be, and what I wanted to be doing. I had a son, or I have a son, and back then he was quite little, he was about a year and a half. And leaving him for several days at a time just was not ideal for me. So I think the the glamour that comes with flying and the excitement was starting to wear off anyway. So I mean, initially I was really devastated, but I took time and I processed that grief, and then I started to move quite quickly, pivot quite quickly into what next. And it's interesting the sort of the crossover around helping people and supporting people. I was always that flight attendant in the back galley that was being the agony aunt to the passengers and helping them with their problems, or you know, my fellow crew sitting and talking to them about how they could solve problems. It was something that I just really loved was that authentic connection and helping people and being vulnerable. So coaching was just kind of a really natural step for me. I found it, or it found me in some ways. And as soon as I knew it was what I wanted to do, I went about finding the correct path to get myself in that space and doing the study and taking that time to make sure I did it the right way. And yeah, it all just kind of fell into place. Like anything, I think when you connect with your true purpose and it's something you really want and you have that clear why, the rest just falls into place and you make it happen. So I haven't really looked back to be honest.

Pedro Stein 4:49

Interesting. I mean, 17 years, that's a long, long time. And then you pivot to coaching. Now, and I get it, you're helping people, you always were like a natural coach in a sort of way. Now, what I'm curious about is like, when did you felt that shift? You know, when you you changed from a side thing or a calling from coaching to start feeling like an actual business you were responsible for?

Rachael Thomas 5:19

I mean, for me, I was really lucky. I was actually inducted into the coaching world and the corporate space. I got a job as an associate and sort of worked my way up from the back end side of things, producing coaching calls and doing virtual coaching to eventually being put in front of clients and um facilitating uh large groups. So for me, um I actually was just doing it right off the bat because there was this uh again opportunity that that came from COVID. Everything went virtual. So all of these sort of live sessions that had been happening for a lot of organizations suddenly went virtual and they needed more people. They needed, you know, they needed help essentially. So there was a space that was available for me in the corporate world, which I took, and that became like the bread and butter for me. And it was also a really good way of getting my coaching hours up, um, practicing coaching. And so, as that was running on one side, on the other side, I knew that there was a different kind of style of coaching or modality that I wanted to present from my own self. Um, so so what I was doing in the corporate space informed how I coached, but then there was this other part of me, uh, this more vulnerable, authentic, heart-centered, heart-led part of me that wanted to offer a different style of coaching. And I think that just naturally sort of rose up to the surface as I was doing the corporate stuff on the site. Um, and eventually I just became bold enough to go all in on that. Not sure if that answers your question.

Pedro Stein 6:56

Yes, it does answer, because that's very interesting. We're talking about a contracted coach, and so there's another shift that I'm interested in. That the real shift is that leap of faith, right? When you you stop or you, you know, eventually not don't focus so much in the hours in the corporate world, and you're like, you know what? I'm gonna launch it. I'm gonna do it on my own, you know. So uh when did you realize like, hey, I guess this is something I can do it on my own, you know? Is it more like gradually building up to that point? Like, hey, maybe I want to do this my way, or is it like a big leap of faith eventually?

Rachael Thomas 7:35

I I think it's both. Um, you know, there was nothing wrong with the corporate coaching. It was really, I I got a lot out of it, but I could I suppose there's kind of a comparison to people that leave the corporate world and they go and they create their own business. Nearly everyone says, you know, that they just felt that something was missing. They wanted to do things their way, and that was me. You know, I was getting a lot of gratification and and satisfaction out of what I was doing, but it wasn't 100% me. And it's interesting because when you are paying all your bills and you've got, you know, good income coming in from something, there's no real push, there's no real you've got to go do this moment because you've got everything you need. And so you have to be really courageous, and you almost have to have that strong desire and drive inside you to go and do something that potentially might not bring in that income straight away. It's a real leap of faith. Um, and and for me to be honest, look, I I'm not perfect, and it's always the universe, it's always that kind of slap in the face or the push for me, the the stick and not the carrot, as they say. My year last year was just kind of really crazy. And I started the year saying I want to go all in. And then the economy in New Zealand just tanked, and the corporate coaching stuff tanked along with it. So I actually had no choice. It was like finally the universe was just saying, like, go now, you've got to do this. It's now or never. And I did. So I'd love to say that I leapt uh for just you know the joy of leaping, but I did have to be pushed. And I think you know, a lot of us feel that way. We spend a lot of time playing in safety and doing those things that really scare us and push push us right outside the comfort zone that can feel kind of unnatural, daunting. We avoid it, we avoid pain as humans. So I'm, you know, just like everyone else in some ways, but but I think since I've leapt, I've kept leaping and uh and I'm proving to myself that that this is possible.

Pedro Stein 9:41

Interesting, you know, and there's one thing that I want to highlight, right? You were in the corporate coaching space you mentioned, like a contractor, and then you moved to your own practice, and that's a different beast, right? Because before you were just like handling ops, and now you have to deal with marketing, possessing, everything. So once you were out there, you know, doing your own thing, your own business, who did you naturally end up attracting? You know, when did you realize, you know, this is my tribe? I'm not sure if we're the same people from the uh the business you were working with, or it's a different one, you know?

Rachael Thomas 10:19

A real combination. I think people that are attracted to me are people that you know they probably are in a similar space to where I was at, and and it's that I'm everything's okay, but I do want more space. And I like to hold that space for people and to let them play in their dreams, so not just what's practical and what should happen, but what they actually really want to do. And I think that, you know, naturally my story shows that we can we can feel safe and we can be in the I've got enough things, everything's fine, space for as long as we want to be. But there's a deeper calling inside us normally that's saying there's this other thing that I want. So I draw people into my sphere that are looking to kind of break through the glass ceiling and and show themselves who they really are and start really discovering their true potential, or even just allowing themselves to connect with what they really want beyond all of the shoulds. So it's women, you know, women that are really, like I said, really successful, capable, confident people, but they've built a life where they are almost in service to a lot of other things other than themselves, and they feel guilt about choosing themselves. Um, so I like to create a container where they can come in, not feel guilt around that and know that they can have both. It's not an andor. Um, you know, you can play in that duality of yes, I can show up for all of my people and be this person, and I can choose myself as well. And that is not a selfish thing to do.

Pedro Stein 11:49

Interesting. Okay. Now let's pretend those women, right, they're really successful, but they're feeling guilty. That your ICP, the one you just described me, they're looking out for you, right? In the marketing side of things. How do they usually find you in the first place?

Rachael Thomas 12:04

So I do a lot of networking, you know, primarily in the first year when you start a business. And I don't know how other people do it, but I found that getting yourself out there and getting known is really important, which means being vulnerable, it means joining networking groups, it means, you know, connecting with people that may be interested in what you do. So being quite targeted in that networking. I've connected with a lot of women's networking groups in New Zealand and virtually, virtually and in the real world, and that's been really helpful for me. But of course, you get to a point where you know you want to you can't always be in the car or you can't always be in those networking spaces. So you need to now maximize your time. So I'm moving into um you know the ad space and getting a virtual presence as well because I just feel like that's the natural next part of growth is advertising and pulling people in so that they can discover you virtually.

Pedro Stein 12:57

Okay, so let's pretend uh I'm one of those women, those women, right? Okay, Pedro, not Pedro, okay. And I'm looking at your I'm at I'm at an event, I'm looking at ads, you know, your digital presence, let's call it that way. And I'm like resonating with your content, right? I'm like, hey, Rachel seems pretty cool. So I want to work with you eventually. Okay, you we we close, I'm you're onboarding me. So uh walk me through the perspective of a client uh that is joining your business, you know, the structure. How does that work?

Rachael Thomas 13:31

So we start with an introduction process, which is really sort of feeling it out. What does this person need? What are their goals? What are they looking to create? It's all about create yourself. So, what are they looking to create? So spending a lot of time in that space of discovery to really understand what they need and what they want. And then from there, you know, I'll put to them, this is my suggestion, this is what I think would work really well for you, um, whether it's a coaching package, it's usually a coaching package, sometimes a um bespoke guide of visualization as well, if they're working on a specific challenge to help them to sort of reprogram while they coach. And then from there, we just, you know, I it just goes towards that coaching. You know, the next step, like when when are we going to do this coaching thing? It's virtual, they can choose when they want to see me. I always say, you know, don't leave it longer than a fortnight between our sessions because so much can happen in a fortnight. So I like to I like to keep in contact with my clients and I like to ensure that you know they feel supported even when they're not with me. So yeah, it's it's just kind of a natural progression through that um discovery phase into what is the right package for them, you know, to meet their needs, and then looking towards, okay, so how long will be will we be working together? What's the lifespan of this coaching? And what are you looking to achieve on the other side of that?

Pedro Stein 14:53

Okay, I like the it sounds like you're you're connecting them with the what I mean, aligning, I would say, uh what they want with what they need, you know, and trying to deliver that service so they can get the best outcome possible. Now, your work seems pretty involved, right? We're talking about, and we we kind of browsed through it before, like, and this happens a lot in the coaching space, wearing all the hats, right? Doing everything your own. So, yeah, how do you think about managing your time, right? And energy so the business doesn't start owning you, for example.

Rachael Thomas 15:30

Yeah, I think you know, my biggest lesson this year, uh, and I know it's only three months in, but I'm really feeling that fire horse energy, uh, which means I want to do more and I want to do more now. I'm very impatient once I lock on to something, I want it to happen. My biggest lesson has been asking for help and partnering with the right people that can support my goals. So, just in the same way I'm a coach for others, I've got my own coach now, a business and growth and marketing and sales um expert who has who I've partnered with to help me grow my business, but also to save me time by helping me with their expertise in the areas that I've not gone and studied marketing at university. You know, I'm not a sales, I'm not a sales expert either, but they are. And so I can borrow their knowledge and then I can have a more strategic approach to those areas rather than fumbling around in the dark, like so many of us do. And I think I did that for years, just trying to muddle through and figure it out on a tight budget. Um, at some point you have to choose to invest. You know, it really is that if you're on the cusp of of getting where you want to go, at some point you have to go all in and um and ask for help and partner with the right people. So I've partnered with someone around um growth and marketing and business, and I've also partnered with someone around the the sort of SEO AIO piece as well, which again, I'm not an expert in these things, and um there's only so much you can get from Chat GPT and YouTube tutorials. And it takes, like you said, that time piece, it's a massive drain on time when you're trying to teach yourself, and then you're not even sure if you're in the right space learning the right things. It really can be like sitting and spinning on a you know, on the spot. So I, you know, my biggest piece of advice for people is don't wait, partner with people that can move you forward, and the results will make up for the investment, right? You get that ROI pretty immediately.

Pedro Stein 17:29

Well, only fair that you do the same that you do to your coaches, right? You're investing in yourself, you're trying to expedite the curve. I mean, it makes perfect sense. Now, I want to tap into your experience because you mentioned imposter syndrome yourself and helping clients with that, okay? And I wanna I know you pivoted uh during COVID and all that, so pricing, right? That's a hot topic for a coach. And we're not talking about hard numbers, but it's a very self-worth path, you know. Um, am I charging enough? Am I not charging enough? So, how do you approach that topic now? And what did you learn the hard way to get where you are right now?

Rachael Thomas 18:15

I love that question because I think it's really that I think it's really important. And and look, I don't know about men, I'm not a man, but I do feel like this is really common for women. We find it hard to to really go all in on ourselves and to price ourselves in a in a fair way and a, you know, really uh value ourselves and have that be reflected in our pricing. When I first started, I my I was very sort of, I had this real sort of altruistic, I just want to help people, I just want everyone to benefit from my services. I don't want to price anyone out of what I'm offering. I was offering way too low, you know, way too low because I wanted to catch everyone. And I think what I learned was catch the people that will invest in you so that then you can help everyone, you know, but you can't do it the other way around. You've got to have those A-type clients coming in and spending a decent amount of money with you so that you can then be more altruistic and offer it to people at a perhaps at a better price for those that really need the service but can't afford it. And it just has to happen in that order, otherwise you don't have a business and then you're not helping anyone, right? So, so for me, it was all around the beliefs. I think it comes down to what do I believe about myself? What is that self-talk around my value? Uh, I actually have um some sticky notes in front of me. I'm offering a highly valuable service. I can be assertive and confident at the same time as being kind. All of these mantras that I remind myself of because I am really empathetic. And I think I do feel sometimes guilty about pricing, but then I think about what I do, and I think about the time, money, value that I've invested into what I do, and it's worth it, and it's transformational. You know, it's not just someone coming and buying a shirt and going away and going, that's cool. They're changing their lives, and that's you know, there's a lot of value in that, and and I do value myself now. So I think it's just that mindset piece, it's getting really clear on your worth, and then don't be wishy-washy about it, you know, go all in on that and be confident, and people will meet you where they're at.

Pedro Stein 20:28

I love the anchoring notes you have in front of you. I think that's very, very powerful. I also have my my kids' photos, their draw-ins here, and some say some quotes so I can resonate with what you just said. Now, yeah, I'm I'm curious, you know, um, what's the direction you're aiming this business towards? You know, are you thinking more about growth, a leverage, building a team, or finding what already works? You know, what feels most exciting for you right now?

Rachael Thomas 20:56

Yeah, I think, you know, naturally I do want to grow. Naturally, I want this to be bigger and I want to help more people. That would look like growth. It would look like team, it would look like um working with people on a larger scale. I'd love to be able to, you know, bring huge groups of people into a space to be able to take them through my process together collectively. I think there's something very powerful about bringing it people into a space that perhaps have the same goal and can feel really isolated in that, or the same challenges, and allowing them to connect with each other on a journey of that. And I'd like to be able to do that more, whether it be, you know, in just out in the community or in the corporate space. I think the that what I bring into my coaching, the guided visualization piece is extremely powerful and potent. And the results that you get when you start from that space are really interesting and expansive. I would like to do that with large groups of people just to see the magic and see what happens with that. I'd also like to build community. So I'd like to create a space where people.

Pedro Stein 22:00

support each other um again through their challenges uh you know life's not easy and i'd like people to be able to you know my tribe that you know probably think the same way and and have that similar values and mindset coming together to be supportive to each other um yeah just love to grow that community and and help as many people as possible you know kind of circling back to that vision i had at the start that little baby coach me that was like i just want to help everyone i i still do just want to help everyone but i'm more strategic about that now you know i i have a question for you and you're just grinding my ears here do you think having the possibility i i it feels like you have a different lens because you worked in corporate coaching and i see a lot of people in the industry they're like not passed beyond one and ones because they're afraid of losing the personal touch they're afraid of you know losing the customization of it but it seems like you're not shying away from that you it's like you've been there you you've done that yeah and you see it happening in live and it it brought results right do you feel like that is a a benefit for you to understand to have that mindset uh behind scaling yeah I mean yeah sometimes you have to just have faith you know um you can't always see everything to believe it right there's there's the actual the actual going out and doing it I have the I'm like you say I'm fortunate to have been in that corporate space helping people helping groups of people and seeing what happens in a room when you get a group of people together seeing that magic that happens and it's really down to the person you know it's down to their goals and what they're looking to do.

Rachael Thomas 23:43

For me I'm really comfortable to hold space for lots of people I you know I having been a flight attendant for 17 years I used to stand up in front of 300 people and you know make those announcements so I feel like I've spent a lot of time building those skills and getting really comfortable in front of people. So I would say to people that are thinking about that, you know just just start to build that confidence. Maybe it's a small group maybe it's five people in a virtual call you start to build your confidence slowly and just see how it feels it might not be for everyone to work with big groups of people but for me it's not just a challenge. It's I I like you say I have that memory I have that connection to the magic in the room and and just the joy that it brings me to see a group of people coming together and learning at the same time sharing insights and vulnerabilities. It's it's what makes us feel human right feeling connected to other humans on a similar journey. And even if it's not the same challenge just to share in a challenge makes us feel seen and part of something and I'd love to just you know create that for people and get people in that space so they can enjoy it.

Pedro Stein 24:54

Yeah I bet you now even when things are going well right there's always something under construction like what's the main thing you're actively working or trying to improve in the business right now.

Rachael Thomas 25:07

I probably you know those pieces that I mentioned earlier around the marketing SEO AIO just getting all of those back end pieces ticking along really nicely and also some funnels and some lead magnets you know I I've I've got a lot of work to do in that space but now I've got the support and the direction so it's just about executing and getting the work done and um not procrastinating. You know like that's my my nemesis is the procrastinating and I did a post on this recently about procrastinate learning um which is like I coined the phrase I feel like so many of us in personal development get so hung up on learning we get a little bit stuck in the space of I'm not ready yet. I just need to do another course or I just need to read this book. We're never going to be 100% ready and part of the growth is in the doing well actually a massive part of the growth is in the doing or the the the learning is in the doing. So we can learn everything we can hold it intellectually but until we get out there and do it we're not actually changing what we're doing. So for me it's being very clear on setting the goals about what I'm doing right now and just working on those and not going back into that space of oh but I just want to do this course or I want to learn more about this aspect of neuroscience or you know there's lots of opportunities we're getting pinged every day on LinkedIn with join this course, sign up for this and there's nothing wrong with that if it's if it's supporting you in the direction towards your goals and I like to check in with myself is this in service of my current goal and if it's not why would I do it?

Pedro Stein 26:43

Because it's taking me off that you know off that path and in a way creating an opportunity to procrastinate that has a high dopamine um hit because hey I'm learning I'm doing something I feel good about myself it's a tricky one I I I can resonate a lot with what you've just said like and you mentioned this before it's like we're it sounds like on my head it's like we're we're getting different pieces of puzzles and trying to connect them like we don't even know sometimes the real questions we have to ask to chat TPT or whatever. We're like trying to guess and sometimes it gaslights us into the wrong direction right yeah it's like oh you're a genius first of all it's super biased it right it keeps telling me I'm super intelligent really dude no you know and the second thing is like I I I find it funny that the when you don't know anything about it you make some absurd prompts right for example if I asked ask chat GPT how to punch a wall the best way to punch a wall it will eventually add give me the three best ways but it won't challenge my idea right of hey did you really should you really be doing that you know love that love that I mean it's so it's so biased and and throw us in the wrong direction and sometimes I'm not sure if you agree with that and that's why the reason I'm gonna ask it's like it's that first question right that needs to make sense it's the first prompt and that sometimes it's just an expert that can tell you that right I absolutely agree with you.

Rachael Thomas 28:21

I think it's so important that we understand that we our belief of what we know about ourselves is going to then um influence what we the the way we interact with this AI. If we're not aware or have that conscious awareness of all of our biases and you know our limited perhaps views on things we're just sharing one perspective we're not thinking critically with and and you know we can learn to do that but if we're not applying critical thinking with our prompts AI will just take it at face value and work with what it's given. And I think you know it's dangerous in in the sense of coaching therapy a lot of people are using chat GPT for that now. But what I'm seeing is people pathologizing themselves people taking this one biased view that ChatGPT is giving them because it agrees with everything like you said it's very sort of sycophantic. Oh yes you are you you are so good at that I believe you you know and so you get this um you get this loop it's like a little echo chamber of your brain and it's not necessarily challenging you in the way that you need to be challenged so those prompts I agree are essential for critical thinking and awareness and growth and discovery what's better than that well you know a coach a real one because chat GPT can't read into your emotion you know you could be saying to ChatGPT I really like this job but you know X, Y, and Z. If you're saying that to a coach, a coach isn't just listening to the words the coach is listening to the body language, to the tonality, to the energy picking up on all of these nuanced aspects that come into what you're saying, not just what you're saying, not just the the black and white words on the page. And that's where I think it's really important that we get clear on the way we interact with AI and what we're using it for and perhaps just knowing that it's worth bouncing that information off another human as well and not just taking it as gospel.

Pedro Stein 30:24

And it doesn't peel it off the real intention behind it. I think that's the true work of a coach you know like for example let's say I want to find my ICP right and I'm talking with GPT I'm like hey you know what because I'm a also a coach I'm like hey I want to uh help X, Y, and Z design for me, I don't know, a marketing campaign with content and posts for let's say Facebook and I'm trying to reach out to C Suite right they don't do they hang out on Facebook probably not really probably no where should well potentially LinkedIn potential networking spaces speaking gigs you know so it will not challenge my original idea because I'm coming in from a bias perspective because well the reason is because I'm I'm an amateur right I'm not thinking I'm not a marketer guy guy a marketing guy so and eventually it it will give you give me re a path that it's not actually ideal.

Rachael Thomas 31:22

Do you see that happening too I do I've seen it in myself Pedro like I look back on my you know like my content creation plans that chat GPT was whipping up for me and you know you get a lot of people saying oh chat GPT can do everything and it'll create your three month content plan and it'll you know plan your goals for the year. Yeah it will but it's not challenging you and it's not it's giving you what you want to hear. And I I think about the way I'm creating now I'm thinking differently I'm thinking about the things that I'm learning from the experts that I'm working with. ChatGPT hasn't challenged me in that way. Sometimes it's awesome don't get me wrong uh particularly around technical things it's been really good for me to you know I I'm I'm stuck on something how do I get out of this hole and it gives me all these articles or connecting me to to information and and moves me forward. But when it comes to the you know the people aspect and perhaps your who you are as a coach it's not necessarily going to challenge you and like you say put you in the right space doing the right thing. It's a thing that you can do is it moving you like I say is it moving you towards your goals or is it just getting you doing with what everyone else is doing and I think we've got to be thinking about how we can be unique in this space and not just be doing what everyone else is doing and sounding like another chat GPT post because I think we're all getting pretty we're all getting pretty wise to that now we see it we recognize it the intonation and the cadence of a chat GPT post you've got to be really careful about that.

Pedro Stein 32:52

Yeah not theory the hard truth it's not X it's not Z it's just Y you know we can see it the slop. Yeah it was back in the day it was the dashes right now but now it's different it's just that one sometimes it's three sentences with one word it's trying to be super catchy you know so yeah I'm like thanks chat GPT yeah I mean I've I love to I love to use it to sense check you know can you check my spelling does this make sense sometimes it'll give me like it'll say hey what have you thought about doing this I'm like that is so cringe chat GPT why would I do that?

Rachael Thomas 33:32

That is so cringy but if you don't challenge yourself to really be critical about those responses and look at them and go actually would that work if I was reading that what would I think you know is that my language is that something I would actually say yeah it can be dangerous.

Pedro Stein 33:50

Okay yeah definitely now before we close this out if someone resonated with what you share and wants to follow your work where should they go?

Rachael Thomas 34:00

So my website is www.createyourself.co dot nz um or you can find me on LinkedIn I'm Rachel Thomas create yourself coaching and also on Facebook is Rachel Thomas CreateYourself coaching and I think that's about it.

Pedro Stein 34:20

Yeah there's probably enough places to find me oh did I say Instagram um well you did now create underscore yourself underscore coaching is my handle okay you know there were a few moments that I would love to highlight from this chat okay I would say first of all very interesting how you ended up creating the the reps putting in the reps inside a corporate world for coaching I see a lot of coaches doing pro bono in the early days to get that experience uh you you took a a different route which I think it's very very very cool I would say like it it gives you also perspective of what's possible you know and uh puts you in a framework of what to do and after a while you decided you know what time to move on right i i think that's very very interesting also the first pivot was you were pushed right from covet that was a pivot and then you did it your own right you didn't ex you didn't wait it for the second call out you know you were like uh I can see the writing on the wall yeah I'm gonna do it before I can I can I'm pretty well established I know what I'm doing right now I learned the craft so you too you took your your destiny I would say your to your own hands right I love that you know um and going back to the imposter syndrome right it's so easy and so so scary at sometimes taking that leap of faith right building your own practice you're like you could be there yeah in that comfortable space just collecting a paycheck you know and keeping that style but you're like no I'm moving away from that mentality and I would say also as a last highlight when you we were talking about pricing right and and that you were so open about it like I was charging way too low you know it brings back to that imposter center that that yeah oh you know that thing that it's like and I I think it's at the end of the day the the coaches that struggle the most with pricing are the ones who care the most are the ones who actually want to serve people because they're out there coaches who do pro bono work like and they're amazing and we see some guys charging 20k 30k you know and they're like terrible because they don't put their heart into it so this is my long way of saying that I really appreciate you taking the time and being open with this.

Rachael Thomas 36:53

It was great having you on Rachel thank you I've really loved the conversation and thanks for having me. It's been fun.

Davis Nguyen 37:01

That's it for this episode of Career Coaching Secrets. If you enjoyed this conversation you can subscribe to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening to this episode to catch future episodes. This conversation was brought to you by Purple Circle where we help career coaches scale their business to seven and eight figures without burning out. To learn more about Purple Circle, our community and how we can help you grow your business visit join purplecircle.com