The transformation of Vanessa Talbot started at the end of her marriage, when divorce drastically changed her life.
Vanessa Talbot and her husband had made a lot of money in the mining industry, a world that would now be in the past. He held onto the money and the company, while she took hold of the life she had built, which included her property and the animals she was caring for.
“With all those animals and no income, and a little tiny toddler daughter to look after as well, it was like ‘Far out batman, how am I going to make money without having to go and work in town?’”
Thrown into a different reality and now faced with uncertainty, she had to find a way that could provide both income and freedom. In addition to having a young child, she needed to be able to look after her horses and also make time for native wildlife caring. Considering everyone who relied on her, a 9-5 job was out of the question. The epiphany happened when she stumbled upon an Australian new age magazine.
“There was an ad for a life coach. I had no idea about life coach training, no idea what a life coach was, never heard of it before but I thought, ‘Well that sounds interesting, I can stay at home and do that.’ And that’s how it happened.”
Vanessa Talbot was a life coach for 3 years before crafting her specialty for working with coaches and mentors exclusively, people that she calls “changemakers.” She’s even published the book “Extraordinary You: The Art of Living a Lusciously Spirited, Vibrant Life,” which was endorsed by American author and researcher Dr. John Demartini, known for his work entitled “The Breakthrough Experience”. Vanessa’s book sold out it’s first run in America.
“I got into this with the intention of setting up a business that I didn’t have to leave home for and that’s what I’ve created. I have a bit of a reputation for being a hermit and I think it’s more of a quirk than a liability.”
After working with celebrities and even olympians, she saw a new opportunity when she came upon a gloomy realization. She realized that out of all the people who actually become life coaches, only a small fraction of these people were able to survive and build thriving business.
“There’s a lot of people doing coach training but how many of them can actually create successful coaching businesses?”
Some of her clients come from a business and corporate background and she mentioned that “there’s a lot of stuff that I have to get rid of. Many people operate out of fear but it’s covered by bravado and ego,” but in the world of self development, there’s no room for that. Whether you are being coached or you are the coach, the fear requires breaking down. She offers one-on-one training to help you figure out what is unique and extraordinary about you, and of course, what is truly holding you back.
“It’s a pretty noisy world out there, I gotta pin-point that.”
Having witnessed too many individuals that were not able to create enough income, the survival rate was saddening. Many of these people were her peers, people she had studied with. It was because of this that Vanessa tailored a program to address this very concern. So why were so many people failing and so few thriving? It seemed that part of the issue was that they had already calculated failure into the equation.
“Can you see the difference between having no backup plan and a backup plan? Because I had no backup plan, I had no option but to make this coaching work but most people that have failed in the coaching business, they have a backup plan. I hear it all the time, ‘Oh well, if coaching doesn’t work, I’ll go back to this or I’m doing this on the side, while I build my coaching business’. I didn’t do it that way. I just went straight into it, there was nothing on the side. It had to work. I therefore had to become very creative and very ballsy with doing stuff that I perhaps did not feel ready for. And if I had a backup plan I would have said, ‘Oh no, well I don’t feel ready for that right now, I won’t do it, I’ll just wait.’ So thats a big difference that I’ve seen in this business between who is succeeding and who is falling by the wayside. And then they say ‘Well, coaching didnt work for me’ but it was the backup plan. That was the one that ruined them.”
Society and parents, because they want us to be safe, teach us to have a backup plan. It’s instilled in us that it’s not wise to not have one. But if one is to succeed, jumping straight into the life raft is not the answer.
“You have to commit, you need to commit to your dream.”
Group training and social media is a big part of her work. Her 6 month program called “Step Into the Spotlight,” is focused on helping coaches clarify their message and shows them the way to building a solid reputation. Want to be known as a public figure? Great; she helps clients devise a strategy to get their name out there. Connecting with influencers and building an audience is at the core of the work. With her help, she guarantees that people will be able to attract the leads, the clients and the opportunities, “without having to do the dirty work of chasing them hard.”
Becoming a life coach and going virtual has given Vanessa Talbot a career that she loves and the freedom that her life requires. She lives in New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia but you can reach her from anywhere. Paving her own way has allowed her to take care of herself and her family, part human, part animal. She has an international audience and clients that include celebrities, olympians, and yes, life coaches.
You can find Vanessa Talbot through her website here: extraordinarybeings.com
