Where To Find A Coach

This is part 3 in a 3-part series about the importance of professional help from coaches and mentors.

Clearly! You have the God-given desires and are already on your path of destiny to change the world. 

Sometimes, oftentimes actually, it doesn’t feel like that.  We may feel frustrated, conflicted, overwhelmed, stuck, and isolated.

In my experience, when you feel stuck between your desire and your destiny, very often, the missing element… is… a guide… along that part of your journey.

You will likely have many different guides throughout your life depending on where you are and what’s happening in your life.

So, for you to be open to seeking help from a guide or receiving help when it comes your way, it’s wise to understand it so that you’ll recognize it when you see it. 

I discussed what coaching is in the first post in this series. I use “coaching” as a very broad term to describe any outside help from an unbiased professional. However, there are several different levels and functions. I  break them down into 5: 

• Coaches, mentors, and counselors focus on you, the person.
• Advisors and consultants focus on your problem. 

I discussed why you need coaching in the first post in this series.

#1: They serve different purposes for different seasons of life and business.

#2: They can pull you out of the mire of your situation to see it from a more useful perspective.

#3: If you’re not where you want to be… then… something needs to change.

If you didn’t need coaching of some sort, you’d already be “there” wherever your “there” is.

If you’ve not read what coaching is  or why you need coaching, I encourage you to go back to those two.

This post is all about… the where! Where can you get coaching?

Where. Where can I find a coach?

One word: Online.

Virtual learning is here to stay! It has been normalized. It’s efficient, empowering, and accessible.  

• According to Statista, the size of the virtual learning market will double in size from 2019 to 2026…and that’s just formal education. 
• That doesn’t include all the courses and learning opportunities outside of the university system.  
• A 2021 study produced by Bay Atlantic University showed students' soft skills increased by 60% because of online learning. 
• 85% of the time, it was critical thinking and problem solving that improved the most. 

In my opinion, the #1 number one best place to find a coach is… at a social enterprise conference. 

In the past, this was a barrier because of the expense of travel. I would never suggest this to an entire audience with a wide range of resources.  Today, though, with the move to online during the pandemic, there is almost NO reason not to!

Here are some of the benefits of attending an online or hybrid social enterprise conference.

Low-cost

Registration for most events is either completely free or very close to it!

• There are early-bird and student discounts. 
• Professionals and professors pay more than you, and what they pay subsidizes some of the program costs. 
• Some events even have scholarship opportunities where professionals and professors anonymously give so that some students and social entrepreneurs can attend for free.

High-quality

If you’ve ever attended an online conference, they’ve gotten really, really amazing! I’ve made higher-quality connections with people I never would’ve met in a live event.

• One of the features of the Hopin platform that several social enterprise organizations use has a networking option.
• It imitates what it’s like if you’re standing in line for coffee at a live conference and strike up a conversation with the person standing behind you in the line.
• I’ve made so many great friends from this.

Easy access to training

Online conferences offer SO MUCH training…on all different topics!

• Most of the sessions are recorded, so you can attend one and watch the replay of the other one.
• In addition to the training you can get at the conference, many of the speakers offer an opportunity for more in-depth training in their area of expertise. 

This is where the coaches are!

They are seeking you! They are positioning themselves in your path for you to find them.

I’m going to put them into 2 broad categories: professionals and professors.

1st. Professionals. There are people who have so much experience in life and business and are uniquely qualified to help you. 

• Some professionals are bolder. Some are more subtle in an online environment. But they are there. 
• Many offer online training, and some even in-person coaching.

2nd. Professors. Ok, guys. I’m going to talk straight here. It’s easy to think that someone on the academic track doesn’t have practical experience with social enterprise. You could not be more wrong. 

I get it! One of the hesitations I had with going back to school for international business school was that I’d have professors who lived inside a classroom with no real-world experience.

Boy, was I ever wrong?

Sure, there are some who are just riding out tenure.

But, if there is a professor at a conference, whether online or in person, you can bet they want to be there. Their classes and papers to grade and research projects don’t stop. They still have to keep everything going for their classroom while attending a multi-day event.

What makes professors of social enterprise unique are 3 things.

• #1 They have a broad view of social enterprise over a long time period.
• They don’t just see one social enterprise. They see A LOT of them! All over the world.
• And they’ve seen the evolution of them. One of the things that’s challenging about studying social enterprise is collecting long-term data, partly because many don’t make it and partly because of the danger of data collection. Many social enterprises operate in post- or, very sadly, current conflict nations. 
• So, while formal data collection is difficult, it doesn’t mean no one is seeing what’s happening. Those professors who are mentoring, advising, or consulting with social entrepreneurs are seeing it happen.
• As you well know, social enterprise doesn't happen in black and white. It happens in the shades of gray. Black and white get published. The gray…well…you’ve gotta ask for that.

• #2. They think differently. 
• Only 4% of the world’s population has a Ph.D. 
• They are unique. 
• They have perseverance and a way of looking at problems that others don’t. It’s impossible to make it through a doctoral program without it, much less continue in higher education or business with the expectation of others that you can fix it.

• #3 They are well connected with people and resources. 
• This phase of my life was basically catapulted into being because I met one professor at a conference, Dr. Jim King. 
• He introduced me to so many people, including Dr. Jeff Sherlock, who also shares my love of Myanmar, who introduced me to Dr. Mitch, who allowed me to publish my research in their business as a mission library.
• And the resources. If someone is teaching at a university, they have incredible resources, from statistical software to databases. I mean, it’s incredible. 
• The software I had access to through my university was so sophisticated. It was shocking the analysis I could do on the social enterprise I studied.

So, if you’re at an online event, scroll through and look for the PhDs and DBAs. Introduce yourself. Ask them about their area of expertise. Ask them if they are doing any research you can be a part of.

Here are some online/hybrid conferences for you to check in to.

• The OPEN network holds a life conference having a live conference in late March in Detroit, Michigan, US. They have an amazing coaching program. Message me, and I can connect you with the team there. They also have other conferences in different locations throughout the year.
• The Skoll World Forum is in early April. This normally takes place in Oxford. For now, it’s either hybrid or all online.
• The Social Enterprise World Forum is online and in-person in Brisbane, Australia, from September 26-28
• The BAM Conference usually takes place in the US in October and in other places around the world at different times of the year.

At these conferences, not only do get to learn from the training sessions, but just as important, it’s a great place to make connections for future coaches, mentors, advisors, and consultants.

There are also social enterprise support organizations at these events. There are a lot of you out there doing it all alone. It doesn’t have to be this way. 

• For example, there’s an organization called Tentmakers, which connects solo-social entrepreneurs with potential teammates. 
• If you don’t want to wait, reach out to Scott Elequin directly on LinkedIn.
• Another one that comes to mind is called SIM USA. 
• They have operating bases around the world and do training from each base. 
• Each base may have a business coach, a counselor, and access to local consultants and advisors for tax law and other business issues.
• Contact Jon Gerst here on LinkedIn

#2 Referral. Another great way to find coaching is to ask for a referral. 

Ask me. I know lots in all different areas. I’m happy to connect you with someone!. Either message me on LinkedIn or email me.

#3 Avant-garde Entprereneur Training. Yep, I offer coaching too! Most is free. Some require a minimal payment… because the transformation happens with the transaction! Scroll to the bottom of the social entrepreneur's page on TrishaBaileyPhd.com. Fill in the form. I’ll get back to you personally!

As a recap, the best place to find coaching is online!

• At a social enterprise conference
• With professionals and professors
• Ask for a referral
• Ask me!

I hope that in this mini-series, I’ve cleared up some of the mysteries of what coaching is, why you need it, and where to find it. Embrace the guides who light the path between your desires and your destiny.

If you’re looking for more guidance in this (or any) area of your social enterprise, journaling gives the incredible gift of insight. Download your free 5-Day Promoted Journal here! If you have an acute area of concern and are seeking answers, download your free Quick Cards here. This is an excellent resource for receiving mid-crisis clarity.

Check out the Avant-garde Entrepreneur Podcast for stories, strategies, and shortcuts uniquely curated for you, the change-making social entrepreneur.  Maybe Episode 6 about making mistakes and missing God is a great place to start?!

Would love to connect on LinkedIn so we can chat 1:1!