Teresa Angle-Young Focuses On The Neuroscience Of Leadership

What initially drew you to coaching, and how has your own personal journey shaped your approach as a coach?

I've always had an intense interest in and curiosity about people and what shapes them, motivates them, scares them, etc. This curiosity was initially reflected in my 15 year of writing for film and television.

I also think I'm a coach by nature as well as training, so engaging in the experiences of others and facilitating self-awareness and clarity is a good fit for my personality.

Do you have an established coaching business / practice and what is it called? Do you have a coaching niche that you specialize in? What is your website?

I have a longtime, very busy practice - Teresa Angle-Young Coaching and Consulting. I most often work with Fortune 10 and 100 companies on issues around leadership, emotional regulation, motivation, and team-building.

I have a focus on the neuroscience of leadership, and incorporate proven and validated modalities into my coaching.

Did you get certified / accredited by any coaching schools / institutions? If so which one(s) and what attracted you to their program / accreditation?

I was trained by the incomparable Dr. Val Hastings at Coaching4TodaysLeaders.com. He's also been my mentor for many years. His program has integrity, and is taught specifically to give the skills needed to reach successful accreditation with ICF.

I have incorporated that same integrity and value into my ICF-approved CCE course, The Grief-Informed Coaching Practitioner Training.

How did you set up your coaching practice and what challenges / wins have you encountered in the process? Any tips for new coaches just starting out to get their business registered?

I started coaching as a side gig to pay for my son's medical school education. I connected with connectors rather than going after clients directly. This proved very successful for me. Almost all of my clients are word of mouth and come from recommendations.

I also work with leaders I've been coaching for over a decade in some instances. I also coach for a couple of the big coaching companies to "fill in the gaps."

What online tools / applications / platforms do you use to stay focused and streamlined in managing your practice, especially if your a solo / small business owner without a big budget for expenses?

I like CoachVantage and feel it offers a lot for the price! I recommend it to coaches all the time who are starting out or trying to grow their practice.

I use Timetrade, now called Engageware, for client scheduling and it's been pretty flawless although it does have some limitations.

How do you typically acquire clients / market yourself to grow your business? What has worked best for you and what pitfalls should be avoided? 

Connect with connectors. Those are people who may not be looking for a coach for themselves, but will refer you.

I say, "I wonder if you could suggest a few of your team who might benefit from coaching?" or something similar.

I also get a lot of referrals. I find if you truly deliver value clients want to recommend you to others.

What's the most transformative shift you've witnessed in a client thanks to your coaching? Can you share the specific approach or tools you used? For eg, do you use any coaching models or specific techniques?

I use Motivational Interviewing, the Transtheoretical Model, Positive Psychology, and other proven and tested strategies with clients.

I also develop frameworks and resources specific to a client. I have seen many "a ha" moments in clients. It's incredibly satisfying to see someone break past a barrier.

I recall one leader I worked with using the Best Self Reflection to create a new neural pathway supporting their goals. He told me later that he had a meeting with his CEO, and he was nervous and unsettled, then he used our grounding techniques, and did his Best Self exercise, and "dropped" into his best self and the meeting went flawlessly.

The mind is powerful.

Describe a moment where you encountered a coaching roadblock with a client. How did you navigate it, and what lessons did you learn for future situations?

I had a longtime client that had honestly slipped out of coaching and was using our weekly sessions as a social time.

I believe you can say almost anything to almost anyone if you say it the right way. So I asked if I could share an observation. They agreed, and I said that I'd observed that our sessions had become a little unfocused, and asked them to come to the next session with a clear goal. That simple reset was powerful and resulted in another 2 years of great work together.

Sometimes we have to have the courage to gently and appropriately name things.

I see a lot of imposter syndrome.

There is a 10 year old in most of us that doesn't truly believe we are capable. But when I help a client challenge the assumption of capability, they typically have no empirical evidence that they are NOT competent.

We do a lot of cognitive reframing and that often helps them see what is already there - a professional, admired by their peers, who does have a plethora of skills and talents.