Stepping Into Your Zone of Genius and Authentic Self with Megan Yelaney
In episode 37 of The Podcast Podcast, I have Megan Yelaney joining me! Megan is a business coach that helps online coaches scale their business by identifying their unique standout method. She is also the host of The Pretty Awkward Entrepreneur podcast. I am so excited to have Megan joining me and sharing all about her story as well as her unique coaching methods that have gotten her massive success.
In case this is your first time tuning in, let me introduce myself. My name is Tara Counterman. I’m the founder and CEO of Profitable Podcast Productions, the creator of Profitable Podcast School and basically, 1000% obsessed with helping online entrepreneurs step out of the busywork, stop struggling for paying clients and actually get their message out there.
So if you’re ready to dive into this episode and hear more about Megan’s story and her top tips on how you can step into your zone of genius and authentic self, check out the points I share below! And for even more juicy details, listen to ALL of episode 37 of The Podcast Podcast on your fave streaming platform.
MEGAN SHARES HOW SHE GOT INVOLVED IN THE COACHING SPACE AND BECAME A BUSINESS COACH.
Megan got started with business back in 2012 through Network Marketing. She had joined a particular Network Marketing company and initially pursued it with a hobby mindset. She didn’t take it too seriously, but finally, something clicked when she attended an event. She realized she was sitting on a gold mine of opportunities. At this time she was complaining about her cocktail waitressing job and other jobs she’d do in between acting gigs. Megan says that she was pursuing acting at this time and a lot of her days were from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm doing things she hated. After that event, she finally treated her Network Marketing as a business. After about a year when she made that mindset shift, she was able to go full time and quit all her side jobs. Another year later, she made her first six figures with that Network Marketing company.
Megan realized she loved her business, but she knew she was meant to do something else. She went to school for marketing and had learned so much about social media through this Network Marketing company. But, she felt limited. After a while, she realized she couldn’t go out and attract certain clients or sell things she wanted to sell. This was when she realized she had to do her own thing. So she decided to go full in on her own business in 2017. In 2018, Megan focused on being a business coach. The rest is history! She shares that it’s been an incredible journey both financially and impact wise.
MEGAN ADMITS SHE WASN’T ALWAYS HER AUTHENTIC SELF, AND HOW SHE FINALLY STEPPED INTO IT.
I asked Megan more about how she learned to own her authentic and true self since this is such a huge part of her brand and success. Megan admits she wasn’t always so care-free and unapologetically herself! She shares that when she was involved with Beachbody, she tried to be like all the other top coaches. She wasn’t creating content or posting with the value behind it, she was simply doing what others were doing. I know for myself, I was so drawn to coaching industries as well from Network Marketing. I was also involved in Network Marketing companies like Megan, but I found that nothing ever felt quite right. Whenever I’d try to branch out and be creative, I would be shut down and told to follow along with my upline or what the company was doing. I can completely see Megan’s point here about that limiting opportunity to be yourself. It’s also easy to follow the crowd and do what the other top consultants are doing.
Megan does say that her Network Marketing business started to take off quite a lot more when she did own her authentic self. When she transitioned into health and fitness coaching, she couldn’t replicate the typical fitspo persona that many other coaches had either. She began to realize that you don’t have to do things like others to have a successful business. This was when Megan decided to leave that health and fitness industry to dive into business coaching instead.
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MEGAN’S ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO EMBRACE THEIR AUTHENTIC SELVES.
Megan points out to anyone who is struggling right now to embrace their authentic selves that it’s not an overnight process. Megan shares that it took about six months to finally start embracing herself. She says to give yourself some grace and take it slowly. Consider little things or weekly things you can start sharing with your audience that’s unique or different. Start thinking about ways you can build a connection to your audience! A lot of times we’re scared to put things out about ourselves and get judgment. You don’t have to get too personal, instead, share your interests. What TV shows do you like? What kind of music do you like? Share that with your audience.
Megan has implemented this even into her podcast, The Pretty Awkward Entrepreneur. She loves the name of it because she feels like it hones in on who she is. She also finds that the episodes that aren’t super planned or organized perform the best. She loves to be able to speak and share whatever comes to her mind. Over time, she’s found her podcast to be a great tool in growing her audience and attracting those ideal clients. She knows the success of her podcast is because of how authentic and genuine she is. It’s a great way to practice being authentic, speak what you have to say out loud. I know from experience as well, the best and deepest connections from podcasts come from exactly how Megan records her episodes. The more real and genuine you come off, the more trust your listeners will feel for you!
MEGAN BREAKS DOWN THE UNIQUE COACHING METHOD.
Megan says she’s been following a unique coaching method for years but never knew what to call it until recently. Once she sat down and realized that all these different coaches lead with a completely different style, she determined this concept to be a unique coaching method. Megan realized that there’s a difference between a coaching style and a niche. For example, you can be a business coach but also hone in on spiritual practices. You can still be within this category of coaching but add your special method. A unique coaching method is all about figuring out how you are different and determining what type of coach you are. The goal is to separate yourself from all the other coaches. Things to think about to determine this are analyzing what you do in your coaching container, thinking about the questions you ask your clients to inspire breakthroughs, as well as what strategy you take in your work.
By focusing on your strategy and how you approach your work, you will attract the right clients. This is what has helped Megan draw in her ideal clients. She’s also very vocal about this on every platform, from her social media to her podcast. She encourages everyone to do the same. The more open and vocal you are about your unique strategies, the more those ideal clients are going to come your way. It’s’ all about owning your method and how you do things differently. This also allows you to become an expert and known for something so specific. One of the biggest mistakes Megan sees other coaches making is the need to be good at all things. Instead, you should be focusing on the skills that come naturally to you. Rather than trying to be good at everything, make what you are good at EVEN BETTER. That is how you step into your zone of genius and authentic self.
STEPPING INTO YOUR ZONE OF GENIUS AND AUTHENTIC SELF WITH MEGAN YELANEY: THE BOTTOMLINE
I hope this episode was incredibly valuable for you all! Megan wraps up by mentioning that as you step into your zone of genius and own your authentic self, don’t stress about it. Instead, pay attention to what comes naturally to you and what lights up excitement for you. By being more self-aware you will develop your unique coaching method over time. Have fun with it and don’t rush the process!
So don’t forget to tune in to episode 37 of The Podcast Podcast to hear ALL the details about the points I just outlined above!
And if you love this episode as much as I do, don’t forget to take a screenshot, share it on your Insta stories and tag me @ceopwr so that we can spread this important message to even more entrepreneurs and online business owners!
