She knew there was something missing but she couldn’t figure out what it was…when she finally put her finger on it, she also put her finger on 15k…and a whole new life. You know, the one she didn’t know she was dreaming of.
When Sara contacted me, she said, “I was considering working with other coaches, but I just feel like every time I have an idea, I want to ask YOU about it.” I told her I wanted to hear aaaall of her ideas.
And then she said, “what I wonder most is this: can you help me find my voice?” I smiled, because I feel like if there’s one thing I can do well, it’s to help someone find their voice when they’re looking for it.
Still, on our first call, we talked about her photography. I told her that I couldn’t figure out why, but it just didn’t seem distinctive. It felt really safe. Technical. She knew. And so I told her we were going to find her voice. She was skeptical. She wondered if this was actually going to work because she had literally tried everything out there about finding your voice, brand, blah blah blah, all of it.
But within ten minutes she said, “Oh my gosh, Emma. This is it. This is what I’ve been looking for and have never been able to find. I’ve found my voice.”
Everything started to shift toward desert colors and appreciating the beauty in the raw and unguilded. What seemed muddled at first in what her path should be became clear. We brainstormed different ways that she could spend more time with her kids while also bringing in the kind of money that would allow her to pay for cello lessons for her kids. Piano lessons. Roadtrips across the country. And more.
She created an online class to teach people the way she looks through the lens. We refined the message. We crafted the launch carefully. The copy. The messaging. Every part we carefully went through.
I was delighted but not surprised when I saw people enrolling. Dozens, actually.
I was delighted and not surprised when Sara told me that clients started coming to her that she wasn’t even asking for. She had a clear vision now. And it was so beautiful that people wanted a part of it too.
“I still want to be a photographer, you know, Emma,” she said, toward the end of her launch. I smiled, knowing that that 15k plus was going to allow her to create her dream: a cross-country roadtrip with her family to photograph the American life at its most real.
Image by Sam Kelly
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Emma Natter is a business coach and writer. Her work intersects entrepreneurial strategies with the creative process so career hopefuls can find success, impact, fulfillment, and confidence in going their own way.
I’m Emma Natter, a path-to-success paver and art-trained business coach who first shattered her own career expectations by selling out of handmade styling goods from her little NYC apartment. Now as a strategist to thousands of creatives, I teach you to harness your passion so you can do the same.
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