Coach in the Spotlight: Jo Green

Tell us about your coaching journey.

I've actually changed my career four times!

My second career was in market research, and I experienced an epiphany in the middle of a very tedious focus group about wine labels.

It occurred to me that I didn't care about wine labels. They weren't important to me.

At that moment, I felt my soul break.

I realised I didn't want to help a company to make money, and instead, I wanted to make a difference in the world.

So, at that point, I hired a career coach to help me figure out what type of work would fit with my values and what I should do next.

My first coaching experience led me to the charity sector, where I worked for seven years.

Despite being able to make the difference I wanted, there was still something missing.

I've always been interested in psychology and what makes people tick.

This has been the thread running through the parts I'd enjoyed most in my marketing and market research roles, and I always wished I’d studied it at university.

I didn't want to end up in another job unhappy, so I took some time out and travelled to Asia.

There, I met Richard Alderson (founder of Careershifters) who was running an enterprise called Journeys for Change.

I joined their programme which was an amazing, intense eight days of workshops and visiting for-purpose organisations across three locations in India.

The overriding learning for me was to talk to people, be curious and explore.

I left the experience feeling inspired and with a new perspective.

On reflection, I'd always known that becoming a career coach was something I had an interest in, but I hadn't let myself explore it until that point.

Back in Sydney I researched a few different career ideas but decided it was time to dip my toe into coaching to see whether it was right for me.

I did an intensive coaching qualification and later decided to focus specifically on career change coaching.

I think my own experiences of career uncertainty and making several shifts makes me more relatable to my clients. I can empathise with how they're feeling.

 

The overriding learning for me was to talk to people, be curious and explore.

 

Why did you decide to train with Firework? How did you implement what you learnt?

Before I did Firework, I was just pulling together different exercises from my initial coach training and things I came across online.

I'm not someone who likes to reinvent the wheel, so the fact that Firework could give me a ready-made programme and toolkit to use straight away was appealing.

Also, I come from a science background, so I like to know that something has been tried and tested, and that it's a robust process.

Thousands of clients have gone through the programme with a licensed Firework coach, so this gave me the confidence to invest in it.

There was so much energy on the training day, and I loved Sue & Michelle's down to earth approach.

I immediately tested out the programme with two clients and got my first paid client within a month or two, so I made my money back quickly.

Marianne (co-creator of Firework) became my mentor after the programme which was hugely valuable.

She was able to listen to recordings of my sessions with clients and provide me with feedback. This helped to reinforce everything I'd learned on the programme.

I tend to use Firework as a toolkit. I'll pull out exercises as and when I need them, and I'll tailor my approach to each client.

I like the flexibility of being able to use the programme in a way that works best for my clients and me.

I love the Spectrum of Possibilities exercise. It's a great approach to help clients identify what lights them up and consider all the different ways a particular theme could be expressed in their lives.

This simple but effective tool opens up the clients thinking and allows them to consider things from an alternative perspective.

 

I come from a science background, so I like to know that something has been tried and tested, and that it's a robust process.

 

Who do you work with?

Like many people, I felt inspired to run a business based on my own experiences and difficulties.

I didn't know what I wanted to do when I left university, and I found that stage of my life hugely frustrating and stressful as a result.

I struggled for a long time, not knowing what I wanted to do with my career and didn't get much support with that.

It was an obvious transition to help other people who are in the same situation I was in – and minimise the pain and pressure that comes with it.

I have a soft spot for people who want to do something that helps people and the planet in some way, and to have a positive impact through their work.

 

I have a soft spot for people who want to do something that helps people and the planet in some way.

 

What results have you helped your clients to achieve?

One of the things I find fascinating about doing this is that you never know where a client is going to end up. The outcome is totally unpredictable!

The result might appear to be relatively minor.

I've coached people who've decided to continue with the same line of work but go freelance, so they have more control.

Others have made a shift into a different role but remained in the same organisation.

I worked with a lady who was on her third career and after working with me, decided to return to her second career!

Others have gone on to start their own businesses or enter into a completely different industry.

I love that I never know what's going to happen.

One of my first clients was a lady who moved from charity work into a new career as a death doula.

She now helps people who are dying to understand the process of death. She provides a space which gives them the dignity they deserve as well as practical support to their families once they've passed away.

I had another client who was a graphic designer with a strong interest in interior design.

Through the coaching, she explored lots of ideas and ended up becoming a designer for the interiors of cafes and restaurants.

Whilst this wasn't a massive shift, it wasn't a job option she'd been aware of, and she was still able to use her favourite skills.

Sometimes the outcome isn't just about their career.

It might be that their outlook or mindset changes, or they take up an exciting new hobby or start volunteering opportunity.

The exciting thing about coaching is that it throws all sorts of things about the client's life up in the air. You can never tell how things are going to land.

 

One of the things I find fascinating about doing this is that you never know where a client is going to end up.

 

How have you built your coaching business? What have you found to be the most effective ways of attracting clients?

During my gap year, I visited Sydney and decided that at some point, I would live here.

I've been based in Australia for more than eleven years now. I’ve built my family and created a business here.

When I decided to become a coach, I was excited that I'd finally be able to have my own business.

It was something I'd always known I wanted to do – it's in my blood.

I love the variety of being an entrepreneur and being able to get involved with everything.

Launching a new business and getting to grips with marketing myself was a steep learning curve.

Like many people, I started out doing everything on a shoestring.

I built my website myself and began 'sowing the seeds' by talking to lots of people.

I tried making videos, writing articles and running webinars. I joined a business networking group, learned how to run Facebook ads and was a guest on a couple of podcasts.

Someone recommended a marketing course, and this was probably the most practical action I could've taken.

One of the key messages was to focus on doing the things I enjoyed most, rather than trying to do everything.

I realised that I should just focus on writing.

My articles began to get published on other websites. I got featured in one of the prominent newspapers over here which then led to a TV appearance!

This was in part down to luck and a bit of asking, but it got the ball rolling, and the enquiries started to flow.

My 'thing' is still article writing, and it's generated a lot of traction. I post a lot of my articles on LinkedIn, which has increased my visibility too.

There aren't many qualified career change coaches in Australia who can offer what I do. This has possibly made things a bit easier for me as the market isn't saturated here.

Nowadays, I get a lot of enquiries about coaching via my website from people finding me through search engines. I've worked hard to learn more about SEO and continually make changes and add new content to improve my website. Now, it gets quite a lot of traffic.

Of course, it's taken time for this to happen, and there are fluctuations throughout the year. From January to March I'll enrol a lot of new clients, but in the middle part of the year, things tend to be quieter.

It's taken a couple of years for me to get comfortable with those peaks and troughs.

 

One of the key messages was to focus on doing the things I enjoyed most, rather than trying to do everything.

 

What other resources or tools have helped you build your business or enhance your coaching skills?

Having a mentor has been incredibly important for me.

I read regularly, listen to podcasts and watch TED talks.

I try to take in as much as I can about career change and personal growth.

It's so important to have a network of people who can both support you and inspire you, whether that's online or face to face.

LinkedIn is great. I've learnt a lot about coaching, careers and marketing from the people I've connected with.

 

It's so important to have a network of people who can both support you and inspire you.

 

How do you see your work evolving?

I recently returned from maternity leave with fresh eyes.

It feels like the right time to focus more on working with the kinds of people that I really love to coach.

You might call them "change-makers" – people who have a desire to make a positive impact on the world in some way.

Obviously, when I start working with them they don’t know what they want to do next in their career. But they do know that they want to do something that’s bigger than them to help people and the planet in some way.

By helping more people move into spaces like environmental protection or social justice, I feel I'm able to make my own contribution to the world.

 

It feels like the right time to focus more on working with the kinds of people that I really love to coach.

 

What are the most rewarding aspects of coaching for you?

I find it so rewarding to be able to help people with something that will make such a huge difference in their life.

For somebody to say, "I'm stuck and need help" can put them in a vulnerable position.

It's an honour to be let into a person's life, to hold a safe space for them and be there by their side.

You have to trust in your coaching skills because you never know what's going to happen with a client.

I love seeing the moments in a coaching session where something clicks or shifts for the client. It's great to have the opportunity to cheer them on.

 

Jo Green is a licensed Firework career coach who works with people searching for a new career direction or who want to start their own enterprise. Originally from the UK, Jo is now based in Sydney, Australia where she lives with her husband and little boy. Find out more about Jo at www.jogreencoaching.com