Anne Pillsbury is an ICF-certified coach, serial midlife re-inventor, host of Pivot On Purpose Live, and mom to four young adult and teenage kids.
Pillsbury helps women pivot to careers and lives of greater fulfillment, impact, and ease without second-guessing, endlessly scrolling job boards, or sacrificing their family’s financial security. She joins the roster of Kuel Life Thought Leaders this month and will be bringing her advice and tips on how we are all Meant For More. Help me welcome Anne to the Community.
Anne As Meant For More Coach:
Kuel Life: What type of business do you own/run?
“Becoming entrepreneurs, returning to work after raising children, and generally slaying it in the second half of life.”
Anne: I help midlife women pivot to careers and lives of increased fulfillment impact. And ease through my 1:1 coaching program, the Meant for More Method.
Women hire me when they hit a certain stage and start to wonder “is this it?” They have followed the expected path and rang the bells of achievement and success. Then they are left feeling dissatisfied with the status quo. I support them in rediscovering their most authentic, powerful selves and redesigning their life to reflect their deepest desires and ambitions.
My clients become better leaders professionally and personally which results in getting promotions, becoming entrepreneurs, returning to work after raising children, and generally slaying it in the second half of life.
Great Impact At Work And Home:
Kuel Life: What Prompted You Or Drove You To Become An Entrepreneur? When?
Anne: After the birth of my 4th child (at 40), I started to think about what I may want outside of being a mom. (I had been a stay home for 14 years.) One night I went out for a glass of wine with one of my mom’s friends. And was chatting about what was next for me, and she said, “You should be a coach.” And I thought, “Yes, I should.”
I immediately felt that I was being inexplicably called to do this. And the next day I enrolled in a two-year coach certification program. I discovered early in the program that my purpose and passion are to support women in discovering their brilliance. So that they could have their greatest impact at work and home. And this calling has remained consistent for the past 10 years.
I completed my certification and started building my business, but the Universe had other ideas for me. I had four children under 16 and needed the security and income of a full-time corporate job to help support my family.
She Was Ready For Her Turn:
I knew I had to put my dreams on hold and return to work, which is a daunting transition after taking a 14-year career pause. Through a stroke of luck, I started as a 45-year-old intern within the fast-paced tech sector and quickly worked my way up to a full-time Program Manager position.
My dreams of running a coaching business were stashed away in the back corner of a dusty closet. Fast forward eight years, it’s 2021, year two of the pandemic, and I was so uninspired at my safe, secure job that I thought I would lose my mind. I didn’t care anymore, and my performance started to reflect this.
“I choose to invest in myself, left my job and launched my coaching business, and have never looked back.”
I was ready for my turn. Three of my children had launched, and I had put my dreams on hold for long enough. I chose to invest in myself, left my job, and launched my coaching business. And, I have never looked back.
Kuel Life: What’s your biggest struggle?
Anne: Managing my mind. I can get spun up in self-doubt, perfectionism, and procrastination and I must consistently practice centering myself, tuning in to my inner wisdom, and trusting that I will be led to the next right step. And then have the courage to take it.
Anne’s Striving For Perfection:
Kuel Life: What is your biggest fear as an entrepreneur? How do you work through it?
Anne: That I will fail. I am confident in my skill as a coach, and my clients get great results, but building a coaching business is very challenging.
Kuel Life: How do you measure your success?
Anne: I spent the first 40 years of my life hustling for my worth, doing what was expected of me, and prioritizing everyone else’s needs before my own. My relentless striving for perfection and success left me exhausted and depleted and affected how I showed up personally and professionally.
Knowing Your Values:
When I started my coach’s training, I learned that my worthiness was not contingent on external validation and instead did the internal work to discover who I was outside of all my roles and responsibilities. I repeat this same process with my clients today.
“Fear will not rob you of your dreams, and inaction will.”
Knowing your values, innate gifts, and interests and then making your daily choices in alignment with what is most important will result in a satisfying, sustainable, and therefore successful life.
Kuel Life: Finally, what advice would you give other women about taking an entrepreneurial path?
Anne: Fear will not rob you of your dreams, inaction will. There is never a perfect time to launch your own business, so do your research, prepare, and then go for it! Jump and a net will appear (or it won’t but you’ll still be ok.)
Entrepreneurial Journey:
Embrace your fear, lean into the uncomfortable, and know that no matter what happens you will be learning, growing, and evolving into your next brilliant evolution. Also, build a community of allies and angels. Hire a coach, join networking groups, and make new friends. The entrepreneurial journey can be isolating, and the support and inspiration of others will sustain you along the way.
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