HEAR IT FROM MY CLIENTS
What I loved about working with Heather is she spent the time going deep and broad, understanding all aspects of my business. Which is truly refreshing in a world focused on selling/marketing more.
Heather supported me to look at everything with fresh eyes, finally cut ties with things I knew weren’t working even though I’d been working so hard to “fix” them. We worked our way through a big reset, gaining a clear direction to simplify and up-level my business next in a way that focuses on my unique skills and is fully aligned with my lifestyle. Now I see that focusing on +£100k business owners is viable and realistic, and will create space for me to have a clear offer.
Heather's approach quickly and effectively drives to identifying a target segment, deeply knowing what that segment wants, and positioning yourself to serve that segment uniquely. Heather cuts through the bullshit and gets to practical steps, using both a coaching and advising approach to ensure you own the output and actions and also get great input. Bring your "A" game to Masterminds and you'll get a lot out of it - Heather will push you and stretch your thinking!
I first worked with Heather completing her Mastermind sessions. These were crucial in assisting me to take that leap into the entrepreneur mindset. At first I thought I would be able to take the concept we developed together and take it forward on my own. But what I found was countless minutes, hours and days wasted as I ruminated and fell into the “analysis paralysis” trap. While I was capable, I certainly was not confident with my new direction.
After 6 weeks I decided I would benefit from having access to a business coach on a regular basis to help me move my vision forward. It is an investment into myself I would pay twice over!
Since working with Heather I feel as if my entrepreneurial brain has been “unlocked” and I am constantly coming up with new ideas, getting inspired and producing creative and engaging content and most importantly, staying organised and keeping motivated. Her methods help me to not only organise my thoughts and action steps, but also allows me to easily see and celebrate my wins along the way fuelling the passion and drive to keep going!
She also has a no-nonsense approach which I find extremely refreshing, and her feedback is unbiased. Best of all she is fun to work with! I would recommend Heather’s Back Pocket Business Advisor program to anyone looking to up-level and not only do things that matter, but create a living out of it at the same time.
After going through the full-day VIP Session with Heather, I sat down to put words to what I was feeling:
Gratitude. Compassion. Release. Relieved. Anticipation. Energy. Renewed.
This might seem strange after a business strategy session, and certainly most of our time was spent on business issues, strategy, tactics, opportunities and yes, experiments with less than optimal results.
But the reason I felt so relieved, clear-headed and energized, is because Heather guided me through these difficult issues in a way that allowed me to be vulnerable and really look at myself and my business.
Which was exactly what I needed. To verbalize the shameful feelings, the negative stuff. To create space for appreciating the successful parts of my business. To make way for new ideas, without guilt or hangups about the old ones.
Today I stand with my head held high, slightly scared and really rutor omgomgomg onion excited about this new direction, full of energy.
Having never worked with a coach before, I was really unsure of whether or not someone else could really get the madness that was going on in my head, let alone give me the right steps to take care of it. I can’t believe I waited as long as I did to hire you because it is one of the best investments I have made yet in my business.
I can only describe the feeling after each of our calls as clarity. Anyone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey knows how unclear all the thoughts, ideas, and actions steps can become. You saw my issues immediately, gave me the action steps and accountability to get them taken care of and took a huge stress off my back.
I tend to make my stresses more complicated than they are – thinking of the big picture and not being able to see the details. Your simple recommendations about processes & systems completely changed all my client interactions. I wouldn’t have seen that on my own and would have wasted a lot of time and energy without them. With your help in defining this, I now spend less time with back & forth emails, draw in more of my ideal clients, who now show up ready & excited to work with the “new me” and I have created space in my mind and time(!) to work on my other passion project.
Your wisdom, accountability & genius ideas are so worth every penny and more and I hope other people are smarter than me and invest in coaching with you without waiting as long as I did. I can’t wait to take a trip to Lima and do a Real Time session. Because not only are you a great coach, but you’re simply fun – and who doesn’t want that in their biz life!
Since working with Heather, I’ve created a ridiculously simple and seamless intake process that has taken a hippo-sized weight off me and freed up my time for growing my business. (My clients are now calling me a smooth operator. How ‘bout that?) After every call, Heather’s bolts of brilliance left me with new-found inspiration and pages of plans for alternative streams of income — everything I needed to get out of my trading time for money rut.
Not only is Heather an idea generation factory, but she’s crazy cool (and fun to plot with). And when I inevitably started slacking a bit? She’d plunge into my inbox with a swift motivational ass-kick. Love this girl. I feel supported now…like I’m not alone in the land of entrepreneurship…and like I’m finally following the yellow brick road that leads to freedom.
When I decided to hire you I felt stuck, and “too close to the situation” to think of useful things I could do to improve my copywriting business, which was doing reasonably well considering I was only in my first few months of business. But I wanted a plan to make it bigger and better, since I was going full time in the near future. I had been following a fellow freelancer, Leah Kalamakis of The Freelance to Freedom project. She had such a practical approach to business that still allowed her to dream big dreams and realize great success…she just had the best attitude. I thought, “Whoever helped Leah, that’s who I want.” Turns out, it was you!
You were able to suggest not only great blogging topics for me, but angles and schools of thought that I know will generate lots of blog content in the future. It was so useful to have someone else who understands online business make suggestions. This was also HUGE to me: the idea that I should tell my clients how much I enjoyed doing the work I had done with them, instead of just saying some version of “Thank you and I’m here if you need anything”. Also it was huge that you went through my “work with me” page and helped me realize that my offerings were unclear.
You were well-prepared for the session, easy to talk to, and suggested things I never would have thought of that made perfect sense for my business! I could tell you weren’t making cookie-cutter suggestions I could have read on free blogs somewhere, but were really making suggestions while thinking of me as a person. Thank you!
I was feeling quite aimless before I started working with you. I had a lot of different ideas but no real direction. My mind was filled with questions like what should I prioritize? Where should I start? And how should I start?
Then I talked with you and everything became clear. I had a plan. I had time allotted to work things out. And through that, I was able to be totally focused on what needed to be done, got super clear on *why* I’m doing what I’m doing, and got tons of momentum where there previously been frustrating stagnation.
Your approach and personality worked perfectly for me. Having worked with lots of new entrepreneurs, you know what sort of issues people run into, and you know how to proactively address those issues. You’re super motivating and encouraging and your energy is contagious.
I would absolutely recommend any entrepreneur work with a coach. I think it’s immensely helpful to get an outside, objective look at what you’re doing and to get insightful input.
Thanks so much for all of your help.
Heather is the real deal. After only a few sessions, she knew exactly what was tripping me up and how to help me get past those blocks. She is the pirate queen of calling out resistance and telling it where to go. For years I’ve been dreaming about having my own business but made very little progress. In a very short period of time, with Heather’s guidance and motivation, I have accomplished more than I have in all those dreaming years. She is a no bullshit, fun, smart and crazily interesting woman and I am super grateful to have her as my action instigator.
You’re amazing. I can’t believe you’ve just helped me like this, outta the blue. Thank you for carving a path for me. Helping me see shit. You really are fucking awesome and I am elated we’ve crossed paths.
Jesus. What luck. I feel empowered and alive.
Having her ongoing support gave me the focus and accountability I needed to finally launch the membership community I’d been dreaming of for years.
Not only that, thanks to her help setting up my content and marketing strategies, I’m much more confident in what I’m building and where I’m heading. I highly recommend having Heather on retainer to help you reach your business goals!
My biggest takeaway was to start imperfectly…that done was better than perfect. It’s a lesson I remind myself of every day and I’m really grateful for it. I’ve tried self-employment before and got stuck in the preparing/perfecting stage. Now I’m churning out work and putting myself out there. Aside from the fact you know what you’re talking about – you live and breathe it – your enthusiasm and confidence is infectious. I left every call with you motivated and raring to go. I was full of doubt about whether this path was viable for me when we met, but know it feels like a no-brainer.
Working with you has been hands down THE best decision I have made in helping me progress along my path to freedom!
I’ve known now for the best part of 3 years that my heart is not in what I’m doing. I’m not happy because I’m not free. I feel trapped and don’t know where to turn. I’ve tried numerous books. I have a back catalogue of e-books and information products, some of which are unread. I’ve even signed up for membership to forums and premium courses. Although some were interesting and vaguely helpful, others were a complete waste of money.
Then I tried coaching! This has been the only thing I have tried that has delivered on all of its promises. In fact I would say you over-delivered! I took more away from our sessions than I bargained for – finding myself applying new thought processes to other problems and areas of my life.
One of the first things that you asked me was what I wanted to get out of the coaching relationship. I told you I wanted an actionable business concept to work on. One of the last things you said to me was “there you go”.
I am quite frankly amazed at how much progress we made in 3 short coaching sessions. More than I made alone in 3 years! That is down to you! So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
You were always there to call me out on any bullshit I was feeding myself. You explained new concepts in ways that made sense to me. You helped me identify what my core values are. You took the time to understand what makes me who I am. You gave exactly the right homework to ensure I made progress without being overwhelmed. You made it fun! You showed me how I am going to market my business and bring in customers. You made me realize that I can start with a smaller business and grow – this made it feel so much more real and achievable to me. You were always on the other end of an email with a thoughtful response. You always teased out the little ideas that weren’t willing to come out on their own. Finally, you gave me a glimpse of my future self that has motivated me so much. You had the belief in me that I can get there – now I KNOW that I will!!!
I would unreservedly recommend working with a coach LIKE YOU! I also truly hope that some time soon we’ll be working together again. With my greatest thanks and best wishes for your continued success.
I would recommend begging to work with you to anyone who was already running their business, and had the annoying detail bit out of the way, and wanted some brilliant insight, strategy, mind/business-expansion, have-you-tried-this-approach goodness. Because to me, that’s where I see your superpower. That’s why I so want to work with you again a little further down the track.
I had so many ideas for projects and programs I wanted to run but I would always self-sabotage quickly after I got started with planning. I was dreaming big, fantasizing on how amazing my future business would be, but quickly get nowhere.
My very first session with Heather changed everything for me. I had an entire new view of my business. I now saw my business as my job and I started feeling like my own boss. Heather taught me how to delegate tasks to myself in bite-sized pieces with specific deadlines. I was amazed at how quickly I turned myself around completing tasks that I had been putting off for months in a matter of days. I knew how fulfilling running a business was going to be, but I was never actually taking any steps in that direction. I kept telling myself that it would get better and that I was still learning, but the fact was that I was learning slowly. So slowly that I was getting farther and farther in debt.
I realized how afraid I had been to take any steps in a real direction and this was really hindering my success. I found having someone that I had to be accountable to so motivating; I stopped questioning what I should’ve been doing and just started taking action.
I realized in the first 2 weeks of working with Heather that I would always have a business coach. Without Heather I would still be struggling to make ends meet, rather than living out my dream job. My life has become so much better with her guidance.
My session with Heather is the most valuable hour of my week. It is the time where I strategize and plan the execution of whatever I must get done that week. Heather is so sharp when it comes to strategy. Her input and support have always steered me in the right direction. The best part is that our sessions are really fun. Heather has such a great sense of humour and sparkle to her personality that we always finish on a high note and I feel super inspired to get down to business.
I can’t imagine what my business (and life) would be without Heather. She really pulled me out of a rut that I couldn’t kick myself out of. If you’re struggling with the idea of getting a coach…don’t hesitate any longer. It is incredibly worth it.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed our session and how beneficial it was – it took me completely by surprise … Thank you also for your detailed follow-up and website recommendations. I look forward to staying in touch and letting you know how your ideas are developing! For now, I am so very grateful for your encouragement and help.
You’re warm, friendly and very approachable. You have a unique ability to truly listen, see the big picture and immediately clarify what steps can be taken, remaining open-minded and flexible throughout the whole process. You address every point mentioned, leaving no stone unturned and have a wealth of practical and inspiring ideas right at your fingertips. You understand exactly what is needed and waste no time in joining all the dots. I’ve never spoken to anyone I’ve ‘met’ for the first time who has provided such value, encouragement, support and inspiring advice (which also includes what not to do).
If you’re on the fence about whether you should work with Heather or not, run and jump over that fence knowing that you are damn lucky to even be offered the opportunity to work with her!
She’s pure genius and all heart. Not to mention that your cool factor will triple by mere association with her. After coming across Heather’s site awhile back I just knew I HAD to work with her. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why, she just seemed to know the magic secret between meshing business and an authentic life. She emanates it. And I had to know her secret.
During our half day business session, she went above and beyond. She gave me her undivided attention, unleashed her genius and infused my business with it. She even weathered an earthquake during our session and seemed more concerned about it disrupting us than anything else.
I feel like it was a metaphor for the tour de force that our session was.
To be more specific, she gave me amazing ideas unique to my business, noted all the areas I needed to work on, came up with totally doable solutions, provided incredible resources and referrals, inspired me, and helped me map out how I can realistically implement everything. I’m still riding the high and more excited and confident about my business than I’ve ever been. I also feel more supported than ever, which makes a HUGE difference in navigating the path a solo entrepreneur. I don’t only hope that my business will rock. I now KNOW it will.
Seriously…THANK YOU, Heather! You have superpowers!
My decision to work with Heather was not a difficult one. I saw a recommendation from the lovely Leah Kalamakis and knew in a split second that Heather was exactly what I was looking for. On the big decisions (in life and business) I go with my gut and it definitely didn’t let me down this time.
I was in the process of launching my business but after a difficult few months I was struggling to pull everything together and was facing all kinds of internal resistance. I knew what I needed to do but I was overwhelmed and I knew I couldn’t do it all alone.
Enter Heather Thorkelson.
Up until that point everything I was planning was stored in my head, and I started to feel like there was no room left to think clearly. Working with Heather was such a relief as she gave me the opportunity to offload it all safe in the knowledge that she understood me completely. I knew that would be the case as we share the same view of the world (absolutely crucial when you’re looking for a coach).
Heather helped me to get out of my own way (I really was causing myself a mischief) and together we developed a clear and focused plan to get my business out of my head and into the world. The accountability and cheerleading she provided was exactly what I needed, exactly when I needed it. I say she’s my business Fairy Godmother (with an added whip, because I will warn you, she takes no prisoners).
The result? I launched. And I love the business I’m building. And I know I wouldn’t be in this position right now without Heather’s help. I only wish I’d found her sooner!
So yes, I am a fully paid up member of The Heather Thorkelson Appreciation Society. And I’m in some very good company. So if you are an entrepreneur in need of some of Heather’s special brand of awesomeness (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?) I suggest you,join us quick smart. You’ll get a free badge and a pen. Ok, that’s a lie. But I am definitely telling the truth when I say this: you will not regret it.
You know what’s amazing? I mean aside from the awesomeness that is Heather Thorkelson… You are redefining your business on the fly – as you deliver the goods. No going back into the lab, behind the curtain and coming out with the new you, the new product. I thought, hmm, that’s pretty cool. Then I realized it’s because it’s still you. That hasn’t changed.
Tenacious and kind, envisioned for our humanity; Heather.
Finally, something completely unrelated, that I realized today, that I just wanted you to know – is that I’ve never looked for some other person to work with, or made comparisons. There IS no comparison. You are totally unique and I’m usually amazed that we’re working together. What a great alignment.
Your information is easily digestible and implementable. It’s straight forward and it’s big thinking. We’re also able to work with our big ideas and break them down into tiny steps that we can do right now. Helping us realize that some things we think that people wouldn’t be interested in or that aren’t that important, are actually really interesting to our clients and potential clients. We sometimes get lost in thinking that our knowledge is common knowledge when in reality not many people know about it.
I love Heather! I want to work with someone that inspires me, not bullies me. Heather gives it to you straight – the truth isn’t sugar coated, but here’s the big deal – she really cares. You feel that caring as the client, so the hard truth becomes an opportunity, not an obstacle. This isn’t a job for Heather, this is an extension of who she is in her core. This is how she makes a difference on the planet. Heather is a force of nature willing to help those that are ready to live their best life.
When I first approached Heather to get clear on my business, I was a little lost. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do but no clear direction on how exactly to go about it. I was also filled with doubts that I could indeed pursue business in my own way. Well, she swooped in and lived true to her name as a bullshit slayer. She established a huge level of trust from the get-go that allowed me to fully and honestly throw myself into the process.
I am now super clear on my business, my direction and how I can work in a way that truly benefits my clients and myself because I worked with Heather. I would whole-heartedly recommend her to anyone looking to establish a business that fits their life on their own terms. She provided the support and motivation that I needed to pursue a life and business that I love.
Invaluable, essential, and game-changing!
I decided to work with Heather after a lot of internal hemming and hawing over whether I should work with a coach. I thought I could do it all by myself. I thought that I should just save my money in the spirit of bootstrapping and just tighten my belt to make it happen. And I thought that I knew what my business was about and that all I needed to do was “build it and they will come.”
Oh, the lessons I’ve learned…
I found myself going back to Heather’s website over and over again. Something kept bringing me back to her. I soon realized she is the real deal. She had created a successful coaching practice and was location independent. Exactly what I wanted! And her words clearly showed that she was passionate about what she does…helping others do the same.
Doing the 6-week Catalyst Sessions was the best decision I could have made. And I am grateful that I did it sooner rather than later. Heather has taught me things that I hadn’t even considered regarding not just how to build a business (or improve your existing one)…but to make it a business that will inspire you and allow you to thrive! And her coaching is not all business either. It’s rooted in really identifying who you are and what you’re here to do. And more importantly, who you’re here to serve.
I highly recommend Heather’s coaching to anyone who has even an inkling that they might need some help in getting their business jumpstarted or rebooted. I walked away with a clear understanding of what I wanted to create and a solid plan of how to go about making it happen. She’s an incredible resource, an inspiration, and will tell it like it is…and always with a smile!
I got a lot more from my time with you than I had expected…
…mostly in the form of “moral support” and a real, concrete conviction that my desires and aspirations are not all airy-fairy and too-far-out-there to ever manifest. Not only were you totally supportive and convincing of the potential for me creating a viable future for myself (as a location independent ‘entrepreneur’), but you were consistently able to offer examples and to connect me with other people succeeding at the very same thing, which has created an amazing foundation on which I can now build. I find that as resistance and doubt slowly creep in, I can look at some of the websites that you pointed out to me, and from there I find link after link of people making their own way in the world, which totally arms me with the conviction of “if they can, so CAN I!” (or crazy just loves company).
What I especially related to, was your gift for keeping business friendly.
As a person who gets bogged down by details and tunes out the formulaic, I often zone out when things get too ‘techy’ or serious; you have a very special knack for making everything feel like a casual conversation over lunch; inspiring without making a grand speech, making an acton plan without having to make spread sheets and flow charts … you get what i mean. You make business happen without having to sell out to the rules of business and it’s prosaic language. It’s incredibly effective for people like myself.
Um… what else? I expected less inspiration and affirmation that I could make whatever I want to happen, happen, and more of a no-nonsense, settle down and pick something (already!) kind of thing from the session, so as I have said, your support and faith in who I am and in my forging a path that suits me, was worth every penny in and of itself. The little extra touches, (follow-up email, book in the mail), really made the experience something to talk about, and completely set you apart from anyone that I have heard of offering similar coaching services.
It’s been SO awesome and I am extremely inspired by all your great ideas, and your way of uncovering endless possibilities that I didn’t even think about. Also being very clear about where you see my force has helped a lot.
I think the half day was great for kickstarting the process and I had never ever thought we could have come so far in the development of my business in only 4 (5’ish) hours. I was completely exhausted after the session, but in a good way, and I can’t wait to get started implementing all the awesome steps. You have helped me see the next steps very clearly and I am SO grateful and are looking forward to future cooperation. Coaching rocks! xxx
Heather is wonderful! Her positivity and enthusiasm are genuine and she is a true joy to work with. She is gifted at identifying critical concepts and getting to the heart of the matter. She worked closely with me to develop these new insights. I am grateful for her direction and support!
Being able to bounce my ideas off an objective third party changed things for me a lot. Just having to summarize the issues in the initial email helped to bring clarity. But the poignant questions and practical suggestions that you offered really helped to clear any doubt about what the future direction of my business should be. After the session I felt really positive. I immediately got stuck into some important work I have been putting off for aaaaages, cause I felt totally inspired to starting moving my business forward.
Working with Heather for only a short time has completely obliterated barriers in my life that had kept me stuck, frustrated and in a state of inaction. If I had to list some top transformational results achieved through working with Heather, it would be:
- Shifting my life vision completely towards something that motivates me & has me excited to move forward, meeting challenges with confidence and being at peace in the face of uncertainty.
- Understanding myself truly; how I am best energized, my core beliefs, strengths, causes for stagnation, and being able to do something about it with core-based true-to-myself enthusiasm!
- Opening myself up to unlimited possibility, seeing beauty when I recognize my dreams are truly possible; followed by how working towards these dreams has become second nature in the process. The Universal support is truly unbelievable, it kind of makes me laugh in hindsight.
What’s most amazing is how concisely and swiftly Heather is able to pin-point the heart of issues that commonly disguise themselves in extended life circumstances and creative stories I had bought into. It simply makes sense to work with someone who can help you get and give what you want to in life. Heather is talented, gifted, and incredibly committed to YOU. What more can you ask for from someone who is willing to take a stand for your life being all that you dream it to be. She’ll be your champion throughout and the experiential learning she brings to the relationship will serve as gifts throughout your life, time and time again. Do yourself a great favour and work with Heather!