What Is A Mindset Coach? (And 5 Ways You Can Benefit From One)

"what is a mindset coach?" text on top of graphic of man climbing a staircase.

The term “coach” was first coined around 1830 at Oxford University. (1) At the time, coaching referred mostly to tutors at the university– it wasn’t until around the late 1880s that sports became synonymous with the term. 

In the nearly 200 years since, coaching has made its way into nearly every facet of personal and professional life. 

Relationship coaches, public speaking coaches, sales coaches… whatever it is, there’s a professional out there who can guide you on the journey to self-improvement. 

One of the newer titles you may be seeing these days is ”mindset coach.” I’m a mindset coach myself, and I’m often asked what, exactly, I do. 

Today, I’ll take you through what mindset coaching is, how you can benefit from it, and how to get started for free. Let’s dive in!

What Is A Mindset Coach?

The basic definition of a mindset coach is deceptively simple: someone who helps people achieve their goals by enabling them to master their mindset.

If you really think about it, all types of coaching are technically mindset coaching– whether you’re trying to become better at a sport or overcome your imposter syndrome, a big part of every journey is improving your mindset.

When you hire a coach of any kind, you’ll typically follow this general structure during your sessions:

1. You and your coach will dig deep to discover your most-desired goals

2. Both of you will evaluate where you are now versus where you want to be

3. You two will discuss and strategize the bite-size steps to move towards those goals from where you are

4. You’ll agree on a game plan to make it happen, and regularly check in to evaluate your progress.

You’ll follow this same general flow with your mindset coach, but the work you do will go so much deeper. With other forms of coaching, you only lay out the actionable steps to get you from Point A to Point B. 

Mindset coaching is different in that I’ll work with you to gently discover any mental blocks, self-sabotaging habits, or erroneous beliefs that are holding you back from achieving your dreams. 

Understanding and triumphing over these mental hurdles is crucial to your success. Have you ever had an idea for your business that excited you, just for your inner voice to say you aren’t good enough? 

Or maybe your inner self-critic is calling you an imposter, making every waking moment a landscape of dread and doubt. 

I became a mindset coach because I have truly been in your shoes– I spent years holding myself back from opening my business thanks to that extremely vocal negative self-talk. 

Now, I work with people just like you to help them throw off the shackles of imposter syndrome and make meaningful headway in their business ventures.

When you choose me as your mindset coach, we’ll work together to break down your mental blocks– as a team. 

Even better, I’ll give you all the tools you need to stay on-track and establish healthy habits in your business for years to come. 

All the ways a mindset coach will help you: with your beliefs, discipline, experience, and knowledge.

How You Can Benefit from Mindset Coaching

Honestly, there’s no end to the benefits you’ll reap from mindset coaching. While all of the clients I coach have experienced the benefits listed below, this is just the beginning. 

My clients have said that our sessions help them in many unexpected ways, big and small. 

From finally feeling comfortable with doing your bookkeeping to making connections with big-name professionals in your industry, the positive ripples of mindset coaching will spread far and wide across your life. 

Here are just 5 of the most common improvements my clients have noticed. 

1. Understand and conquer whatever’s holding you back. 

A typical business coach will get an understanding of your business and where you want to be. Then they’ll come up with a game plan for how to get there. They hand off the step-by-step plan to you, and check in every so often to see how you’re progressing. 

But for most business owners, that just isn’t enough. 

Many people instead find themselves even more paralyzed once they have instructions to follow. The reason is different for everyone, but it boils down to this: if you aren’t mentally prepared to step outside of your comfort zone, no one can force you. 

Even if they give you a list with exact directions on how to get from Point A to Point B. 

That’s why I’m a mindset coach instead of a business coach. I was lucky enough to start my entrepreneur journey with a couple amazing mentors– people who’d been there before me and laid out the most effective path based on their experience. 

I still spent years holding myself back. For me, I was convinced there was no space in the market. 

Despite seeing my mentors succeed in their small businesses… 

Despite being a member of communities for new entrepreneurs and seeing first-hand how they found their footing…

I insisted that I wouldn’t find my niche, let alone success in that niche. Once I switched my focus and began exploring why I felt this way, everything changed. 

I allowed my mindset to shift, and that opened more doors than anything else in my career. My coaching clients report similar results. 

2. You’ll welcome growth and business opportunities with open arms.

Quite simply, the way we think about our abilities, talents, and intelligence has an effect on the way we act. There are two basic mindsets you can have in your business: a growth mindset, or a fixed mindset.

With a fixed mindset, you believe– sometimes subconsciously– that you’re stuck, or “fixed” in place.

People with a fixed mindset tend to be combative or defensive in the face of a mistake. They also avoid challenges, opportunities, and growth due to fear.

Most difficult of all, these people are convinced they can’t or won’t ever succeed. Sometimes they feel that society makes it impossible to thrive, and other times it’s a deep-seated lack of self confidence.

A growth mindset is truly the exact opposite. You’re open to learning from your mistakes and growing stronger as a result. You say yes to opportunities that may seem difficult or challenging because you see the potential benefits. 

And best of all, you feel confident in your success. You have the tools to navigate any roadblock or new experience with confidence and intention, and you get to enjoy the fruits of your labors.

When you work with me, we’ll put a large focus on getting you into a growth mindset. You’ll learn to feel excited and positive about growth in your business, rather than paralyzed by fear and doubt. 

And your business can finally begin to flourish.

Sticky note with "fixed mindset" and red arrow pointing down. Sticky note with "growth mindset" and green arrow pointing up.A mindset coach will guide you from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

3. Your decision-making skills will drastically improve. 

Working with a mindset coach strengthens your clarity and decision-making skills.

You’ll develop the skillset needed to evaluate choices in your business– whether they’re unexpected or have been months in the making. 

Think about the way you currently make decisions related to your business.

Do you feel incapable of following your own instincts? How often do you ask someone else for advice and do exactly what they suggest… regardless of how wise it is for your bottom line?

I work with many people who say they know the right things to do, they’re just afraid to move forward. What if they’re wrong? What if that task ends up being a waste of time? 

While this a very common and understandable fear, being able to work through it with confidence is crucial. Making effective decisions for your business means evaluating the facts in a rational, logical way and moving forward from there. 

If you find yourself aware of the facts… and yet still paralyzed by imposter syndrome, doubt, or fear… then you would absolutely benefit from sessions with a mindset coach. 

Once you do, you’ll no longer waste valuable time re-evaluating what you already know. You’ll approach decisions, big and small, with intelligence and rational logic.

4. Your productivity will increase immediately.

Picture this: It's Friday afternoon and you're evaluating what you accomplished this past week. And your heart drops into your stomach. 

At the start of this week, you felt your to-do list was completely achievable. You had some idea of what was important, what was easiest, and what you wanted to knock out this week. 

But now, the week’s gone by and your list is hardly any shorter. It may have even gotten longer. How did another week pass you by, when you had such good intentions?

If this scene feels familiar, you aren’t alone. Many people just like you struggle to prioritize and focus on achieving objectives. Many people struggle to get closer to their goals as a result. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. 

A mindset coach will help you establish customized systems to keep you accountable. From checking in with yourself to frequent sessions with your coach, you’ll have opportunities to evaluate and pivot before you waste an entire week. 

Instantaneously, your productivity will increase. You’ll get more done every day, and your work will be more focused on meaningful objectives. Say goodbye to analysis paralysis and losing hours to frivolous distractions!

5. Finally take control of your business– and your life.

If you own a business (or are taking steps to do so), it’s absolutely vital to keep your health in mind. 

Several recent studies have found evidence that entrepreneurs work more hours, are more prone to mental health symptoms, and more likely to have stress-related physical health problems than the typical employee. (2)

The pressure of being successful in your business can cause serious ripples in your personal life. 

Have you ever skipped a meal to work longer? 

How many nights have you been restless, lying awake in a cold sweat, knowing you need the sleep but stressing over the work ahead of you? 

Sooner than later, the poor diet, stress, and sleep issues will cause you to lose efficiency in your work. You’ll accomplish less, have difficulties prioritizing, and your memory will suffer. 

Breaking out of this vicious cycle alone can be exhausting… and it can feel impossible once you’re stuck in it.

A mindset coach will help you to create balance in your work and personal life, while still making meaningful progress towards your goals.

I’ll work with you to help you prioritize, stay efficient, and– most importantly– feel truly happy about your business and your life again.

A person using a compass from their mindset coach to move towards growth, the same direction as North.

Is a Mindset Coach Right for You?

A mindset coach could be the right choice if you…

  • Struggle to take steps forward in your business
  • Desperately try to make decisions, but feel paralyzed by uncertainty
  • Fight daily to balance your workload with your personal life
  • Can’t understand why you’re unable to do the things you need to do 
  • Feel immobilized by your negative self-talk and doubts

If you grapple with any of these setbacks in your business, a mindset coach can absolutely help lighten your load… and get you on the path to true success, whatever that looks like for you personally. 

Take Control of Your Mindset (And Your Life) Today

Mindset coaching may be the “missing link” to finally getting positive momentum behind your business.

As a small business owner myself, I specialize in working with new and aspiring small business owners– especially since I had to overcome all the same mental obstacles that you’re now facing. 

You see, I firmly believe that a coach must have walked a mile in their client’s shoes before they can truly offer effective coaching.

When I was starting out, my social media feed was suddenly packed to the gills with ads for coaches claiming they could do it all. 

Instantly, photos and videos from my friends and family vanished.

Instead, it seemed every single post in my feed was “Sponsored” by some guy or gal in a fancy car claiming they already knew everything about me. 

These ads made big promises. And they had an even bigger price tag.

I talked to a few of them, just to see how they could possibly claim to know me in an ad that Facebook’s algorithm presented to me. 

And every time, I came away disappointed. 

Disillusioned. 

Downtrodden. 

What ultimately helped me the most was speaking 1-on-1 with other business owners who really had been there.

People like me who had my same struggles, and created healthy habits to move through those struggles with confidence and ease. 

Honestly, it’s why I do what I do today. It’s why I became a mindset coach for new and aspiring business owners. 

It’s also why I give away 5 FREE 30-minute Intro To Mindset Coaching Sessions every single month, to 5 business owners just like you. 

I’d be honored to learn more about you, the hard work you’ve done to get this far, any questions you’re having, and your biggest goals. 

If you’d like to claim one of this month’s sessions…

If you’d like to finally start making business decisions from a growth mindset…

If you’re ready to fall back in love with being your own boss…

Simply click here to contact me.


Looking forward to hearing from you,

A photo of Shelby Dennis, your mindset coach and freelance beauty copywriter

Shelby Dennis

Your freelance SEO copywriter and mindset coach

References:

1. Rapid BI, History of Coaching - A True Insight into Coaching

https://rapidbi.com/history-of-coaching-a-true-insight-into-coaching/

2. All Business Magazine, Is Entrepreneurship Hazardous to Your Health? 

https://www.allbusiness.com/entrepreneur-health-stay-healthy-running-business-123876-1.html 


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