Cultivating Your Story as Your Strategy

I want to flip your whole idea of “coaching business strategy” upside down.

You don’t need a marketing degree, a perfect website, or a secret 5-step formula to get started. You don’t even need a niche fully nailed down.

All you need… is your story.

Because your story IS your strategy.

We spend so much time trying to look polished or professional, when the truth is that the most powerful thing you carry is your lived experience- what you’ve walked through, healed from, learned deeply, and honestly, what you still wrestle with today.

When women ask me how to start coaching or grow their reach, I always ask:

What have you lived? What do people naturally come to you for? Where have you seen God meet you in the middle of your mess?

That’s the story that qualifies you, creates trust, and holds the keys for someone else’s breakthrough.

Here’s a truth we don’t talk about enough: people buy connection before they buy solutions.

They want to know you get them. They want to know they’re not alone. They want to know that if it was possible for you, it might be possible for them too.

And that kind of connection doesn’t come from a textbook or a website or a business card.

It comes from your testimony.

Let's look at it this way:

Your story is not a detour, even though it can feel that way if it’s been a hard story to walk through. But for others, it could be the doorway they’ve been looking for.

It’s not what disqualifies you- it’s what draws people in.

And it’s not just about the dramatic parts. It’s about the moments where you were growing yourself or began to see the world differently and when you were going through your own transformation.

Now, there’s a responsibility in this too.

Using your story wisely means you’ve processed it personally, not just posted it socially.

You’ve mined it for meaning and you’re not using your pain as your brand, but instead you’re allowing your own healing and growth to be a bridge.

So how do you start stewarding your story?

Here are three simple steps:

1. Map Your Turning Points

   What were the moments that changed you? It might be a loss, a revelation, a relationship, or even a season of burnout or boredom that forced you to wake up.

   
   

2. Find the Threads

   What themes keep showing up in your life? Maybe it’s identity. Or control. Or resilience. Or the pursuit of belonging. Those threads are part of your coaching DNA.

   
   

3. Connect It to Others

   Ask yourself: Who else is walking through something like this? What do they need to hear? What helped me most? How can I share this without centering on me, but still being honest?

   
   

Don’t wait until your story feels tied up with a bow.

People need to see someone in process, not just in perfection.

You can share from the scar, not the wound.

You can invite people into the “middle” of your story with hope and humility.

People want the one-step-ahead capability you are already walking in.

So the next time you feel like you don’t have a strategy, remember:

You have you. You have your story. And you have someone on the other side of it who needs what you’ve learned.

Listener Challenge: Write down three major turning points in your life.

Ask yourself: What changed in me? Who did I become? Who could this help?

Because your story can become someone else’s survival guide if you’re brave enough to surrender it to the Lord and share it with the world.

And if you’re ready to build your coaching foundation on something that feels real, and honest, and hopeful to you- that brings you life to wake up to it everyday- then book a session with me to build, grow, and take action because you don’t have to do it alone.

I invite you to grab the Niche Clarity Course and begin your journey to understanding how your core message helps you clarify who you help and how.

I’m going to teach you how to use these Legos to build a coaching business that actually fits your story. And one thing I’m excited to share is the idea of becoming a Consultant Coach.

This is the space I’ve found myself living in most. A Consultant Coach is someone who doesn’t just ask questions—they also bring wisdom. They’ve walked through things. They’ve built something. And they want to offer that without taking over. It’s a coaching model that brings your story, your skills, and your experience into your work in a way that still honors the client’s journey. You’re not giving them your blueprint—you’re offering insight, strategy, and care while letting them choose the direction.

If that sounds like you- you’re going to love where we’re headed!

Reader Challenge:

Write out 3 major turning points in your life.

Ask: What did I learn? Who could this help? How can I bravely share this?