Lead Like A Queen Coaching and Consulting, LLC

Tag: coaching

  • Mother’s Day Reflection: Daily Practices That Make Me A Better Solo Mom

    Mother’s Day Reflection: Daily Practices That Make Me A Better Solo Mom

    Daily writing prompt
    What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?
    View all responses

    Improving my own life as a solo mom is my own choice. I refuse to remain a victim of the unexpected twists and turns in my life. Taking daily action, even in the smallest ways, like meditating and journaling, is how I stand in my own power for my own life to be my best self and to be a better parent, with Father God’s Help.

    ~ Coach Donna Marie aka @leadlikeaqueen

    If you’re familiar with my podcast, Plant Your Seeds of Transformation (see YouTube or Apple/Spotify/Google Podcasts), you may know my personal story of becoming an unexpected solo mom. I have been married for over 20 years, but my partner has not been partnering with me as a parent due to his illness. When I realized that things were only getting worse and that I was becoming a true Solo Mom, it completely freaked me out and sent me into an emotional and mental tailspin. I was afraid that I could not take care of him and the kids all on my own. And I was right. I can’t do any of this on my own, and I need affordable help and relevant advice. So, I started plugging in more spiritually with God through prayer and Bible study, connecting with the community more via online/virtual/phone methods (because my husband was mostly homebound), and asking for and accepting practical and financial help. I am so grateful for the community that God has led me to, some of which are biological family and some of which are chosen family.

    What Helps Me Think and Be Better

    And I’m even more grateful for how Father God continues to lead and guide me internally so that I am now a better person and parent. I use meditation and journaling to help me become more self-aware, which has helped me think better and make better choices that have improved my life. The 2nd edition of my book (#smallbizbigimpact) includes an integrated journal for this reason. Because I am a trained and certified coach, I keenly understand the value of journaling as an essential practice for ongoing growth and true life changes. Journaling allows the writer to reflect on their experiences and gain insight into their decisions, behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in a safe space. Building better self-awareness helps leaders see how to motivate themselves so they can keep achieving their goals, even when they’re not around other people who sometimes motivate and encourage them.

    What you and I both need to be better is already inside of us, and we deserve to give ourselves the time and space to discover and become more aware of it.

    ~ Coach Donna Marie @leadlikeaqueen
    Small Biz Big Impact But How 2nd Edition with Journal

    What about you?

    Do you journal, meditate, pray or something else? How do you use daily practices that help improve your life?

    Gift For Becoming A Better You

    Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, biological or not, and even if you only have fur-babies. Here is a gift for you to access the HeadSpace app. I believe it’s one of the best tools you can use to become more self-aware and become a better version of yourself. It can really complement your journaling practice, also, by reminding you to make room for and set aside time for meditation and for journaling. Use the button linked below to grab your gift now of one free month use of the Headspace app*. Honestly, I was skeptical that it would help me, but after trying it, I realized this is exactly what I needed to help me become more mindful on a daily basis.

    Get Free Month of HeadSpace*
    *Affiliate Disclaimer: I recommend this resource because I use it myself, but you need to do your own research to see if this works for you. If you choose to click my link, I may be compensated by this affiliate partner at no cost to you. Thank you in advance if you choose to support my work as a coach and mentor in this way.
  • How Can a VA or a Remote Worker Be Perfect?

    How Can a VA or a Remote Worker Be Perfect?

    How can a VA or a remote worker be perfect in their career, business, or life? Well in one sense, that is impossible, and in another sense it is possible, but there are some things you need to understand first.

    First… know that it is not possible to be completely and totally perfect all at one moment in time all by yourself. This is an unrealistic expectation that many of us (yes I include myself) place on ourselves (and on others), and this is toxic. It is impossible to be totally perfect at one moment in time, especially given other factors such as being new to the endeavor or having extenuating circumstances, like being sick or being isolated without support.

    However, you can become better over time. That is the goal: a VA or a remote worker can become better over time, and within a supportive community, your work can begin to look like a well-oiled nearly perfect “machine”.

    Once you are aware of this, you can take care of yourself better and advocate for yourself with anyone else who is placing this unrealistic, toxic expectation on you. Unfortunately, for VA’s and other remote workers, this is very common, and many of them are isolated and without a supportive community to help them address issues with employers or clients. So, they leave their remote careers demoralized and traumatized. Many times they do not even know that being treated this way is abusive because they may have been conditioned to accept this behavior by their pre-existing culture in their community, family, or in a prior work culture.

    What Are Some Personal Stories of Perfectionism?

    If you have listened to some of the episodes of my podcast (Plant Your Seeds of Transformation podcast show), you would have heard me and my guests share our own stories on this topic. One of my guests, Nia Ridgle, discussed how toxic perfectionism impacted her life saying, “We are leading other people, but we don’t even know how to take care of ourselves behind close doors.”

    How Can You Get Help With Perfectionism?

    This is where a coach can help fill the gap of support that a VA or remote worker may need. If you would like my support, you can ask me for a free discovery call by registering at this link:

    CoachDonnaMarie.com

    ABOUT SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY

    Also, this is where becoming part of a supportive community can also help fill the gap of support you need. If you’re a high achieving black woman leader looking to expand your community, learn more about mine and how you can connect with us every Thursday in the previous article I wrote called, “It’s Back! Thursday Co-working“. We start on 9/1/22, but you can join us any time during this 12 weeks of co-working.

    After you join our community, you can access this journal as a tool to help you during your 12-week co-working journey.
    Click here to learn more.
  • It’s Back! Thursday Co-Working

    It’s Back! Thursday Co-Working

    HOW TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

    Click Here to Join

    click button to join and access co-working link (starting as low as $3 per month)

    What to Expect after Joining?

    • Access to 12-week Fall Co-working via Zoom Audio/Video Chat
      • **Zoom Link provided to patrons at all tier support levels**
    • Vibrant Supportive Community of Black Women Leaders
    • Early access to Some Podcast Episodes
    • Exclusive Live Interactive Events
    • Weekly Co-Working Coaching Action and Progress Journal (for higher tier levels)

    FALL 2022 CO-WORKING & MENTORSHIP UPDATES

    I am so excited to announce that I am BACK from my summer hiatus! I am hosting co-working weekly for 12 weeks starting…

    WHEN? Starts Thursday 9-1-22 at 7pm EST, Weekly for 12 Weeks

    (See this time in your own time zone: click here)

    WHERE? Private, Secure, Moderated Live Event

    (via Zoom on any device or by phone/dial-in)

    Learn More About How To Join and Support Our Community at PlantYourSeeds.show/support

    [If you haven’t yet heard about our co-working community, check out the episode from The Plant Your Seeds of Transformation Podcast where I talked about it in more detail.]

    OUR PARTNERS FOR THE CO-WORKING COMMUNITY

    This co-working group is in partnership with Wanda Duncan of Black Women Trvl.

    Thank you again to Jessica for hosting co-working almost daily for the Vaycarians, including on Thursday’s (my usual day to host) during my summer hiatus. If you’re not yet part of that awesome Vaycarious community, join Stephanie Perry’s Patreon so you can gain access to her discord.

    (See their community links below.)

    Thanks again to Wanda, Jessica, and Stephanie for seeing the value of co-working and supporting me in my endeavors to partner with Jessica in creating a thriving co-working community that helps us all get more results as we focus and get important stuff done within a 2-hour time frame.

    Regarding Mentorship and Coaching

    MENTORSHIP

    This co-working group is a form of mentorship, and being part of this community is highly empowering. We learn a ton from each other every time, during our breaks in between each working Pomodoro. We also support each other and encourage each other, during our weekly sessions and beyond the session. That is mentorship.

    COACHING

    Coaching is a higher-value service that is much more systematic and intentional. So, as an added perk for higher tier patrons, you will be able to access the co-working journal to use for writing down your intentions and tracking your progress as you take action on them during each weekly co-working session. This is a form of coaching that is done via guided journaling.

    FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

    Other modes of mentorship or coaching beyond the co-working may be added in the future, as the community grows, but for now, this is plenty. This co-working is enough to provide you with an empowering mentorship community, and if you’re investing in yourself to receive coaching, you will have access to the journal and to other live coaching opportunities that go beyond the Thursday session.

    SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES FOR BLACK WOMEN LEADERS

    • Coach Donna Marie’s Patreon – click to join here
    • Wanda Duncan’s Patreon – click to join here
    • Stephanie Perry’s Patreon – click to join here
      • (Jessica’s co-working schedule is contained within Stephanie’s Vaycarious community on other days and at other times besides Thursday nights.)
  • [COACHING] Visualize Your VA Business

    [COACHING] Visualize Your VA Business

    Is your VA business (or remote working career) more like a forest or a garden? Take the poll below and share.

    In my latest podcast for the “Plant Your Seeds of Transformation” show, I talked about the topic of intentionality and how that is connected to having a small business that makes a big impact in the world. I hope you will listen (or watch) and leave me feedback to let me know what “aha moments” you had while you listened.

    Listen on Spotify or Your Favorite Player

    The Plant Your Seeds of Transformation Podcast Show via Spotify includes Relevant Music Excerpts

    During this podcast, I discussed intentionality from a spiritual perspective and from a practical perspective.

    What is your understanding of what it means to be more intentional in your life and in your business?

    One example I used was related to how mothers hope and dream for their children. How do you allow your parenting to inform how you handle your business as a VA or your career as a remote worker?

    Group or Individualized Coaching for You

    What are you doing to be more intentional about your VA business or remote worker career? How could having a coach who really understands your world impact how you keep moving forward in your business/career?

    If you would like for me to coach you and support you one-on-one (or in a group) as you continue to grow your VA business (or your remote work career), you can use the contact form at the bottom of this article to request a complimentary get acquainted session where we can get to know one another better and see if we would be a good fit for each other. Even if we are not a good fit, I have a trusted network of coaches that I can refer you to.*

    “Small Business Is A Misnomer” #SmallBizBigImpact (TM) – Coffee Mug Available as a Perk for Patrons

    Questions, Comments, or Feedback

    Use the contact form below to share any questions, comments, or feedback for Donna so that she can reply to you.

    ← Back

    Thank you for your response. ✨

    *Affiliate Referral Link: The affiliate links shared on this website are for reputable resources that I have used and that I trust. Evenso, you should do your own due diligence to ensure this resource is a good fit for your needs. If you decide to click the link, they will know that I referred you and may provide me with compensation to thank me for sending you over. Thank you in advance for supporting me by using my referrals.