'In my experience, I think businesses can thrive in 2022 by being agile and adaptable to the needs of who they serve."
Meet Brittany Dawson, a Life, Leadership, and Career Coach. She helps professionals clarify their vision, breakthrough blocks that are keeping them “stuck”, and create a strategy so that they can make choices to create the life they want.
Her main mission is to empower professionals everywhere to create fulfilling lives. In 5+ years she’s coached 150+ professionals across many sectors and she’s been trained by an ICF-Accredited Coaching Program in research tested methods to help people make forward progress. Professionals come to her when they want to get clear about what’s next in their life or career and figure out the steps they need to take to make it happen.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Brittany Dawson: Hi! It’s so nice to be here: I’m Brittany Dawson and I’m a Life, Leadership, & Career Coach who’s on a mission to help people create fulfilling lives. My superpower is facilitating personal transformations through coaching and I’ve coached hundreds of people to design amplified, daring lives.
From CEOs who wanted to transition into a role they love, to coaching job seekers wanting to break into tech, I know what it takes to move from “stuck” to empowered. It starts with an idea, then the space to visualize what you want, and small forward movements over time. This work is my life’s vision and passion so being able to help professionals clarify their vision, breakthrough blocks that are keeping them “stuck”, and design a strategy so that they can make choices to create the life they want means that there is one more person on Earth who’s walking in their purpose, feeling connected to their lives, and feeling happier than before.
This work isn’t easy nor does success happen overnight (unless you’re a secret genie or something haha) so coaching truly is a journey that happens overtime!
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Brittany Dawson: In my experience, I think businesses can thrive in 2022 by being agile and adaptable to the needs of who they serve. My biggest learning is that it’s okay to stay committed to my vision of impact and VERY open to the “how”. For example, when I first started out in the coaching business I knew my clients had a problem that I could solve so I wrote a Self-Love Workbook geared towards professionals, particularly Black women, who wanted to learn ways to better take care of themselves in and outside the workplace.
This book was one way to meet their need, however, this isn’t the only way so I expanded my services to: private coaching sessions, workshops & professional developments, and I’m also working on an online course geared towards teachers who are seeking fulfillment in their lives too. Being an entrepreneur pushed me to learn closely who my clients are, what problems they’re facing, and how my expertise can uniquely support what they need.
This is an exciting time to be a business owner because we truly have access to SO many opportunities serve others: whether on LinkedIn, hosting a Zoom webinar, to creating materials that can be shared and downloaded by many, our reach is the limitlessness.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Brittany Dawson: This is such a good question and I have many thoughts about this so here’s my take: I think businesses should truly lead with empathy, care, and compassion to who their serving and create accessible entry points for people to receive the opportunity to be impacted by your reach. Let’s face it: in my experience the coaching industry is not always accessible to those who really need it so as a business owner, I’ve thought carefully about my pricing and have a range of options based on the market: from workshops, private coaching, workbooks, and an upcoming online course, these offerings create a space for me to reach multiple people from multiple price points while also ensuring I’m equitably compensated for my time and expertise. Another piece of advice I’d like to share is to trust your process, trust that in time you’ll see results, and continue to be adaptable in the face of change.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Brittany Dawson: Change is the new normal these days! I’d say it’s impacted my scope and reach: since the pandemic, I’ve been interviewed via Instagram Live with a larger following to share my experiences as a Life Coach and I also connected with other Black entrepreneurs across the globe without having to leave the comfort of my home. To me, the pandemic has shifted the way I connect with people and I’ve been able to use remote work as a way to build my audience, network, and impact the lives of others outside of the traditional brick-and-mortar style of connection.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Brittany Dawson: I’d say the biggest advice I wish I received was to slow down, trust the process, and know that consistency is key. I’m in my third year of business and I’m finally seeing a return: from launching my website, booking prospects client calls, deeply understanding my client and their pain points, and learning the ins and outs of coaching, I feel very excited for the future of my business and more specifically, I’m so ready to continue serving and helping professionals get exactly what they want and deserve. My intention for the next business cycle is to focus on expanding my presence and creating unique offerings that will help people gain clarity in their lives.
Recently I published a Breakthrough Uncertainty – Clarity Reflection Guide for free on LinkedIn to support professionals in discovering their hidden desires. I’m grateful for the lessons early on because they’ve helped me be more successful today!
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Brittany Dawson: Remote work is here to stay and I am SO here for it! I’m grateful that remote work has created a world for people to feel more balanced with their work, free, flexible, and so much more, I think the days of having to go into the office are slowly shifting to a more hybrid, flexible work model that ultimately will create happier and more connected people.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Brittany Dawson: Whew way too much haha I’d say anywhere between 5-10 hours depending on the day. My screen time has definitely increased since the pandemic so usually when I’m on my lunch break or unplug from work, this also means unplugging from technology too!
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Brittany Dawson: From my perspective, storytelling is a powerful marketing tool because it’s authentic and highlights the transformation. For example, when I think about one of my clients who started out coaching unclear about what they wanted to d with their life, through several rounds of coaching, reflective exercises, and figuring out the roadblock (in this case, it was learning how to give themselves permission to enjoy their lives), it was as though things were much clearer than they were before.
To me, storytelling is the #1 way to highlight the Who, what, when, and how your particular product/service can create the intended result they’re looking for. I also think it’s important to share “real” stories, right? This isn’t a sales pitch: let the organic wins of people stand for themselves and let the audience opt in to working with you. I’ve found this strategy to work every time!
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Brittany Dawson: I’d say the real challenge is standing out in a sea of many! One way I work through this is by bringing my authentic voice and flair to the space. It’s okay to stand out, it’s okay to be different, and it’s okay to do something wildly different than what’s been seen.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Brittany Dawson: I’m deeply invested in building my coaching practice so I’m currently taking an Advance Life Coach training through the Life Purpose Institute to begin the path towards becoming a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and receive an official International Coaching Federation (ICF) credential which is exciting and challenging: this program is pushing me in so many ways to think differently about my own practice which in turn, will help me show up for clients so that they can get the results they’re looking for!
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Brittany Dawson: I’d say leaders/companies have to take some responsibility in the why: people want freedom, flexibility, higher pay, and to be seen. Companies must know that the power isn’t always in the corporations hands but now in the power of the people, which is a good thing. Want to keep employees?
Create an environment where people belong, equity isn’t just a hashtag and instead becomes of true practice, people can take time off without fear of retribution, working mothers can take care of child related things and not be deemed as less than, Black and Brown employees feel safe to be themselves, unapologetically, and there are equitable steps towards learning/promotion. You’re probably thinking that I’m describing a Unicorn and the truth is, I wish this wasn’t the case. I believe there is no such thing as a pretty perfect organization, however, an organization that’s willing to learn from getting things wrong and shifts the focus on the people to create a safe workforce where people feel like they belong, then that’s a space on the right track.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Brittany Dawson: So many! I’d choose the power to change Limiting Beliefs. I think it’s normal to doubt your ability, be afraid of what’s to come, say “yes” to things you really want to say no to. I think removing these mindsets completely would allow leaders and people to show up more vulnerably, be okay with trying new things, and expanding their perspectives to truly meet people where they are and to make a difference.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Brittany Dawson: My vision is simple: help professionals create fulfilling lives and careers. Whether you’re ready to take action on a business idea that you’ve had for years or you’re unhappy with your current job: I’m here to let you know that there IS more on the other side, you ARE deserving of more, and it’s POSSIBLE to create something new right where you are.
My encouragement to anyone reading this, right now, is to take the first step whatever that looks like to you: write your goals down, do some research, hire a coach, connect with a therapist, list out a 6 month plan. Do what you need to do to bring yourself one step closer to clarity and give yourself permission to act on it. Here’s the reality: you only have one life to live. Give yourself the green light to create a life you love, the type of life that when you wake up each day you feel so blessed and grateful because you’re in awe that this is actually yours! I want this for all of you and what’s yours is yours.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Brittany Dawson for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Brittany Dawson or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
