"Success is subjective and depends on each company's unique circumstances and priorities."
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Sophia Casey, an ICF Master Certified Coach, executive life coach, authorpreneur, and corporate trainer.
Sophia is a thought leader in the coaching industry, having mentored, trained, and coached thousands of executives, leaders, and life coaches. Her company, the International Coaching & Leadership Institute (ICLI), is a unique coach training school that leads with a passion for transformational coaching and self-leadership.
ICLI is the first Afro Caribbean woman-owned accredited coach training school in the world, with a leadership team comprised of three Black women from multicultural backgrounds who are ICF credentialed coaches.
Sophia Casey Enterprises is a global speaking, training, and executive coaching firm that offers customized solutions to public and private sector clients, with over 30 years of expertise in several areas including keynote speaking, training, facilitation, executive coaching, and leadership development.
In this interview, Sophia shares her thoughts on employee engagement and motivation, her greatest business achievement, and her plans for the future.
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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.
Sophia Casey: As an ICF Master Certified Coach, executive life coach, authorpreneur, and corporate trainer for several organizations, I do so much more than support individual and corporate clients with problem-solving. I help leaders of all caliber get transformative results that catapult their organizations. I am applauded as a thought leader in the coaching industry and have mentored, trained, and coached thousands of executive, leadership, career, and life coaches.
The International Coaching & Leadership Institute (ICLI), is an ICF Level 2 accredited coach training school. At ICLI we lead from our passion for transformational coaching and self-leadership. Our curriculum, designed by award-winning educators and coaches credentialed by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), is grounded in world-class, hands-on coach training and transformational leadership experiences.
Sophia Casey Enterprises is a global speaking, training, and executive coaching firm with expertise in providing customized solutions for public and private-sector clients. We offer over 30 years of expertise in several areas including keynote speaking, training, facilitation, executive coaching, and leadership development. Our recurring clients experience results tied to their mission and values and consistently remark that working with us has a profound impact on performance and productivity.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffett, how would you describe your company, services, or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Sophia Casey: Our company, The International Coaching and Leadership Institute (ICLI) is in the business of soul work.
Our coach training and leadership development school is like none other because we lead training, mentor coaches and leaders from love and a belief that every human is whole and complete and deserving of lives that bring them fulfillment and joy.
We are also the first Afro Caribbean woman-owned accredited coach training school in the world. We are clear that we are unique to have a leadership team comprised of three Black women from multi cultural backgrounds who are ICF credentialed coaches.
We are on a mission to co-create freedom by increasing the number of BIPOC coaches on the plant and make coaching available to everyone, everywhere.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Sophia Casey: Our greatest accomplishment this year was becoming an accredited coach training school by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and doing so during a pandemic.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle keeping talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are adapting to the current shift we see?
Sophia Casey: Several factors can contribute to employee satisfaction and retention at work. Here are some key points to help keep your employees feel engaged and motivated:
Clear communication and expectations: Employees need to know what the company expects of them and how their work aligns with its overall goals.
Recognition and appreciation: Employees want to feel valued for their contributions, and recognizing their hard work goes a long way in keeping them motivated.
Opportunities for growth and development: Employees want to feel they are learning and growing in their careers. Providing professional development opportunities keeps them engaged and motivated.
A positive work culture that values collaboration, respect, and inclusion can significantly impact employee satisfaction. This culture allows them to feel supported and safe.
Work-life balance: Employees want a good work-life balance without sacrificing each other. Keep employees happy and engaged by offering flexible work arrangements and promoting a healthy work-life balance.
Organizations may need to rethink their employee engagement and motivation approach to adapt to current changes. You can also re-evaluate your communication and leadership style to ensure your employees feel their voices are valued.
What advice do you wish you received when you started your business journey and what do you intend on improving in the next quarter?
Sophia Casey: I was fortunate to have mentors throughout my career and as I began my entrepreneurial journey. Hindsight tells me that the best advice for a new entrepreneur is to create consistent support by having a business mentor and a coach throughout the business’s phases.
I wish I had had an entire support team before I started my business to ensure systems were put in place so that I could focus on the parts of the company that are in my zone of genius versus wearing multiple hats.
In the next quarter, my focus is on taking a more strategic approach to continue to build my business, fill critical roles so that my time is freed up to design digital products, strengthen the curriculum for our coach training and professional development programs, and increase our revenue goals.
I am also committed to “retiring” from the current roles and tasks I took on during the business startup phase and to creating more collaborative partnerships.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Sophia Casey: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to online business and digital communications. This trend will likely continue in the coming year as more and more people become accustomed to doing business and interacting with others online.
Companies may consider expanding their online presence and offering more products and services online. You can also invest in technology that enables remote work and virtual meetings, and video conferencing tools. Additionally, businesses should be aware of the potential security risks of online business and take steps to protect themselves and their customers.
Here is a two fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Sophia Casey: This is a tough one because I am an avid reader, but the books I gift and recommend the most to my corporate and one-on-one clients are my journal, the Ease & Flow Journal, Codependent No More by Melodie Beattie, and the Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.
All three of these books have been highly supportive of me by reminding me to practice gratitude journaling, put my oxygen mask on first and not carry the trauma of others, and be committed to operating in my zone of genius, as that is where I experience the most joy.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
Sophia Casey: I’ve written several books. They are:
The Ease & Flow Journal: Research shows that daily practices of getting thoughts down on paper and getting present what you are grateful for can reduce stress and overwhelm. The Ease & Flow 31-Day Journal was created to support releasing all the clutter of thoughts and exchanging them for empowered ones. Daily structures will help you focus on the most important tasks, move goals forward, and have a space to capture things you are grateful for. It also includes 70 journal prompts to inspire and let thoughts and dreams pour onto the pages with ease and flow.
Fierce Vulnerability – a Colored Girls’ Truths, Trials & Triumphs: Is the story of four powerful women, Jean-Marie, Ava, Vanessa and Simone, living the dream of Black affluence in Washington DC. Each woman, in her own time, begins a dark journey to the underbelly of this dream. Ava is a ball busting powerhouse in the political sphere. Hers is a constant battle to prove her self-worth. Vanessa does her best to keep up her perfect appearances while catering to her own demons in silence. Simone shows us the cost of being superwoman and what becomes possible when we lean on our communities and our roots to lift us up. Jean-Marie struggles with vulnerability and the personal power it brings through personal losses and challenges.
Fierce Vulnerability Workbook: This workbook offers key prompts to support you with continuing to bring your faith and fierceness in all areas of your life and adds extra opportunities for you to practice vulnerability. Each page was created with you in mind and lays out a template for you to design the life you desire.
Life Project Planner: The Life Project Planner lays out a 10-step process to create a plan to turn your dreams into reality. The framework includes techniques to ensure your goals (called life projects) are measurable and specific details on accountability structures needed to accomplish your goals.
The Gifts of Life Coaching: The Gifts of Life Coaching shares valuable tips and suggestions to support you when hiring a life coach. It’s packed with useful information, including an overview of the foundation of life coaching, a list of coaching specialty areas, and suggestions for the types of questions to ask when considering working with a coach. This quick read is also useful for new coaches wanting a description of the life coaching profession to pull from when marketing their coaching services.
Everyday Woman’s Guide to The Mindset Of A Successful Woman (co-author): 39 stories from women of diverse cultures, religions, ages, professions, businesses, and races. They have come together as ONE to share with you the mindset of success in their lives and businesses that they have learned and accomplished through overcoming their challenges.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Sophia Casey: Businesses face many challenges, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, economic uncertainty, and political instability. One of the biggest challenges is adapting to rapidly changing conditions and consumer behavior.
The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has disrupted supply chains, changed consumer buying habits, and led to the proliferation of remote work and online business. Businesses had to adapt to these changes and stay up and running quickly. This adaptation process requires investment in new technologies, processes, and ways of working, which can be difficult for some companies.
Another challenge is increasing competition in the online sector. As more businesses move online, it can be difficult for individual firms to differentiate and attract customers. Companies must market aggressively and offer unique, high-quality products and services that meet the needs of their target audience. The biggest challenge for organizations is adapting nimbly to rapidly changing conditions.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?.
Sophia Casey: Commonly underestimated aspects of running a business include:
Structures to Ensure Employee Engagement: Implementing structures such as clear communication channels, providing opportunities for development, promoting employee wellness, empowering employees, and encouraging employee involvement in creating a positive company culture.
Time and Effort Required: Starting and running a business often takes a significant amount of time.
Costs of starting and maintaining a business: Many costs, such as marketing, office space, and employee salaries, add up quickly, and it can be not easy to predict all the costs associated with running a business.
Competition: There is often more competition than expected in a given market, and it can take time to stand out and attract customers.
Regulations: In some industries, companies must comply with numerous regulations that can be time-consuming and costly.
Customer service: Many businesses underestimate the value of good customer service, which can be a crucial differentiator in attracting and retaining customers and can lead to churn and negative reviews.
2020, 2021, 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Sophia Casey: From the challenges of the past few years, there are some lessons that businesses can learn to succeed in 2023.
Be adaptive: Recent years have emphasized the importance of adapting to rapidly changing conditions. Companies that can adapt and transform their operations in response to new challenges are well-equipped to thrive in uncertain environments.
Invest in technology: Technology has played a crucial role in keeping businesses running during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next few years, companies will need to continue investing in technologies that facilitate remote work and digital communication.
Prioritize customer experience: Recent events have changed consumer behavior and preferences, and businesses must adapt to these changes and focus on delivering a positive customer experience. Some ideas include providing products and services that meet customer needs, providing excellent customer service, and ensuring that the purchasing process is seamless and convenient.
Prioritize employee well-being: Organizations that care about the health and safety of their employees, support their mental and emotional well-being, retain top talent and remain productive.
Managing financial risk: Economic uncertainty can pose financial risks to companies. Businesses must monitor their financial health, manage cash flow, and develop plans to respond to potential financial challenges.
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?
Sophia Casey: Some business superpowers that could be useful for companies:
Ability to anticipate future trends: Knowing which trends are likely to emerge can give companies a competitive advantage in product development and marketing.
Ability to adapt quickly to change: Companies that can adapt rapidly to changing conditions are well positioned to thrive in an uncertain environment, whether it’s changing consumer behavior or changing markets.
Ability to read and understand customer needs: Understanding customer needs and preferences is critical to business success. Businesses that accurately anticipate and meet customer needs are well-positioned to attract and retain customers.
Effective Communication Skills: Strong communication skills are essential for companies to market their products and services effectively, negotiate with suppliers and partners, and lead teams.
Ability to creatively solve problems: Creative thinking and innovative problem-solving help companies differentiate themselves in crowded markets and uncover new growth opportunities.
What does “success” in the year to come mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Sophia Casey: Business success can mean many different things, depending on the business context and specific goals. Standard measures of business success include financial performance, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and market share.
Success is the achievement of particular purposes, such as launching new products or entering new markets. Success is subjective and depends on each company’s unique circumstances and priorities.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Sophia Casey 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 Sophia Casey or her company, you can do it through her – Instagram
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