Bio:
Marisa Bailey is the Founder and CEO of MPower Coaching based in Raleigh, NC. Ignited by her calling to empower others to leap into their purpose and fueled by her own life experiences- Marisa created MPower Coaching to help others create a life of “freedom to” instead of “freedom from” and build the life they desire.
Marisa works with women who want to step away from the corporate life and into entrepreneurship but aren’t sure where or how to start. She incorporates mindset and strategy into her coaching to help her clients build an unshakable confidence in themselves. Marisa is a Certified Authentic Leadership Coach, EQ-I 2.0 certified, and full believer in self.
Get In Touch:
marisa@mpower-coach.com
Resource List:
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
Episode Transcript:
Katie (00:03):
Hi everyone. Thank you for tuning in to the Hustlenomics podcast. I’m your host, Katie. And today I am so excited to be talking with Marissa Bailey. She is the founder and CEO of empower coaching based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Marissa works with women who want to step away from the corporate life into entrepreneurship, but aren’t sure where, or how to start. She incorporates mindset and strategy into her coaching to help her clients build an unshakable confidence in themselves. So, Marissa, thank you so much for coming on the show today. Thank you, Katie. I’m so excited to be here. Yeah, absolutely. So I would love to hear a little bit more about you and who you are, your background and kind of how you got to where you are today.
Marissa (00:38):
I’m so happy to share. If we would get way too into my background and how I got to where I’m at today. I don’t think we have enough time in the day to even go through it all. But short bullet points about me are I actually grew up in Ohio and I moved to California and lived there for about six years. And then I currently live in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I own my own business. And so my professional background consists of working in industries anywhere from luxury fashion, to oil and gas. And most recently in the corporate space, I was working for the largest gaming company here in Raleigh, North Carolina. So I was there for about four years and I have been full-time into my business for almost a year.
Katie (01:19):
Fantastic. So your corporate breakout has like a lot of different facets. It sounds like. So what kind of happened or occurred during your corporate career that made you want to start your own business?
Marissa (01:30):
Yeah, I mean, I think that I always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I’m just kind of simmering below the surface and I wasn’t really aware of what that actually meant. And so going through the different facets, like you said, in my background, I had tremendous experience across a, a gamut of different industries. And so I think the biggest thing for me, really transitioning from corporate into entrepreneurship was really wanting that freedom and that flexibility and also creating a platform, not only for myself, but for other women who just have such a powerful story and a powerful truth and powerful things to share with their audience. But they’re not really sure how. And so when I was really thinking about making that transition, I was in a stage of my corporate career where I was way past burnout and it took me a long time to really recognize that. And that’s something I’m extremely passionate about now is really bringing awareness to what burnout actually is because it shows up so differently for everybody. And so really recognizing and taking a step back for me as to what success meant for me and really redefining that and stepping away from the identity that I was tied to, that my job defined me into. Now I define me was, was a huge turning point for me,
Katie (02:53):
That transition from being an employee to being a boss is never easy. Some people come to it a little bit more than others, but what was that journey like? And what were some of the challenges or exciting things that you came across?
Marissa (03:05):
Gosh, it has been so exciting and even the challenges that I’ve encountered have been really exciting when I’ve when I get through them and work through them. But I will say that one thing that has been really big for me is really talking about very honestly, with anybody that is going through the process or thinking about going through it or recently has done it is talk about all the things that people don’t talk about. What does it actually look like? What are some of the things that you might run into? And, and for me gearing up to actually having those tough conversations, not only with my boss, but with myself and people in my life, whether it’s friends or family or coworkers, and really just establishing those boundaries were some really big challenges, but also then turned into exciting things because I was so proud of myself and it really elevated my confidence in me as an individual.
Marissa (03:58):
And I was able to take that into my entrepreneurship as I created my business. And I will say one of the best things about making that transition is definitely the networking and connecting piece of it. And I have met some amazing individuals throughout this entire journey and people that I never really expected to fall into my life have fallen into my life and I’ve made phenomenal partnerships working relationships, personal relationships, and it’s, it’s just been, it really has been great. It definitely has its challenges where there are some days where you’re just like, what in the world am I doing? And I think that that is where that piece of confidence goes back to going back to those days where I really had to establish those boundaries and how did that make me feel? And then being able to have those individuals that I’ve really connected with throughout this journey to say like I’m having a day, you may or may not have any magical answers, but I just need to get this off my heart. That has been one of the key things that I always tell people when they’re going through the process is really pay attention to who’s in your life and who enters your life and when they do, because it’s there for,
Katie (05:11):
Oh, I couldn’t agree more. Yeah. Having that support system is so important. And so when you decided to actually start your own business, what made you kind of decide to go into coaching?
Marissa (05:19):
Yeah. This is actually a question that I got recently too, that I’ve been talking to some of my clients about when I first started to be completely transparent. I was calling myself a life coach and whenever someone told me to niche down and figure out who my specific ideal client was, that felt so limiting to me. And I resisted it for so long and really going through that journey of figuring out how, how to get specific, like who do I really want to work with has been so incredibly beneficial. And it is the exact opposite of limiting. It is actually a huge advantage to create opportunity for you and your business. And so when I to get into coaching, it actually started when I was in my most recent corporate role, where we had the opportunity to experience some coaching at a leadership and corporate level.
Marissa (06:08):
And so when I had that opportunity, it was like, I had no idea that you could create a career out of it. And it just set my soul on fire. And I never really knew what that meant when other individuals who had found their purpose or their passion meant by saying that, and that is coaching for me. And so specifically working with women who want to make that transition from corporate into entrepreneurship and they want to do it with confidence and they, they want it to feel easy and not so challenging. That’s where I found my sweet spot. And that for me having my own coaches, whether it be going through this journey or whether it be in my corporate career has been so pivotal.
Katie (06:49):
Oh yeah. I can absolutely see that. And you mentioned niching down, which is super important, but very scary as you, you talked about when you first started, cause you kind of want to get as many clients as you can get and make money and all that good stuff. So when you started, you mentioned you were as a life coach and then you decided to niche down. So during that process, did you have to rebrand or change your website? What was that process like? Niching down very specifically.
Marissa (07:14):
Oh my gosh, that process doesn’t really ever stop as an entrepreneur. it was, it was really, really scary to be honest, I felt like if I, if I brand myself as this, so this very, very specific thing or this very specific target, it felt like I was just shutting myself off to so many other opportunities. And like I said, it’s actually the complete opposite. So actually I have had three different versions of my website in the last year. I have thought about potentially rebranding my business name. And I’m still tossing that around a little bit, but I think that the thing, ultimately that really shifted in my mind where when I was niching down was if you’re talking to everybody, you’re talking to nobody and I might as well have just been talking to a wall because if I’m talking to everybody and just such a generalized form of like, Hey, I’m a life coach and this is what I do.
Marissa (08:12):
Nobody really understands that. So really getting specific in knowing that I’m a confidence expert and mindset coach for women who want to transition from corporate to entrepreneurship that hit home for me. And that felt so good. So that journey of really getting specific and finding my target audience is really also paying attention to your intuition. And how does it make you feel? Because in the very beginning, when I was trying to describe it, it felt so unsettling and so unaligned with what I actually wanted to do. And I, I couldn’t even describe to anybody what it is I was wanting to do. And now that I’m in that place, my confidence is at an all-time high and it just keeps getting better. And I’m figuring out and more about who my ideal client is, which then enables me to serve them in a much more effective way. And I’m having fun developing my business, which is a huge part of being an entrepreneur is like always making sure that we have fun with it because it doesn’t have to be just another task. Otherwise I would have stayed at my corporate job and it’s always going back to that. Why did I want to make that transition in the first place? And it’s to work with people that I have such a desire to work with and support.
Katie (09:24):
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And so when you first start out as a coach a lot of people get certified, but not everyone does. What was your decision?
Marissa (09:32):
I did get certified. And when I got certified, it was a huge leap of faith. For me, it was the first large investment that I made in myself. And in my business and I was still in my corporate job and I presented an opportunity to have it be as a leadership component for my corporate role. And that was shot down very quickly. And so in that, that time and space that I was in, I didn’t really know that it was something that I would want to create as my own business. I just knew that it was something that I really wanted to do and I, I couldn’t turn away from it. So I made the investment on my own and it was the best investment I have ever made. And I will say that, that, that training and that certification that I went through was the start of an incredible personal transformation for me.
Marissa (10:26):
And the thing that we hear so often as if your mind is not right, then you can’t serve in the capacity that you’re meant to. And I 100% stand behind that. And that was what my certification got, got me to was being in such a good place with myself, that I was able to show up and serve my clients and hold the space for them and do the mindset and the strategy with them, and really just meet them where they are and help catapult them to where they want to be. And so the, the certification, it really prepares you when it, it, it gives you strategies, but also mindset of how do you actually hold space because silence to so many people in a conversation is very uncomfortable, but holding space and holding silence for a client can be the best thing that you’ve ever done for them. And as a coach, you should not be doing all of the talking or majority of the talking. It should be the client because that’s what you’re there for. You’re there to support and help them do the work and not do the work for them. And that certification is exactly what that was, what it enabled me to do.
Katie (11:37):
Right. Yeah. And there’s a lot out there when it comes to different coaching programs from life coaching and business coaching. How did you choose the program that you went with and do you have any recommendations for people listening on maybe what to look for and what to avoid when it comes to choosing the right coaching program for them? Oh, absolutely.
Marissa (11:54):
When I started looking for a coaching certification, I did quite a bit of research and I really, I had a list of things that I really wanted to get out of it, what my goals were and most importantly, how I wanted to feel walking out of it. And I will say that I really wanted something that was very heart-centered with strategy. I’m an Aries, I’m very type a and some of the things that I do, so I, I do like lists and I do really like strategy. But at the same time I wanted something where I could connect at a much personal level with my clients and with my certification. So I highly, highly recommend for anybody considering getting a certification is to really write down a list of things that not only that you want to get out of it as far as strategy and, and how you learn, but how do you want to feel when you walk away from it?
Marissa (12:44):
How do you want it to elevate you as an individual so that you can show up and figure out this is my ideal client, this is how I want to serve them and how I want to feel walking away from it. And really interview really, really interviewed the people that run the coaching certification organizations because that’s key how you’re going to interact with them because a lot of the conversations can get very raw and require another level of vulnerability, vulnerability that I didn’t really even expect, but I’m so grateful for. And so it’s, it’s really being again with the same way that individuals will be niching down is getting very specific about what you want to get out of the certification, what it means to you. And I will a hundred percent stand behind the certification that I got and until I can’t anymore, because it really prepared me again for the communication and the professionalism in the manner that I need to show up for my clients.
Katie (13:48):
That’s great advice. And so now that you’ve got your certification and you’re ready to kind of jump into your business, how did you start finding clients?
Marissa (13:57):
Yeah, that’s a really good question. So how I started finding clients is I had my first client by a referral actually from another individual who went through the coaching Academy with me. And so I, I really think that a key to start finding clients is really being confident in who you are as a business owner, and really being confident in your mission and your message otherwise, no, one’s really going to understand what value you bring to them. And so if you’re not presenting value, no one’s really going to work with you because it’s, it’s confusing. So finding clients for me was definitely word of mouth. It was a lot of connecting and networking with individually is local. I did some research on different online groups that I could join. Other fellow female entrepreneur groups, whether it be on Facebook or Instagram or LinkedIn. And I really had to learn kind of the hard way to set boundaries around networking, because I feel like especially for new entrepreneurs, it feels like we need to just shove ourselves into all of the networking events at one time.
Marissa (15:04):
And that can be really just depleting, energetically. And so I think really doing the research in different events that you want to attend, and again, listing out how you want to feel when you walk away from there, if there is a specific person that you want to connect with and how you want to do it. And also if there’s an event that you’re at, and you’re only there for five or 10 minutes, and you’re just not feeling it, you can leave. And that was something that I ha I didn’t learn until maybe a few months ago, because I felt like I had to stay through the whole thing, but I always tell people if they’re not being energized or move forward by either an experience a person, and whether that be a networking event is like you can leave. And, and that’s okay. So yeah, I think finding clients is, is really just networking and being confident in who you are as a business owner, and really presenting that unshakable very clear value that you can provide to your clients.
Katie (16:01):
Fantastic. I love that approach. And if someone is listening, who’s interested in maybe becoming a coach or on the other side of actually getting coaching. Can you talk a little bit about what the process is like? Because I think there’s a lot of misconceptions that people have when they go into a coaching program, they expect, all right, this coach is going to do everything for me. And all I have to do is be here and it’s all going to change for the better. I don’t know if that’s exactly true. So can you kind of get some insight into what the coaching process is actually like?
Marissa (16:28):
Absolutely. So I will speak to the coaching process as it is for a client. So when you work with a coach, the coach is not there to do the work for you. As I mentioned earlier, they’re there to support you. They’re there to provide resources. They’re there to be a sounding board for you. And also to give you that I like to tell people like my coaching style is that I’m not going to blow sunshine at them just because that’s maybe what will make them feel better in the moment. It’s just being very honest. It’s a two way street open honesty from both the client and the coach, because otherwise you’re, you’re going to just be spinning your tires. And so it’s being very open to trying things a new way and looking at things from a different perspective and being able to take those things in and figure out what does this mean for me?
Marissa (17:17):
And a lot of times with coaching, it’s again, really interview coaches, then don’t just hire the first one that comes across your desk or comes across your phone. Or if you’re scrolling through Instagram, really enter interview them because you want to one make sure that their values align with your values and to get a feel for what their coaching style is. Not every coach is for everybody and not every client is for everybody. And there’s 7 billion people in the world and there’s plenty of coaches and plenty of clients to work with. And that’s something to really just be patient with as you are navigating the, the pool of coaches to possibly work with. And I think that it’s also very important to have some sort of clarity on what you want to get out of coaching, whether it’s life, coaching, relationship, fitness, business, any kind of life transition, those types of things is, is being very specific and just presenting, presenting it to that potential coach and saying, here’s what my goal is for coaching.
Marissa (18:12):
How can you help me? How can you help support me to get me to where I really want to be? And if that coach aligns with your values, go deeper, like ask them, ask them more questions, get very specific. the coaching process gets to be fun. It gets to be exactly what you want it to be. And I think that that’s very important. coaches should never back a client into a corner or nothing is ever forced and they’re there to support you. And I think that that is so, so key that whenever you’re interviewing coaches is pay attention to what your intuition and your body is telling you, because it doesn’t ever steer you wrong. And if you have a gut feeling about like, absolutely, yes, this is the person that I have to work with, then do it. I will tell you from personal experience, one of my previous coaches, and I’ve had a couple, this one specific coach, I got on the call with her and we were interviewing, and I just knew immediately I had to work with her, her values aligned with me. I had just like this overwhelming feeling of she is going to help support me in the way that I know that I need right now. And probably in ways that I don’t even know I need. So those interviews with looking for coaches are absolutely key whenever you’re getting into the process.
Katie (19:26):
Yeah. I love that. That’s fantastic. And so you work with a lot of women, obviously, who were moving from corporate into entrepreneurship and it’s a journey that you’ve been through. So you kind of understand it from that side. And so what are some common things that you notice that women are challenged with when they’re making this transition?
Marissa (19:43):
Oh yeah. I want to give you like a top three. I will say that having the, the challenging conversations is something that really holds women back from, from taping, taking that step. And I kind of steer away from calling it a leap because it isn’t a giant leap that you just do all at once and you don’t look back having those tough conversations are exceptionally challenging because it’s requiring another level of confidence in yourself to go in and have the conversation with your boss or your colleagues or friends and family, and say, Hey, I’m making this move for me. And this is why I’m doing it. And just letting that be okay. And really drowning out the noise because everybody is going to have an opinion, not everybody in your life is going to understand why you’re making this transition. And that’s okay.
Marissa (20:33):
I think that the, the second one that I hear quite a bit about is really figuring out what it is, what is it that I actually want to do, because there’s so many options out there now. And I think when you make that transition, you have to have a level of clarity on what is it that I want to do. And understanding that having a plan is great, but letting it be flexible is even better. Because I will say that I never really expected my business to go the direction that it did at the pace that it did. And allowing that to happen has been one of the best decisions and best spaces that I’ve allowed myself to get into. And it’s really just catapulted me to a whole other level that I always dreamt about and it’s finally happening. And that is such a great feeling.
Marissa (21:23):
And I will say that the third thing that I experienced, and also a lot of my clients experience, whether they’re in the process or they’re thinking about it is having the almost quote unquote buyer’s remorse feeling of did I make the right decision, leaving my corporate job and transitioning into my own thing, because it is very, it is hard. It’s challenging, it’s exciting. It’s all of the things. And there are days where you question did I make the right decision? I don’t know that I’m going to have a steady income coming in every two weeks or every month or every week or whatever it may be. And really you are your own boss. And that means so many different things. You are human resources, you’re the CEO, you are facilities, you’re it at that point. And you have a lot of different avenues to navigate, but the beauty of it is, is as you’re connecting and networking with different people in your orbit, those individuals who are experts in that space fall into your life exactly when you need them.
Marissa (22:26):
And so it’s being open to seeing those individuals and reaching out and asking for help. I think the number one thing that I will always, always, always tell my clients is ask for help. I have also, I will. I tell people this all the time, and I’m sure I’ve said it a number of times in this interview, but I have learned things the hard way. And I am here to lead by example and, and step my foot out there first, if I have to so that people can learn from what works for me and what hasn’t. And a very tangible example would be, like I said, I had three versions of my website and it and technology are not my subject expert space. And so the day that I finally reached out to a woman that I met at another networking group and said, Hey, can you please automate everything? I want all of the backend of my website, automated. I want all of my workflows automated. This is what I want. It was the best decision I ever made. And so being able to delegate and ask for help is a number one key to really getting your business to where you want it to be. Yeah,
Katie (23:32):
Absolutely. I’m a huge fan of delegating. And that’s a great way to really kind of support your growth as you get bigger as a business. And you mentioned you’ve grown a lot since you started. So as well as outsourcing, what are some other things that you’ve done to really yourself as you’ve grown and your business has gotten bigger and bigger?
Marissa (23:50):
Number one is self-care. And I recently just talked to my audience about this is that self-care is not just a glass of wine and a face mask. It is so much more than that. It is asking for help. It’s taking time to rest. It’s taking a day off from your business. It’s paying your bills on time, understanding where your money’s going, really just being aware of your life and your surroundings and who is in your life is self-care when I wrapped my head around that, it just, it felt like it happened overnight that my energy just shot through the roof. I then was able to attract my dream clients. I was then able to launch my first program. I was then able to have my best month financially and feel really good about it. And it’s really helped me also Up level my relationship with money and self-care is key and really understanding what it is beyond what it looks like on social media.
Marissa (24:48):
I will say, just being very aware of my self-talk and understanding that anything is possible and anything is achievable, and there’s nothing out of my realm that I can’t achieve. And when I heard that before, I thought that it was absolutely ridiculous, but I will tell you that I firmly stand behind that really doing that mindset work, whether it’s journaling, meditation brainstorming with a friend that really energizes you taking a vacation or going on a walk and, or listening to podcasts that really light you up. But also it’s going from consumer to creator. we have the power to create our lives exactly how we want them to be. We hold that power. We have the decision-making and really just holding onto our power and putting it into places that feel good is, is life-changing, it, it really has. I think just made my business exactly what I want it to be without me really having to quote unquote hustle. And it’s just, it’s felt easier. It feels fun now. And the clients that I’m working with are exactly who I’m meant to work with. And it’s just, it’s exciting. I’m now really happy with where I’m at. I’m excited about where I’m at and I’m really excited about where I’m going.
Katie (26:08):
Very cool. Yeah. That is really, really exciting. And do you have any resources out there, whether it be books or podcasts or courses that have been helpful for you as a business owner or just in your personal life that you could recommend to the listeners?
Marissa (26:21):
Oh yeah, absolutely. I will say that the gifts of imperfection are, is a book that really just shot me into, okay. I, I am great exactly where I’m at. So gifts of imperfection by Bernie Brown is phenomenal. Let’s see. Another podcast that I would highly recommend is an it’s by wall street journal. It’s called secrets of wealthy women. And I will tell you, and everybody listening that if there is something that you are struggling with, or you just can’t get the answer to turn that podcast on and just randomly scroll and pick it an episode, and it will be the exact message that you need to hear in that moment, because that has happened to me numerous times.
Katie (27:01):
Fantastic. Yeah. I’ll link to all of that in the show notes. Everyone can find it. And I know everyone’s going to want to check out everything you’re doing and follow your journey more. So can you tell people how to find you online?
Marissa (27:11):
Yeah, absolutely. So the best way to find me online is through Instagram and my handle is at Marissa Renee Bailey. And I will give that to you so you can link to that. And then also my website it’s M power, all one word-coach.com. And I would love to hear from any and all of you, whether it’s questions, comments, or you want to hear more about my journey or what it is that I do.
Katie (27:35):
Fantastic. Well, Marissa, thank you so much for coming on the show today. It’s been such a pleasure to talk to you.
Marissa (27:39):
Thank you so much, Katie.
