Meet Courtney Gaines | Personal Strategy Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Gaines and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have been a Professional School Counselor for over 20 years and had a niche for working well with students in the middle school range. Although they received my support within the “schoolhouse” they were still in need of more support in handling life challenges, that they necessarily didn’t need a therapist for. This is when I had the thought to become trained as a life coach and place my focus on how I could contribute to helping them outside of school. When I initially started Gaining Purpose with Coach G, my ideal clients were kids ages 12-18 who’s parents wanted to provide their children with an additional village member to help them make more solid life decisions and choices. However, over time, I began to see the need that educators also have in needing a life coach through working through life changes, pivoting of careers, and finding more purpose in what they do so that they can keep going. Therefore, I made the pivot in my business to provide coaching support and strategies to educators in helping them create a roadmap of clarity, fortitude, and purpose where they will meet their next goals and help answer the question of “What’s next?” for themselves.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As the school counselor in a school building, I have always provided some sort of life coaching to my colleagues when they asked for direction and support. However, when I made it into a business, I’m learning that the path of entrepreneurship is not an easy one. When the difficult seasons arrive, I always center myself and ask God to continue to lead me in the direction of where I will and can make a positive impact. With the current state education is in and teacher retention at the forefront, I believe that life coaching services are a necessity more than a luxury form of self care for educators. Many educators have found that their passion for teaching or working in a school has been tested and therefore a renewed sense of purpose is what they seek. My life coaching services helps to provide them with that new roadmap to new goals. As their life coach, I get very excited about the clarity my clients gain in our sessions and the successes they achieve!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a native of Atlanta so all parts of the city are fun and interesting to me! For visiting guests, I would be sure to take them on the Atlanta Beltline for a good walk and lunch. We would also be sure to visit any of the rooftop bars and restaurants because we have such a beautiful skyline. Of course a visit to Atlanta is not fulfilling if you don’t brunch! Therefore, a weekend brunch at The Toast at Lenox is a must and checking out The Works for a laid back variety of foods for dinner as well would be on the agenda. For an end of the evening cocktail, we would visit Apt 4b or The James Room because their cocktails and ambiance are perfect. For more activities, a hike to see the bamboo forest or shooting the Chattahoochee river might be a little adventurous. Or for a little more calming time with nature, Westside Quarry or Fourth Ward Park are nice places for a picnic. At this time of year, we could also catch any of the festivals being hosted in Piedmont Park. The beautiful and enriching thing about our city is that at any given time, you can find anything to do…just depends on your mood and interests!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have a very strong village of women and men in my life that have helped me to become the edupreneur I am today. My family always believes in me and my abilities and I am grateful for a life partner that allows me to pursue anything that I set my eyes and mind on! I couldn’t have become a certified life coach without the training from Jennifer Lester and Candayce Patterson of National Coaching Society. I also would not have been able to learn about entrepreneurship without the guidance and support I received from Charis Dorsey and The Vision Foundation’s pre-accelerator program. As I and my business continue to evolve, I am grateful for all who’s paths I cross and hope that I always make a positive impact on them.

Website: osha.ke/gainingpurposecoachg

Instagram: @purposecoachg

Twitter: @purposecoachg

Facebook: Gaining Purpose with Coach G

Image Credits
The feature image is by Urban Life Photography, LLC