Navigating Business Challenges and Finding Confidence through life coaching

Hello. Soulful listeners. Thank you so much for being here. Welcome back to the show today. I want you to hear from Katrina, who is one of my former one on one coaching clients.  I got to recently meet in person.

We’ll talk more about that a little bit later, but I’m so glad to have her on the show. Hey Katrina, how

are you today? Good morning. Good morning. I’m glad to be here. Super excited. Thanks for having me. 

Absolutely, I cannot wait for my listeners to hear your transformation  from coaching. I almost wanted to say 1 on 1 coaching because initially we did work together in a 1 on 1 capacity.

And then we work together again. And 1 of my smaller group containers, which was also great. But, I want them to hear from your mouth, your experience in coaching. So before we get started, though, I would love for you  to introduce yourself. Okay.

All right., my name is Katrina Carrington.

I’m a  CPA. , I have a full service accounting firm. We operate, operate out of Jacksonville, North Carolina., it’s a huge military transient town.  I’m a product of, the Marine Corps served for four years. My husband did 20 years in the Marine Corps. So he retired.

  We planted roots here, have three sons, , all pretty much grown.  And  we help business owners, to understand their finances more in a 360 degree way,  to achieve whatever level of success they’re looking for, whether that be money or peace of mind or, you know, freedom of time, whatever that may be for them.

So, you know, that’s what we do here. And I’ve been doing this for over 10 years now on my own. Um, but in the accounting industry for over 25 years, that’s hard to believe sometimes. 

I know. Right. When you start like quoting numbers and time, I’m  like, Oh my God, I find myself the other day saying to somebody, I was at a movie theater and I was saying to the guy in the concession stand, I was like, you know what?

30 years ago, my first job I worked in, I was 

like, I know, I know I’m 47 years old. It’s something about the number 47 when I was 46. It was not a big deal, but it was something about 47, it you’re getting closer to 50. So I think that’s where you really start looking at the things that you’ve done in your life to see, is it in alignment?

Am I achieving the goals that I’ve set out and set for myself? And I know those things change, but for me, I think 47 is really giving me some clarity on the direction that I want to be going in life. But there’s something about that number. When I think about How long I’ve been doing these things like, like over 30 years in the Jacksonville area.

I’m like, wow, 30 years. It’s crazy. But you know, fast time flies. So, you know, you just have to go after the things that you want in life. You just have to go after them. Like time waits for no one.

Yeah, absolutely, I totally feel that way. And I’m just you mentioned like, what did you like? What is it about this number  47?

 I can tell you that you’re in that three year like ramp up before your second Saturn return. And so yeah, that’s always a point where you start looking back like, okay, what did I do? What lessons did I learn? Yeah. And where I want to go from here. I love that because  most of the women that I work with they’re busy. They’re ambitious. They’re over 30. they’re in their 40s, 50s, you know, so it’s very reflective and at the same time, like fast forward thinking, I want to say, so, and thank you for you and your husband’s service. My husband is also, military, so I know what that is like for family.

And I just want to say, thank you to you and your husband and your entire family. Thank you  so listen,  you are like one of my favorite clients..  And now even a friend like we, we, we established like, yeah, we’re, we’re friends too.  , you know, you came to working with me as a coach with like complete openness., I almost want to say vulnerability too. Can you talk briefly about what your circumstances were at that time,  that made you seek out coaching?

Yeah, yeah, of course. Okay.

So well, first of all, thank you.  Because, um, you’re definitely one of my favorite coaches that I’ve worked with. Um, I think you just get me and you get your students. I think that speaks volumes, but at the time. So I’m a CPA, but I also dabble in entrepreneurship as well. And I had started a boutique.

Um, had partnered, uh, with a good friend. We started a business together and this was , right before COVID happened. So right before the pandemic, we had opened that boutique in  late 2019, and then we  realized that we couldn’t work together. And so I ended up taking over the business and then the pandemic happened.

And so I was just in this really. Weird, I think state of mind. Like I felt like I was in crisis mode. Like, what do I do? Not just for my business, but I think from a mental health standpoint, like I was just like, I, I just needed help and I didn’t want to talk to,  I really didn’t want to go to a therapist.

I wanted to talk to somebody who had been a business coach as well. Also, somebody that , had understood that industry, which, you know, you’ve got, you’ve got some street cred in the area, too. So, I was just, you know, looking online, looking for someone, and you came up, you popped up, and I realized that you do one on one.

So I stalked you. If you remember, I was like all in your DMs, like, Sonia, I need you. We need to work together. We need you. Because I just knew that it was beyond me. It was beyond what I felt like I could handle, you know, and I, you know, I had, had my own accounting firm. I had my own business.  I think.

You have to understand what you can handle and what you can’t. And I knew that I needed help in that area. And so I reached out to you and you were like,, okay, sure. You know, you fit me in, you squeezed me in. , we sat down, we did a really good assessment of where, what, where I was. And I think you just helped to really ground me.

That’s what I needed. I needed that at the time. I needed some grounding because I just felt like I was just all over the place and I didn’t know which direction to go. Do I keep the boutique? Do I close it? You know, and then I was struggling with the whole fallout of a partnership, not working out.

That’s a big deal when a partnership doesn’t work out, that’s a huge deal. That’s like going through a divorce.  Especially, you know, with good friends that you still have a somewhat of a relationship with it was just so much. Um, and you just really helped me through that. And I, I appreciate it because it helped.

It really gave me peace of mind.  Um, just going through just that initial consultation that we did. And then of course, after that, I was like, okay, how do we continue working together? Because I need you in my life, Sonia,  I need you. But, um, but no, I agree. I came to the table, very vulnerable, very open because sometimes you have to know what you don’t know.

And. If I come to the table, like I’ve got it all figured out. Well, then what am I here for?  Like, I need your advice. I need that counseling. I need to understand exactly what I’m doing. I won’t say wrong, but where the challenges are and where the potential opportunities are, you know?

 Let me

touch on 1 piece of that you said, because, it was so good. I think a lot of people will be able to see themselves in that. , 1 thing about you, though, Katrina is that you do have a very. Strong personality, which I love and I connect with, and you have a very, like you have a very strong vision for yourself.

Y’all she’s a Taurus  all my Taurus, all

of

that part, sun signs and source risings like me right like when you put your mind to something you’re going to do it.  For and I work with a lot of really strong women like that, and that’s totally fine. I’m here for   I guess when you say, like, you just have to know when you don’t know a thing,  having a very, like, like, I’m going to do a thing.

And I’m  where did you find that within yourself to to even be like, okay,  this is beyond me.

Yeah.   that’s a great question. I would say  I spend time just understanding myself a little bit more and know what my own limitations are.   I think that comes from self awareness. I know I don’t have all of the answers.

I know that there’s things that I do really, really well. And I know that there’s some areas where I’m weak. And so rather than just make excuses or, um, you know, just try to. Bypass those areas where I know I need some help. I’d rather just get the help that I need because I know that ultimately that’s going to make me stronger.

You know, when I can identify where I’m weak and then focus on,  you know, making me stronger in those areas. Well, then that makes me a powerhouse. And I, you know, I understand that, like Get that’s why I believe in getting the help. But, you know, there’s also, you know, you have triggers. I think a lot of it comes from, you know, your childhood, just your how you were raised and all of those things.

And  I’ve had enough relationships to see. When you don’t focus on the areas where, you know, you might be triggered or you may not be as strong as you hope, a lot of insecurities come out and you’re constantly just  trying to get around those insecurities and trying to justify those insecurities and projecting them onto other people.

And, you know, you have to just stop and say, okay. This is something that I know I need help with, and let me just deal with it so it doesn’t become a trigger, so it doesn’t become something bigger later. Yeah,

absolutely.  I’m curious, you knew you wanted  coaching specifically, did you have any reservations though, in that deciding process about hiring a coach?

Were there any  things that, like,  Oh, I want to work with a coach, but. 

No, no, because I was in, like I said, for me at that time, I felt like I was in crisis mode. I felt like it was a sink or swim situation.

I was spiraling almost into some level of depression, you know, so that was a sink or swim situation where I, you know, you pay what you, you, you invest what you have to at that time because you know, Hey, I need help. But I think the biggest thing comes from knowing that you need the help. That’s part of it.

The self awareness piece is very important because you can justify Doing something or not doing something. We can justify everything in our mind, right? And we can talk ourself into something. We can talk ourselves out of something. So, I think the self awareness piece is very important to know. Like I said, if you know you need help, then don’t try to talk yourself out of it.

Get the help that you need. Research. Find somebody that’s strong in those areas where you’re weak. And do the work. Show up for yourself and do the work.  Yes, it’s going to be an investment.  That type of service is not going to come cheap, but you wouldn’t expect it to just understanding the gravity of what it is that you’re that you’re dealing with.

That’s not something that’s that’s going to come cheap and  I also believe that you get what you pay for  . You get what you pay for. You get what you don’t pay for either way. You know, there’s always a cost associated, you know, there’s opportunity, cost. There’s so much . So, yeah. Yeah, no doubts whatsoever.

Once I researched, realized that you were the person and then after, you know, meeting with you doing a one-on-one and understanding that. Hey, she, she gets me. She understands what I need. And  just in that short timeframe. You know, you just like I said, you just helped to really give me some peace of mind and really some direction.

So of course, it was like, okay, I need more of this. I need to do more of this until I can get to a place where I feel strong again. I feel strong in this area. I think that’s what it’s all about. 

It is and it’s not, you know, a couple of things there. And yeah, I obviously I’m a coach. So I’m going to agree with you that coaching, you know, when you fully. Immerse yourself in the experience.

 And just allow yourself and it’s not about following my instructions. Matter of fact, I don’t  some of y’all tell me I tell y’all what to do, but I don’t think I tell you what to do. I think I give different perspectives and say, Hey, have you what about this? When I say this like this, what do you think about that?

Or have you tried it this way? And then I’m going to be very encouraging for you to try it before you dismiss it. . Because I think, and when we’re on our own heads, we talk ourselves out of things all the time. So we talk ourselves out of our goals. We talk ourselves out of, you know, the support we could be experiencing, you know, because our thoughts are like  all over the place, all over the place.

, you mentioned,, you got peace of mind and sort of like that 1st conversation. I want to go a little bit deeper with that. Like, what were some of the immediate results? You experienced? So like our first, so after our consultation, our sales call, right? Mm-Hmm.  we Had AVIP day. Mm-Hmm. . And so when you left , just that one initial, can you remember like what you came away with in terms of a feeling, or when you say peace of mind, maybe just  unwrapping that a bit.

I think for me, it was more  confidence. It gave me confidence that, hey, you’re moving , in the right direction. That  the things that I was concerned about were really coming from an emotional place, like you said, you know, and I wasn’t, I don’t feel like I was making logical, rational decisions because when your emotions are high, you really, you can’t make decisions for yourself.

 And, you know,  I think, just not trusting what those emotions were and knowing enough about myself that I don’t, I can’t trust any of the thoughts that I’m making right now.

I can’t, I’ve prayed about it. I still, I don’t trust where, where I’m coming from. And I think just talking to you  just helped to understand like, okay, so you’re doing this,   you’ve done A, B, and C. Okay, good. So that means that you’ve thought about, you’ve considered this.  I think having somebody just rationally.

Understand what that process was, , what I’m going through, what the process currently is, what the next steps are and what the potential outcome could be, I think, was just very is very reassuring because, like I said, the fact that you already had the experience, but also. Understood the mental health aspect of it was a, you know, that’s a big piece.

It’s not just business. We’re not just talking just business things. We’re talking about the mental health as well. And you also, you know, I go, go, go, go, you know, I go hard and whatever I’m doing, I go really hard. And so even in that regard at that time, I really needed to just take a step back. And I think you really helped me to just kind of understand that.

All right, just take things a little easier. Take things a little bit slower. You’re doing all the right things, you know, so that was very reassuring, I think. Because like I said, if you don’t trust your emotions, you don’t trust where those things are coming from, then, um,

you can make matters worse. So I walked away just feeling like I had more confidence in what I was doing. I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy, but I do need to slow down a little bit, you know?  So yeah, I think that was the biggest thing, that confidence and reassurance. That was a big

thing. Yeah. Yeah. So ultimately we’ll fast forward a little bit because what I really like about this conversation is not just where people can see and we’re talking about like where you were, but,  I get to sort of showcase.

Almost like a before and after to because it’s been a while since we worked together. , so. , what did you end up achieving from the coaching?

Would you care to share that? Um,  in a nutshell. 

 I think it just learning to trust myself that I think the initial coaching  helped me to just get some reassurance, get my confidence back. And I also started to learn to trust the decisions that I was making because I realized that, okay, you are on the right track.

You are making good decisions for your business. So.  Later on, when it comes to big decisions, I’m not questioning so much about myself and questioning whether I’m making the right choices. You know, closing the brick and mortar rather and going online.

, that can be a big deal for some people. For me, it was like, Okay, this is what I have to do. This is what, where the industry is leading. Um, this is where it’s going and this is what is a smart decision for my business. It’s, you know, caring less about what other people think. You know, that’s where, when you have your confidence and what you’re doing, you’re like, I don’t care what anybody else thinks.

This is the right thing that I have to do for my business. And if anybody has a problem with it, okay, that’s their problem. Not mine. This is what I’m doing for my business. So I think in gaining that confidence, , It helped me to learn to trust my decision making and, you know, so that’s continuing to move for that businesses continue to move forward.

Yes, I have to pivot. I have to shift and, you know, different ways, but that’s part of the ebbs and flows of a business, right? 

, I love that you’re saying that because it’s just the ebb and flow of life. And  when you can detach.

And  From a thing,  anything in order to serve the goals that you’re trying to achieve. I think that’s what’s going to help you achieve the goal, fulfill the goal. Because when you’re attached to, if you would have just been like, Oh, no, I’m going to dig in my heels. I am a, I will have this brick and mortar if I have to eat crackers,  because you’re so attached to it, where, like you’re saying, you learn, like, okay.

I’m being led to go online, or I’m being led to take my business in this direction, or I’m being led to make these decisions in my personal life, and I now trust myself to follow where I am being led.

Right,  man. 

Yeah, that’s everything. It’s

everything and that felt really, really good. Honestly, it felt good.

It wasn’t. Emotionally driven, those are rational decisions and I do credit that back to us going through coaching and things like that., having that reassurance that I can trust myself, I can trust the decisions that I’m making , really just does give you confidence.

, I do. Make time for the self care. That was a big deal. The self care piece was a big deal because there would be times I would come on those coaching calls and you would ask me how I was doing.

And I would just break out in tears because I was doing so much. I was doing so much for,  I didn’t even know the reason why I was doing so much. I was just going, going, going. And it’s like, what did you just, you have to just take a, just pause for a second, take a break. You know, put things into perspective.

Those things are still going to be there. But if you’re not here, or if you’re in shambles, then nothing happens.  So,  when it comes to like my family, my businesses, all those things. Self care is also a big piece that came out of that as well.  So . I’m in a much better place. I think it’s perfect. No, but,  You know, I, I, I feel a lot better about my decision making and how to move forward just in life and in business.

So, so yeah, that’s a big deal.  ,

, when I talk about  transformation  and how  when I work with clients, it’s life changing.  You know, people hear that and I don’t think they’re like, oh, life changing, but no, it’s really life changing because this is almost 3 years later.

And basically, you are still using the tools that  we talked about in that, you know, we practice in the coaching in your everyday life right now. And that is what is life changing.  I say all the time, like, You’re going to get things that help you right now in the moment, like, you’re not going to. Oh, that  that worked. Then I have no idea what to do now. At least that’s my goal when I’m coaching. So thank you for sharing that.

  before we wrap up, though, I said, I would circle back.

So  1 of the great things about my relationships with a lot of my clients is I do stay in touch with them. Whether it’s just through social media,, I’m having a thing. I invite them to it. I found out about something. I’m sharing it. And it was so interesting because we talked in some  sporadically, you know, over the last 3 years, but  posted about this event that I was going to, that Rachel Rogers was a part of and Katrina was like,  Oh,  what’s that?

And she’s like, okay, let me look at it. And then, like, 10 minutes later, you were like, yep, I’m going. And it was awesome because we got to meet in person. So it’s always just a pleasure when I get to, like, make physical contact with people. And it was so much fun. Meeting you in person, we had lunch, like we were hug buddies, you know, we ended up going to this event, sharing shirts.

It was a whole thing. It was a whole vibe, y’all. Yeah. And it just sort of like solidified, you know, what we had built, you know, over that period of time. So again, that was just such a wonderful experience for me, , to get to be in your presence in that way, you know,

before we go

tell people where  they can find you. And connect with you because I’m sure I am positive. There are people listening right now that could benefit from your wonderful services.

Sure. Sure. , so my Instagram page is Katrina Carrington CPA. And then from there, I have the link tree. You can click on, to learn about how we can work together.

, our , programs that are going on right now. We’re doing a start your business in 30 day program right now, which is super fun. I’m excited to get started with that.  But yeah, Instagram Katrina Carrington CPA. 

All right, cool and I will make sure to put a link to  your Instagram and also to your work with me page that you mentioned in  the show notes to make it really easy for everyone listening.

Katrina. This is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you for your time.

 Thank you so much  for having me. And I wanted to say when we met up in, nashville. When you said we had not met before, when you said, Oh, great, we get to meet in person.

That completely shocked me. That caught me off guard because I was like, wait, I’ve never met Sonia in person. Like, really? That’s how much. Like when we would have our video calls, it just felt like you were, you were right there in the room with me.

So that’s how personalized that service is. And I thank you. Thank you. Because like you said, you have changed my life and, , I have a friend for life. So I appreciate being here and anything that I can do.  Absolutely.

Y’all we can continue this love fest forever, but we know y’all got things to do and we got things to do.

Thank you  so much for listening. Thank you, Katrina. Thank you. I can’t wait for everyone to hear your story.

Thank you.