We were lucky to catch up with Joanna Ingram recently and have shared our conversation below.
Joanna, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Raised by parents who struggled to make ends meet and worked three jobs each, I internalized the idea that you had to work hard to make money. As the eldest of three sisters, I also took on the ‘good girl’ persona of following society’s expectations on what a career should look like, and I jumped into a graduate position at a leading advertising agency and worked my way up for over 20 years…never being truly happy or fulfilled, but sticking with it out of misguided loyalty to the ‘right thing to do’ and the belief that it was natural to work hard (to the point of exhaustion). My work ethic had always been based on a masculine drive of over-efforting and pushing.
Now in my 40s, I’ve finally integrated the idea of feminine flow – of allowing creativity and space to be an essential part of my work as a Messaging and Business Consultant for coaches and healers. Stepping out of corporate culture and taking time to explore my spiritual interests have helped me understand that my earlier programming on what a healthy work ethic should be for me is out of alignment with what actually fosters energy and inspiration. Today, I work fewer hours but create far more impact in the world – and I am far happier as a result!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a Messaging & Brand Positioning Specialist who helps spiritual coaches and healers articulate the value of their unique brilliance with messaging that attracts premium soul clients.
As a former advertising agency director of 20 years, a pranic healer and breathwork facilitator, and a Human Design 5/1 Reflector, I blend proven marketing strategies with energetic modalities. I’m also the host of a leading top 2% podcast, Goals With Soul.
I struggled with burnout after leaping out of corporate and into coaching and tried all the strategies to get more clients while feeling more exhausted and lost, which led me to make massive changes and completely realign what I do, who I work with, and how I create transformation.
My clients are typically frustrated with blending into the crowd, shrinking their message, and overdelivering for unappreciative clients, and I help them create results like six-figure launches, fully booked group programs, and 10x engagement with their content by blending messaging, marketing, and energetics, using my Aligned Client Code™️ Method.
As a mum to 3 spirited daughters, I’ve learned the art of non-attachment to outcome and the power of being in flow and not force…particularly after my unusual journey to motherhood after nearly dying in childbirth and experiencing an emergency hysterectomy and then welcoming my twin daughters with the help of a surrogate mum living 11,000 miles away.
If you’re a coach or healer ready to attract energetically aligned clients, you can access my free messaging training here: https://www.iamjoingram.co/radiate-masterclass
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Burnout in my first year was a brutal lesson that took me out of my business for three months to realign my values and goals with what I truly wanted. I learned new skills and knowledge, which reignited my passion for my business and enabled me to work joyfully, sustainably, and profitably, and I’d love to share them with you…
1) The balance of masculine & feminine
Having worked in corporate ad agencies for over 20 years and being a naturally driven first-born daughter, I launched my business with the masculine energy of pushing and striving. No wonder I was exhausted, given that I was doing way too many things at once and over-efforting for unappreciative clients who weren’t a good match for my energy.
I learned to go with the flow, detach myself from the outcome, and allow things to unfold in their own time rather than forcing them. Although I’ll always be an overthinking perfectionist, I now know how to balance my masculine drive with enjoying the ride!
I also adopted strong boundaries in my business, the permission to say ‘no’ to misaligned clients and projects. I call this my Business Manifest-o™️ and now work on this with my clients to catalyze changes in their business energy.
If you’re in a stage of over-efforting to prove your worth, know that you are keeping yourself apart from the ease and flow that you most want. One of the simplest ways I evoked a change was to decide what I was no longer available for (make a list!) and then make choices based on those intentions.
2) The value of your aligned message
Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you necessarily should (at least, not if happiness and ease are your ultimate desires!).
As I leaped out of corporate at the start of the pandemic, I started coaching new business owners who couldn’t organize their strategies and deadlines. I was overjoyed to start making money and helping people.
But as it turned out, teaching productivity and CEO strategies, although certainly within my wheelhouse, wasn’t what actually lit me up. I felt most alive when I worked on my clients’ messages, the authentic way for them to attract the clients they most want to work with. My business (and life) changed when I pivoted to providing this specific service to clients who are just as motivated as I am to show up and effect transformational change.
My advice to coaches and healers who want to love their business and build long-term profitability is to join the dots of their message to include all the things they love from their experience, struggles, skills, and passions (I use my Brand EPICS®️ process to reveal these). Once they are truly delivering offers that excite and inspire them, everything gets easier, from marketing and selling to delivering their programs.
3) Articulate the value of your work
For every business owner who wonders how to get sales or would like to uplevel the value of clients they work with, articulating the value of their work is the key.
I learned the hard way that selling coaching, consulting, or healing is NOT a successful marketing strategy, as people don’t want to buy these things.
They want to buy results.
When you successfully convey the value of those results and outcomes, clients will understand why they need to book your services.
Anyone can learn this skill, and selling my innate brilliance (my zone of genius) has changed my world for me and for my clients.
When you craft content articulating its value to your ideal client, you can finally do work that flows through you, and it feels aligned and easy.
Learn as much as you can about what your perfect-fit client really wants and formulate an articulation that matches your work with integrity.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
When I first encountered this question, I was thrilled. It resonates with my core work, which is to refine the avatar of my clients. I’ve been on a journey of constant iteration, refining my ideal client avatar in the context of my business. I hope that sharing this journey will inspire you to reconsider who your ideal client is too.
As I mentioned, my first client avatar was an entrepreneur who couldn’t finish her work. As someone who always hits a deadline and is very organized, it seemed a good fit for me to help them. But as I learned, there’s more than just an aligned skillset when it comes to selecting an avatar; other things like your personality are equally important.
My straight-talking, fast-paced, and grounded character means I love to work with others who have similar traits: energetic, smart, competent, heart-centered, and open-minded. My clients now have these qualities, as I’m persistent in expressing the real me in my marketing to attract like-minded souls. Firstly, I enjoy working with women like me the most, plus our similar learning styles facilitate the best results and outcomes for them. Win-win.
I also learned that most of us undervalue our experience and expertise and are intimidated to work with clients that we deem ‘more successful’ than ourselves. This kept me from working with my best-match clients for a long while, and I see this happening to most of my clients, too.
During my 20 years working for Advertising Agencies, I advised CEOs and Marketing Directors on investments of multiple millions. I didn’t need to have millions to do that successfully or be respected for my advice.
Because I have the expertise!
When I applied that same approach within my coaching business, I switched from solely helping new coaches set up their messaging and offers for the first time to helping established coaches and healers who consistently earn $10-20k per month pivot their messaging and offers to express and embody their truth and attract more high-level, premium clients.
In addition, whereas at the start of my journey, I was working with coaches in any field or niche, I realized that my experience as a pranic healer and Breathwork Facilitator, combined with my passion for all things spiritual and soulful, made me a perfect match for other coaches in my niche.
How do I articulate all of that?
“I work with established, intuitive coaches and healers who’ve been playing small and hiding their unique brilliance while working with misaligned and draining clients…
…and want to sell their offers to more premium clients at higher prices by articulating the value of their transformational work to uplevel and reposition themselves within their industry – without working any harder.”
…and this clarity and articulation is what I help my clients do, too!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iamjoingram.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjo.ingram/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingram.jo/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannaingramconsulting/
- Other: https://podfollow.com/goals-with-soul
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
