I partner with ambitious female leaders to create opportunities aligned with what they truly want out of work and life, and to carve the path towards them.
How did it all begin?
I spent the first 20 years of my career climbing the ladder in big tech and consulting. I was pretty freaking good at it! But what most people didn’t know, was that behind the scenes, I was struggling with soul-sucking cases of perfectionism and Imposter Syndrome. Through working with a coach myself, I learned that unlearning those mental habits and getting crystal clear on what it is that I truly wanted was not only entirely possible , but also essential for finding fulfilment and success.
What sets your business apart?
Me – you won’t get that anywhere else! Every coach is different and it’s important to find the right fit. This is how coaching with me works:
– In my power-hour coaching sessions, I don’t dole out advice. (I find that people don’t like to be told what to do. Besides, YOU are the expert of your life).
– I DO hold space and foster radical curiosity for you.
– Through that process, you build confidence, clarity and calmness for what is to come next.
– From the very first session, you can expect to feel lighter about the opportunities/challenges ahead and clearer about next steps.
– In the medium-to-long term, clients who show up fully and willing to challenge some long-held beliefs will experience two things:
• Success – however they define it.
• Transformation – From a baseline of anxiety, worry, need to control outcomes to calmness, trust and confidence.
– In my power-hour coaching sessions, I don’t dole out advice. (I find that people don’t like to be told what to do. Besides, YOU are the expert of your life).
– I DO hold space and foster radical curiosity for you.
– Through that process, you build confidence, clarity and calmness for what is to come next.
– From the very first session, you can expect to feel lighter about the opportunities/challenges ahead and clearer about next steps.
– In the medium-to-long term, clients who show up fully and willing to challenge some long-held beliefs will experience two things:
• Success – however they define it.
• Transformation – From a baseline of anxiety, worry, need to control outcomes to calmness, trust and confidence.
What is the concept behind your business or the problem you’re solving?
The struggle is REAL whenever we are either seeking growth/opportunity that doesn’t seem to be happening or facing an opportunity or change that feels big. As women, the limiting beliefs (and other blocks) we have been conditioned to hold as truth can become very real obstacles to the clarity, confidence, calmness and trust that we require in order to be effective leaders of our businesses, teams and indeed our own lives and careers.
As a leadership coach, I partner with ambitious leaders to create opportunities aligned with what they truly want out of work and life, and to carve the path to them.
As a leadership coach, I partner with ambitious leaders to create opportunities aligned with what they truly want out of work and life, and to carve the path to them.
Where to next/What is your brand vision?
Coaching is my calling. When I’m helping others to step into their truth, I feel like I am stepping into mine. And so for now, I’m simply open to doing as much of it as my energetic capacity will allow. From there… we’ll see!
Joy Poole
Founder of
Joy Poole Coaching & Speaking
What do you feel passionate about/what drives you?
Curiosity. Creativity. Connection.
Share an example of early life that has shaped you?
Hands down, the most formative experience of my childhood was the privilege of growing up in a military family. Moving 7 times before age 12 taught me a LOT, but above all else, it taught me to embrace change. That lesson has influenced me in a million ways, but I think the most impactful influences may have been:
1) Gave me a fundamental desire to travel, live abroad and seek adventure. I’m American (now also British) and continued to bounce around the globe as an adult, but have now been in London for 10 years. In 2025 I will embark on an around-the-world sailing trip with my family!
2) Taught me how to quickly connect with people on a meaningful level. I have little interest in small talk. I want to know the real you, ASAP.
3) Led me to a career where I help others to create their own opportunity and embrace change – even when it’s disguised as a challenge.
1) Gave me a fundamental desire to travel, live abroad and seek adventure. I’m American (now also British) and continued to bounce around the globe as an adult, but have now been in London for 10 years. In 2025 I will embark on an around-the-world sailing trip with my family!
2) Taught me how to quickly connect with people on a meaningful level. I have little interest in small talk. I want to know the real you, ASAP.
3) Led me to a career where I help others to create their own opportunity and embrace change – even when it’s disguised as a challenge.
Highlights of your business journey so far?
I launched my coaching practice in January of 2022. I call it my ‘first pancake’ first year of solo-preneurship – messy but delicious all the same! I had the normal highlights of feeling proud for putting myself out there (despite it feeling scary!) and of establishing a beautiful client base. But the biggest highlight has been learning that there’s no need to fear the mistakes or misteps – they are all information guiding me in the right direction.
Key lessons you have learned along the way?
• Letting go ≠ ‘I don’t care.’
• Letting go = ‘I trust.’
I used to think that ‘letting go’ equated to coasting or being apathetic. I sometimes STILL wrestle with the disempowering story that if I let go – if I don’t maintain control over every detail of a situation – everything will go to shit. However, through much of the work I’ve witnessed as a coach and done for myself, I’ve come to understand a fundamental Truth that gives me a sense of freedom and power each time I remember it. – Letting go is not being lazy, or giving up, or even necessarily a state of inaction. – Letting go is trusting – myself, the process – enough to stay focused on the present. When I choose to let go, it’s not my own agency that I’m releasing. It’s my fear. When I can do that, pretty much anything is possible… and it’s a lot more fun along the way.
• Letting go = ‘I trust.’
I used to think that ‘letting go’ equated to coasting or being apathetic. I sometimes STILL wrestle with the disempowering story that if I let go – if I don’t maintain control over every detail of a situation – everything will go to shit. However, through much of the work I’ve witnessed as a coach and done for myself, I’ve come to understand a fundamental Truth that gives me a sense of freedom and power each time I remember it. – Letting go is not being lazy, or giving up, or even necessarily a state of inaction. – Letting go is trusting – myself, the process – enough to stay focused on the present. When I choose to let go, it’s not my own agency that I’m releasing. It’s my fear. When I can do that, pretty much anything is possible… and it’s a lot more fun along the way.
Best piece of advice you have received?
‘Make people feel special.’ My mom shared this secret of success with me when I was about 10 years old. She was a school teacher for over 30 years and certainly mastered this art with her students, but also just about everyone she interacted with. For a long time, I thought this meant to do special things for people, make sure to stay in contact with them, go that extra mile for them. What I’ve come to realise is that the single most impactful thing I can do to remind someone of how special they are, is to simply show up. It never ceases to amazing me how being fully present and fearlessly curious for someone can change their whole day, or even their life.
Advice to an aspiring entrepreneur or woman just starting her career?
Take the time to tune in and get very clear on your values. Understanding what it is that really lights you up, what truly drives the real you (and evaluating that regularly – our values/core drivers do change over time!) will make it infinitely easier to make the million decisions that lay ahead of you.
What funding route have you chosen for your business and why?
Self-funded.
Some of the challenges you have faced and how you overcame them?
Me, myself and I. I’ve gotten in my own way by letting my own limiting beliefs hold me back countless times in my career. I’ve played small, I’ve not shown up fully as myself and sometimes, I’ve not shown up at all. I overcame the bulk of that challenge by getting super curious about those beliefs, forgiving them, and choosing new ones. They still creep in (because I’m human and my brain is built-in with a negativity bias in place to protect me), but now I recognize them instantly and can let them go pretty quickly. It’s rare that they’ll prevent me from showing up fully these days, and the impact of that shift is pretty astounding.
Why is it important to support women-led business?
To quote Sheryl Sandberg, “An equal world will be one where women run half our countries and companies and men run half our homes. We will not rest until we reach that goal”. I believe that supporting women-led businesses is a critical, yet simple action we can all take regularly to can help close that gap and bring us into a more equal existence.
60
Seconds
with
Joy Poole
My inspiration is...
love.
My greatest fear is...
FOMO.
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is...
jumping out of an airplane.
Guilty pleasure?
reality TV.
Mantra you live by?
it’s not a dress rehearsal.
Female role model?
Sheryl Sandberg.
Women-led brand you love?
Spanx.
Top productivity tool?
The Meaning Method. This is a tool I developed myself and it’s all about first optimising for fulfilment, so that all the rest (next-level productivity and success) can follow. You can download it for free HERE. Other than that, I’m a post-it-note junkie!
