Meet Life & Business Coach, Leah Jantzen | NY Mom's World Blog

NYMW is so excited to introduce you to Mompreneur, Leah Jantzen!  She is an inspiratinal mama who rocks her business while rocking her babies.  Her mission is to help moms create the work life that fits their family’s needs, just like she did!  You can connect with her on facebook and twitter, as well as listen to her radio show.

My main motivation was to be able to work from home to spend more time with my children.  I also always wanted to have my own business where I could control who I worked with, when I worked with them and how I wanted to help them.

The first thing I did was enrolled in a coaching program at Coach University, a leading institution for training coaches.  That in conjunction with my Masters Degree in Counseling gave me the necessary tools I needed to launch my coaching business.

Before I became a coach I worked as a School Guidance Counselor for the last 12 years.  I loved this work but wanted more flexibility to be home with my growing family.

At my website you can find out more about the work I do with my clients.  There is an FAQ about “what is coaching” as well as a page of testimonials from some of the clients I have worked with.  I have dabbled in some blogging (not really my forte) so some of my writing can also be found there.

Learning how to be a business person has been a challenge.  Working in education you do not have to think about getting clients, structuring payments, or marketing yourself.  Since I never worked in the business world this was all very new to me.  It has been a steep learning curve for sure!  So I have had to teach myself all these other aspects of running a successful business that I never realized I needed to know.  But I must day I enjoy it tremendously and learn something new everyday.

My biggest success so far is being able to leave my job as a guidance counselor, stay home with my children and work essentially part-time generating the same income I was making as a full-time teacher.  I am so proud to say that I can provide for my family working my own business from home doing what I love.

My work as a coach impacts my clients in many ways.  I truly empower my clients to believe in their own success as much as I believe in their potential.  People need to be encouraged, challenged and supported, especially when they are attempting something new and outside their comfort zone.  I provide that for my clients and it gives them more confidence in their abilities to achieve their goals and desires.

Believe in yourself.  There is a place in society for you and your skills.  Try not to over think it or you will run the risk of talking yourself out of it!  Many moms I talk to do not think they have enough training or a good enough idea to launch and they hesitate.  I say “Go for it!”, you never know until you put one foot in front of the other and take ACTION.

I am looking to do more group work and offer more Teleclasses so I can reach more people.  I love teaching, so this excites me and gives me another avenue to share my coaching skills.  I’m also playing with another business idea that I have not launched quite yet, probably sometime in the spring.  It is am offshoot of what I am doing but more geared towards relationship building with your spouse or partner.  I am SO excited!

I look at what people’s needs are and I try and fit a product with that need.  If clients are looking for coaching but finances are an issue, as in our economy today, then more group options would give them support but not at the cost of private coaching.

Talk about a challenge!  I am so very fortunate to have an extremely supportive and hands on husband as well as very involved and helpful parents and in-laws who are all local and willing to help.  So I rely on a combination of all these people to support me in the business.  But I also try and do my work when the kids are asleep and at school (like right now!) and capitalize on that “free”time.  I have also let go of having the perfectly spotless home and creating a gourmet meal every night of the week.  There have to be some sacrifices and I have found ones that I can live with.

Time for myself is definitely limited with 3 kids and another on the way.  Luckily my husband recognizes my need for “me” time so I get to have lunch with my girlfriends or get my nails done once in a while.  We also get to go out to dinner just the two of us because we have such a great family support system near by.  I also love to play tennis and spend a lot of time on the tennis court when I am not pregnant!

My family is not a big part of my business in that they are not involved in the work that I do.  They are understanding about my needing to be on the phone or spend some time emailing clients, because this is what allows “mommy to put them on the bus everyday and take them to pre-school.”

I currently have a weekly live radio show where I interview interesting and inspiring people who motivate me as well as my audience.  This is a very fun endeavor that I enjoy because it allows the “performer” in me to be radio host and have my own show :)

My husband really inspires me.  He has such great perspective on life, knows what is most important and how to stay balanced and sane in all the craziness of a big family.  He is supportive and understanding and knows that being a happy mom makes me a better mother to my children.  I would not be successful if I didn’t have him as my number one supporter and best friend.