Q&A with Jill Gentry

Jill Gentry
Jill Gentry Lifecoaching

Jill Gentry

Jill Gentry Lifecoaching

What inspired you to start your business or pursue your current career path? How has your initial vision evolved since you started?

I went through an extensive healing journey myself.  The life I was living was no longer bringing peace, success, joy, better parenting skills, health...I knew I had learned to cope instead of live, believing happiness was the ultimate.  Now I've learned happiness is another coping strategy, what we're really looking for is peace, a settled spirit, calm, gratitude all the while doing a life we appreciate.  I started my Life Coaching business knowing I could help others heal the same way I did!

What's the biggest challenge you've faced as a woman in your industry, and how did you overcome it? 

Honestly, there are more female Life Coaches than male, so Im actually in the majority.  I see more women pursuing healing for themselves than men.  The biggest challenge is communicating to men they need the healing just as much as women do.  

How do you think these challenges have changed in your industry?

In the last decade women have started making a lot of money as Life Coaches.  Many have been blown away by their income.  Many of us grew up with our dads or husbands as the breadwinner, and it's empowering to think we, as women, are not at a glass ceiling with income.  

Describe a pivotal moment in your career that shaped your leadership style. How would you describe your leadership style now?

A pivotal moment that shaped me as a Life Coach was hiring a business coach for myself.  She has helped me change my mindset, empowered me to make money (as I was a stay-at-home mom before my career path), creates deep belief in my self-concept, she holds me accountable, and educates me so I can be the best Life Coach to my clients.  

How do you balance your professional responsibilities with your personal life? What strategies or support systems have you found most helpful?

I am a boundary queen!  Once I started creating boundaries for my life, experienced the freedom within those, it was almost an addiction.  Boundary work is necessary to live a life of freedom between personal and professional.  I also work part time, so I can be available to my family, community, hobbies and personal investments. 

What advice would you give young women aspiring to enter your field? What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting?

I would advise that young woman to not wait for the optimal time, but to start now!  There is no perfect time to start your own business, it's messy, it's hard, it's rewarding, it's painful, it's the best work I've ever done.  Just start!  I wish someone would have told me that failing is just an idea we create in our minds.  When we can see "failure" as failing forward, all the work we do is even more significant to our success.

How has mentorship played a role in your career as a mentee or mentor?

It's integral.  I currently have my business coach, who is a phenomenal mentor.  Along this journey, I've engaged in resources from other mentors, leading me toward my best self as a coach.

How do you approach mentoring others in your current position?

My first piece of advice is, first go hire a coach before you become one yourself.  We cannot fully understand coaching until we've been coached.  I do believe as long as we are coaching, we should all have a coach, investing into us.  

What strategies have you found most effective for building and maintaining professional networks?

I thrive in one-on-one relationships or small groups.  My networking has revolved around finding pockets of space where intimacy within other humans is a part of the conversation and energy between us.  When I go to networking groups, I love pursuing 1:1 coffee dates afterward.  Typically, other opportunities or relationships form that are quite life-giving.

How has networking changed with the rise of social media and digital platforms?

We've become a bit more dependent upon social media as "the" networking platform.  It's free, reliable, ever evolving as we try and keep up with algorithms.  For me, it's a space I use to get encouraging, insightful information into the world, but I don't depend on it for client onboarding.  Unless you're going viral, and have over 10,000+ followers, it's just a platform of entertainment.

In your experience, what key skills or qualities have contributed most to your success? 

The number one skill that's contributed to my success is learning how to pause.  There is a secret, a contentment when we stop involving ourselves in urgency culture and absorb the delicacies and healing within a pause.  For example, every day, I take a nap or rest, I eat a meal undistracted, I check in with my 5 senses to ground me, I meditate, and do breathwork.  It's vital to my success in business.

How do you continue to develop these skills?

They are a part of my daily rhythms.  I cannot do life without them now, its built into me.  When I become dysregulated, I have an arsenal full of tools to come back to a regulated place.  I want to always show up to a session with my clients, at ease, calm, and ready to serve them.

How do you stay innovative and adapt to changes in your industry?

I love podcasts, so this is a helpful tool.  The business coaching program I'm in has a community attached to it, so it's been fun to keep up with other coaches in the field.  I also invest in ongoing education.  I love learning, researching and absorbing more information to benefit me and my clients.

What initiatives or changes would you like to see to promote gender equality in the business world?

I'd love to see more women, make more money and empower themselves to be breadwinners in their homes!  Pass this on to their daughters by modeling, not just verbal encouragement.  This is not from a place of greed, but a place of empowerment!

How do you personally contribute to advancing these initiatives?

I don't see a glass ceiling for my income, I see the benefits when my clients financially invest into themselves, their healing holds deeper accountability.  There's a mindset shift that must take place as well, before we create this for ourselves and influence.  Passing on belief through modeling is necessary to affect next generations of women.