Every year, thousands of individuals find themselves at a professional crossroads. This upheaval may be by choice or not. It’s natural. As Jacquelyn D. Golden, Ph.D. shows, it’s a chance for renewal, revival, and finding your true purpose. Jackie Golden is an entrepreneur and coach. She turns the daily rhythm of life into an opportunity, not a set of challenges. She also helps others tap into the part of themselves that is undeniably individual and entirely within their control. That’s why she’s known in the industry as the “coach’s coach” or mentor to the mentors.
Jackie Golden has mastered finding a path and making it a career. She starts with empathy and uses it to build a customized and scalable plan for clients. The plan helps her clients meet their goals. For those wondering what that process might be, Jackie Golden gives us deep insights in her interview. She explains how to create the presentation needed to convey the message effectively. She also shares an anecdote about the power of consistency and authority.
We often question our ability to persuade others. This happens even after we have won through poise, presentation, and preparation. All we need after that is to put ourselves out into the world and live our best lives.
Digging deeper, Jackie Golden tells us the process isn’t only about what you love or what skills you have. It’s about how you use these things. What do you see yourself doing, how do you want to get there, and where do you want to be down the road? This view cuts through the excuses and gets to the heart of it—becoming your full, actualized self. She also reveals some unique insights into personal branding as she shares a few stories from her journey to success. We conclude with a look into Jackie’s daily life and some of the things that motivate and inspire her.
Can you tell us how you began your entrepreneurial career and what inspired you?
Before I became an entrepreneur and coach, I worked in training and organizational development, which is usually the first area to disappear when companies don’t reach their annual numbers. After being let go for the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth time, life told me I needed to do something completely different and gain economic control over my life.
My fifth dismissal was the catalyst. After another layoff through no fault of my own, I was at this crossroads. I was about to go online to look for another job that I didn’t want, but instead of going on LinkedIn, I went on Facebook and saw this woman talking about how to learn to package and sell your knowledge. She caught my attention, so I immediately booked a call with her, and it set me on a completely new, unexpected, and fulfilling path.
You are affectionately known as the coach’s coach. What is your approach to coaching?
Being the coach’s coach means I am a support system for people with the same coaching goals as I had when I started my entrepreneurial journey. I resonate with those interested in starting their own business—those who have been in the workplace for a while and are tired of trading time for money. They are tired of their gifts being squandered. They want their freedom back. They know they have to work but do not want to spend their whole lives working and not really being fulfilled. These are the people who come to me.
My approach to coaching is based on empathy; I put myself in the shoes of the person in front of me. It’s incredibly important for me to feel what they’re going through. Based on that, I can provide them with a safe environment where they can say, Jackie, I don’t know how to do this. I need your help.
Was there anything in your career as a life coach that stood out that made you say: Wow, I’m definitely on the right path?
I had discovery conversations with three individuals back-to-back a few years ago. Each of them was in tears during our conversation. I asked them why, and they all answered: You showed me that there is hope. One person said that talking to me removed the dagger of doubt from her life.
I get all emotional when I think about it. That was the moment that said to me, Jackie, you are doing what you were created to do. That’s what I had been looking for in my life but never got from my previous career. I can do many different things very well, but nothing makes me smile and tear up like giving people hope. When I hear someone say, You saved my life, it keeps me going.
Please share one of your most rewarding coaching experiences with us.
One day, I was working on my computer when a Facebook notification popped up on my phone. I stopped and looked at the notification, and these were the words of the sender: Help. I want to start my own business and give online workshops. I immediately messaged her back and asked if we could talk. The answer was yes, and she booked a call with me that same day. During our discovery conversation, I was ready to talk more and more about what my program could do for her. Then I heard these words: I’m ready. Where do you want me to sign?
Later, I asked her why she had said yes so quickly. She explained, “I’ve been watching you on social media, and you are consistent. Your story sounds exactly like my story. You’re where I want to be.” It brings me great joy when people say “yes” to themselves and don’t negotiate their way out of what they need.
How can others learn from your experiences in business?
Four things made the difference for me in business. I live my life by the four Cs. The first is Clarity. This clarity lets you achieve small successes because you know what you’re striving for. Confidence grows from this clarity, further supporting you on your journey. But that’s not all. This self-confidence is now a stepping stone to commitment, the advanced decision stage, which is simply a mental agreement. The Commitment from the heart eliminates the fear of taking action consistently. This Consistency is the agent that pulls all these pieces together.
You need one additional thing. Many people think they need a miracle, but it’s not a miracle; they need discipline. Discipline makes a difference. So, the difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t is the choice to continue taking one step after another.
Your bestselling book From Scratch to Six Figures: How to Package and Sell What You Know, Love & Do focuses on building success from the ground up. What inspired you to write this book?
When I started my entrepreneurial journey, I took great notes. I took notes because I didn’t want people to wander the way I had to wander and stumble upon a solution. The question that kept going through my mind was, what could I do to help people like me? I wanted to help them avoid wandering around for so long trying to figure out their next step. I wrote the book to give people insight into the journey and how to avoid some of the same mistakes I made. So, I captured my entire journey in From Scratch to Six Figures: How to Package and Sell What You Know, Love & Do. By keeping a journal and recording this experience, I created an opportunity for other people to live through my experience. It’s like having me sit next to them, showing them what to do and telling them, “You can do it. Go for it!”
Writing a book wasn’t just a passing fancy. As I got older, I started thinking about legacy. What would I leave behind for my family and friends, especially the nieces and nephews who have been in my care? I wanted to leave them a roadmap. I wrote the book so that when life gives them lemons, they would have an example of how to make lemonade. My mission was to leave something behind so that when I was gone, they could pick up the book and say, “Well, Jackie did this. She made it; she created her own thing. Perhaps I can, too.”
The book is about more than just teaching people how to make money. It teaches people how to build a life by design, not by default. It teaches them step-by-step how I started from zero and ended up in the six figures while generating my own income.
For fifteen years, I didn’t know how to actualize what I wanted to do in my heart as an entrepreneur. It was pulling at me so strongly, but I was caught up in the corporate world of “do this to grow, do this to get to the next level, you have to do this, you have to do that.” You’re indoctrinated somewhat from birth to get a good education so that you can get a good job. But how many of us come out of the womb hearing people say, “Get an education, but use it to create your own thing”? Several clients have said, “I wish I had gone through your program before I invested four years in college because that’s not where I learned how to create my own income. I learned how to qualify to work for someone else.” I want to show people they have options and can choose their path.
What key pieces of advice do you often find yourself giving to aspiring entrepreneurs?
The right mindset is the foundation for success. If you don’t believe you deserve it, you won’t get it. However, the business is built on a sustainable foundation if you have the right mindset. Success is not based on external factors. If the inner work is correct, the outer expression will reflect what’s happening on the inside. Ensure you’re feeding your mind the proper diet daily. A proper mind diet includes talking to yourself, words that give life, and words that help you visualize where you want to be. So, say and think only about what you want the outcome to be. You become what you think. That’s why it’s important that you surround yourself with people who speak the language you speak. It’s so important to have the right voices in your ear. You need to surround yourself with people who have the same ambition level or higher.
If your goal is to go and grow, I would say the third thing is to learn how to tell the noise of life to do this one thing. Now, I don’t like using these words, but we have to use them in this instance. So learn to tell the noise of life to shut up! The way to make that happen is when those negative thoughts come, and they will come, do not respond as if those thoughts originated with you. They come to us, but we get to choose whether or not they stay, whether or not they pitch a tent.
If you’re receiving a negative message, deliberately find a counter-message. If you do it enough, it comes very naturally to you. Tell yourself all day, every day, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. That’s very different from, Gee, I can’t do anything. Our words and thoughts are very important. What we say to ourselves is so critical. The beauty is that we get to choose what we say to ourselves. Being quick to hear and slow to speak ensures that when those negative thoughts come, I’m prepared to counter them with languaging that I want to see manifested in my life.
The next thing I’d say is to look within. It’s already inside; we’ve all been given talents and gifts designed to sustain us in life. What sometimes throws us off track is that we measure our success and progress by what we see others doing, but we don’t know how they did it. So keep focusing on yourself and take it one step after the other. This consistency will get you to the place you call your goal.
How easy is it for the average person to gain financial control over their life? What tips can you offer them?
It can be easy if you have proper guidance, but I don’t want to give the impression that it’s a cakewalk. It requires work. Every day, you have to say yes to yourself, sometimes several times a day. So, (1) Be careful of the words you use, (2) Watch the information you consume, and (3) Be deliberate in your selection of the company you keep.
It’s important to surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed, whether in person with different communities or online via social media groups. You cannot have a million-dollar mindset while those around you always speak with doubt, scarcity, negativity, and fear.
When you look in the mirror, you ask it a question: Who is the fairest of them all? If this mirror doesn’t call your name, it’s time to invest in a different mirror. You have to look in the mirror and see yourself where you want to be. We acknowledge where we are, but we don’t stay there. The goal of this journey is to get to the place called there.
So focus, pay attention to your language, pay attention to what you’re feeding yourself, and pay attention to who you’re entertaining on a daily basis. Gaining financial control over your life begins with what you think – think small, earn small. Think big, gain big. As Tony Robbins says, “Where your focus goes, energy flows.”
What motivated you to start sharing your entrepreneurial journey and knowledge through your online platforms and media features?
I initially struggled in business because I don’t like cold calling, in fact, I despise it. But the good news is I learned that a lot of the business in the field I work in now is done online through social media. The introvert that I am did not necessarily like going out in public. I could perform well in public, but online platforms allowed me to serve more people while getting a bigger bang for my time. Working online allows me to reach people all over the world that I thought I would never meet because I am so introverted. The online technologies and the way we do things online create a space for me to be myself but, at the same time, function as if I were an extrovert.
How did you build and maintain a personal brand in the digital age, providing insight to others?
The first was consistency. People began to recognize me by words, phrases, clauses, and the fact that I show up consistently. Next, the follow-up. When people inquire with you, you need to treat them like they are the pot of gold; that’s how important they are. To me, creating a brand that resonates with the people is a brand created for the people. Everything I do in my business is done with my clients in mind.
Would most people benefit from having a life coach?
I suggest having a life coach. In my case, it wasn’t that I didn’t have the education; I have four degrees. It wasn’t that I wasn’t good at what I did. I just didn’t have the guidance for this stage of my life. I have often supported others but haven’t always had the support in return.
So, when I bumped into my first coach, it made a huge difference for me, to my surprise. You see, I had been skeptical about having a life coach and thought having one was for weak people. Oh! how that one conversation changed my thinking. It changed my life! It was such a humbling experience.
As my coach engaged me in conversation, she identified so many things that I could and should have been serving others with, but because they had been dormant so long, I did not see their significance. Nor did they register with me as being valuable, let alone monetizable. In that conversation, I learned we all need someone to help us see the rest of who we are. I learned how I had been underserving others because I undervalued myself. One cannot give a “best” when one is unaware that “best” exists.
What are you actively learning these days?
I’ve been focusing on digital marketing and becoming increasingly attuned to how different systems do what they do. What is the thinking behind the systems, how do we monitor and get to know people’s buying habits, and how do we influence them? How do we remain ethical in our approach? Ethics is very important to me in everything I say, think, and do.
What does a day in your life look like?
A Day in the Life of Jackie Golden: The moment I wake up and realize I’m still on this side, I say, “Thank You for another opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life.” With this thought in mind, I put myself into gratitude mode and think for about five minutes about the blessings I’ve been given in my life. Then I move on to my little cheat sheet, my plan to complete three small daily tasks. So, I look at my three tasks and make sure they’re small enough to complete them on the same day. If, for some reason, I don’t complete a task, that’s a sign that it was too big. So, I reduce it down to small, manageable tasks. Then, I move on to whatever my schedule tells me I need to do next. But the most important thing is that I begin the day with gratitude. I’m grateful for life and for the people I get to support every day.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
Many people don’t know that I have a very strong passion for music, and I teach myself to play various instruments when my schedule allows. I’m most passionate about the piano. My favorite genre would probably be jazz. It’s the one thing that comes to me very naturally. Even when I attempt to play other types of music, it all comes out sounding jazzy.
Choose two of your favorite quotes to share with the readers.
These are two phrases I often use with my clients:
Only “Been There” can tell “Going There” how to get there.
Knowledge is your currency, and your expertise is your gold mine.
If you had the power to change just one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would put the element of love on autopilot. I think the only thing that is our salvation and could be our salvation is that we love each other, that we practice putting ourselves in each other’s shoes and then responding the way we would want to be treated. So, I would put love on autopilot.
To learn more about Jackie Golden, please visit https://jackiegolden.com
Photos taken by Brian Henry
