Danielle Thornton-Walker founder of Danielle Louise Coaching is a transformational coach helping ambitious women create a life they love through loving themselves. To create the personal and professional success they desire without sacrificing their health and happiness. Through 1:1 coaching and in person retreats. Below Danielle shares her entrepreneurship journey:
“My background is in Higher Education, helping students and staff with their personal development. When the pandemic hit, we were sent to work from home, and schools closed. I realised I was trying to juggle my job and homeschooling a young child. My mental health took a dip and I started to focus on my own tools to get through. Having experienced coaching for myself, I went back to the lessons I learned and rediscovered the benefits, along with meditation, journaling and other tools to enable me to keep a positive view. A serendipitous experience introduced me to ‘Mindful Talent’ Coaching Academy and I just knew this is what I needed to do. I qualified as a transformational coach, and then a meditation teacher and set up my business in 2021.
I had seen the amazing benefits of coaching for myself. After my son was born I really struggled. The anxiety and depression I had lived with for much of my life compounded and I was diagnosed with postnatal depression and suspected psychosis. I sought help. First therapy and counselling, which was amazing for support and healing. And then coaching. And it was the coaching that really expanded my perspective and moved me forward. It helped me build up my inner awareness, and gave me the tools and practices to build my belief, trust and self support system. That planted the seed. When I felt my mental health dip again, I knew how I could support myself. I saw how it transformed my life from someone who was so self judgemental to someone who could love, respect and believe in myself. It felt like such a gift to me and how amazing that I could share it.
I shared my coaching with my networks first. And started to use social media to reach more people.I have found that many of my clients come through referrals.
My greatest achievements have been the messages I get through from past clients who share how they still use the awareness, the tools and the lessons they learned through working together, 12, 18 months after we’ve finished and sharing it with their friends and families. Running my retreats; this was a dream of mine. Creating a space for women to let go of the need to be everything to everyone and just be them for a day. Seeing the beautiful connection, realisations and release of pressure and expectations on themselves in the retreat days is such a privilege. Being invited to deliver workshops and sessions to different groups including schools, universities and corporations, is an amazing opportunity to impact more people. Through my 1:1, group programmes, retreats, online community, knowing I have had the opportunity to directly help and support over 300 women since starting my business, is just incredible and such an honour.
There have, and continue to be challenges! Running a business is tough! You wear all the hats in the beginning and there’s so much to learn to grow a business. It’s brave putting yourself out there, networking and sharing on social media. It’s ingrained as humans to be liked and you have to overcome the fear of what they will think. And you have setbacks. Something’s work, and lots of things don’t. You have to build inner trust, resilience and strength to keep going. That’s when your mission and your ‘why’ needs to become so strong, to remind you why you want to keep going. What’s also helped me is having a good support system; family, friends and coaches to support me. And finding the ‘balance’ of work. You can’t work 24/7, getting my foundations strong has been essential; sleep, nutrition, rest, connection with others etc. And making sure that I am reviewing and reflecting on what is working and what isn’t both for me and my business.
My plans are to help more women love, celebrate and believe in themselves. keep working with my 1:1 clients as I see the huge transformation. I am making my online course even more valuable. I am expanding my retreats to run a weekend retreat later this year. Long term plans include creating a training academy to bring self love to all levels of society.
Anyone wishing to embark on the entrepreneurial journey; its not for the faint hearted! But if you have a purpose to make the world a better place, do it, with your whole self and you will find your way.”
5 inspirations:
Viola Davis – her strength, tenacity and compassion, despite horrendous adversity is awe inspiring.
Brene Brown – teaching others how to love themselves, be vulnerable and self compassionate, its what the world needs
Alicia Keys – what a talent! The world needs music and song and she does it so beautifully And her commitment to bringing people up with her.
Donna Ashworth – the most beautiful way with words, she wraps you up in her view of the world.
Donna Lancaster – So heart centred, healing the world through her retreats and support.
Favourite quotes:
‘When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.’ Wayne Dyer
‘The Beauty you see in me is reflected in you.’ Rumi
‘Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.’ Brene Brown.
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Website https://www.daniellelouisecoaching.com/
