Inspiring Conversations with Jessica Shiles of (Be)Coming Life Coaching

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Shiles.

Hi Jessica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
People. Passion. Purpose “What you get by reaching your goals is not nearly so important as what you BECOME by reaching them.” -Zig Ziglar.

My name is Jessica Shiles. I am a certified professional life coach. But I did not just arrive here. In the process of (be)coming who I am today, I first learned what it meant to deal with loss at an early age. My best friend, Saulo, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and passed away in our teens. If it weren’t for his selfless heart and tireless efforts to advocate for others who couldn’t advocate for themselves, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Encouraged and inspired by Saulo’s mission to live in the moment, love others where they are, and empower them on their journey, my goal was to make meaning out of my loss and find purpose. I pursued my career in genetic counseling (genetic disease and psychology) and earned my undergraduate degree in genetics – minoring in small business. I obtained a Master’s in Human Genetics & Genetic Counseling from Sarah Lawrence College in NY. And in the midst of it all, I made time for my passions of travel and philanthropy.

Given my background, biotech and genetics were of great interest to me, but something needed to be added. Curious by nature, I discovered I am intrigued by people: what motivates them, how they make decisions, and how they have (Be)come who they are today. I began to feel a deeper love/empathy for people and the uniqueness each of us brings. Through my years of counseling, traveling, and philanthropy, I have met people from all walks of life. We have talked about some pretty deep stuff. I’ve been in the moment with people, trying to make sense of circumstances and seeking motivation to move them forward. We have talked about options, and I have helped people navigate their way to satisfactory outcomes that they were happy and excited about. I was thrilled to be able to encourage people to find meaning, gain a clear picture, establish goals/intentions, and make their way toward accomplishing them.

Although initially excited and fully committed to studying people from the genetic side, I began to see that my real passion was for people themselves. This evolution in my career is what drew me into Life Coaching. It seemed the natural next step in my (Be)coming a professional life coach. I can use my lived experiences, clinical counseling, and professional life coach training to empower, encourage, and inspire others in their life’s journey. I provide accountability, offer opportunities to process and outline strategies to create thoughtful and intentional goals, and help people do the work of (Be)coming their absolute best, most authentic selves. Professional life and career coaching provides opportunities for personal and professional growth through intentionality, self-discipline, time management, creating meaning out of loss, and workshops focused on improving specific, relevant skills. I have the privilege of coming alongside people, and through the lens of love, I offer hope, opportunity, clarity, and actionable plans and processes to move life forward. I believe that each person is unique and creative and embodies the power to (Be)come the most ideal and authentic version of themselves.

Outside of encouraging, empowering, and inspiring people, I also enjoy crafting, cooking (#traderjoesaddict), hiking, reading out in psychoneuroimmunology, New Girl (#justjess #spirithuman), Brene Brown (#fangirl), and running while raising money/awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Context:
To give a little context on how I was introduced to coaching, I will start with a genuine and humbling experience with a beautiful soul I met on a plane. During my graduate studies, I had the opportunity to travel to Australia to complete an internship in my field of study, genetic counseling. At the same time, Bobbie Sue Wolk and her husband were also en route to Australia to visit Bobbie Sue’s sister. It just so happened that Bobbie Sue was the unfortunate soul who got stuck sitting next to me (chatty-kathy) on the 17-hour flight while her husband was bumped to first class (we still joke about this). Through light-hearted chats about travel and genuine conversations about faith and life, we instantly developed a deep connection that inspired our friendship for years to come.

As I continued to explore my career in genetic counseling, Bobbie Sue remained (and still does to this day) as a mentor and navigational guide who assisted me during my professional and personal exploration. She has always been an encouragement and a light of inspiration to me whenever I feel lost on my journey. One of the most profound and transformational insights that Bobbie Sue encouraged me to do is to live consistently and congruently with my values. Never once had I sat and reflected on my values until that moment, and from that point on, I feel like I can always count on this to find direction. Faith, joy, growth, and collaboration became the navigation needle on my life’s compass, directing me toward a career that allows me to have purpose and love for others. After I graduated with my master’s in genetic counseling, I began working at a diagnostic genetic testing company that seemed to align with my values. My role entailed marketing and patient advocacy, both of which were jobs that played to my strengths. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until about a year after working that I recognized how the lack of strong leadership, accountability, and a shared mission can affect a workplace and the employees. I was continuously challenged to find purpose and direction in my job. Being someone others trust, there were many times when my colleagues would come to me to help find purpose behind what they do. Not only was I trying to keep myself motivated, I tried finding ways to help motivate and inspire my colleagues to find purpose and value since we were not getting it from our leadership. I got to the point where I eventually got burned out and took a leave of absence. With opportune timing, it just so happened that the 42-hour intensive training course was during that period. I decided to take the leap of faith and sign up for the class, and I am forever grateful I did.

As a scientist, I appreciated that the program was an evidence-based program that focused on a foundation built from positive psychology, appreciative inquiry, and motivational interviewing. One of my greatest strengths is positivity, so I resonate with these theories. Not to mention, I completely nerd out in psychoneuroimmunology, and I’ve learned how having a positive mindset can completely transform your physical, spiritual, and emotional health for the better. What excites me the most about coaching is being able to help people recognize their potential. This fits very well in line with my strengths as a developer. I take genuine satisfaction in helping guide others to identify and leverage their strengths and talents for them to thrive in life.

Overall, one of the most profound impacts of this experience is the personal journey I have taken throughout the process. I have learned how to leverage my strengths, values, and talents to elevate my confidence and make me believe in and love myself. I have been encouraged to own my story and live it out to the best of my ability. I will never forget the simple statement that Bobbie Sue made right before my coaching evaluation, which brought everything full circle. “At the end of the day, we might not have all the answers. But what we can do is love others the best we know how.” At that moment, all of my insecurities went out the window, and I knew this was God’s way of telling me that I had found my calling.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been smooth by any means, but that is the beauty of it that I am learning to appreciate and accept. Everything in life has a process and a purpose, regardless of whether it was what I wanted or my timing. Some, like my best friend Saulo, who lost his battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at 18, discovered this perspective early on. After being diagnosed, Saulo said, “In the end, all the bumps along the road fall together to make a beautiful masterpiece, your life.” There was no doubt that Saulo questioned (as do we all) the purposes of these “bumps” in his journey, but he knew that the reasoning behind them was purposeful to creating and living out his masterpiece.

When I started working at my previous job, I recognized how the lack of strong leadership, accountability, and a shared mission can affect a workplace and the employees. As the years went on, I was continuously challenged to find purpose and direction in my job and ultimately got burned out. I was trying to keep myself motivated, and a handful of my colleagues felt the same way. My colleagues often came to me to help me find purpose behind what they do. I got to the point where it was a continuous uphill battle to try and encourage myself, others, and leadership to have a shared vision and purpose, so I took a leave of absence. With opportune timing, the 42-hour intensive training course was during that period. I decided to take the leap of faith and sign up for the class, and I am forever grateful I did.

Through this, I started up my own coaching practice and joined a start-up company called GCPrep LLC. However, starting up your own business is a challenging task, and there are challenges that you are faced with every day. The two biggest challenges I have experienced are a Lack of Resources and Mental/Emotional Stressors.

• Lack of Resources: Coming from “Corporate America,” where resources abound, you get a huge reality check (and gratitude reminder) when those resources are no longer there. Being someone who thrives in a team environment and working with others to complete a job, transitioning to a “one-man team” was (and is still) hard. You are essentially the one who does it all because if you don’t, then how will you grow more realistically? How will you get paid? You are your own marketer, designer, web developer, salesperson, lead generator, customer service rep, accountant, etc.
• Mental/Emotional Stressors: The lack of resources and building everything from the ground up takes time. Coming from a world of instant gratification, this “process” can significantly impact your confidence and motivation to persevere. Most businesses always consider your ROI (Return on Investment). Still, as a solo entrepreneur “testing out” a new business idea, there is not a guaranteed return on all of the time you are investing. Grappling with uncertainty has been my biggest struggle in keeping me motivated.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
But my business is a life coaching business. I am a Certified Professional Coach through the International Coaching Federation, whose mission is to encourage, empower, and inspire others in/on their life’s journey, personally and professionally. My approach to coaching is simple. I am there to embark on a thought-provoking, fun, and creative journey with my clients. I hope to present with them in the moment, leverage their strengths and values, and guide them in (Be)coming to the most authentic version of themself. By partnering in this process, we elevate the opportunity for them to successfully achieve their personal, professional, and spiritual goals and visions. I coach people by utilizing assessments, asking appropriate questions, actively listening, jointly developing relevant homework, identifying your resources (experiences and qualities), creating strategies to overcome blocks to success, working towards a high degree of self-care, and helping you identify your values and visions. A key aspect of the coaching relationship is developing appropriate action steps to help individuals achieve their goals and visions. Suppose they are open to exploring and committing to the coaching process together. In that case, we can change habits and create possibilities that can dramatically increase their chances of feeling fulfilled, confident, and successful in who they are and who they are (Be)coming. Coaching is for individuals who want to make changes and move forward in their lives and is not advice, therapy, or counseling, and although trained in genetic counseling, I do not provide these services either. Appropriate referrals will be made if necessary.

What should we know?
“Love on others.” This simple yet profound phrase has helped me navigate my life’s journey, putting purpose and meaning behind anything and everything I do. I was introduced to this phrase in my early 20s as I explored my faith and the purpose behind my life. It didn’t take too long for me to recognize that if I focused my time and effort on “loving my neighbor as myself,” my everyday struggles became seemingly insignificant, and I was able to be present and enjoy the moments in which God had gifted me with. Through this faith journey, I was humbled also to learn that we are constantly evolving and in the process of becoming. Though challenging and not always easy to accept, this process is a necessary part of growth. It wasn’t until this phrase resurfaced in my 30s that I realized this was my vocational calling and that coaching was the vessel to help me share my God-given strengths and talents with others.

Loving others is, and will always be, the foundation of my coaching. Using theories and tools based on positive psychology, motivational interviewing, and appreciative inquiry, I plan to embark on a thought-provoking, fun, and creative journey with my clients to guide them to becoming their ideal and authentic selves. My philosophy behind coaching is the belief that we are always in the process of evolving and becoming. We are continuously challenged by remaining in the present while taking steps to move towards growth. Humans constantly grow and learn new things about the world, others, and ourselves. If it weren’t for challenging ourselves, we would not evolve or become anything other than our current state of being.

So I ask my clients, where are you, and where do you want to be? The word “be” in the dictionary means to exist. And “coming” is a verb: approaching or moving toward something. As a coach, I believe in becoming one’s most authentic self. It is important to recognize one’s current state of existence (being), achievements, strengths, talents, and even failures while celebrating growth, cultivating encouragement, and motivating one to keep moving toward who one wants to become. My approach to coaching is simple. There is no formula or agenda. I sit at the moment, (Be)present, and love on my client; however, they show up and adventure with them to (Be) come their personal best.

I have been gifted with the ability to activate people to want to do and become more. That said, I hold myself personally accountable for sharing my gift with others. I want to allow my enthusiasm to get people to see past their circumstances and truly believe they can make a difference. I will do my best to coach authentically and allow my influence to inspire those who have nothing to become something. I will help revive dreams and lift those who have been broken. I will listen with empathy and compassion. I will encourage with kindness. And I will love wholeheartedly. This is who I am. This is who I want to be. And this is who I will continue to strive to (Be)come.

What do you do, what do you specialize in / what are you known for?
I have experience in working with four types of individuals: aspiring genetic counselors (personal/professional development), genetic counseling students (personal/professional development), people who have experienced loss (meaning making), rare disease mothers/caregivers (self-care), and genetic counselors approaching burnout and career transitions. Because of my personal experiences in these areas, I truly enjoy collaborating with these individuals since I can relate (avoiding countertransference). Through this standard connection, I can build a deeper trust with my client, which gives me joy and deep satisfaction.

What are you most proud of brand-wise?
My website: https://www.startbecoming.com/ and Logo(s): https://www.startbecoming.com/geneticcounselingmentorship

What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc?
Although I focus on rare diseases and genetic counselors, my life coaching applies to anyone hoping to change and focus on personal, professional, and spiritual goals.

What’s next?
As my business continues to evolve, I plan on employing my coaching in my next career move, whether patient advocacy, student development, or even consulting/sales. With my extensive background in genetics and rare diseases, I am currently working on developing a program that connects genetic counseling students to internship opportunities in the patient advocacy and rare disease non-profit world. Myself and a classmate have associated with a non-profit organization that has been helping us evolve this idea that might one day become a non-profit organization.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.startbecoming.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_shiles_coaching/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-shiles/