Today, after 12 years of coaching, I’m taking my final exam.
When I started Plucky in 2013, coaching was a very small industry. No one ever asked for credentials and most of the time I had to explain that I wasn’t a life coach, that I was helping folks on workplace and career topics. Of course, as is often the case, workplace and career stuff had lots to do with life stuff… but it wasn’t my focus and still isn’t today.
I started, then paused a coaching program because of health issues and Covid and life. But the classes were pre-paid… so ultimately I moved myself across the finish line because of dealz. I don’t regret buckling down to finish certification in 2024-25; the coaching industry has grown exponentially. Today, I think it matters that your coach is trained, it matters that they’ve gone through ethics training and learned how to listen.
I’m glad I took the long way around. Some people graduate with a degree that translates directly into a paycheck for the rest of their careers. But many others find themselves pulled in an adjacent direction, a cousin of their original plans, and plant themselves somewhere else to grow new roots. That’s how a person with a MA in French literature ended up running a company called Plucky. I was transplanted and, ultimately, bloomed.
I can’t leave this message without mentioning Veronika.
Backstory: last summer, I visited my friend Erin’s house for the first time and was blown away by her houseplants. Nothing too fancy but all of these living things growing and releasing fresh air into every room. I returned home and immediately went on my local FB Buy Nothing group to ask for assistance.
“Does anyone have extra baby plants or cuttings?” I asked. “I need plants.”
Of course, a deluge of responses because people who are into indoor plants are ride or die.
So all this to say, I planted tiny little cuttings eight months ago and one of these plants, that I call Veronika for no obvious reason, has taken over the house:
You may notice the other house plants several shelves above… they are not doing as well. Veronika is LIT.
I can’t remember where she came from but she has become a PRESENCE in the back of the kitchen, swelling around the dog food, Girl Scout cookies, windshield washer fluid and all the clutter that you see above. Veronika is THRIVING in a new place, presumably not mourning her old spot at in neighbor’s home.
I leave you with this idea, that you might be a Veronika, waiting for a new opportunity to flex your whole sprawling self. It’s certainly how I feel about my coaching career… and that’s the energy I’ll take into the exam room this afternoon.
We Can Talk!
It’s been SIX years since the We Can Talk mugs launched and when a client held up her mug last week, I felt nostalgia! It warmed my little heart to see one out in the wild again.
It seems, to me, that the three scariest words in the English language are: can we talk? Be a person who can receive the “Can we talk?” question with hospitality. Yes, we can talk. Yes, let’s wade through it together. No, my answer won’t always be what you want… but let’s talk anyway.
Holding up one of these mugs is a great reminder to listen with a little more grace these days.
Check them out here: https://shop.beplucky.com/products/we-can-talk-mug
Lately I’ve been getting a lot of requests for on-site or retreat workshops.
“We just want trust falls,” one of my clients said. Ha!
If facilitated times are on your radar and want to talk, let’s do it sooner rather than later because my schedule is filling up for the summer and fall. It’s a real joy for me to spend time learning and connecting with your teams.
Plus, with any luck, you’ll be working with a Fancy Certified Coach Lady by that point. Rates will go up!
xo Jen
P.S. Houseplant pix in response to this newsletter are very welcome.
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