Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Randall.
Hi Erin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I didn’t find coaching so much as it found me. I’d been working with software teams for most of my career, first as a technical writer and then as a scrum master, helping teams to deliver value and to work together effectively. I quite liked the work, but it wasn’t until I attended an Agile coaching bootcamp that I understood what coaching really is and fell in love with the work. I did some advanced training and certification, added in coactive coaching and then enterprise-level organizational coaching, and here is where I am today. By providing bespoke coaching and leadership-development solutions, I help organizations shift from stuck to upward trajectory, from stagnant to creative overflow.
But I should back up a bit.
In 2015, I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. I had the full monty of fun: six months of chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy, and radiation. If that wasn’t enough fun, scans also found a schwannoma, a nerve-sheath tumor, between my shoulder blades. It was pressing into my lung and spinal cord, and without a cancer diagnosis, it would have gone unnoticed until I wouldn’t have been able to walk. I remember my dad telling me that he thought that I had a lot of courage going through that year. “Nah,” I responded, “it’s not courage so much as lack of options,” and we laughed. I always knew that my job was simply to survive that year, to withstand whatever was thrown at me. And I did. What I didn’t count on, however, was the bravery, daring, tenacity, and ambition that roared up within me. So, in the waning days of 2019, I launched my own coaching and consulting practice, Ad Meliora Coaching. I became purposeful about “now” rather than “one day.”
Seven years ago, as I sat in infusion chairs and endured the loneliness of the surgery table, I don’t think I would have believed you if you had told me that within five years, I would have my own business, doing work that I loved and found deeply meaningful. That didn’t seem to be within the realm of possibility. I have a much broader, daring view of what I will bring about. Coaching is the work that I was meant to do, and I will spend the rest of my life doing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m laughing as I respond to this: of course it hasn’t been easy! But’s that’s okay. Those bumps give me time to experiment and learn and course correct and improve. I get better all the time, and I continue to improve. Tomorrow is going to be my best day yet.
What were (okay, are) some of those bumps? Digital marketing. The importance of a good accountant. Attorneys to craft good contracts. Graphic design. How to pitch to large clients. Finding my niche. Not working all the time. Asking better questions. Focusing on what matters. Being flexible but not a pushover. Why good lighting matters for video calls.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Ad Meliora Coaching provides bespoke coaching and leadership-development solutions for organizations, universities, leadership teams and boards, and individuals. All of my clients seek transformation in moving goals from someday to done, and I help them to get there. Together, I help my clients to shift from stuck to upward trajectory, from stagnant to creative overflow.
Magnesium 2022 launches in January! Magnesium is an annual group-coaching initiative that helps you to show up for yourself and for the life you want. Over three Tuesday nights in January, you’ll do the hard, necessary work: release what no longer serves you, rejoice about what is working for you, and get clear about what you want to come next. There are lots of big, powerful questions, space for you to crack open, and yes, even an accountability partner to walk your goals with you.
Magnesium is my love letter to authentic, audacious living for helping get you to where you want to be in this brave new year.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Louisa May Alcott wrote, “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning to sail my ship.” I love that quote, and I return to it often.
For me, I practiced resiliency. When things are hard, I find a new lens to view a problem. If something feels insurmountable, I break the work down into an even smaller chunk and get that piece finished. When in doubt, take the dogs for a walk. Poetry helps (Mary Oliver is a particular favorite). There is always more than one way to go up a mountain.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.admelioracoaching.com
Image Credits
The first photo was taken by Jama Pantel (Jama Pantel Photography). The others are random selfies that speak to endurance, resilience, and bravery.
