Last updated on June 7, 2022
Jennifer Chapman is the founder of Just Commit Coaching in Indianapolis, Indiana. We hope you enjoy this interview!
Coaching Focus: I help high-achieving women who are going through the motions break through feeling stuck and tap into their inner wisdom so they can thrive in every aspect of their life. I love seeing them have transformational moments and simply acknowledge and embrace who they already are without tying it to what they do and the roles they play.
Location: Indiana, USA
Connect: You can find Jennifer online at her website, as well as on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Tell us about your journey as a coach.
My background is in sales. I was just coming off of a Presidents Club year (the most coveted status in sales) when I turned 34 and had this epiphany: my mom was 34 when she passed.
I definitely suffered a life tragedy when I was 11 and we lost her so suddenly. Now that I was 34, I just knew I had so much I still wanted to do and be.
Nine months later, I was stressing myself out trying to exceed last year’s goals when life had different plans for me—I suffered a life-changing stroke.
I was rushed to the hospital where I spent a week and then transitioned to an acute rehab center where I had to relearn how to walk, swallow, and bathe myself. I then spent 4 months in outpatient therapy where my competitiveness shined through and I excelled in my physical recovery. I knew I wanted to “go back to Normal,” so I went back to my company in a support role.
Over the next 18 months, my whole perspective shifted. I knew I was no longer fulfilled selling in a major corporation. I was also struggling with the mental and emotional stability of recovery. The fear and anxiety were eating me alive.
I hired a life coach, and we worked together for 8 months. She helped me realize that this happened FOR me and that my purpose was to serve others where they are and where they want to be while honoring my mom’s legacy. I left my corporate job and transitioned to a home health company.
In 2020, when the world shut down, I started diving into my own personal growth and development. Could I really be a coach? My coach believed I could be.
It is an honor to support others who are willing to do the work and are open and curious to what is truly possible.
I created Just Commit Coaching in the fall of 2020. I completed a year-long certification program taking night classes last year and finally stepped all the way in on March 30th this year when I left my job in home health and celebrated my 5 year stroke anniversary!
All of my clients have come through the recommendations of others I know and from networking on a local level. I love supporting women who may have a great career, loving spouse and children, but feel something is missing—they are not completely fulfilled.
After our work together, I can see their confidence level rise and, more importantly, they give themselves permission to simply be. We work through limiting beliefs and tapping into their self-worth to reach who they are at their core, which is not tied to the roles they play. It is an honor to support others who are willing to do the work and are open and curious about what is truly possible.
What courses, programs, or certifications have you done? Would you recommend them, and for whom?
I completed my certification through the Institute for Coaching Mastery, founded by Alyssa Nobriga and accredited through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). I would recommend this certification for any coach who is ready to do the deep inner work for themselves first.
We were offered so many tools and resources, and I saw so many powerful transformations, including in myself when I was able to create a relationship with my inner child and know how to resource her any time that I need to.
I also recently received my DISC certification. In my work as an independent contractor, we use this for leadership and executive teams so they can better understand one another’s styles and behaviors.
What advice or perspective might you give to a new coach trying to get her first clients? Any advice they should ignore?
I wouldn’t offer anything for free—that is only limiting your value and giving your power away. Also, keep in mind always that your worth has nothing to do with your program or services.
A key is to help them create urgency. I have learned it is never a money problem; it is a sense of urgency. If they knew the solution to their problem, they would have already solved it without your help.
What are your thoughts on “choosing a niche” as a coach?
If you focus offline, it is not as important to choose a niche right away. If you want to focus online, it is best to narrow it down and focus on strategies and content that speak directly to your ideal clients.
What books have significantly influenced your life? What are your key takeaways from these books?
I love anything by Mel Robbins. Her content is so real, no BS, and it is all based on her life experiences and is very relatable to so many.
I recently read Dr. John Delony’s book Own Your Past, Change Your Future. It offers a very powerful perspective with the imagery that all of us are carrying bricks in our backpacks, and the longer we carry them, the heavier they become. Dr. Delony helps us understand all of the stories we tell ourselves from outside sources, social media, parents, and ourselves. He shares how to drop the bricks and how to heal from our past wounds. We have the power to reprogram our brains and create new ways of being.
What are some of your favorite affirmations, mantras, thoughts, and/or journal prompts currently? Why?
- I am Enough
- Every experience I have is perfect for my growth
- Life supports me in every possible way
- I am surrounded by Love
When you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or have lost your focus or motivation, what do you do?
I love my morning meditations to help calm my mind and to simply appreciate the moment. I also enjoy going for a walk and listening to a podcast, and to simply rest. I really value my sleep.
Do you have any examples of how a “failure” set you up for later success?
As I was leaving my corporate sales job, I thought I could make a difference if I went to work for a medical device company. I made it through the entire interview process and was at the final interview with the Vice President and shared for the first time outside of my family, friends, and current company about my stroke.
I felt the shift in the interview right then and knew that they were not going to hire me. I felt all the confidence I’d had leave my body. The next day I received the call they were not going to move forward. It was truly a blessing in disguise.
If you could put a message on a huge billboard—getting a message out to millions—what would it say and why?
“It is okay to not be okay, but it is not okay to stay not okay!”
There are so many people that are not okay right now, and understandably so, but there is always something they can do about it—it is all about the response. You have the power and the control to make a choice!
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