Last updated on August 18, 2022
Katherine Glyde is the founder of Katherine Irene Coaching in the UK, as well as the online community The Menstrual Circle. We hope you enjoy this interview!
Coaching Focus: I am a Menstrual Wellbeing Coach. I support clients in their exploration and understanding of their menstrual cycles and support those who have been diagnosed with a menstrual health condition.
Location: Essex, United Kingdom
Connect: You can find Katherine online at her website, as well as on Instagram.
Tell us about your journey as a coach.
My coaching journey officially began during the first lockdown in 2020, but really it has been something I’d been dreaming about long before that time.
I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2018 after a long wait for a diagnosis. Once I was diagnosed, I saw such a need for support—support that was a bit less than going to the doctor but a bit more than having a chat with your mates about what you were experiencing. That’s how Katherine Irene Coaching was born!
I trained as a Wellbeing, Life and Habit Change Coach as well as a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, and I am completing my Menstruality Leadership programme.
My goal was (and still is) to be able to put Menstrual Wellbeing into as many settings as I possibly can. I am constantly training and exploring different areas of coaching. Menstrual Wellbeing Coaching is suitable for all menstrual health experiences at all stages of a client’s menstrual lifespan, from their first period to their last and beyond.
It is a fascinating time to be a coach. The need for coaching has never been greater with the collective trauma of the past few years and as we navigate our way through this new normal, but as coaches, we need to be constantly pivoting and responding to the current situations in order to reach our clients.
As coaches, we need to be constantly pivoting and responding to the current situations in order to reach our clients.
I currently work with clients one-to-one and in small groups as well as running workshops, partnering with brands to provide bespoke packages, and speaking at events.
What courses, programs, or certifications have you done? Would you recommend them, and for whom?
I trained with The Coaching Academy (TCA) as a Protégé student, and although I am a qualified coach, I am adding additional skills to my coaching practice. I enjoy TCA’s training style, and the trainers are incredible. I would highly recommend them if you enjoy a self-paced, virtual training learning style.
As well as Coaching Diplomas, they also offer shorter niche coaching workshops and continued professional development sessions. These have been fantastic to attend and have supported me to expand my coaching offering.
The Coaching Academy gives a great student experience. They have nurtured a fantastic community, and I’ve made lifelong friends during my studies!
What advice or perspective might you give to a new coach trying to get her first clients? Any advice they should ignore?
Your ideal clients are out there, you just need to find them. Get out there (in person, on social media—ideally both), get talking to your audience, build relationships, and give potential clients the chance to build trust with you.
There is so much noise in the coaching world about how you should be doing things, how much money you should be aiming to make. It took me a long time to get to this point, but have confidence in your own value. Create your definition of success and don’t let anyone tell you it’s too much or too little.
What are your thoughts on “choosing a niche” as a coach?
I came into coaching with a sense of who I wanted to help with my coaching practice, and as I have studied coaching and gotten more experience, my niche has developed with me.
For me, having a niche has given me a clear direction of where I want to go and how I want to work.
I know who my ideal clients are and how best to programme my work.
Having a clear niche can be beneficial in tricky times. Knowing what you want to achieve can help push through challenges to find a solution and keep you motivated.
For me, having a niche has given me a clear direction of where I want to go and how I want to work.
It does very much depend on the coach and how you want to work. It is really important to remember that you can change and develop your niche whenever you want to—you aren’t stuck with it forever.
What books have significantly influenced your life? What are your key takeaways from these books?
Atomic Habits by James Clear – I feel like this is an absolute goldmine of a book. So many coaches use it within their practice because it’s so useful for our clients.
There is a lot of discussion out there about habits, about creating helpful ones and reducing unhelpful ones, but we don’t always fully understand how our minds work when it comes to habits and habit change. This book offers great support for that.
Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer – I have a bookcase full of books about the menstrual cycle, but Wild Power was a game-changing read for me. I’ve been fortunate enough to train with Alexandra and Sjanie at The Red School, but Wild Power was my introduction to the spirituality of our cycles and the powers that each phase of the cycle can hold.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – I read this book years ago, but the discussion about fear has stuck clearly in my mind ever since. Instead of trying to eliminate fear, communicate with it, welcome it in, but let it know that you are in the driver’s seat. This totally changed my outlook and is something that has supported me in the early stages of my business.
What are some of your favorite affirmations, mantras, and/or journal prompts currently? Why?
I am a really big fan of ”You have everything you need already inside you.” As I coach I get the privilege of helping you unlock it.
Recently it has developed into “You are the book that you need to read.” Switch the “you” for “I” and say it to yourself in the mirror—it gives me the shivers!
I tend to frame my journaling around my menstrual cycle, so prompts are all tailored around the cycle stage and what I am experiencing at the time. It’s a great way of meeting myself where I am.
When you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or have lost your focus or motivation, what do you do?
When I notice this, I always stop and ask myself: why am I feeling this way and what do I need? Have I pushed myself a bit too far, do I need a break, some time off, am I really enjoying what I am doing?
I am mostly in control of my schedule to be able to move things around to allow some space to rest if that is what I need.
My go-to routines when I feel like this include sitting down with pen and paper and just getting everything out of my head and into my journal, or getting away from my desk and going for a walk with my dog. Sometimes I’ll go for a run to clear my head and go back to whatever is bothering me with fresh eyes.
I am a huge list maker; think daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals and to-do lists. It sounds overwhelming, but it helps me stay focused and on track to achieve my goals.
Find what makes you feel great behind the scenes of your coaching practice and keep doing more of that!
Do you have any embarrassing (at the time) stories from your work as a coach? Or a time when putting yourself out there really paid off?
When I was getting ready to plan my business launch, I definitely had a fixed idea that I had to have a certain number of one-on-one coaching clients and social media followers before I could branch out into other projects.
Putting myself out there early on, reaching out to brands and companies I have been a customer of, really levelled up my business. I definitely didn’t feel ready to do it but I’m so glad I did!
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