A Certified Professional Coach with iPEC, Parita Kuttappan is the founder of Awarify Coaching in Atlanta. She brings her 15+ years of experience in the corporate world to her coaching practice, inspiring other women to pursue their goals in their careers and in their lives. In our interview, Parita told us about her transition from corporate to coaching, and she shares advice about knowing how and when to pivot in life when the path you’re on isn’t the right one. We hope you enjoy this interview!
Coaching Focus: Parita Kuttappan is a mindset and confidence coach for working women and working moms. She partners with clients to unlock their inner goal-getters, bring awareness to what’s most important, and live more confident lives.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Connect: You can find Parita online at her website as well as on Instagram, Facebook, and on her podcast.
Tell us about your journey as a coach.
First and foremost, I’m a mom to two beautiful children and a wife to my best friend. My parents immigrated to the US from India in the early 80s and instilled in both my sister and me the true meaning of perseverance and dedication—to family, to your work, and to your life.
I have 16 years of corporate experience, both internal and client facing, mostly in the Global Human Resources space. And while my work was challenging and interesting, I consistently felt like something was missing. During the pandemic, I explored this feeling some more and ultimately decided to pursue my coaching certification through iPEC.
Upon having my second child, I decided to take a big leap and bet on myself. I took Awarify Coaching full-time because I truly felt like that’s where the value-added work I was searching for would be found. Over the past couple of years, that has certainly been the case as I have coached dozens of women on mindset, confidence, self-belief, self-love, ambition, etc.
In the last year, I also started a working mom podcast with a coaching school peer called Momsanity, where we explore topics and ideas that sit at the intersection of work and motherhood.
What courses, programs, or certifications have you done? Would you recommend them, and for whom?
- iPEC – I would recommend this program to anyone aspiring to be a coach.
- Positive Intelligence – This is a free 8-week program that I would recommend to existing coaches looking to add to their toolbox.
Editor’s Note: Want to hear Parita’s thoughts on her training experience with the certification program through iPEC? Find them here.
What advice or perspective might you give to a new coach trying to get their first clients? Any advice they should ignore?
My biggest piece of advice is to be yourself. If you look outside of yourself and what you know to be true, you will be led on many different paths that may not align with who you are. People want to connect with authentic energy, so give them that.
Also, know that building a strong business takes time and lots of effort. Nothing pays better than consistent work.
What are your thoughts on “choosing a niche” as a coach?
Do what feels right to you. Pick a niche that you are familiar with and/or have lived through. There’s something about a personal experience that enhances your practice and serves your clients even better.
People want to connect with authentic energy, so give them that.
If a specific niche isn’t calling out to you, don’t let that stop you from coaching. It will come to you over time.
What books have significantly influenced your life? What are your key takeaways from these books?
- Atomic Habits – Habits, systems, and your environment are everything.
- Essentialism – Know your priorities and don’t let other people’s emergencies become urgent for you.
What tools, software, or other resources have you found to be most helpful in running your coaching business?
Calendly, Zoom, and a good notebook and pen!
If you received an extra $10,000 to spend on your business, how would you spend it and why?
I would invest in someone to help me with PR for speaking engagements. This is a space in my business I’m definitely looking to grow and would love help in vetting out opportunities.
What are some of your favorite affirmations, mantras, thoughts, and/or journal prompts currently? Why?
“I am enough.”
So often we are told either directly or indirectly that we are not enough just as we are. That we should be doing more or we should be different. I like to remind myself that I am enough in this moment just as I am. It calms me and gives me energy to keep moving forward authentically.
When you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or have lost your focus or motivation, what do you do?
I take deep breaths to get out of my head and into my body. I also like to keep a notebook nearby so I can jot down my thoughts or to-do items and get them out of my head.
Do you have any examples of how a “failure” set you up for later success?
Personally, I don’t like to think in terms of failure. For me, every experience is a learning opportunity.
A big learning came for me when the job I took out of college—a job I thought would be my forever job—didn’t end up being that way. Six months in, I realized I was in the wrong field. That was a tough thought to face because everything I had done to that point had set me up to be exactly where I was. It took some introspection and self-belief to pivot, go back to school, and start fresh in a new field.
I learned that I can only do the best I can with what I have in the moment—time, energy, resources, etc.
Also, it’s never too late to pivot. A life of joy and fulfillment requires us to move and adapt and change.
Tell us about a time when putting yourself out there really paid off.
I recently reached out to someone in my network to learn more about coaching in her organization and also to share about what I do. Networking isn’t something that comes naturally to me. I don’t like to sell myself, but I’ve recently shifted my mindset to one of serving (by sharing what I do, I am giving myself opportunities to serve). That one conversation has led to several others with various team members and a large potential coaching engagement.
If you could put a message on a huge billboard—getting a message out to millions—what would it say and why?
“You have the answers you are looking for. Remove the distractions, listen, and trust yourself.”
This is an important message to me because in the world we live in, we are told that everything we need is outside of ourselves. That someone else has the answers we’re looking for.
That just isn’t true. If we just create silent space to think, to work through questions, to ask ourselves big questions, to reflect, the answers we want and need will come. You have to trust that process and yourself.
The Life Coach Magazine staff is your team for high-quality content on topics from personal development, to coaching tips, to how to grow your coaching business.
Be First to Comment