Even though I don’t speak of it a great deal here at my personal site, I am very proudly the Founder of the Beautiful You Coaching Academy.  Training and supporting divine and heart centred people to become life coaches is one of my greatest joys and I don’t imagine that changing any time soon.  And I should add that my work with the Divine Feminine has greatly impacted that course even though many people may not realise it.  It always has, before I even became more attuned to my spiritual nature.  It’s just that now I choose to speak of it more. The time is right.

From its inception and for many years now I have been known as the CEO & Founder, Beautiful You Coaching Academy.  It was a title I gave myself because it seemed to ‘fit’ best at the time we launched. A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is by definition the ‘highest ranking person in a company, ultimately responsible for making managerial decisions.’  Is this what I do at the Academy with our three staff members and multiple contractors?  Yes it is.  But no it’s not.

Beyond CEO White Dreamcatchers

The truth is that I chose the title because of past programming and experiences about what I thought would garner me the most respect as a woman in charge of a global business.  Afraid of launching a feminine and heart centred business that was trying to play in the same arena as large corporate training schools, I wanted to be taken seriously and not seen as a lightweight or that I didn’t know what I was doing.  And having previously worked for charitable organisations lead by incredible women who had given themselves that title for I suspect the same reason – it felt natural to me at the time.  I had witnessed how hard these women had to work to be taken seriously when dealing with the business sector, especially when trying to get them to understand, support and donate to their cause. Anything – and I mean anything within reason – that would help ‘the suits’ see them as the real deal, one of them, and not a flake, helped get those donations through.  That is a strong message indeed about title and what it can make people believe and feel about you.

With the evolving of consciousness that is happening to so many now and the embracing of the Divine Feminine inherent in all of us, it may seem strange to you to think that I would of had such feelings for a business that is only just in its fifth year.  Believe me when I tell you that a great deal has shifted and changed on both a global scale and at an individual level within so many people within those five years, and what could (or would) have been absolutely rejected or even ridiculed such a short time ago, is now accepted and even embraced.  More and more coaches and consultants are openly claiming they are led by their intuition with clients.  Further still are saying they are spiritual. Daily sacred rituals, living by the moon cycle, setting manifestation intentions and embracing the power of the Goddess is (blessedly I believe) becoming common place.  And hence the sort of business that the Beautiful You Coaching Academy is – warm, open, heart centred, feminine, nurturing – is also being embraced and enjoying enormous success as well.

And so it’s been for some time now that the title of CEO has not been sitting well with me.  And I only have to look at the definition of the title and the words that make that up to quickly learn why.

The word ‘Chief’ is a masculine word and traditionally refers to a man.  It also signifies someone who is at the top of a hierarchy as opposed to someone who works in a team or collectively.

The word ‘Executive’ is a corporate word.  It is also a word that (to me) is very black and white and also final.  It is not a word that signifies openness to gentle process, care and nuance.

The word ‘Officer’ has its origins in the military.  A ranked male serviceman.  Enough said. 

And so when I both looked at this on paper, but more importantly, looked deep into my heart, I knew as we began another year, that the title of CEO was no longer for me.  It felt overwhelmingly patriarchal and not in alignment with who I am.  While it may describe what I am to most people or even help some take me and what I do seriously, it feels constricting, dominant and hard, whereas most who know me well and work with me know that I am inclusive, open and warm.

For now I am simply the Founder of the Beautiful You Coaching Academy.  The person who bought her into the world.  Who knows what other name may come to me – if any – in the future.  For now a heavy masculine weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I already feel a great deal more cosy and comfortable with a much lighter title.  This is especially the case because in all honesty the Academy is not, nor has it ever been, mine.  She came through me but is not for me.

She belongs to the now more than 400 (and rapidly growing) Beautiful You Coaches from all over the world.  She was never meant to ‘be mine’ or belong only to one or me.  She was meant to be shared, seep out, travel, grow, explore, adventure and find her own feminine way in the world through the hearts and work of many.

She needs no CEO.  She is who she is because of the people who believe in and love her.  And I know in my heart that is many more people than just me.