From Setbacks to Strategy: Building a Career That Fits with Mandi Dana

In this episode of Career Coaching Secrets our guest is Mandi Dana, a dynamic career coach known for helping professionals cut through confusion and build intentional, fulfilling career paths; we dive into her journey, the pivotal lessons that shaped her approach, and the practical strategies she uses to help clients gain clarity, pivot with confidence, and align their work with their values and strengths covering everything from overcoming career stagnation and navigating transitions to building a personal brand and making bold, strategic moves that actually stick; whether you’re feeling stuck, exploring a new direction, or ready to level up, this conversation is packed with actionable insights and honest advice you can use right away.

You can find her on:
https://www.instagram.com/the.sweet.lyfe/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandi-dana-6b27b110/
https://mandidana.com/

Transcript

Mandi Dana 0:00

Because you can eventually help everybody, but you have to start somewhere. And so I think with choosing where you're going to start is really important and know that you can veer outside of that as time goes on. But if you try to put too many lines in the water, then you're not going to catch the fish.

Davis Nguyen 0:18

Welcome to Career Coaching Secrets, the podcast where we talk with successful career coaches on how they built their success and the hard lessons they learned along the way. My name is Davis Wynne, and I'm the founder of Purple Circle, where we help career coaches scale their business to $100,000 years, $100,000 months, and even $100,000 weeks. Before Purple Circle, I've grown several seven and eight figure career coaching businesses myself and have been a consultant at two career coaching businesses that are doing over $100 million each. Whether you're an established coach or building your practice for the first time, go discover the secrets to elevating your coaching business.

Pedro Stein 0:49

Welcome to Career Coaching Secrets Podcast. I'm Pedro and I'm joined by Mandy Dana, a certified that that's she's not certified. A coach, an executive coach. An executive. Sorry about that. I took off the letters, but it kept an executive coach. Moving forward, let's get started again, editor. Start recording here. Welcome to Career Coaching Secrets Podcast. I'm Pedro and I'm joined by Mandy Dana, an executive coach and leadership development consultant who is passionate about helping leaders unlock their potential and create positive change in their organizations and communities. With over 15 years of experience working with leaders across multiple industries and organizational levels, she combines evidence-based coaching methodologies with practical leadership strategies. Mandy's approach helps clients develop authentic leadership styles, enhance emotional intelligence, improve communication and influence, and build high-performing teams. She offers individuals executive coaching, team coaching and development, leadership assessments, and 360 feedback, plus organizational culture consulting, all with a mission to empower leaders to lead with purpose, authenticity, and impact. Welcome to the show, Mandy. Thank you, Pedro. Well, I'm excited that you're here, you know. And before we get into what you do now, I'm curious how this all actually started, right? You worked with Tony Robbins and all of that for at least nine years. So back to the origin story. What was going on in your life when coaching became more than just an idea, you know?

Mandi Dana 2:41

Oh, that's a great question and unexpected. Uh so I was going through actually myself, I my backpack story is I'm an entrepreneur. I had a business that I built from scratch out of my garage, turned it into an international business, and things started to change with the business. I got, I reached a pinnacle of what I knew I could do or what I was capable of at the time. And at the same time that was happening, um, there were things happening in the economy, and then I was going through divorce, and all these things kind of all like came down on me at once. And I, being like a really positive, always been a positive, optimistic person, I went through a really challenging time where I wasn't. And so I was trying to find my way. I was like trying to figure out how I can get my footing again and be back to who I am. And I was trying all kinds of things at the time. I was therapy, books, were exercise, talking things out, church, all the things, and nothing was quote unquote working. And so I had been following this blog and I came across this Tony Robbins guy. I had no idea who he was. In fact, you and I were just talking about it, um, the movie Shallow How. When I saw that movie, I had no idea who this guy was. I didn't get it, I didn't get the joke. And so all of a sudden there's this Tony Robbins guy. So I look him up, and and in the alb, you know, the beauty of algorithms, I ended up finding a um his audio program called The Ultimate Edge. And I was like, at the time I was very, very financially strapped. I didn't have $300 or $250 of what I was to buy the program. So I ordered it on a free trial because I was like, oh, it's not gonna work anyway, but I'll try it because anything, you know, anything's possible. So I kept my mind open, but I still was not convinced it was gonna work. And so every night when I was putting my kids to bed, I would listen to the program. And within a week, I just it really started to shift my emotional state, my thinking, and and I I became I came out of the dark and into the light. And it was in that moment where I was like, I gotta do this for other people, I have to help other people do this. And so then I started to pursue the career in coaching.

Pedro Stein 5:01

Okay, interesting. Now, usually at this point, I ask people, like, you know, um, at what point did it stop feeling like a side thing or a calling and start feeling like an actual business? But your experience is a little bit different. You were like in the coaching industry as an employee, right? And we're talking about Tony Robbins, which is a big name. So I want to understand the pivot. When did you left Tony Robbins and felt like, hey, you know what? I guess I'm doing something for my young now. This is the shift that I want to know about, you know?

Mandi Dana 5:33

Yeah. So, well, I wasn't working for him right away. It was about I was a client first, and then I started working for him, and I was with him for about I was there for nine years, and I literally just left a couple months ago. Um, but it got to the point in it while I was there, where you know, I grew and grew and grew, and I kind of reached a ceiling of where I could be within the organization, like a ceiling of income, a ceiling of potential. Um, I I got up to the level of mentorship, which is essentially the highest you can get in the coaching department there, other than director of the entire program, which I had no interest in. And so then I was like, okay, well, I need to keep growing because I'm just that's my mindset, is I'm always growing. So even in the organization, I was always had the mindset of I can't ask my clients to do what I'm not willing to do myself. And so I was always seeking out growth outside of the organization. And so probably about two years ago, I was started thinking, you know what, I need more. I need more. And what is more? I don't really didn't really know what more was at the time. And I wasn't ready because I still had kids at home. And then my youngest son got to the point where he was a he was moving on, you know, he was 18 and he was moving on with his life. So it was it actually opened a lot of potential for me in terms because I was a single mom, it opened up a lot of potential for me in terms of what I could do. And so that was when I decided to take the leap.

Pedro Stein 6:59

Okay. And I know you were pretty well established in the coaching space, let's put it like that. So did you felt like a shift uh when you launched your own business? And I understand it's pretty recent. So my question to you is like, oh, this is more like Tony's uh demographic, but this is more like Mandy's demographic. You know what I'm saying?

Mandi Dana 7:22

Um, I don't necessarily think the demographics are different. Uh, I think the what I do with them is different. So when I was in the organization, I worked with, you know, like our platinum partner, those high, high achieving, high-level um clients. And I did everything from the one-on-one sessions to like leadership and business development team training. In fact, I excelled at that, and part of that was because I had a business background and they really liked that about me. So they had me into in I that became that came really naturally to me. And so when I left, it wasn't that I was, but it was that, and it was our sessions were 30 minutes, and it was like, you know, you kind of have a lot of clients, like you have to have a pretty high number of clients, 65 to be exact, is like a minimum if you're full time. So you're just like constantly moving, moving, shaking. And sometimes it doesn't really feel like you can go very deep with them. And so what's beautiful about the transition for me right now is that I can then have like fewer clients and do more and go deeper with my fewer clients. And I really like that a lot better because it doesn't feel as taxing and it feels like I'm making more impact.

Pedro Stein 8:35

Okay, now let's zoom out for a second, okay? And I want to talk about Manda's business right now because like specifically about marketing. So if someone ends up working with you today, Mandy, how how do they usually find their way to you in the first place? You know?

Mandi Dana 8:52

That's a good question. Laura, I have referrals. So for past clients that got great results and love me and love the impact that we've I've had on their businesses and them personally. So I get I get referrals. Um, and so that's one way. The the more organic or my what I'm responsible for in terms of seeking it out. I've done a lot of things locally where I like joined our local chamber of commerce and I've been going to like what I feel are like the key events, like I know who my client is, so I'm not going to all the events, I'm just going to the events where I know my client's my ideal client's gonna be. Um, there I just started working with a company that's gonna help me do more of the like the sales funnel and the online marketing. Um, so there's that, and then there's of course there's social media, so it's like those things, but most right now, most of my people are word of mouth. And because of the level of client that I work with and the impact that I am able to make with them, see that's where they will recommend me. See, because for me, it's like, how can I give them a great experience and give them the best results? So then they walk away and they go, someone else needs you, this my friend needs you, this client needs you, this or this person, this friend, this colleague needs you.

Pedro Stein 10:14

Okay. Now I want to understand a little bit about the mechanics behind the scenes, right? And I I want to throw you a curveball here, a little bit of a curveball, which is let's pretend Pedro is your potential client for man is business, right? And Pedro had an experience with you in your Tony Robbins uh coaching uh practice, right? Let's put it like that. And I'm like, you know what? I I really liked working with her, and I'm curious about what it would look like to work with her in her own business now, right? So potentially, I understand that there are differences. You already mentioned some, and it's not about being better or worse, it's a different experience. I get that. So, from my perspective, right? Let's see that I'm being emborded into your own business. How would that look like, especially considering the fact that I potentially could be comparing the past experience, you know?

Mandi Dana 11:08

Um, well, the past experience, if someone's coming from the Tony Robbins world, which I assigned a um non-compete, so I really can't take anybody from that world. Like if you were my client in the Tony Robbins world, I can't really take you until you know maybe two years from now. Um so but and the experience, in some ways, the experience is going to be similar in that um, you know, it's gonna be about results because the the thing that I that uh content, that way of coaching is really impactful. So, like the the way I learned, because I did like I'd say like 16,000 sessions in the last nine years. So it's sort of in my DNA to coach that way. Um, and coaching is really about asking great questions and getting your client to come up with their own answers. So there's not going to be a difference that way in the coaching um arena. Um, and then the thing that's probably a little bit different or a lot bit different with what I'm doing in terms of the leadership and business development training is that I'm I've created my own modules, I've I've created things that I think that were missing from the things that we were doing there that are allowing us to go deeper into content that I think is most valuable for businesses and their teams in like building their culture and expanding their culture. And and then, of course, building and expanding culture is going to help increase net revenue, and that's what most people are after.

Pedro Stein 12:46

Okay. I mean no, it does, it does. You clarified for me. It was just like super curious, and it's interesting that you mentioned like a non-compete, okay, for two years at least. So I appreciate you sharing that. Yeah, um, now I'm curious, right? You're you were like, I'm gonna call it corporate coaching, okay? But you can name it however you feel like it. But you are there and now we're talking about your own business. And I see a lot of coaches out there and they're wearing all the hats. It's different, right? It's not now you have to to find leads, now you have to do your own marketing. It's a different beast, like from structure and all of that. So I'm curious on uh how do you manage that, right? How do you think about managing your time and energy so the business doesn't start owning you, for example?

Mandi Dana 13:34

Yeah. Um, great question. I don't pretend like I can do it on my own. Um, I think it takes support and leveraging in the right areas. Like, you know, for me right now, I've hired people to help me, let's say, build out my website, build out my funnels, help me with the marketing end. Um, I, you know, and then virtual assistant, like I think it's really important to, you know, and I know that everybody's at a different level with what they can afford. Um, so that's a that's a consideration as well. I think you have to be really careful with your time and and have boundaries around your time and be like for me, time blocking and having outcomes for my time blocks. So I know that like these three hours a week I'm gonna do, you know, um marketing and business development. I know these three hours a week I'm gonna work on content. I know these, so it's you know, being super um intentional with my time, but also like if you can afford to get help, I think it's important to get help and support because that's just gonna accelerate your results if you could if you can do that, is you know, like because there's there's stuff that I can only be working on and should only be working on, and then there's things that don't need my time, like someone else could do them for me. So it's really just you know, like distincting making distinctions of what that is.

Pedro Stein 15:01

Okay, I love the intention behind a calendar, right? I think that nails it. It's like do it with intention, understanding where you want to go and all of that. So great reminder on top of it. Now, I'm curious about one thing. It's like, well, you've been into like we already established that, so you understand what scaling uh a coaching business looks like because Tony he did that, right? So for you, and I see a lot of coaches struggling with that. Like, is it should I do just one-on-one? Should I do one too many? Should I have a sort of a license in style, which is I'm duplicating myself into other coaches? So, how does that play out for you? What's your intake about scaling a coaching business? You know, that it it's like sometimes it's a crossroads for coaches, and I would love to see your point of view on it, you know.

Mandi Dana 15:50

Well, I think a lot of coaches see themselves as coaches and not business owners. So the the important, like the one thing that's important is the identity, is like if you're gonna be a coach, if you just want to be a coach, then go find a job for a coaching company. There's a lot of them now where you can get jobs. And but if you're gonna, if you want to run your own business, then you have to actually embrace the identity of that you're a business owner, you're the CEO of your company, and that's the mindset that you have to look at things in. Because if I'm just a coach, I'm just most coaches just want to serve. Like they're servants' hearts, they just want to go do the job, serve the client, get them the results, and they they struggle with all the other things that need to be done because they don't have the identity of I'm also a business owner, I'm also a CEO of my company. So I think being in that identity and then being um having like a lot of times too, what I run into because I've I've coached a lot of coaches over the years, is um is the like not having their ideal client or clients, you know, whether that I wouldn't go 15 different avatars of your ideal client who you want to help. I would pick one, two, maybe three avatars and have a clear message because if you if you try to please everybody, you please nobody, right? Like that that's that old you know adage. And you don't want to you want to make sure that you have that you're really directed because you can eventually help everybody, but you have to start somewhere. And so I think with choosing where you're gonna start is really important, and know that you can veer outside of that as time goes on. But if you try to too put too many lines in the water, then you're not gonna catch the fish. And so you want to that, and then like I said, being really again, I'm gonna bring back the word intentional, be intentional with your messaging, intentional with your time. And then, you know, the other thing is not be afraid to ask, not be afraid to put yourself out there because that's the other thing that I think a lot stops a lot of coaches, is you know, that they get um uncomfortable asking, like uncomfortable asking for referrals, uncomfortable asking for money, uncomfortable like the other thing is like um, how do I price myself? Like those are some things that that stop coaches a lot of times from being successful.

Pedro Stein 18:19

It's like, and and I I've talked with people on the show really about that, especially on the sales part, right? It's like they have this, and I'm not sure if you agree with that, that's why I would love your take. It's like they have this misconception of what sales really looks like, and they're like, Oh, it's salesy, it's tactical, and they're on top of it, they're like they had bad experiences, right, with sales person people, and they're like, Yeah, oh, I feel icky about asking. I feel like because they're thinking they need to push, right? Yeah, and it's and I'm not sure if you agree with that, but do you think it's more about serving first? So you were mentioning, Mandy, about the the struggle with coaches and sometimes the sales part and the business side, right? And I had people in the show especially talking about how they felt weird on set selling and all that, and I'm sure if you agree with that, but sometimes they have a misconception of what uh selling actually is. Like it's about serving and not necessarily pushing. So, how do you see that? And if you see coaches struggling really with that part of sales cycle, you know?

Mandi Dana 19:24

Yeah, that's a very, very common struggle with coaches. And um, I one thing we learned in the Robbins environment, I'm gonna reference that probably a lot just because that's my experience, is um that it's you do you treat it as you call it serving versus selling. And it doesn't have to be pushy and it's it begins with your belief. So everything begins with our belief. If I believe that I'm capable of making an impact in your life, then I'm gonna have more, I'm gonna, it's gonna be more likely that I'll make implement that'll make impact in your life. If I don't believe that, then I'm not going to. If I believe I'm pushing and sales people are pushy, and I have that attitude about sales, then I'm gonna resist sales all day long if it feels gross to me. But if I go, I I know for a fact that I can make an impact in this person's life. I know that this person is gonna be better off with me than they are without me. Then what questions do I need to ask this person to get them to make the decision for themselves? Because it's not that's really sales, all sales is is the same thing that coaching is, and the same thing that leadership is, and it's influence. Sales is influence, coaching is influence, and leadership is influence. How do you influence? You connect with someone, you get you get you understand them, and then you ask them the right questions. All coaching is is questions. Leadership, it can just be questions. If you want to get somebody to do something that's either right for them or that they wouldn't normally do, you all you need to do is find the right leverage through the right questions.

Pedro Stein 21:05

I love that reminder. It's it's that old saying about consultants, I guess, that they have all the answers and coaches have all the questions, right? Stuff like that. Right. Yeah.

Mandi Dana 21:16

Go ahead, sorry.

Pedro Stein 21:17

No, please go ahead. No, go ahead.

Mandi Dana 21:19

Well, I was gonna say it comes back to you know, that just the point that we made earlier, and I just totally lost my train of thought. Um, but wait, say what you said again, and then I'll catch my train of thought. Right.

Pedro Stein 21:34

The consultants have all the answers and the coaches have all the questions, right? That's the quote.

Mandi Dana 21:39

Yeah. Um shoot, I forgot. So let's move on. And I'll I'll catch it if I remember.

Pedro Stein 21:46

You're you're only human, no problem. Um now, Mandy, looking forward, right? A bit, what's what's the direction you're aiming this business towards? Are you thinking more about growth, a leverage, building a team, or refining what a works, you know, what feels most exciting right now?

Mandi Dana 22:03

Yeah, I I think that uh like long term I would like to have a team and you know have some coaches that I'm working with. And you know I I think that a lot of coaches could use someone leading them because not everybody wants to be a business owner. And that actually brings me back to what I was going to say that I forgot is that it it requires you to get back to get into the mindset of CEO that like if you don't want to sell then maybe you just want to be a coach and you can work for another company. You have to if you want to have a coaching business you have to treat it like you're a CEO of a business. Otherwise you just have to work for somebody else. And that's that to bring us back now to your question is like long term I love the idea of creating something where I'm I'm leading other coaches and having them help me with you know coaching the executives of the leaders that I want to work with because I like working with big companies. And the reason then why I like working with big companies is because I feel like when I work with one say Pedro you're my my client and you're leading that's anywhere from 200 to 500 other people there's a ripple effect to the work I'm doing with you that's going to impact 500 people versus just you and then a lot of times those companies will have executives and those executives really need coaching and I don't want to spend all my time doing one-on-one coaching. You know like and so ultimately I'd love to have other coaches that are working with me.

Pedro Stein 23:42

Okay. Interesting and you know even when things are going well there's always something under construction right Mandy so what's the main thing you're actively working on or trying to improve in the business right now.

Mandi Dana 23:55

Well right now it's really getting established as a brand because I'm so brand new that's like taking all my time is building the foundation of of what's gonna come next and you know do I I don't really know exactly what's going to come next. And I'm sort of just following you know my gut instincts on all of this and who's showing up and which kind of client you know what kind of clients are showing up in my field. And you know like for me that's just that's divine guidance and I'm just following the divine guidance right now on that.

Pedro Stein 24:30

Okay. You know I feel like I need to dive in into a little bit of a topic that I I think you can deliver so much especially because I felt that in my skin it's like the imposter syndrome right because you are nine years in giving I'm not kinda I'm not gonna say advice it's like coaching people into being for example a business owner right you're coaching um a coach and you're like hey you need your targeting you need X Y and Z you know and even uh CEO level and C suite and all that so how that fell for you you know when you're doing this as being an employee you know I'm not trying to underplay that I I I did that the same to myself but I think that could serve so much our audience and coaches out there that are listening you know so what is your question?

Mandi Dana 25:17

It's like how that fell for you coaching people while can where you were an employee right and you're coaching them into being a business owner just like yes that that potentially could have who am I who am I to do that you know that feeling yeah so I I didn't have the who am I to do that because I was a business owner before but they were a lot of the businesses I've been working with are were bigger than any business I've ever built. And so you do have to get past that and realize that it's not about the having done the same thing. It's about what are the fundamentals that you know they need because all the fundamentals whether it's a brand new coach just starting out or you know like a like a high level CEO most of the fundamentals of thinking and and like identity and all the things that are actually the tools they need are the same. They're just a different scale and so that was something that I learned over time because don't get me wrong there was a there was a time there and that was was so beautiful about that environment for me is that it allowed me to to grow and become who I am as a coach. But there was a time when I did have that doubt when I was like who am I to do this like you said and I think you just have to lean into the discomfort and it comes back down to what I said earlier is really believing in yourself and like because the belief in yourself is what's going to allow you the skills the strength the courage and and and all the things it takes to actually serve that client I got I love that reminder you know it's the it goes back to what you we started talking right it's the belief system and if you if you don't really believe you're gonna be able to land a sale or you're like feeling comfortable this is just not going to happen right a hundred percent and you do it enough times uncomfortable because like that's the thing that I always taught people in the trainings and I still do is like you don't get the emotion and then do the thing like you don't get the confidence and then you go do the thing. You have to do the thing uncomfortable to build the muscle of confidence. And so like you just have to go what's the worst thing that can happen like no they can say no or they don't get results and then they don't want to work with me anymore. Okay. Like am I gonna die? No it's just so it's like you kind of have to face the thing that you're most afraid of and you have to do that repeatedly and then you realize well I could just do anything like that's the the point I got to now is like I didn't leave the job after nine years with like a solid foundation that like I left and I was like well I'm gonna build a solid foundation and you know like maybe I'll fail I don't know but I'm doing it because I know that I can't stay here because if I stay here I'm gonna just I'm not fulfilled and I'm just gonna die inside.

Pedro Stein 28:20

Wow that was radical I hope we don't okay but the the topic you mentioned I think it's so interesting. It's like I see some people out there they're like sometimes oh they're moving from certificate to certificate to degree to degree because they feel like they're never ready like they're never good enough instead of just putting in the reps right and they're sometimes hiding behind that type of mentality but when reality man you gotta you gotta test yourself sometimes even if if that makes any sense right even if you want to work in that type of industry do you feel like people do that a lot too go after certificate to shift yes that's that's also a very common thing because it's like the need to create some kind of certainty and confidence and exactly the anecdote to that is to do the thing is to just take action start coaching clients you know and and just get out there just put yourself out there. Okay and Mandy before we close this out if someone resonated with what you shared and wants to follow your work where should they go? Well they can go to my Instagram to start with which is the t-e dot sweet s w e t life l-y f e so the dotsuite.life find me under mandydana mandy idana and um I'm also on LinkedIn and I am actually my website's launching next week and it'll be under it should be under mandydana.com okay you know there were a few moments from this chat that that really you know stood out to me I would put it like that well first of all when you mentioned you're financially stretched you didn't know what you know exactly what you were what you're doing you're trying to do your your your own takes you're getting in the raps you're testing yourself you know you're not waiting for validation you're like this doesn't align with me and I'm gonna try something different and I think that's such a powerful and I always say this uh on the show it's such a powerful asset for a true coach to have it's vulnerability right it's to navigate through vulnerability understand their own place and you know hold space understand what they can serve who they can serve and how they can serve so I would commend you on that and just navigating through stuff and telling me yeah I didn't know better or I didn't know what I was doing and just kept doing full kept moving forward you know I really like that um the CEO identity the business owner identity reminder you gave me about the coaches out there that they don't see themselves as owners but as coaches to go guys sometimes it's better for for you to get a job as a coach I think that is so powerful you know because a lot of coaches out there struggle with that you know and and they're like oh I I want to you know I want to to be a coach but they're only thinking about the practice the operational side of it just the coaching part and there's so much more there's the marketing bit there's you know the structure and there's ai today you know a lot of stuff that you need to take a look website you're launching yours in a few weeks and uh last but not least uh the belief system uh when you we're talking about selling that it's about influencing people at the same time but it's about serving right and um how you frame that in a way that is sometimes it's so simple it sounds like oh of course but most people they don't do that because they're they're inside a bottle how they say it right they're inside the noise and they cannot see past beyond their own BS right and that's the reason sometimes they need a coach for them pointed that out for them like hey it's not that big of a deal if you're just struggling with a belief system. Now this is my long-winded way of saying that I appreciate you taking the time and being open with this.

Mandi Dana 32:29

It was great having you on Mendy great being here thank you so much for having me.

Davis Nguyen 32:34

That's it for this episode of Career Coaching Secrets. If you enjoyed this conversation you can subscribe to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening to this episode to catch future episodes. This conversation was brought to you by Purple Circle where we help career coaches scale their business to seven and eight figures without burning out. To learn more about Purple Circle, our community and how we can help you grow your business visit join purplecircle.com