From Dream to Reality: How I Built Ignite Coaching and Found My Calling

Sometimes the most fulfilling path isn’t the one we planned—it’s the one that calls to our heart.

Two years ago, I sat in my corporate office, staring out the at the screen during another endless meeting. After ten years in management, I had achieved everything I thought I wanted: a successful career, financial stability, recognition from my peers. Yet something was missing. Deep inside, I felt a persistent whisper—a calling to do something more meaningful, something that would truly impact lives.

That whisper would eventually become Ignite Coaching:The Redhead Method, but my journey from dream to reality wasn’t instant. It was built through consistent action, belief, and the courage to trust my vision even when others couldn’t see it.

The Foundation Was Already There

My “aha moment” came during a particularly challenging period with my team. As I worked with a struggling employee, helping her navigate a difficult project and discover her own solutions, I felt something click. This wasn’t just management—this was coaching. And I was passionate about it.

Looking back, I realized that my ten plus years in management had been preparing me for this moment. Every team meeting where I helped someone see their potential, every one-on-one where I guided an employee through a career decision, every leadership development session I’d facilitated—it had all been building toward something bigger.

I’d been coaching people my entire management career without even knowing it, I now realize. But I’d never considered it could be more than just being a good leader.

That evening, I sat down and wrote in my journal: “What if I could do this professionally? What if I could help people transform their lives every single day, not just during performance reviews?”

My Passion for Leadership Development Becomes Purpose

Throughout my management career, I had always been drawn to leadership development. I volunteered for every training program, read countless books on human potential, and found myself energized by helping others grow. What started as professional development for my own role had become a genuine passion.

I loved seeing the moment when someone realized they were capable of more than they believed. I thrived on creating environments where people could discover their strengths and push past their limiting beliefs. My colleagues often joked that I should have been in HR or training, but I knew it was deeper than that—I was meant to help people transform.

From Vision to Action

Dreams without action remain dreams. I knew that if I wanted to build something meaningful, I needed to move beyond wishful thinking. I started small but started consistently, leveraging everything I’d learned from a decade of developing people.

My first steps were humble but intentional:

• I began offering free coaching sessions to former colleagues and friends, treating each conversation as practice

• I dove deeper into the leadership development books and courses I’d always loved, now with a coaching lens

• I started following successful coaches, learning from their journeys and strategies

• I used my management experience to understand what people really needed to succeed

I am not trying to build an empire overnight, I remind myself. I am trying to get 1% better every day and help one person at a time—the same approach that had made me successful as a manager.

The Power of Consistent Small Steps

What transformed my dream into reality wasn’t a single moment of inspiration—it was the accumulation of countless small, consistent actions, built on the foundation of years of leadership experience.

Every morning at 5:00 AM, I spend an hour researching coaching skills. Every weekend, I work on building my business foundation. Every conversation became an opportunity to practice my craft. My years of management had taught me the value of consistency and incremental improvement.

The breakthrough came six months later when a friend said “You’re already a coach… just go for it”

That phone call became the fuel I needed to take the leap.

Building Ignite Coaching: Leadership Lessons Applied

When I launched Ignite Coaching: The Redhead Method, I don’t have thousands of followers or a massive marketing budget. But I have something invaluable: ten years of experience developing people, understanding their challenges, and helping them achieve results.

I am building my practice the same way I had built successful teams—one relationship at a time, one conversation at a time, one transformation at a time. My management background gives me insights into what people really struggle with in their careers and personal growth.

I named it Ignite Coaching:The Redhead Method because that’s exactly what I learned to do as a manager.  My best leadership moments are when I help ignite the spark that was already within my team members. Now I get to do that with intention, helping people fan that spark into a flame that lights up their entire path forward.

The Fulfillment I Never Expected

Today, I wake up excited about my work in a way I never did—I’m living my purpose.

There’s nothing like witnessing someone discover their own power. When a someone realizes they have everything they need inside them to create the life they want, when they take that first brave step toward their dreams—that’s when I know all those years of leadership development and management experience led me exactly where I’m supposed to be.

My decade in management wasn’t time wasted or a detour from my true path. It was my training ground, my laboratory for understanding human potential, and my foundation for building something even more meaningful.

Your Dream Is Waiting for Your Decision

My story isn’t unique because I had special advantages or extraordinary circumstances. It’s inspiring because it proves what’s possible when someone decides to honor their calling and commits to consistent action, building on the foundation they already have.

If you’re reading this and feeling that familiar whisper of possibility, consider these questions:

• What skills and experiences have you already developed that could serve a greater purpose?

• What impact do you dream of making in the world?

• What would you regret not trying if you looked back five years from now?

• What small step could you take today to move toward that vision?

My journey from healthcare leadership to coach didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen. It started with recognizing how my leadership experience had prepared me for something bigger, continued with consistent daily action, and blossomed through serving others with the leadership skills I’d developed over a decade.

Your dream is waiting for the same thing mine was: your decision to begin, building on everything you’ve already learned and experienced.

Ready to Ignite Your Own Transformation?

Whether you’re looking to make a career change, discover your purpose, or simply create more fulfillment in your current life, transformation is possible. It starts with recognizing the foundation you already have and taking consistent action toward your vision.

If my story resonates with you and you’re ready to explore what’s possible for your own life, I’d love to have a conversation. Sometimes the most powerful journeys begin with recognizing that everything you’ve experienced has been preparing you for what’s next.

My journey continues every day as I help people ignite their own transformations. My story is proof that when we follow our calling with consistency and courage, building on the foundation we already have, we don’t just change our own lives—we create ripples of positive change that extend far beyond what we can imagine.