From the Air Force to coaching - with Dr. Renea Skelton
How many of us would choose a coaching career over early retirement? We welcomed Dr. Renea Skelton, life and communication coach who started her coaching business in 2019, following 22 years in the Air Force. Dr. Renea joined Delenta during a pivotal time for her business and our founder Sam Samarasinghe speaks to her about how she used Delenta to manage and scale her growing coaching business.
You’ve been on our platform Delenta for a while now. Dr Renea, tell us how your coaching business began?
My journey began before COVID. I was serving in the Air Force, and retired in 2019, after 22 1/2 years of service. While at the Air Force Academy, I began coaching individuals with emotional intelligence, basic life coaching and communication coaching. I was also teaching and facilitating workshops for the cadets. I shared my personal struggles, and helped others overcome theirs. That's when I realized, I love coaching. My Colonel saw this strength in me and allowed me to receive my certification. Once I retired, I decided to create my own coaching business and that's what I've been doing ever since.
With your background in the Air Force, you must be very familiar with military environments, where things are very well structured and disciplined. What types of issues did you regularly come across in this environment?
Yes, structure and discipline are a primary factor in the Air Force. However, the Airmen were seeking softer skills such as empathy, emotional intelligence, and social awareness – skills that aren’t necessarily taught consistently. Through coaching, it was about helping them to find the purpose they craved. Many individuals sought my help to find clarity and their own identity. Many military members define themselves with their role in the military, the uniform they wear, and the accolades they receive. I help them step back, outside of the uniform, to find something deeper and to rediscover themselves. That’s where clarity comes from.
Did understanding all of this about your candidates help you start your coaching business?
Yes! I experienced many of the struggles they’re experiencing. I’m not foreign to it and that, I believe, is what makes an authentic coach. I’ve been through the struggles, the pain, and the joy. Everyone struggles and that’s okay – it’s how you navigate through those struggles that’s important. People are constantly asking themselves: What direction am I going in life? What is success to me? Why is society telling me what success looks like when I can determine my own success? Who am I? Coaching is about transforming lives. I always say, I'm not the sage on the stage, I'm the guide on the side. This mission helped me start my coaching business and serve others.
When you made the decision to resign and retire, did you strategically transition into the business?
Honestly, my plan was to do nothing! I told myself that I'm going to sit at home, and swim in the pool all day. But what I found crazy is that I couldn’t. Being in the military for over half my life and always going and doing, I needed to do something. So, I used my coaching skills and coached myself. I redirected my focus on my values and one of them is serving others. I would have lunch with friends and many of the meetings would turn into coaching sessions. It was difficult to turn it off because it brought me joy. When I retired, I promised myself two things: joy and flexibility. Through coaching, I receive both. It’s not a job to me, it’s a passion. My passion then transitioned into a business.
Your friends became an informal channel into coaching, allowing you to do it pro bono over lunch. So then, when it turned into a business was that you making the decision to take coaching seriously?
I decided to play BIG. I didn't dip my toe into the water of possibility but threw my whole-body in. Once I created my LLC, people and organizational leaders reached out to me for speaking engagements and workshops, finding me on Google, and learned about me through world-of-mouth. My friends helped this process by saying, “Go and see Dr. Renea if you need help finding purpose or if you have an issue.” I also coach on parenting, relationships, and leadership so when the pandemic hit, it was a crucial moment for the coaching industry - everybody desires more well-being now and that’s amazing. This just validated what I was already doing by serving others. I love that people are being vulnerable and courageous enough to ask for that help.
Are you still maintaining the flexibility and the joy? How do you manage that now that you are running a coaching business? Hopefully Delenta is helping you out with your flexibility and goals.
Delenta coaching platform has been a lifesaver! No joke, a game changer! As a researcher by trade, I was searching for anything and everything to manage my work. I could not find any program that incorporated what I needed. I was flooded with invoicing and creating notes for clients on excel sheets and word documents. As my clientele increased, so did my disorganization because of not having a platform that took care of all my tasks. I reached a point where things had to change, and that’s when it happened. Delenta appeared! My initial thought was “there's no way this coaching platform does all of this stuff.” So, I reached out to the Delenta staff, and they allowed me to test the platform. I discovered it’s a cradle to grave system managing clients from start to finish. The clients schedule their own sessions, it’s a hub where I can place client notes and tasks, contracts and invoices are established within it and clients can pay on the platform.
That’s not even all the capabilities that Delenta offers. It’s a total time saver, game changer, and life saver. Delenta saves me so much time. I’m a party of one over here!
Thank you so much! I want to have an understanding of your business pre COVID and post COVID. Did you see any significant changes?
I saw many changes. I have more clients now. I believe that COVID triggered something that was dormant in many people. Issues and stress were bubbling up inside for many people, which is unfortunate, but it's also a blessing because people are looking for help and asking for help now which is an amazing shift. Many individuals want to be seen and listened to and not feel alone. It takes vulnerability and courage to ask for help and I applaud those who do. Because of COVID, I incorporated Zoom appointments, so I work with individuals all over the world.
What challenges do you see in remote working and how have you overcome these? Do you prefer in person coaching or remote?
This may sound superficial, but I honestly haven't had any issues. I like in person more than zoom because I can gauge more of the client’s energy and their feelings in proximity. My biggest challenge is my children being home for the summer while I’m engaged in a coaching session on Zoom. I have three kids and they feel like they need to come in and tell me about their life or what they want to eat for breakfast or the joke of the day while I’m immersed in a session! That's my biggest challenge. A lot more people want to use Zoom link now and that’s totally understandable.
Who's your ideal client? How would you describe your ideal client?
This has always been an interesting question because you typically hear, “anyone with a heartbeat.” Yeah, technically I can coach anybody. I have male clients, children…but my niche is women. It’s the woman who may be struggling with her identity or feel shame and guilt, or just lost. Maybe she needs clarity and direction. She could be a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend. She could be a CEO of a company. My clients are typically between 25 to 55 and most of them are leaders or aspiring leaders. Most are mothers and wives.
You have a huge market. Do some presume that you might target ex-military individuals?
Veterans do naturally approach me because I understand them. When people see my website they ask “Oh, do you just coach women?” My response is “No, I coach everybody” but I work with women primarily because I speak their language. Usually, my male clients will have issues with stress or anger, or they want to be more assertive, or they're not as confident at work and we work on that together.
Your profile is also very beautiful. I know you have multiple programs for group and individual coaching. Tell us more about how it all works. What is your average time period for coaching?
I offer various packages. Each session is an hour long unless the client prefers longer. I have a 12-session program, a six session, a four session and a power session, which is just one session in which clients just want on session to target one issue and move on. I always find that the one-hour sessions are not enough because people prefer to go deeper into their self awareness. I don't believe in putting a Band-Aid over a bullet hole. I want to get down to the root of the issue otherwise change is temporary. Typically, six to 12 sessions are ideal. I uncover things that clients didn't know existed, things that were dormant.
Let's go into detail about the processes. How do you onboard these customers? Do you use Delenta?
Clients typically reach out to me from their Google search, word of mouth, or if they attended one of my workshops or speaking engagements. I immediately provide them the link to my Delenta coaching platform for them to schedule a free 30-minute Zoom discovery session so I can learn more about their challenges and such. Another primary purpose is to establish a relationship to ensure we’re a good fit for each other. When they agree to my services, I send them a link to my Delenta profile again and then the magic happens. In the past, I had to send them my email, attach PDFs, everything was manual and scattered. Delenta took that stress away. I’m able to customize my email templates for my clients incorporating my logo and brand colors. It saves me so much time. Not to mention that the Delenta team is amazing. If I have any questions, they respond quickly and are very professional. The process is efficient and seamless.
Tell us more about your group program.
I used to have a group coaching community program on another platform which had approximately 45 female clients in it. Sadly, the platform shut down due to reasons beyond my control, so I began searching for another platform. I wanted the same requirements such as members could join the community at any time and weren’t limited to a time frame. I no longer have this program but many of my clients are asking me to create it again because they experienced the value and transformation it brought. In the meantime, I used the e-course option that many clients find beneficial as well and they love it because it’s at their own pace. The group coaching community is coming soon!
What is next for you Dr. Renea?
I am writing a couple of books. During COVID I published a children's book series on emotions, “The Adventures of Henry the Hedgehog.” Each book focuses on a certain emotion and navigating through it. The 6th one is due to come out prior to the holidays. I’m also writing a book on communication and how we talk to each other such as what to say and what not to say. I’m also co-writing a parenting book using the concept of G.R.A.C.E. I’m still facilitating workshops and traveling for motivational speaking. Bottom line, I’m still serving others, still living in my joy and truth. Delenta helped me continue this.
What advice would you give to your 20 something year old self?
You are you and there’s nothing wrong with that. Do not apologize – don’t play small, play BIG. Do you, be you, for you and don’t allow the world to consume you. Don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm.
