Welcome to the Anything but Average Podcast where I will teach you how to create a coaching business one step at a time. I’m Lindsey Mango, a life coach passionate about helping you create the life of your wildest dreams by creating a coaching business. Let’s get started.
Lindsey: Hello and welcome back to another week and another episode of Anything but Average. I am so excited because this week, I am bringing a guest on. Her name is Casey Sementilli. I probably said that wrong, even though I practiced like 10 times. And she is an intuitive eating coach who empowers women to find food freedom.
And the reason why I wanted to have Casey on today is because her story and her journey from the time that she started Anything but Average and where she is now has been so cool to watch unfold, to coach her, to see the results she’s created. And so I wanted to bring her on to talk about her story, where she started, and how being a part of the program has made an impact on her coaching business and what she does in the world. So welcome Casey.
Casey: Hi Lindsey, thank you for having me.
Lindsey: Yeah, I’m so excited you’re here. Really quick before we jump in, did you ever imagine this moment would happen for you?
Casey: Honestly, absolutely not. I feel like a superstar. Wow, I’m so honored.
Lindsey: So good.
Casey: Thank you.
Lindsey: Yeah. You are welcome. Where are you calling in from? I don’t remember if I know where you’re from.
Casey: So I’m in Northern New Jersey.
Lindsey: Nice. Is that where you’re from originally?
Casey: Yes.
Lindsey: I don’t hear an accent so I was like…
Casey: Yeah, I don’t know.
Lindsey: So good. Awesome. Alright, so my first question for you is where were you before coaching? What’s your story and how it led you to starting your own coaching business?
Casey: So most of my – it started when I was probably around 15. I started going on a diet, not eating enough food, really just restricting for me. I guess it can look different for everybody. They can go on different diets, but for me it just wasn’t eating enough food. And I ended up losing a lot of weight and probably being underweight for what I should have been.
And it just ended up being like this constant struggle for the rest of the years of high school and even when I got out of high school and I started working my full-time teaching job, just struggling with food on a diet. Then it got into binging and just obsessing about it for so long that I don’t even remember the day or when it was but it was probably when I was in my 20s maybe where I was like, I can’t do this anymore.
It’s just all consuming. I felt like I was really missing out on all these other things that life gives you. And it just didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel healthy to be obsessing and thinking this way. So that was when I just Googled it, how do I eat normal? And the intuitive eating came up and I really got into that and started to kind of let go of dieting myself, even though it was scary.
And then I started working with – I found this health coach on Instagram, which was wonderful, and I worked with her for six months. And I really saw through working with her how powerful coaching is. And so yeah, it just really inspired me to think, I really feel like I can help other women having gone through this, maybe it’s something that I really enjoy and I could try.
And so that’s kind of – I was still working with children but it just eventually got to the point where I loved working with kids, I really loved it for a while, but then it slowly started to – I didn’t love it anymore to be honest. And especially I got married, I had my own kids, it just didn’t light me up anymore.
I just felt like I was going through the motions on autopilot, working this job where I had to be there at 7am until four o clock, a nine-hour day for not a lot of money because childcare really doesn’t – preschools don’t pay a lot. And it was fine, but I was like, I don’t know, maybe I can – it just lit me up to think that I could help other women and be on a client session and spend my days doing that instead just really lit a fire in me.
So that was when I kind of started this business and I really in the beginning didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I really had no idea. I ended up working with a business coach for a while, which was wonderful. It really got me started. And I ended up following you.
I think I stumbled upon you from an amazing post that you did and I think it was posted in 2K actually about how you I think left your job too or you started your coaching business and left your job within six months or something. I forget which post it was but I was like, wow, that’s amazing.
And I started following you and then I started listening to the podcast and I loved it. And I thought, yeah, I’m Anything but Average too, I can do this too. So that’s when I wanted to join ABA.
Lindsey: So good. So I just think it’s so fun because Casey has – obviously the program ABA is to help you start your coaching business. And Casey kind of came into it already having her coaching business, which a lot of the students join at that point too. But you’re still the perfect example of the process because the first step I teach is changing your own life using coaching tools to create results. And that’s what you did.
And for me, that’s how I got into coaching as well and that’s what I find the best coaches do that first because it ignites that passion for coaching. You make that connection between coaching and the results you’ve created, and then it’s really – it’s a lot easier to go out and start offering it to other people because the thought you have is this was so transformative, this is so life-changing, other people need this.
So I think it’s so fun that your story unfolded exactly how the process does, even though you came to the program once you already started. But that is one of the first pillars and that’s ongoing. That’s forever work, changing your own life, doing your own growth, and that’s what really sharpens your saw as a coach and makes you a great coach and gives you the ability to speak about it so passionately and from a place of really believing in what you’re offering.
So I find for a lot of people who want to start a coaching business, they’re unclear about do I want to do intuitive eating? Do I want to be a life coach? Do I want to be a marriage coach? They don’t really know. And you don’t actually have to know when you come to the program because that part of the process is meant to help you discover what your kind of unique passion is.
For Casey, she changed her relationship with food. So that is what she went out and wanted to help other people do. And so I think it’s just so cool that your story unfolded really how the process lays it out. For some of the people who come and they aren’t coaches yet and they haven’t started. So I love it.
So you started your business, you had this business coach and you got so much value, you got started. And then you got connected with ABA. Where were you at when you joined ABA?
Casey: So when I joined ABA, I think I’d only signed one client. And I just needed – I didn’t feel confident in what I was offering. I just – it just felt like a little messy. And I had a goal to sign five clients by June so I could leave my teaching job. And it’s so funny because now I’ve signed five clients even before June and I was able to leave the teaching job in April.
And I really think being in ABA helped me to just build that confidence that I needed to show up and just go with the thought like, somebody needs this, these women need this, even if it’s just one person. So it’s been nice.
Lindsey: So what was the thought process before? So you were kind of like, this is messy, what else were you feeling and thinking, or were you focused on the people who didn’t need it? Where were you at when you joined?
Casey: I just felt like – I think I just second-guessed it like, I don’t know if I can do this, I don’t know if I’ll ever find another client, I don’t know what to – I was afraid to charge a certain amount. Just all that kind of stuff. The thoughts like nobody wants this, I would go through.
Lindsey: Yeah. And this is so good. I don’t want to interrupt you but I think this is so good to share because I think so many people who want to start a coaching business or maybe have already started but are kind of at that point where they’ve stalled, we all have those same thoughts.
And they’re not a problem. They’re going to of course keep you from signing that next client, but there’s a way through them. I think so often we kind of think this is reality, like this probably isn’t good enough to offer people, this is too expensive, instead of realizing like, this is just a story my brain is telling me, these are just thoughts that I’m having, and if I want to produce a different result, I have to do something differently.
Casey: Yeah, definitely. And doing the thought download work and everything was so helpful. I worked on my belief every day of on a scale of one to 10, would I sign a client this month. And it was quiet the first few months. I joined ABA in October, I signed one client, and then I didn’t sign another client – it just all of a sudden took off.
It was March, I signed two clients, April, another one came, and then just this past May, it was so crazy because it was the very end of May and I signed a client the last day of May.
Lindsey: So good.
Casey: I didn’t think it was going to happen either.
Lindsey: That is amazing. So what was the biggest thing that kept you – I’m going to go back a little bit and we’ll adjust it for your specific story. But did anything keep you from starting your business or from making that decision and moving forward with it?
Casey: I think what kind of held me back a little was just the thought, can I do this? Just believing in myself that this is something I could make happen for me and make it be my career and make money from and be able to help these other women. I think I struggled just with that confidence of believing that it could be something for me and not just be a preschool teacher forever.
I felt like I was really tied up into that identity. And that almost – I don’t know, I just had – I struggled a little with thinking I could be a coach. I’m a real coach.
Lindsey: Yeah. Oh my gosh, that’s so good. That’s such a huge shift that we work on in the program is going from like, I want to be a coach to I am a coach. It’s such a shift in identity. And then also believing like, you can actually be a full-time coach.
Casey: Yeah. And I struggled with that too, thinking like, I don’t know, this might just be a part-time thing. But I mean, I really was not in a good place with my job. So it almost – I just was ready to – there were moments where I could throw in the towel and be like, forget it, I give up. But I was like no, I’m going to just keep going.
Lindsey: What kept you going in those moments?
Casey: Just honestly that I love it so much. Even if I wasn’t signing a bunch of clients like I wanted to, I just really loved doing Instagram posts. It just felt good. It just felt right.
Lindsey: Yeah, that’s so good. That’s something I see a lot of new coaches struggle with is they come at it from that angle of, I’m going to post so I get clients. And it starts to create this contingent commitment where they’re only showing up to try to get a specific outcome instead of showing up for the joy of the process, for the joy of creating value in the world, for the purpose.
Even if you’re not signing clients in the moment, you have purpose when you’re showing up and creating content and helping people. And I think that’s such a huge thing that we work on in the program to stay focused on instead of I’m only going to show up if I’m getting clients. And that’s what creates more clients, right? You’re the perfect example of that.
Casey: Yeah, definitely. For sure.
Lindsey: So what did it feel like when you took the step to join Anything but Average? Because it sounds like you had – you were in some different programs and you chose to join the program. How did that feel?
Casey: Yeah. I think I remember getting on a call with you to talk about it and I was hesitant because yeah, I was in 2K and I worked with a business coach too and I thought, do I really need something else? Am I just adding on here?
But I just – I really loved you and I loved your message and it was just so compelling. And honestly, I just loved how you share your life, your mornings on your Instagram story, and I was like, I want that so bad that I need to learn from her and be in this program.
Lindsey: So good. I love it. So you’ve talked about this. Where are you now since joining the program and since starting your coaching business?
Casey: So now I’ve signed a total of five clients, which is amazing.
Lindsey: And it’s June when we record this episode, which is so fun. It’s not going to come out until July but so good.
Casey: Yeah. So I’m working on the belief of another each month still. And my pricing was kind of all over the place but what is really cool about the last client I just signed, I doubled the price and she signed. So that really – I just went all in with it. I was like, I’m willing to leave money on the table and this is the container and I’m good and I just went with it so it was amazing.
Lindsey: So you signed five clients. Your last one you charged double. So how much money have you made in your business since you started?
Casey: Since starting I want to say about $9000, which I know maybe doesn’t seem like a lot, but to me, I’m like, that’s incredible.
Lindsey: It is incredible. I mean, that’s the thing. So many people want to focus on like, 10K months, but you have to learn how to sign clients first and start your business before you can even get there. It’s a process.
And you’re laying the foundation of that belief and your coaching and helping people and everything that you need in order to create that. This is just the beginning for you, which is so fun. And you said you left your teaching job. When was that? How did that feel?
Casey: Oh gosh, so I left that in April actually and I left there smiling. I was smiling the whole way home. It was amazing. And it was so beautiful because it’s something that I’ve been wanting to do and my daughter was so happy because she was able to have me drive her to school now. Something I have not been able to do since she was basically starting school.
I’ve always had my mother-in-law do it because I had to be at this job very early in the morning. And it just was so nice to be able to be there for her and do that. And then be able to take clients now during the day, or have that freedom is wonderful.
Lindsey: Do you ever have that moment every day where you’re like, oh my gosh, this is actually real?
Casey: Yeah. And honestly, at first it was almost like, I don’t know, I struggled a little bit at first because it was very different from what I was used to. I was used to a very rigid schedule, getting up early, going into this job, being there. And then coming home to my family and doing the business on the side kind of on the weekends. And so it was an adjustment to just be like, wow, I have all – kind of felt like I had all this time.
Lindsey: Yeah. And sometimes with more time there’s more space for more drama and stuff.
Casey: Exactly. Yeah, but it fell into place and now I’m in a good routine and it’s been so lovely. It’s like a dream. It really is. To be able to not have to rush out of the house in the morning to go to this job that I really didn’t like going to honestly, and being able to just have coffee and talk to my clients on a client day and just sit at my computer and put out content or work on stuff.
Lindsey: It’s exactly what you envisioned, right? I think about what you said at the beginning. You were like, I wanted to be able to spend my life how I wanted and have coffee in the mornings and do all the things, and that’s what you’re doing. It’s so cool.
Casey: Yeah, it’s amazing.
Lindsey: I’ll never forget you guys, Casey texted me, messaged me on Instagram like the day after and she was telling me about how she was able to take her daughter to school and go get pizza for lunch with her son and how that was something she wanted to do for years.
And it really hit me because I think so often it gets so easy to get wrapped up in wanting to start a business. But I think when you focus on that, when you think about that vision for yourself and you use that as the reason why you’re showing up and why you’re willing to work through all the drama and all the things that want to talk you out of it and the things that can keep you stuck, it’s like the thing that keeps you going.
And I think it was such a cool moment to hear that from you Casey, and you kind of talked about it, but how did that feel to be able to have that experience and know you actively chose that and created it because you chose to start a coaching business?
Casey: Yeah, it feels just almost surreal. And I don’t know, I’m almost so proud of myself because looking back five years ago, I don’t think I ever would have imagined that I would have done this, that I would have been a coach, or started my own business. There is no way.
I’m definitely introverted and quiet, and had to work on my own confidence and stuff. So I am proud of myself for really continuing to go forward with it and not giving up. And it really just comes from knowing that I want to help these women who are struggling. That’s just what it always comes back to. Because I know how it feels. I know how it felt.
Lindsey: So good. So I think your story is such a good example of kind of what I just touched on, but like you’re saying, you’re introverted and you had all these thoughts like will people pay for this, and all the drama that comes up. And I think you’re such a good example of showing up to it from a place of this is the way through. This isn’t the end.
I think so often people have thoughts like I’m introverted, that’s not for me, or I’ve never seen myself own a business, that’s not for me. But instead, you were like, I’m introverted and I think there’s an opportunity for me to grow past this.
Is that kind of the thought process you had? How did you show up to that? Like the stories you were telling yourself, being introverted, never seeing yourself as a business owner, what was your thought and how did you approach that to get past that on the other side?
Casey: I think my thought was – it’s going to sound silly but almost like, so what? I don’t care. I’m doing this anyway. I’m tired of giving up on myself. Because I at one point wanted to be a fitness trainer. I went through that. I was going to take the test online and everything to be certified. And I decided not to do it and just threw it all away.
And I was just like, no, I really, really love this, I am not going to give up on myself. I’m going to keep going even if it’s hard, even if I sign one client or whatever it is, I just kept going with it.
Lindsey: I love that. Maybe we’re going to title this episode so what. So what you’re introverted, or so what you never saw yourself having a business. Those are changeable things. And I’m sure some of it is an asset, right? I would consider – it’s kind of funny, people don’t expect that from me but I’m kind of introverted extrovert.
I love people but I also like my time alone and it’s a huge asset. So I think it’s just such a good perspective on it. This doesn’t mean it’s the end. It’s just an opportunity and I can still have a coaching business, even with all of these things, and I’m sure that brings so much to the table for you and for your clients.
Casey: Yeah. So good. And it really has built my confidence in me. Just having my own business and coaching clients, I never would have thought I’d get on the phone with a client and talk to somebody for 45 minutes because I was introverted. But it’s made me grow if anything too with it. So incredible.
Lindsey: So good. So what would you tell somebody who’s on the fence about starting a coaching business?
Casey: I would say go for it, just do it.
Lindsey: So good.
Casey: What’s to lose?
Lindsey: Yeah, so what, right? You’re drawn to it for a reason. There’s something there for you. Love it. And what would you tell somebody who’s on the fence maybe like you were, maybe they’re following me, maybe they want to start a coaching business but they’re kind of sitting on the fence, what would you offer to them? Or what do you offer for your clients too when they’re kind of sitting on the fence?
Casey: I always like to say – and I say this on consults too, what are you going to lose if you don’t do this? Am I saying that right? Something along those lines.
Lindsey: Yeah. What are you going to lose if you don’t take this step? Usually, people focus on what they could lose if they do. But what are you going to lose if you don’t do it?
Casey: Yeah, along those lines.
Lindsey: So good. I love it. So where can people connect with you Casey? So they can find you, follow you, and for anyone who needs an intuitive eating coach, where can they connect with you?
Casey: So they can find me – I love Instagram so they can follow me over there, @caseysementillicoach. And I have a website, caseysementillilifecoaching.com but Instagram is probably the best bet.
Lindsey: Perfect. We’ll make sure to link that so you guys can go connect with her and Casey, thank you so much for coming on today, sharing your story, sharing your journey. I know so many people are going to get so much value out of hearing it and hearing how you got here and the fact that you’ve quit your job and you’re a full-time coach. So I just so appreciate you and I can’t wait to see what is next.
Casey: Thank you so much for having me.
Lindsey: You’re welcome. Alright guys, make sure to go to lindseymangocoaching.com/anythingbutaverage if you want to start a coaching business. This is the place to do it and make sure to go give Casey a follow and connect with her on her Instagram. We will link it in the show notes. Talk to you guys next week. Bye.
If you’re ready to take this work deeper and create your own coaching business, join us in Anything but Average, where I will walk you through the step-by-step process to become a coach, start your coaching business, and start signing clients. Go to lindseymangocoaching.com/anythingbutaverage and I will see you on the inside.
