Here she is!!! Could you please introduce yourself to the Creating Change Magazine.
I’m Shirley Brooks, a Transformational Life and Business Strategist with a passion for fostering change and growth in the lives of my clients. My professional journey spans over 23 years, starting in logistics and business management, and evolving into a thriving coaching and virtual assistance business over the past 5 years. This rich professional background has equipped me with a unique blend of practical business acumen and emotional intelligence, enhancing my approach to coaching and mentorship. At the heart of my mission is the empowerment of women in business. Whether they’re entrepreneurs carving their own path or corporate climbers aiming for the top, I provide the tools and strategies necessary to overcome challenges like perfectionism, procrastination, and overwhelm. By transforming their mindset and implementing strategic plans, my clients can unlock their full potential and find success in their personal and professional lives. In addition to coaching, I offer a variety of virtual business support services that allow my clients to focus on their core objectives, knowing that essential operational tasks are being handled efficiently and professionally. Creating change is not only what I do, but it’s also a core part of who I am. I firmly believe that every woman has the potential to lead a fulfilling, prosperous life, and my goal is to guide them on this journey of transformation. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself to your esteemed publication. I look forward to contributing to the ongoing dialogue around creating meaningful, positive change in the lives of your readers.
Could you tell us what type of business you have and how long you’ve been operating your business?
Of course! My company is called Your Success with Shirley LLC. I am a Transformational Life and Business Strategist, I offer a unique combination of coaching, mentoring, and virtual professional support services to primarily help female professionals and women in business. I have been serving clients under this brand since 2018. However, my overall professional experience spans over the course of the past 23 years, working in logistics, facilitation, and business management, which adds a unique and practical perspective to my coaching practice. I primarily focus on empowering professional women, particularly entrepreneurs and those climbing the corporate ladder. I offer mindset coaching, strategic planning, accountability services, and a range of virtual professional support services. In the coaching aspect, I specialize in helping my clients overcome challenges such as perfectionism, procrastination, and overwhelm, which can often hinder their personal and professional growth. As a Virtual Assistant, I provide support in numerous areas like social media management, email and calendar management, customer relations, content creation, and more. Overall, the mission of Your Success with Shirley LLC is to help women tap into their full potential, elevate their businesses, and lead more fulfilling lives. Together, we engineer a life and business of success that my clients can love and look forward to living every day.
What inspires you to pursue your dreams and goals?
What truly inspires me to pursue my dreams and goals is the profound belief in the power of using what God gave me to help create transformation. I’m moved by witnessing personal growth, and the process of seeing someone tap into their potential and thrive. It is very humbling and rewarding. As someone who’s been through my own journey of overcoming challenges and initiating personal change, I’m a firm believer in the adage “you can’t read the label from inside the jar.” This means that often we are too immersed in our own situations to see things clearly. Having been inside the jar myself and having managed to find a way out, with the help of my own coach and mentor has instilled a deeper purpose in my work to help others gain that invaluable outside perspective, enabling them to read their own ‘labels.’ Seeing my clients, especially women in business and corporate climbers, conquer their obstacles, break their self imposed barriers, and grow both personally and professionally keeps me fueled and inspired. Their triumphs serve as a consistent reminder of why I chose this path. Their success stories, along with my own transformative journey, are the drivers that continue to push me forward. The opportunity to create positive change, to facilitate the evolution of others, and to contribute to a world where everyone can actualize their dreams and live fulfilling lives – that’s what inspires me every day.
In your opinion, what are 3 lessons you have learned as a creative and changemaker?
As a creative and changemaker, the journey has been enlightening and transformative, teaching me some invaluable lessons: 1. The Power of Humility: Humility has been a cornerstone of my journey. It has taught me that acknowledging our strengths does not mean disregarding our areas for growth. In fact, it’s this humbleness that paves the way for learning, growth, and evolution. By accepting that I don’t know everything, I’ve been open to absorb new knowledge, new perspectives, and new skills, which has only enhanced my ability to create and instigate change.
2. Collaboration is Key: I have found that the journey of a changemaker is not a solitary one. The power of collaboration has been evident throughout my journey. Through collaboration, I’ve been able to harness diverse skills, ideas, and experiences, which have enriched my work and amplified the impact of the changes I’m striving for. Collaboration has reinforced the understanding that we are stronger together, and that collective efforts often yield more meaningful and sustainable outcomes.
3. The Influence of Words and Thoughts: The third crucial lesson I’ve learned is the power our words and thoughts hold. They are not mere reflections of our state of mind but shape our reality and the world around us. This has taught me to be mindful of my thoughts and the language I use, ensuring that they are aligned with my intentions and the change I wish to create. By understanding the power that lies within our minds, we can channel it towards positivity, growth, and transformation. Each of these lessons has become an integral part of my philosophy as a creative and changemaker, shaping my approach and influencing the way I navigate the path towards my goals.
Let’s talk about the services/products you offer, who do you help, and how do you help?
Absolutely, I’d be happy to discuss the services I provide. As a Transformational Life and Business Strategist, I offer a unique combination of coaching, mentoring, and virtual assistance to primarily help women in business. My clients range from female entrepreneurs to corporate climbers. The common threads among them are the challenges of overthinking, perfectionism, and overwhelm, which often lead to procrastination and can hinder personal and professional success. In terms of services, here’s what I offer: 1. Mindset and Strategy Coaching: I conduct weekly, bi-weekly and monthly one-on-one coaching sessions to shift my clients’ mindset from limiting beliefs to a growth-oriented one. I help them break down barriers of perfectionism and procrastination, replacing them with proactive and positive strategies that lead to personal and professional achievement. 2. Business Support Services: I provide a wide range of support services like customer relations, comprehensive administrative support, from email management to scheduling and more. Social Media Management & Content Creation. I handle my clients’ social media platforms, create engaging content and provide graphic design services to enhance their online presence. Facilitation & Curriculum Development, if the client provides workshops or courses, assist in the development and facilitation of these offerings. Performance and Productivity Consulting, I provide strategies and systems that increase efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance overall productivity, including training in time management, project management, and team management. 3. Training Workshops: I conduct workshops focusing on developing emotional and spiritual intelligence, honing leadership skills, and fostering a sense of purpose in both personal life and business. 4. Strategic Planning and Accountability: I guide my clients in formulating strategic business plans and hold them accountable for their goals. These are carried out in monthly deep-dive sessions, where we assess progress and realign strategies as needed. Through this comprehensive blend of services, I aim to create a space where women can thrive in their businesses and personal lives, minimizing burnout and maximizing fulfillment. Together, we work towards creating a purposeful and prosperous future that’s free of overwhelm and full of achievement.
What is your ultimate secret to your success?
The ultimate secret to my success is a unique blend of courage, guidance, and spiritual connection. Let me elaborate: First and foremost, as an introvert and recovering shy person, my motto “Do It Scared” has played a significant role in my journey. The truth is, the road to success is often paved with uncertainties and challenges. By embracing fear as a catalyst, rather than a deterrent, I’ve managed to transform it into a driving force, pushing me to step out of my comfort zone and seize opportunities. Secondly, I attribute a great deal of my success to having a good mentor and coach. Her name is Jennifer Slay, she is a coach, speaker and counselor in Canada, she was my first virtual business support client and she turned into my purpose accelerator. Now we are like sisters from another mister and business partners. As the saying goes, “you can’t read the label from inside the jar,” and this resonates strongly with me. A coach or mentor provides the critical external perspective that allows us to gain insights into our own potential and challenges. Having her in my life at the early stages of my entrepreneur journey has helped me navigate my journey, fostering growth, self-awareness, and resilience. Finally, staying connected to my Divine Source and Inner Guidance System has been pivotal. This spiritual grounding fuels my purpose, and directs my decisions and actions. It’s this connection that anchors me in my core values, keeps me aligned with my authentic self, and enables me to lead from a place of integrity and genuine passion.
What is coming up next for you?
Continuing my one-on-one client work is always a joy, but there are a few additional ventures that I’m currently nurturing with excitement. Among them is my labor of love, the Pink Unicorns, Peacocks, Pearls, & Prosperity Podcast. As an introvert myself, this platform has become a cherished space for me to share valuable insights and practical advice with busy moms, solo female entrepreneurs, and corporate climbers. These are the women who, like myself, have grappled with perfectionism, procrastination, overthinking, and managing their time effectively. It’s also a source of guidance on how to balance the many aspects of life such as motherhood, family, work, and entrepreneurship. In addition, I’ve opened spaces for my online group coaching program, ‘Slay Your Inner Critic.’ It’s a platform designed to help women bolster their confidence, push beyond fear, reclaim their assertiveness, and truly understand their core self. This program, which I revamped and began running online in 2019, has been a pivotal influence in shaping me as the entrepreneur and woman I am today. I’m thrilled to announce that the next cohort will begin in October. I am also gearing up for the fall launch of an innovative online membership I’ve been cultivating, ‘Time Management Alchemy.’ This hybrid learning experience consists of four phases, offering a combination of community interaction, live lessons, and pre-recorded lessons. This program is designed to assist busy moms, corporate climbers, and solo entrepreneurs in overcoming ‘shiny object syndrome,’ enhancing productivity, and improving time management. The ultimate goal is to customize a productivity strategy that harmonizes with your personal monthly cycle. Instead of fighting against your natural productivity rhythms, you learn to work in sync with them, making life function for you, not against you.
We have enjoyed this chat today, Please tell us how can we stay connected with you?
Instagram: @coachshirleybrooks https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirley-l-brooks/
Everything else is at bit.ly/Shirleylabrooks