Jackie Black

Website: www.drjackieblack.com

Why did you become a relationship coach?

“I met a coach on an airplane and in 5-hours Coach Bob changed my life forever and in deeply significant ways. When I got off the plane and started walking toward Baggage Claim, I knew that I had experienced something powerful and transforming. I explored the field coaching and shortly after decided to begin my training and become a coach. As a psychologist in private practice I had been working with couples and families for a number of years, so Relationship Coaching was a natural specialty for me.”

What was your experience with your RCI training?

“The curriculum was comprehensive; the learning materials were high quality, and the faculty was knowledgeable, professional and beyond compare. I am a Lifetime, professional member of RCI and the training I received and the value I receive daily since makes it the most priceless investment I have made in my professional life.

What was your biggest challenge in becoming a relationship coach and how did you overcome it?

“My biggest challenge was transitioning from being a therapist to being a coach. I remember the day I decided I would stop taking on new clients in my counseling practice, though I would continue delivering services to existing clients until each one terminated organically; and I would only enroll clients in my coaching business from that day forward. Looking back that was an enormously challenging time and the best decision I ever made.”

What does your coaching business look like now?

“I deliver Relationship Coaching services and programs by telephone to individuals and couples all over the world.

I distribute my monthly Relationship Tip Sheet to men and women in over 38 countries. My high-content and fast-paced downloadable podcasts focus on current, and sometimes controversial, relationship-driven issues and can be heard on iTunes. I am a frequent guest expert on radio stations throughout the world and on Internet radio; I am regularly cited in major magazines in the U.S. and abroad; and I am a popular Internet syndicated columnist, relationship blogger and educator.

I am a best-selling author of the Cracking-the-Code books series focusing on relationship-specific content: Meeting Your Match: Cracking the code to successful relationships; Couples & Money: Cracking the code to ending the #1 conflict in marriage; and Love Like a Black Belt: Cracking the code to being a happy couple.”

What do you think is the most important thing that contributes to your success as a relationship coach?

“I think that my understanding that I am a hired-hand and making extraordinary customer service central to my brand; and that building strong relationships for the long term is essential to being successful in all economic environments; and that neither can be replaced by engaging in the latest and greatest trend or fad in our field has significantly contributed to my long-term success. Avoid the shiny object syndrome at all costs!”

Any advice for new or prospective relationship coaches?

“Get the BEST relationship coaching education and training you can, and be crystal clear that as a Relationship Coach you are an entrepreneur and must build a sustainable business through which you will deliver value to clients and will be handsomely paid. Yes, helping people is important to all of us, but without building a sustainable business you will be a well-trained helping professional but you won’t have any clients to serve.”