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Starting the New Year with a “Daily Whip”

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If you’re looking for a gentle soul to take you by the hand and lead you softly into the world of coaching, Erika Lyremark would not be the woman for the job.

Lyremark–a former exotic dancer–calls herself a “professional ass kicker,” and that’s exactly how she approaches her coaching. “I teach people how to kick their own asses for success, happiness and fulfillment,” said Lyremark, who works best with clients ready to change their lives–and willing to do the tough work to get there.

“Helping people live their full potential in life, and I understand that to do that, sometimes you have to take scary risks, and I know what that is to take scary risks in my life.”

Lyremark has created a unique brand for herself–complete with stiletto heels and a whip–that focuses on putting clients into a “boot camp” that aims to shake free the ties that have held them back from reaching their own success, just as she was able to step down off the dancer’s stage and build her own career. (She will tell that story in full later this year, when her book, “Think Like a Stripper” is published this summer)

“You are not defined by your work, you are not defined by your job,” she says. “Because who wants to be defined by being a stripper?” Lyremark encourages clients to be ready to invest in long-term, meaningful change–not exactly the kind that most people experiment with in January.

“I think people can get into the action, but it’s not long term action. That’s why every year, everyone’s starting a new year’s resolution—and it’s usually the stuff they didn’t do last year,” she said. Lyremark’s “boot camp” aims to take those resolutions and turn them around, “so small change becomes consistent.”

Lyremark calls her initial coaching “boot camp” and her daily email the “Daily Whip” as part of a distinct–and highly memorable–branding. She says the business end of coaching seems to be an area where coaches themselves could use a boot to the backside. “Coaching is a business, this is not a hobby for me”

“You have to have good branding, you have to have marketing.”

Listen to CoachReporter Mark Joyella’s interview (17 minutes) with Erika Lyremark here:

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About the Author

Mark Joyella is an Emmy-winning television news reporter and anchor who has worked at television stations in Colorado, Georgia, Florida and New York. A firm believer in the power of coaching, Mark has been on both sides of the coaching equation, as a client, and as a coach, helping aspiring journalists excel in writing, reporting and storytelling. Mark lives in Connecticut with his wife and daughter. Follow Mark on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/coachreporter.

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There is 1 Response so far...

Gaye Wilson on January 11, 2010

Everyone needs a whip sometime to get things done in life. Lyremark has certainly capitalized on that need with her brand.

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