Ask An Expert: Jennifer Takagi Discover The Power Of Purpose- Ep.119

Hey welcome to she coaches, coaches, I'm your host, Candy Motzek. And I'm going to help you find the clarity, confidence and courage to become the coach that you are meant to be. If you're a new coach, or if you've always wanted to be a life coach, then this is the place for you. We're going to talk all about mindset and strategies and how to because step by step only works when you have the clarity, courage and confidence to take action. Let's get started. Hi, there. I'm so glad you're here and welcome to this episode of she coaches coaches. I have a super special guest. Her name is Jennifer Takagi. Now let me read you her bio. Before I do that, I want you to know that Jennifer and I are part of the same mastermind. And she is and you can hear me pausing because I'm trying to figure out how to describe her. Okay, we'll just call it one word. She is brilliant. That is all I can tell you. So everything that we talk about today. This is a gift to you that you can listen, you can take in her message, and you're going to get a huge benefit out of it. So I just wanted to preface her bio with that. Now let me tell you a little bit about Jennifer. She helps women discover the power of their purpose by tapping into their truths, honing their intuition and trusting themselves so that they can have the clarity and confidence to create that next level of success that they desire. Over the past seven years, she has pursued her passion of lifelong learning and growing. This journey has resulted in multiple certifications that facilitate very impactful sessions and to dive headfirst into the world of connecting with intuition. Sorry, intuition to create a business and life with greater ease. Along the way, she has trained over 10,000 people, she's written five best best selling books, she has launched a podcast with over 17,000 unique downloads. And to top it all off, she has started a home based baking business called pie love you desserts. It has been an amazing ride. And she can't wait to see what's happening next. Jennifer, thank you for joining me today on she coaches coaches.

Thanks, candy for having me. I'm happy to be here. Yeah,

I love your bio. And I mean, we always connect every week just through the mastermind, but I really wanted to talk about intuition today. So can we talk a little bit about your journey to becoming a coach. And then let's dive into a little bit more about intuition.

I would love to this journey has just been really something else. And I can't even tell you what year it was. But I was on an airplane. I live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I worked for the federal government. And I was on a plane from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City. And I was on a humongous plane. Usually big planes don't fly here. But I was on this huge plane. And it had the three seats, three seats, three seats, two aisles, and I sat next to this woman. And I will just call her airy fairy spiritual when you know, she was like channeling a kimono or something. And, or MooMoo. I mean, and we get to talk in and she was going to retreat. And I was like, Okay, what's a retreat? Got federal government? We don't really do retreats, what's your retreat on what you're talking about? Then she was like, oh, you know, everything's in the universe. Everything aligns. And I was like, Yeah, whatever. I still know what you're saying. And she goes, if you could do anything, what would you do? And I said, if I could do anything, when ever I retire, I would become a trainer because I think I'm really good at it. She has, okay, I just want you to know, you have opened the doors of the universe and told the universe what you want. And it's going to happen and you're just going to be given opportunities and you can say no all you want, but the opportunities are gonna keep presenting themselves until you say yes. And I thought, yeah, lady, you're just you're say like, this is so outside of my wheelhouse. So fast forward a little bit. I am asked to go fill in for somebody in Washington DC at this week long event. I don't even know what it is, but I'm I'm telling you if it was Washington DC, I always said yes, because I love the city. I love to eat there. And I love doing it on the government dime. I get there, I don't know why I'm there. I don't have a clue. But I know where I'm supposed to be and what time so I show up ready to go? Well, as it turns out, they were trying to develop new leaders. So everyone in this room, this hotel ballroom, probably 80 participants, they weren't the highest level, they could go without going into management. So they had a brilliant idea. Train them, give them some skills. So when they step to that next level, they know what to do. So I'm sitting there and the opening morning is meet and greet. And then after lunch, this woman walks out. And she's about five foot nothing. about 100 pounds in a totally skin tight pencil skirt on her $2,000 suit, four inch heels, her hair is perfect. And she walks out in the middle of the room and she's holding a microphone. And I don't have a clue what her name is, we'll just call her Jennifer's and says my name is easy to remember. And she walked in the middle room, she was

chatting. And I thought okay, it's after lunch at people. That night, I thought I literally could have been given that book the night before. And I could have walked out there and done a better job. I'm going to do this. So I stopped the leader of this whole thing I never met like I'm on his team that we had never met. I think that's ironic, too. And I said, Hey, I'm reading through everybody's bios, and like that woman who gave that talk, she had a PhD. I said, I only have a bachelor's degree, do I need to go back to school and get a PhD? Like I see these people are coaches, I'd never heard of one. These people are coaches, like, what do I have to do to be that? And he says, Oh, just searching on the internet, you'll find you'll find classes take classes get certified. I was like, Okay, so now it's in the back of my mind that I could be a coach someday I can be a coach and a trainer. So now I'm like, I'm gonna do this. Fast forward a little bit. Hey, Jennifer, would you go to every office in the region and train them on how to pull reports from this computer system? Yeah, yeah, I'll do that. Hey, Jennifer, will you go train on this? So as that woman said, on the plane, I had all these opportunities. The biggest opportunity came? And I said no, until they said, I really wasn't asked Yes or No, I just was going to was to go to training across the whole country for a solid year. And I was like, oh, no, I have a life. I have not given up my life for a year. Guess what I did. I went into some of the most hostile federal offices, training people on how to do a new way of doing business a new way, which they didn't want to do, and train lots of the managers on how to actually manage because that typically wasn't part of the of the curriculum in federal work. I got back to the office on a Friday and I found out Wednesday, they were doing a reorganization, I can retire or relocate. took about three weeks to make the decision. And then I ran out the door. But I literally had spent the previous six or seven years, honing my training skills and communication skills so that I could interact with groups. So I fast forward just a little bit. My girlfriend invited me to a Chamber of Commerce event. But we had fun. They had beer there. We had some beers, we walk out the door, we're laughing yakking it up and I literally tripped off the curb into this woman's arms. I was like, oh my god, I'm so sorry. Well, so we exchanged business cards. And I start getting emails from her. And then she starts doing Sunday night CEO calls that are free to join on how to run a business. Well, I'm running a business now, but I don't know how. Then fast forward she says, pay $1 To get access to my program for three days. While I paid my dollar. Well listen up, folks. I did not read this fine print. And if you didn't opt out at the end of three days, you had to buy the whole thing and she had your credit card. Because you paid the dollar. When I realized I had bought this whole program I was about to pull my hair out and I thought okay, wait, I'm just gonna do it. So I put all my energy into it. And in the end I ended up Have a certified Coding Specialist. And I was like, Look at me.

But I think that this is interesting because, you know, it starts with chance meeting with somebody who tells you that doors will open for you to do the thing that you dream of. And the opportunities presented themselves. And you said yes. Right. So it's not that it happened. Completely, randomly, right? Like, there's actually a series of events that happened there, you met somebody, you had a conversation, your brain was opened, opportunities showed up, you might not have noticed the opportunities if you didn't have your mind open. And then when you were asked yes or no, you know, yes or no, or maybe you said yes. And sometimes the yes was, frankly, it sounds like unscrupulous business practices with having your credit card with the dollar course. But you said yes or no. You said, Yes. And here you are. Right. So that value of saying, yes, the value of noticing when the opportunities come through. That's the combination. Talk to me a little bit about intuition. Now, I read your bio. I know, I know you. I know that intuition plays a huge part in what you do. But talk about intuition for new coaches, specifically with creating a business.

Well, the first thing I want to say on that is, it's very difficult to hear intuition, to feel intuition. Unless you're quiet and still. And we typically think we have to be going Mach Five at all times, or nothing's gonna happen. But a lot happens in the stillness and the quiet. So this wasn't like part of what we discussed before Kenny and I hope it's okay, if I share this story, I know good. So I had bronchitis. And I was very sick. I was like coughing up alone. But I needed to go to work. I had a lot on my plate, and I needed to go to work. And this very soft, gentle voice said, stay home and take care of yourself. Well, I was sitting at the kitchen table is perfectly quiet. There is not a sound, there's not a radio, a TV, nothing is on I'm just sitting at the kitchen table. Stay home and take care of yourself. This other very harsh, judgmental voice says, go to work, you have things to do. Well, this went back and forth for about 1015 minutes. And I'm thinking Have I lost my mind? I'm literally hearing voices in my head. And in the end, I decided I was going to compromise. And I was gonna go in at noon. So I call my boss's Secretary Theresa and I was like, Oh my gosh, you sound terrible. I said, Well, I'm gonna try to come in at New like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna drink some more juice and some tea and take a shower and see if I'm better. I'm gonna try to be in at noon. If I'm not in at noon. I'm not coming. And she was yeah, we'll see you tomorrow. Well, less than two hours later, the entire house shook. And that was the day of the Oklahoma City bombing. And that was my building. Wow. And had I not listened to that voice. Even though I only agreed to listen for a couple of hours, right? I was gonna go on and later. I truly wouldn't be here everybody I sat with then around, you know, the building shirt off three feet south of my desk. So it's, it's pretty clear I would not be here. And that's a very extreme example of listening to your intuition because your intuition is your inner voice. It is a voice from God. It is a voice from the universe. It is a voice from your, your host of Guardians. It's all your past experiences coming together and it's taking time to listen. So to hear your intuition on what you want to train on, teach on coach on. You have an inkling of an idea in your head and it's in your gut, and you're feeling it all day. Some doctors call your stomach your second brain and listen to that and see what it has to say and what you have to get If to add credence to it, you know, if somebody asked me to teach a math class, I'm here to tell you, I would say not no, but hell no. Because like, I graduated college with a separate honours degree without a math class, like I took all the math in high school as much as I had. And I was like, Yeah, I'm out on that. I hated it. If I heard that voice, I'd say yeah, no. So if it's something that you have no interest in, and no ability in, okay, push back a little bit. If a coach guides, you teach this teach that and it feels icky and horrible. It is not for you. It needs to be something that feels good, that you feel confident and sharing your experiences about and that you want to dive into further.

So there's a couple of things here. So the first is this, giving yourself a little bit of time and space. And the second is that the voices are always speaking, we just don't always choose to listen. And so there is that place of practicing with the small messages, right. So different people's intuition, speak to them in a different way you happen to have heard a voice. But there's often that there's a sense, there is a knowing sometimes you hear a voice, sometimes you hear a knowing, sometimes you notice something, sometimes you see something, maybe something's a little bit brighter than the other choice, and there's your intuition speaking to you. So for coaches, especially coaches, new coaches, who are thinking of becoming a coach or building a business, start with that very unusual advice. Let's just be quiet. Even if it's only for five minutes, Be quiet, be still and do it every single day. And then notice when you have these little Inklings, and just assume that that Inkling is correct, assume that that Inkling is a gift to you, and then follow it. And start, I love the idea of experimenting. So prove it to yourself, you know, like, be quiet, listen, get her thought, or hear something or get a knowing and then try it and sort of run your own science experiment. And that is going to be one of the best pieces of information for you as you build your practice. Like you're saying, Jennifer, if somebody wanted you to teach math, you'd be like, No, not not me. However, if somebody asked you to teach something else, you might have that, ooh, this is a little bit scary. But there's also something a little bit exciting about that, too. Right? Absolutely. Talk a little bit about using your intuition in conversation with your clients. You know, so you've given everyone some great stories and some guidelines about how to get started practicing using intuition. But now let's with their business, but let's talk about it like in the actual client conversation, how would you approach that?

Well, the first thing I want to say is, as a coach, you need to listen to what your client is saying. And also listen for what they're not saying. Sometimes there is what is that old saying me thinks he doth protest too much. Like sometimes it's the pushing back pushing back, because they really need to be pushed off the diving board. And sometimes the pushing back is, it's really not for them. And I ended up in several situations and spent money on coaches and things that I really shouldn't have been in. And I kind of had an idea, it wasn't for me, but I wanted it to be for me. And so it's the same thing with your clients. Spend the time with them. And you, it's amazing how much you could learn about what your client's next best steps are. By listening to them and what they say. They may not want. Yeah.

And so that's really the heart of coaching, right? That shift in perspective, and allowing somebody to find their own way. So again, it is so the with the coaching that I do, there's something that we call Level Three listening. So level three, listening is when we are listening to the individual and listening to what's being said what's not being said, and to the space around them. And then when you reflect it back. You tell them about it, you ask some questions about it, you say, Hey, I noticed this, did you notice that you have that thought? And help them to question their own thought. And help them to learn to trust their own voice, you know, to trust their own thoughts, to trust their own opinions, helps them to learn how to trust their intuition, as well, because they start to build that resilience, that that resourcefulness that they, they know this, they got this, and they just need to practice said. So again, it's the same thing, right. And most coaching conversations are surprisingly quiet, which is not that different than what you were saying at the start about being quiet, giving space and then practicing listening to that voice. But in that way, coaching is very similar. If we're really quiet, we allow our clients to be quiet. And then when they're quiet, quiet, when your client is quiet, they can hear that voice too. So it's just a different path into the same inner knowing. Super helpful. Wow. So time for us to wrap up our conversation. Is there anything that we've missed that you want to make sure that you've spoken about?

I would say just make it an intention to listen to your intuition every day. And assume the best I think we often assume the worst, we're kind of if we're not genetically predisposed to assuming the worst, culturally, we can be predisposed to assuming the worst, but assume the best is going to happen. Like, I'm going to trust my intuition today. And I'm going to do one thing when I get that feeling. And like you said, Some people, they just know, some people, it's a physical feeling. Some people it's a tingling. For me, it's typically words, whatever that is for you. Have fun with it and say, I'm going to see if this is my intuition, and I'm gonna see what path it takes me on today. It's usually not scary. And it usually has a really good outcome.

You might even have more fun, right? Or dead? Go figure. Wow. So I've really enjoyed this conversation. How can people find out more about you?

Well, I have a podcast called destined for success. And I would love it if you'd like to tune in and I talk about leadership, I talk about spirituality, a little bit of everything, because success, like encompasses a lot. And my website is to Kagi consulting.com. So you can find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, all the places.