Ep #9: Love, Authenticity, Acceptance, and Strength with Brig Johnson Full Episode Transcript With Your Host Lindsay Dotzlaf Mastering Coaching Skills with Lindsay Dotzlaf Ep #9: Love, Authenticity, Acceptance, and Strength with Brig Johnson Lindsay: Hey, this is Lindsay Dotzlaf, and you are listening to Mastering Coaching Skills episode nine. Lindsay: To really compete in the coaching industry you have to be great at coaching, that's why every week I will be answering your questions, sharing my stories and offering tips and advice so you can be the best at what you do. Let's get to work. Lindsay: Hi, loves. I have something so fun for you today and I'm going to apologize ahead of time for those of you that love my shorter episodes, first of all, thank you for telling me, I love that you love it. Today, it's going to be a little bit longer but trust me when I say totally worth it. I am having a conversation with Brig Johnson, she has been a client of mine, we have worked together one-on-one, and she's been in my Coaching Masters Mastermind. And now not only is she my amazing friend and colleague, but I also think she's one of the best coaches I know. Lindsay: So I thought it was super appropriate to have her as my very first interview on the podcast. And really, I guess it's more of a conversation and you guys just get to eavesdrop. I hope that you love it and here we go. So first of all, thank you for being here, so excited to talk to you today, and I would love you to just introduce yourself. Brig: Okay. First of all, so I'm looking forward to this conversation, I feel like they're going to just be flies on a wall. Yes, but I'm Brig Johnson and I'm a life and mindset coach for high achieving Black women. I help them get through their breakthrough so they can be their best selves. Lindsay: I love it. So I asked you to do this interview and when I started this podcast, I actually decided that I was going to do 10 episodes before I did any interviews, and I'm breaking the rules for you because it's my birthday week, last week was your birthday. Brig: Yes. Mastering Coaching Skills with Lindsay Dotzlaf Ep #9: Love, Authenticity, Acceptance, and Strength with Brig Johnson Lindsay: And I think this is the ninth episode and breaking the rules because I just had to have you here. Brig: Oh, that's so cool. Lindsay: My first question is, will you just sing me happy birthday? Brig: Oh, of course I will. Lindsay: I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Brig: Oh you know, I will though. I was going to ask you the Marilyn Monroe version or the Stevie Wonder version. Lindsay: Oh, it's so good. I love it. Of course, you are going to sing. Brig: Of course. Lindsay: I love it. So happy birthday to you. Brig: Thank you. Happy birthday to you, 40th. Lindsay: Oh my gosh, I know. So before we get to the serious stuff, I do want to know how you celebrated your birthday because last year you took all the naked photos. Brig: All the naked, all the button naked photos, right. Lindsay: And they were so good and put them all over the internet. Brig: Yes. Lindsay: Because you're a boss. What did you do this year? Brig: This year was actually very low key, I got a cabin in the woods and just enjoyed myself. Yeah, I totally was low key, which is so funny because a lot of people see that side of me and don't understand that really the Mastering Coaching Skills with Lindsay Dotzlaf Ep #9: Love, Authenticity, Acceptance, and Strength with Brig Johnson cabin in the woods by the fire is more me than the glamorous photo shoot person. Lindsay: Do you think it's more you or is it just like those are your two...? Brig: Different versions. Lindsay: Yeah, I would say I am very, very similar to that and then can totally relate and I didn't really do much for my birthday, I stayed home and it was very low key and it was actually really nice. So what did you do at the cabin? Like did you work? Did you just chill? Brig: I just literally chilled, I did, I took lots of books that I didn't read, I took lots of journals that I didn't write on. So good but I sat by the fire. Yeah, I actually went and got pizza. Lindsay: I love it. Brig: And just enjoyed myself, watch some TV. Lindsay: Yeah. It's rested. Brig: Just rested, it really was rest. Lindsay: You've had a big last what? Six months or so. Brig: I have, I really have. Lindsay: You tell us what you've been working on. Brig: Just really solidifying my voice who I serve and then going all in on them and building my business to six figures, which was amazing. Lindsay: So fun. Brig: I know it was so fun. Lindsay: And keep going. You've been getting master coach certified. Mastering Coaching Skills with Lindsay Dotzlaf Ep #9: Love, Authenticity, Acceptance, and Strength with Brig Johnson Brig: Oh yes. I've been master coach certified. Lindsay: Yes. Brig: I finished that next year. Yeah, it's been a lot and fun at the same time. Lindsay: Yes. And still working a job? Brig: Yeah, and still working a full-time job, coach and part-time at the self- coaching scholars, coaching part part-time for that, I can't even say it. Lindsay: So you have 12 jobs, you're getting master coach certified, finding time to coach a full-time client load. Brig: Yes, all of it. I have a full client roster and you know what? It's so funny because if you hadn't told me I was going to be doing all these things a year ago, I would've said there would've been no way. And so when clients come to me as like, I have this, this, this, this, this, and I'm overwhelmed. I always go, "No. I'm not overwhelmed because of that." Lindsay: I was coaching you a year ago and you did tell me there was no way. Brig: Right, I'm sure I did. Lindsay: You said, I remember you saying something like, I think probably 10 clients would be like the most I could take or- Brig: Right. Lindsay: ... maybe I should just do a mastermind, so it's like, "Aha, one call or whatever." Right? Brig: Right. Yeah. Well, so much for that. It literally really is a C, and I think for me, the thought that's getting me there is like, this is my dream. I remember being a year ago going, "I just want a full roster. I want to coach. Mastering Coaching Skills with Lindsay Dotzlaf Ep #9: Love, Authenticity, Acceptance, and Strength with Brig Johnson And I love coaching and self-coaching scholars too." So I love it, I love master coach training. Like everything that I'm doing, I'm like all for it, so yeah. Lindsay: What is your favorite part of coaching? Brig: That moment when the client goes, "Ah." Lindsay: It's so good, right? Brig: Right. Lindsay: You can see there, especially if you're on Zoom, you can see their shoulders kind of relax, just sinking into it. That's truly my favorite part too. Brig: Right. And it's so fun when they're like resist, resist, resist, resist. And you're like, "Okay." I think it's fun for me even in that, because then I got to go, "Okay, well, how else can I say it? Okay, well, let me try this way." And then they go, "Oh," and I'm like, "Yeah." Lindsay: Tell me about the clients that you work with and what do you usually coach them on? What do they come to you for? Tell me all the things, whatever you want to say about that. Brig: My clients are typically high achieving Black women, doing a lot of A work, working on the A line taking all of the actions. It's not uncommon that my client will have two degrees, a PhD, MD, a psychology degree, be published, be whatever and still not satisfied because they're just working the A line, and they have a story on how they need to show up and I just help them unpack that so they get to choose how they want to show up and taking that burden off of them for like, "I need to do this. I need to do that." Brig: And I just help them unburden themselves. And then they actually work and show up even better which always surprises them. Mastering Coaching Skills with Lindsay Dotzlaf Ep #9: Love, Authenticity, Acceptance, and Strength with Brig Johnson Lindsay: Yeah, so basically you show them how to be you, do all the things without feeling overwhelmed, which is so fun. And then do you make them go get a cabin in the woods by themselves and rest? Brig: No, but I did offer a bonus on his last one, so they are going to do a butt-naked photo-shoot those that.