Why Choose Maggie?

When selecting a business coach or consultant there are a lot of things to consider. This page is dedicated to sharing plenty about me to help you understand why I may be a good match for you and your business. In the end, what really matters is how we work together, so I highly encourage you to contact me and take advantage of a free initial consultation session.

My Origin Story Starts Here:

"oh shit, I *have* to be self-employed"

I was sitting in my therapist's office, slumped down on the not-too-comfy sofa. I'd started the session that day bemoaning my job. The relatively new job, that should have been *the* dream job. As my therapist did her expert poking and prodding of my problem it led me to this obvious, inevitable conclusion: to do what I want to do, what I am designed to do, I have to be self-employed.

As a self-employment coach, this is probably not something I should admit; that I came to self-employment with a fair amount of resistance. I work with plenty of folks who have always wanted to be small business owners, but that’s not my story. I wanted to make use of my talent for keen business observations. I found that in the corporate realm changing course was like turning an ocean liner. So now I take my business know-how and apply it to solo-preneurs who value my input and can turn on a dime. I’d never ask a solopreneur to trust someone who isn’t self-employed themselves. Clearly, I’ve got to walk my talk, so here I am.  

What is it Like to Work with Maggie?

My work is about so much more than giving advice. I use a collaborative coaching model and seek transformational relationships with all my clients. Your values and goals are front and center for our work. That doesn’t mean I won’t ask questions about them, but it does mean that you maintain agency and control. 

I seek to empower you to develop your business skills. Running a business is new to you, but business at this scale is accessible to almost anyone. I think of business as part of how we relate to other humans. Exchanging goods and services is how we can care for one another. Yes, we’ve created complicated systems like taxes and social media marketing, but at the end of the day, it all comes back to people. If we’re not doing right by people, then we’re not doing good business no matter how much money you’re bringing in. 

Clients often work with me to get access to accountability. When self-employed, you’re no longer reporting to a boss, and that gets a lot of us into trouble. I offer structure and consistency with regularly scheduled sessions and clearly stated homework. But I don’t scold for missed homework. Scolding doesn’t change behavior, it only creates avoidance. I’m looking for the best way for *you* to achieve the objective. Sometimes the objective is immobile (e.g. filing taxes) but frequently we can shift the goal post to make your business successful with minimal stress and strain on you. I’m not saying I can eliminate all stress from launching a business, but I do try to minimize it and strategically choose the stress that’s going to work best for you. 

I am a dedicated student of social justice and I pursue a more equitable society in my work and personal life. I know social justice is the path towards a more equitable world where we all can be more whole and healed. I find my clients often feel similarly. I see social justice as part of lifelong learning, and as such, I am far from knowledgeable about all systems of oppression. I seek to do my part to help all of us experiencing privilege to gain greater awareness of systems of oppression. From a place rooted in compassion and listening, I encourage myself and others to turn this awareness into a practice - something you do habitually and regularly - rather than an actionless commitment. 

Fat Woman

I was raised as a girl in conservative Texas, though with liberal non-Texan parents who made it clear that I was as much a person as any boy. My parents also held college degrees in math and science, so that iconic “math is hard” message was a challenge, not an excuse. I consider myself a feminist and I’m a survivor of sexual assault. 

I was born a chunky kid, and have grown into a plus-size, mid-fat woman. My upbringing was fatphobic enough that I was attending Weight Watchers when I was in middle school. Thankfully diet culture never really stuck with me and the Health at Every Size movement has put words to what I’ve felt in my heart for a long time. While I am able-bodied, I have moved through life with the “illness” of obesity grating against my own confidence in my ableness. 

Our existence is not merely as labor to support the economy, and we each hold value far beyond that. In my coaching, I seek work/family balance for all my clients. We cannot be free if we’re trapped in gender roles or attempting to be supermoms. Society has taught us to limit ourselves so much, and I aim to serve as a bridge between what your upbringing has told you you should do, and the greatness that I know is possible for you.  

Heritage of Colonization and Slavery

I am white and descended from pioneer colonizers, slave owners, and way back there somewhere, immigrant colonizers. This history of exploitation paired with access to financial literacy means that I’ve always been housed, have never experienced true scarcity, and have inherited wealth. Generational wealth has been directly influential in my ability to go to college, start my business, and own a home. 

Scarcity is real only in that our society oppresses many by denying access to the abundance around us. We can challenge this system by reclaiming our labor and our work. My privilege has made it easier for me to challenge the system, and part of how I disrupt this privilege is to help others do the same. 

Education

I was raised to love learning and with that came an unquestioned expectation that I would attend and graduate from college. Both my parents have multiple advanced degrees, after all! While I did get my Bachelor’s Degree, in my adulthood I’ve come to question the wisdom of our societal default towards compulsory higher education. 

In my work, I now find myself encouraging clients not to “go back to school” because so often they already have all that they need to achieve their goal. Pursuing a degree sometimes feels safe and as if it’s a step towards our goals when it’s really a way of hiding from our own capabilities. 

Gender & Relationships

I was assigned female at birth and, despite inquiry, I’ve felt this describes me rather well. I’m queer, but my relationships often benefit from straight passing privilege. I can’t say I’ve ever had to experience the fear for my life or widespread erasure that many LGBTQAI folks have experienced. 

I’ve never been married and have no interest in birthing children. I’m eternally vexed as to why other people are so caught up in my reproductive choices, but I’ve had the privilege to be able to make the reproductive choices I’ve wanted to. 

Dating and family life are influenced by what we do for work, so I know these topics are not far away when I’m working with clients. I strive to provide a safe space for my clients whatever their sexuality and/or family configuration.  

Nationality

While I am a native English speaker and am a citizen of the country I live in, I was raised with an unusual and worldly perspective. My mother and her siblings grew up all over the world as the children of a diplomat. They were stationed repeatedly in Italy resulting in all my aunts and uncles speaking fluent Italian and imparting fond memories and foods from Italy. I have zero actual Italian heritage but my love of garlic and ability to talk with my hands might indicate otherwise. Also, my grandma’s sisters married into families in Mexico and Spain, so we had visits with the extended cousins in which a lot of Spanish was spoken. I first left the country when I was in 1st grade and traveled overseas in middle school. When I was in college my mother became a diplomat and I spent a number of vacations visiting her across the globe. 

These great privileges have afforded me many windows into how other societies organize themselves and how people live across the world. As I work with clients, I use this perspective to inform the new work-world we are designing for them. 

Going Mental

I consider myself neurotypical. While I have well cared for mental health, I do have a diagnosis of depression. My biological and chosen family includes many neurodivergent brains.

In my coaching work, I know mental well-being comes first. Many people seek self-employment precisely because they need to earn a living in a way that better supports their mental health. I work with you in the transition, which means the cart is often before the horse and we’ve got to make it work anyways. I see my role as not to guilt or shame but to help you make progress however works best for you.