Erica Waldon, a high school Spanish teacher from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has spent years shaping the lives of her students in the classroom. With a passion for education and personal growth, she found herself naturally drawn to helping others outside of academics. \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed working with teenagers exploring life for the first time,\u201d Erica shared. \u201cI use a lot of coaching techniques with my students, and they\u2019re locked in anytime I start to talk about life coaching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Encouraged by a psychologist she worked with during a challenging time in her life, Erica decided to pursue life coaching\u2014a path she had long been curious about. But as a single mother and full-time teacher, taking this leap was daunting. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to do something like this,\u201d Erica said. \u201cBut I thought, \u2018What if I invest in this and don\u2019t get any clients?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After extensive research, Erica chose the Health Coach Institute<\/a> (HCI). She was drawn to its dual certification in health and life coaching <\/a>and its recognition by Forbes<\/em> as a top program in the field. \u201cI loved that it was reasonably priced, reputable, and offered a program that covered both life and health coaching,\u201d she said. \u201cThey go hand in hand, in my book.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She completed her certification in July 2024, a journey she described as both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. \u201cThe program was exciting\u2014it backed up what I already knew and gave me a clear framework to follow,\u201d Erica said. \u201cHaving that script and sequence of questions was invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Erica\u2019s transition into coaching wasn\u2019t just about learning new skills\u2014it was about learning how to build a business from scratch. HCI\u2019s guidance proved pivotal. \u201cI loved how HCI walked us through the business-building process. They taught us how to market ourselves and gave us tools to get started,\u201d Erica said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking what she learned, Erica dove headfirst into promoting her new venture, Waldon Wellness.<\/a> She created business cards with a QR code, printed flyers, and hand-delivered them to attorneys, judges, doctors, and school guidance counselors in her community. \u201cIt was scary at first,\u201d Erica admitted. \u201cI felt like an imposter\u2014\u2018Who am I to do this?\u2019 But I kept pushing through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nBuilding Her Business, One Step at a Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n