Janet Boyer, Southwestern Pennsylvania
Janet Boyer Coaching
Art Begins with You!
Janet Boyer has authored five Tarot books, cocreated two Tarot decks and penned over 1,200 reviews and articles. In addition to being an award-winning cook (Taste of Home Magazine), she is a jewelry designer, mixed media artist and journal maker. You can find her at ChezBoyer.Etsy.com, JanetBoyer.com, YouTube.com/JanetBoyer and Instagram.com/thatJanetBoyer. She recently started a podcast with her beloved husband and son (PopTarot.com, where pop culture meets Tarot cards)—whom she lives with in beautiful rural southwestern Pennsylvania. She is owned by five rescued cats.
What is your niche (coaching focus) and how did you choose it?
My niche is Creativity Coaching! I am passionate about creativity, not only because it’s fun to create, but also because it’s such a benefit to our mental and emotional health (and numerous studies bears this out). Now more than ever, people need to contemplate and create beautiful things. EVERYONE is creative, and no two souls will express the same thing—whether via painting, poetry, dance, song, writing, sculpture, quilting, wood working, robot building, knitting, cooking…
There are SO many outlets for self-expression!
Some people don’t risk creating because they tell themselves they’re not “good at it”—so they don’t try at all. Yet, they long to! Many watch countless YouTube videos or visit museums or hang out at bookstores—wishing that they, too, could create.
Well, that’s where I come in! I help clients counter the toxic internalized criticism from parents, peers, classmates, teachers, reviewers—or even their own harsh, perfectionistic self-talk—so they can begin to create with joy and passion, for “fun sake!”
Artists become “good” at something because they practice it; 99 percent are NOT prodigies with some “special knack” for a particular art form. So I also help creatives with brainstorming ideas, focusing, choosing and then ACTING upon that choice if mastery is, indeed, their goal.
I chose this niche because I’ve been actively creating for over 25 years: interior design, teaching, reviewing, writing, publishing, cooking, jewelry design, mixed media art, Tarot deck cocreation and journal making. I KNOW what it’s like to encounter public criticism, as well as deal with harsh inner-criticism—especially the existential questions of personal meaning and art making.
Who is your ideal client?
My ideal client is one that’s tired of sitting on the sidelines of their life: they want to heal from stinging criticism, overcome self-doubt and risk expressing themselves with abandon—either for the sheer joy of creation, or for dedicating themselves to an artistic project or career.
What inspired you to become a life coach?
About 20 years ago, I was involved in a ground-breaking online community centered around a personality system called ANSIR: A New Standard in Relating. Created by a brilliant Canadian woman named Sandra Seich, ANSIR began as an online personality test that branched out into a book called 3 Sides of You, a vibrant discussion board and chat system and—eventually—an advanced business-based computer model called WorkForce DNA. It was AMAZING. Long story short, I went down to Huntsville, Alabama for a week for a Life Coach conference so Sandra and her team could pitch this innovative system—showing how WorkForce DNA could empower employees (and employers) to determine their strengths (especially in teams) and leverage them for work satisfaction.
While I didn’t become a coach then (I was the only non-coach invited), I did have a minor in Psychology and a passion for personality systems. I actually considered become a Personality System Coach (particularly for the Enneagram), but decided to focus on Creativity Coaching.
Sadly, Sandra Seich died of breast cancer before WorkForce DNA could hit the mainstream—and her two daughters have not chosen to continue her legacy…and only her book, 3 Sides of You, survives.
How long have you been coaching?
I’m a Tarot expert and author who used to do online readings. As I look back on my years of reading for a worldwide clientele, I realized what I was actually doing was Life Coaching! I wasn’t a fortuneteller, and I never read “blindly” to try to impress clients with my intuitive skills. Rather, I’d ask them to be as specific as they could with their issue—then break it down into manageable parts so we could address root causes and deep desires. Before my Tarot career 15 years ago, I was an ordained co-pastor (my major was Theology)—and even my pulpit teachings were more Life Coaching than pastoring! I just didn’t realize what I was doing had a name…
How did you get your first client?
While not brand new to Life Coaching, I AM new to Creativity Coaching. So while I don’t yet have my first client, I can say that I got dozens of clients in my former Tarot reading business by establishing myself as an authority on the subject (reviewing Tarot books and decks, writing articles, doing monthly forecasts for each Astrological Sign, writing books and cocreating the Coffee Tarot and Snowland Decks with my artist husband, Ron, and guesting on paranormal and Tarot podcasts (I even started my own).
For my Creativity Coaching business, I’m just out there sharing my art with people–jewelry, mixed media, handmade journals, YouTube craft videos and so on—having Creativity Coach in my bio. I’m 3/4 through taking a Creativity Coaching course with renowned author Dr. Eric Maisel, so I’m waiting until I’m done with my continued education before focusing on marketing and publicity.
How has your coaching journey changed your life?
Sandra and ANSIR changed my life immeasurably, especially in terms of understanding my strengths and approach to life—and planted the seed of life coaching in the first place! The current Creativity Coaching course I’m taking with Eric Maisel has shifted my mindset in how I may help clients, especially in terms of offering gentle suggestions and “would you be willing to try…?” type of questions. The insightful content has also helped ME as a creative—bringing more clarity and joy with the creative process.
What is the most challenging part of being a life coach?
I’d say the desire to “make things better.” We may desperately want to help our clients reach their goals, break through barriers, overcome obstacles and experience progress—but we can’t do the work for them. We can only help them clarify their goal, offer suggestions and support their dream. Thus, as coaches, we can’t be overly invested in their accomplishments (or lack thereof) despite wanting the best for them. Otherwise, we’ll experience frustration at best and discouragement at worst—and that’s not helpful for us, as coaches—nor them, as clients (or future clients).
What is the most fulfilling part of being a life coach?
The most fulfilling part of being a life coach is witnessing “aha!” moments that turn into lasting change or perspective shifts. Liberation is a wonderful thing!
What has been your most inspirational coaching moment, with a client?
My most inspirational moments is when a client takes a suggestion and runs with it—resulting in movement and progress. This boosts their courage and momentum—and makes me an even more excited cheerleader for their growth!
What is your favorite coaching activity or exercise to do with clients?
Every client is different, but I love to start out asking what the client wants. It’s that simple. And, some clients have no idea! So it’s fun to tease out what a client would enjoy doing—or unearth a deep-down goal—and help plot a path to getting them where they want. I feel like I’m a cartographer, helping clients fine-tune their inner GPS (intuition), and then co-mapping the terrain with them towards a destination (always allowing for sight-seeing and scenic routes!)
What has been the most effective strategy for finding clients and/or growing your business?
I feel the most effective strategy for growing a coaching business is too embody your niche. If you’re not interested in your niche—and aren’t demonstrating that you’re waist-deep in your area of expertise–then I won’t hire you. If I feel this way about a coach (or any freelancer), I’m guessing most others do, too. So I place myself in the midst of other artists—forge connections with them, comment on their art, participate in creative challenges or sketch-alongs, join Facebook groups associated with my artforms—and trust that the Creativity Coaching clients will find me…right there in the mud (er, paint) with them!
What advice would you give YOURSELF back when you first dreamed of becoming a coach?
Oh this is easy! I would advise a younger me to follow the ABC Rule when coaching clients: be Affirmative, Brief and Clear.
What is the impact you want to make in this world?
I think many have forgotten why they came to this Earth—what their souls want to experience, and what they intended to learn. Remembering often requires unlearning what we picked up along the way—and consciously rejecting what others (or the culture) may try to foist upon us as the “right way” to live. An awakened life isn’t for the faint of heart. I hope that through example, I encourage others to dance to the beat of their unique music—not the zeitgeist’s.