Meet Jackie Cote, a beacon of courage and resilience. After a heartbreaking job loss, Jackie found herself at a crossroads: return to the safety of a conventional job or bet on her passion for coaching.
Choosing bravery, she pursued her dream despite fears and uncertainties, ultimately building a successful coaching business.
Jackie’s journey demonstrates the power of self-belief and perseverance, inspiring women to embrace change and pursue their true calling.
Jackie is your Freedom and Love Mentor and the owner of Jackie Cote Coaching. She helps you shift from the “I got it girl” who leads her life from a place of control, fear and survival to a woman who is thriving leading her life from a place of love and trust. Her mission is to help 100k or more women, Awaken, Empower and Own their magic so they can be seen and heard while owning who they are unapologetically in the world.
Jackie is living her freedom life on the road as a full-time nomad with her husband and 2 pups after 30 years of leadership management in the restaurant business. She loved mentoring hundreds of people to the next levels in that career, and now gets to do it her own way and have the time and money freedom she truly desires. It’s time for you to have the freedom life you truly desire too!
This story is proudly sponsored by Joanie Elizabeth, a licensed mental health counselor, mental performance coach, author, and speaker. Joanie is passionate about empowering individuals to align with their true desires and embrace fulfilling lives. Her support of this story reflects her unwavering commitment to helping others uncover their inner brilliance and courage. Thank you, Joanie, for championing this brave story.
Wellness With Joanie
Describe the moment when you knew you had to tap into your inner courage and make changes in your life.
I parked the car in the DC garage after my hour-and-a-half commute and started to tear up about going into a job that I was no longer happy doing. I wiped away the tears and walked up the stairs and to my desk, where I was greeted by my boss and co-worker. They asked me to join them in a meeting right away. My stomach dropped, and I knew a big change was coming. As I entered the room, they sat me down and told me I was getting let go. I signed the papers, packed my stuff, handed over my company computer, and was escorted out like a criminal.
Numb, scared, and tearing up again, I made it back to the garage, got in my car, and a sudden peace overcame my body. I just lost my income and benefits (aka security), and yet I felt safer than ever. I was Free… but only if I chose to be. I had to decide at that moment whether I would do the safe thing and get another job or take the risk and bet on me. It was time to be brave and bet on me!
Walk us through the pivotal moment when you decided to act courageously. What was going through your mind? How did you feel at that moment?
It took a couple of days to process this decision as the opposing voices in my head gave their arguments. The “safety brain” was telling me to apply for jobs asap and get the ball rolling so I could feel “safe” again with my money situation. This would be the responsible thing to do, right? Then the “risktaker brain” told me how possible it was to invest the time and build the coaching business I started to see was possible just two months before. It kept telling me, It’s time to bet on you!
So, I did both. I applied for jobs and worked on my schooling for a life and health coaching certificate. I did the interviews and quickly received offers of employment making the same or more money. At the same time, I was working with some practice clients and witnessing the massive shifts they were experiencing, and it lit a fire in me that I hadn’t felt in a couple of years. This feeling and seeing of what was possible for me made me say “no” to three job offers when all I had coming in was $400 a week for unemployment.
What inspired or motivated you to take the courageous step you did? What were a few of the first steps you took? What major actions did you have to take?
What helped me make this courageous decision was my last interview. I was on the phone with a company director where I once worked, and he loved me. He paused and said he didn’t have to interview me because he knew I would be amazing. But before he made an offer, he asked me one question, “Jackie, what do you really want to do?”
When I heard this question, I lit up and started telling him all about the coaching schooling I was in and the vision of what I wanted to build, and so on and so on. I have no idea how long I went on about it, but at the end, he asked me if I had money saved up and asked me how long I could support myself. I thought that question was strange, but I thought about it and realized I had about a year I could live without income using my savings and credit cards.
He then said something that changed my life. “That’s great, Jackie. I am not going to offer you a job today. I want you to pursue that dream, and if it doesn’t work out, come back to me, and I will have a job for you.” I was confused at first, then sighed and thanked him for having the belief in me that I didn’t quite have. So, I borrowed his belief and continued to bet on me and pursue my business. That was five years ago, and I have never gone back.
Paint a picture of what your life was like before you encountered the challenge that called for you to summon your courage.
My life before Jackie Cote Coaching was thirty years of leadership management in the restaurant industry, which started when I was fifteen. The local Italian bakery in NJ gave me the keys to help run the shift. I loved the rush of busy shifts and helping support a team to create an amazing experience for the guests. What I loved even more was the mentoring of the team — seeing in them what they could not see in themselves and holding that gift of belief up for them that they could do anything. I was able to promote hundreds of people throughout the years and help them create more freedom of time, more money, and more confidence in themselves.
It was when I moved out of the field operations space where I could mentor others and into the corporate office that I lost that fire and passion for what I did. It became a job that I did not like, and I felt like I was pushing a boulder up a hill for two-plus years. But, like most of us, I was going to make it work! That’s what we do or were taught to do. After crying almost every day, never being home with my partner due to excess travel, my health being the worst it had ever been, and seeing my relationship dissipate before my eyes, I knew a change needed to be made. That led me to learn about the coaching industry, which I never knew existed. I was meant for more than that, but I just didn’t know what that was. So, when my old boss said to me to go for it, I believe in you, I did.
Were there any doubts or fears you had to overcome before taking action? How did you manage them?
Many! Five years later, there are still many!
There were so many decisions that had to be made quickly that the fears and doubts didn’t hit right away because of my “I got it, girl” way of being. Basically, I’ve been able to get stuff done in high-stress situations from a place of survival ever since I was seven years old. Once I decided to go all in on being an entrepreneur, I put my house on the market and sold it so we could move to a less expensive area in the country closer to Mike’s kids. This was scary for me because it was taking me away from civilization at a time when I needed to connect with people about this new venture. This helped cut our expenses in half and stretched out the time my money would last to give me time to build.
I also had to lean into trust that my relationship would make it through this. Right before I got let go from my job, we were not in a great place, but both decided we would work on it together. This massive move brought us closer together because it helped me be more present. I started to let go of some of the control I felt I needed to have over the money and relationship. Little did I know that this was the beginning of our journey to truly loving each other and letting ourselves be loved.
What were some of the challenges or obstacles you faced during your journey to overcome this particular challenge?
One of the biggest obstacles on the journey to becoming a business owner instead of an employee is yourself. I knew right away I couldn’t do this thing alone, so I hired a personal coach to help me build the business. What I thought I needed from her was help with the strategy and execution. What I quickly discovered was that I needed her to help me get out of my own way! After finding myself crying for nine months straight, session after session, and not making any money while doing all these things, I wondered if I had made the wrong choice in turning down the safe path of a job.
What I know now is that if I had not done this healing work and been open and vulnerable with myself, I would have never been able to build the six-figure business I have today. The strategy is only 20 percent of this journey. Eighty percent is between our two ears. Those nine months helped me rewrite old stories that were holding me back from feeling worthy of what I desired. That was just the beginning of what has become the biggest personal development journey of my life. Who knew that being a business owner meant peeling back every layer and becoming the most vulnerable you have ever been?
Tell us about a memorable anecdote or turning point in your courageous journey.
I remember the moment when my coach challenged me to trust. How she did this was to challenge me to do nothing the following month. It was September 2019, and I had been filling my calendar with nights and weekends because I came from the story that being busy is better! The more I am doing, the more I will make. Well, guess what… I wasn’t making any money and exhausted from doing all the things. At that point, my biggest month was $1000. The next month, she allowed me to keep what was on my calendar but not add anything else. So, when people asked to meet with me, I had to put them further out on the calendar. This left many holes in my schedule, and I was so confused what to do with this time. She said, “Just Be!”
What does that mean? It meant reading a book, taking a bath, going for walks, playing with the dogs, calling a friend, cooking for joy, going on a date with my man, do whatever felt good to me. This was harder than it sounds for me, coming from the restaurant industry, where we worked all the time, and it was a badge of honor to do so! That month, I made $3000 and did less.
We tried this surrender and trust you are enough experiment two more times until I finally got it! I made $4,500 the next month, and three months into this experiment, I made $6000. That’s a $ 5,000-a-month increase in three months. Doing less. Making more. What a concept! A concept based on leaning in and doing the thing (the masculine energy) and then leaning back and trusting and surrendering (the feminine energy). This was the first time I truly experienced and understood the feminine energy. I came from a masculine-driven life and career. This taught me that whatever needs to be done can be accomplished with more ease and flow and that it doesn’t have to be a struggle. This is my choice and in my control — now that I was aware of what was possible.
What role models or sources of support helped you stay strong and resilient?
I started my journey by taking a coaching program that helped me see what was possible to create and do with the gifts God has given me. I learned that without putting ourselves around people who are doing what we desire to do, we will never see what is possible. The key to growth is having a vision of what you desire and knowing that if someone else has done it, then, it’s absolutely possible for us to do it!
When I decided that this was absolutely what was next for me and that I was never going back to someone controlling my time and money, I searched for networking groups to become a part of. This was crucial to the first six figures of my business. Finding a community where I could build relationships and serve was life changing. One of the biggest decisions was deciding whether I was worthy of getting one-to-one coaching support.
This was the biggest game changer and helped me move faster in my business than normal. It was the crash course in learning to love and trust myself. This, in turn, made doing things easier to do.
How did this experience impact your life and your perception of courage?
I never realized how courageous I had truly been throughout my life until this journey. I just thought this was how life was supposed to be. I thought courage was being strong, fiercely independent, in control, and never letting anyone know I was hurting. This experience has shown me the complete opposite. This has helped me love myself — helped me want to be with me; helped me feel safe to love others and be loved by others; helped me no longer live in survival mode and shift to a thriving mode — from fear to love.
What lessons or wisdom have you gained from this experience that you’d like to share with others?
We are mostly programmed to live from a place of survival. This looks like being independent and in control! I call it the “I got it, girl.” This was me. Fiercely independent, can do it on her own, makes stuff happen, and is highly successful at whatever she chooses to do. Sounds great, right? The challenge is this usually comes from a need to be in control from a place of fear. If I hold on tightly to everything, I can control things and mitigate the pain. We cannot come from a place of fear and love at the same time. It’s time to let go of control and surrender. No longer take action to avoid pain but take action toward desires from a place of love. Love will always be the way to true freedom.
What unexpected or positive outcomes emerged from your courageous actions?
The obvious one was that I built a business doing what I love for others on my terms. I never have to ask for permission from anyone to do what I want. The most surprising thing for me was learning how to love me fully and no longer fear loving another or letting them love me. My now husband and I were just breaking up as a couple when this journey began. Now we are married, which we never thought we would do again. We are more in love and support of each other than we have ever been. We both feel safe to love and be loved together.
How do you define courage, and how has your definition evolved through your own experiences?
Courage is being willing to fully love yourself as you are, being willing to be vulnerable, safe to feel love and pain, trusting the journey, and knowing that you are fully supported. Courage is also not being afraid to be seen, making swift decisions and taking risks, and going first so others can see what’s possible.
Is there a particular message or advice you’d like to convey to other women who may be facing similar challenges?
If you have the inner knowing that you are meant for something different in your life, listen and trust it. Women are so intuitive by nature, and yet, we doubt ourselves and that inner knowing. Whether it be an old story we created to protect ourselves or that we have created so much noise helping others that we can’t hear what it’s saying, we just know something needs to change. The key is to keep quiet, be with self, listen to self, trust self, because we are one with our higher power. Trust and love will lead the way.
In retrospect, do you have any regrets or things you would have done differently?
Absolutely not. I truly believe it when people say everything is happening for you. Each moment, each tear, each pivot, each challenge — all of it was exactly what I needed to be who I am today so that I can serve the way I am meant to serve in this world. That way is just showing up and being me. I own that now.
How has this experience shaped your identity or sense of self?
I was told about two years ago by an Akashic reader that all I needed to do was walk in a room and that was enough. Everyone’s lives will be changed by just being me. I was like Ummmm… that is quite cocky! After observing and contemplating that statement, I see that she was right. Now, I own the gifts God has given me, and I am on a mission to help other women do the same.
What would you say to someone who is hesitant or afraid to take a courageous step in their life?
Think about all the impossible stuff you have done so far in life and survived to tell about it! Everything is temporary in life. Decide and go! Whatever happens on the other side of that decision is meant to happen for you. It’s all in your perception of life and the outcome that will determine the life you live. So, choose differently! Lastly, lead from love and ask, What would love do?