On the continent special – Welcome to PopUp Coaching!

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“We were very discouraged when COVID-19 hit. We were on such a high, and then we felt like we fell flat on our faces. We had to try to think about how to rebrand a new business.” Chevonne Dickson

As I sat on the phone, I listened empathetically to this story. As you can imagine, life has not been the same for anyone. Many of us in North America have had to resurrect our lives in unprecedented ways. What I was listening to was a story from the beautiful continent of Africa. A story that tells the tale of two women who pushed for their dreams, despite their current circumstances.

In recent years, we have seen the rise of life coaching. It has acquired a considerable mainstream presence, and you will see life coaches being utilized: on reality shows, in primetime television; well, you might even know someone who either is a life coach, or is seeing a life coach.

Creatives, executives, entrepreneurs, and even organizations have turned to life coaches to assist them in successfully reaching their goals. They are great at: helping you clarify any goals you have for yourself, identifying the external, and internal obstacles holding you back, and helping come up with strategies to overcome those obstacles. Just like a workout coach, they push you when you don’t think you can do anymore. They are that added motivation during those hard times.

A good friend, and co-writer of mine Daniel Cole introduced me to Cherie Palmer, and Chevonne Dickson. He had been telling me that he wanted me to meet these ladies for weeks, and finally we made it happen.

This is how I ended up on the phone, listening to the story of these courageous young women, who started their business, at the beginning of the pandemic, and found the fortitude to follow through with their purpose.

Cherie Palmer (Life Coach and NLP Practitioner), and Chevonne Dickson (Life Coach and NLP Practitioner), are the co-founders of Popup Coaching. This is life coaching with a twist.

The pop-up culture has taken over the scene here in North America. They have also been seen in other places around the world. They come in the forms of nomadic bars and cinemas. There are also supper clubs and pop-up restaurants. There are even pocket parks that can be found in certain city’s vacant lots.

What started off, as a niche practice is now ubiquitous in Europe, and North America. Pop-ups are only now beginning to make an appearance on the continent of Africa, and Cherie and Chevonne are forward thinking visionaries. They are using pop-ups to reinterpret and rebrand life coaching.

“We both were so excited, and we felt our purpose was being uncovered. We feel there is more to what we are doing, and where we are!” Cherie Palmer

I could feel their energy through the phone. I had asked them both about the magic behind them starting their company, and Cherie had begun to share her story with me.

“I work full time at a promotional and marketing company. I must admit, it is not my passion, but it allows me to be creative. I am a dreamer, and sometimes all I need is a push to send me in the right direction. It feels very close to my heart to help people, and this is why when the idea of life coaching was brought up to me, it resonated instantly.

 Interestingly enough, this idea was brought up to me twice. The second time I heard it, I knew that I had to do something about it.”

“What about you Chevonne?”

“I guess you could say I was born into coaching. My father is an Executive, and a Career Coach. I grew up being exposed to coaching. My father saw a coach in me, and I fought the idea. I didn’t think I was ready.

 I swear Simone. I ran from it a long time. I pursued a role in corporate (banking) for ten years. There was this nagging feeling that I could do something more. I took some time to take a break.

 My dad started his coaching company, so I decided to help him. During the process, I began to see how I fit into the industry.

 I started doing research on certifications; I got so much value out of it. It was my something else that I could share with other people.

 I felt like I was sleepwalking my way through life. This coaching journey helped me with those aspects of it.”

 Let me throw in something here. What I didn’t mention is that Cherie and Chevonne are childhood friends. They didn’t get to talk all the time, but for some reason, they were both going on this journey, and it only came up when they happened to meet up for lunch one day….

“We had one of our catch-up lunches, and during that catch up, we discovered we were both doing life-coaching certifications.” Chevonne shares with me.

“It seemed like divine intervention. We both had unique skills that we brought to the table, so here was the birth of PopUp Coaching.” Cherie tells me jovially.

In other parts of the world you will find more of this, but in South Africa, it is a rare delicacy. They opened the business in November 2019 and had their first successful event in February. It was a tremendous experience.  Cherie recalls, “We had Chevonne’s father speak on coaching in today’s world, and the benefits of coaching. We got great feedback. Even through all the nerves leading up to the event, we were able to impact people’s lives.”

Cherie and Chevonne walked away from the experience empowered and ready to tackle their next pop up. Then COVID-19 hit.

“We were very discouraged, but there is no way that we are going to give up. With everything going virtual now, PopUp Coaching is just going to have to go a different direction. Keep an eye out for us!” Chevonne tells me enthusiastically.

I am definitely going to keep an eye out for these warrior women, but if you are interested in speaking with them about their experience of life coaching on the continent, you can email Cherie at cheriep@popupcoaching.co.za, or Chevonne at chevonned@popcoaching.co.za.