Self-coaching as the key to personal and professional success – Evelyn about Coach Thyself
Sometimes the solution already lies within us - we just have to learn to discover it. With Coach Thyself, Evelyn Janetzki has created a concept that starts right there. Her goal: to empower people to achieve their goals and release inner blockages.
"Through self-coaching, we empower employees to work on their own issues and develop themselves further," explains Evelyn. Coach Thyself offers the ideal solution, especially for companies that want to enable their employees to develop personally.
Self-coaching as the key to success
For Evelyn, self-coaching is much more than a personal development tool. “Self-coaching helps you to achieve goals and overcome inner resistance. At the same time, it strengthens your ability to reflect on yourself and recognize your own motivation. If you build a good relationship with yourself, you can also work better with others,” she emphasizes. This ability to lead oneself not only influences personal success, but also the dynamics within teams.
From the idea to the hybrid platform
The idea for Coach Thyself was born during the coronavirus lockdowns, when online courses were booming. Originally conceived as a B2C offer, Evelyn quickly realized that there was a greater need in companies. Today, Coach Thyself combines the best of both worlds: “We carry out most of the training on site at the customer’s premises or hybrid. The online area supports and consolidates what has been learned. People want face-to-face encounters – and so do we.”
Challenges and perseverance
The path to a successful start-up was not always straightforward. “The phase before we had our first paying customers was difficult to endure. I like results and clear work assignments and wanted to just get started,” Evelyn recalls. Especially in such challenging times, she likes to remind herself of a quote from Oscar Wilde: “Everything is going to be fine in the end. If it’s not fine it’s not the end.”
Today, the success of her perseverance is evident: “The solution was to test in small steps, absorb market feedback and thus hone the concept”. This is also reflected in the feedback she receives from her customers: “I’m always delighted when our customers recommend us – there’s no greater compliment for me!” she says with visible pride. She finds the statements from participants who say: “I would never have thought that I could do this myself” particularly moving.
Visions of the future: Gamification and authentic living
An important trend for Evelyn is gamification: “We use game principles to improve the learning experience and implementation in everyday life.” In the long term, she plans to develop a game with which people can learn self-coaching in a playful way.
At the same time, she sees a growing demand for services that help people to live authentically: “Many people have little contact with themselves and their needs. This makes it difficult for them to connect with others, which often leads to loneliness. There is great potential here for low-threshold offers that are suitable for everyday life.”
Networks and advice for female founders
Evelyn is convinced that networks are crucial for success. She particularly emphasizes the WHU alumni network: “There is a spirit of uncomplicated and pragmatic support among each other that inspires me a lot.” She also recommends the HERHOOD network of the Initiativkreis Ruhr: “High-quality events with a clear focus on added value in terms of content.”
Her advice to female founders: “Listen to yourself and cultivate that inner voice that tells you what to do now.” At the same time, she encourages them to ask themselves the crucial question: “What would I regret more – trying and failing, or never having tried?” For Evelyn, the right time was crucial: “I founded the company when I was 40 because it was the perfect fit at that moment.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT Coach thyself
Want to know more?
Discover more female founder stories, female founded startups, nationwide service points and events in our Female Founders Hub.