When Abby Keller launched her holistic cancer coaching practice with ZenBusiness, this was not just a career shift. It was a calling. With more than a decade experience in cancer nursing and a deep understanding of the gaps in traditional cancer care, Abby wanted to offer support that honors the entire person.
Name: Abby Keller
Business: Holistic Health and Life Coach
Services: Virtual coaching for people affected by cancer
Year founded: 2023
Website: https://abbykellercoaching.com/
Location: virtual
Why I started my business
Nurses have so much knowledge and talent that we cannot use in the hospital environment. We are too thinly stretched and there is not enough time to offer holistic support. But people need help processing complex emotions and navigating difficult times. I knew I could do more to help people feel empowered, and even after the treatment is completed. I wanted to help them process the experience and let them know that they are not alone. Whether you have cancer or not, you can still live a life that you love.
Get my first customer
I still work in the hospital, so I can’t find my customers there. I did a podcast about what I do, and a woman heard me and reached at me. She had had cancer five years earlier and realized that she never processed it. Then she became my first paying customer and we did a great job together.
Trust in the process
The learning curve has been very steep for me. All my training is in nursing; I knew nothing about things. I didn’t know about business taxes. I didn’t know that my city had to have a driver’s license to work out of my house. So many things! I put a lot of stock in how I showed up for my customers and how I get for me. The rest will work out itself. Maybe I don’t have to scale super quickly. My job, my biggest service, is to appear in a heart -oriented way for my customers. That is what fulfills me. I will continue to learn while I continue.
The importance of self -care as a business owner
My friends and family were supportive when I started the company. But they were also worried about how I could spend my time in the hospital and then came home and with more people who have cancer talking. They wanted to ensure that I took care of myself, and I appreciate that. Self -care is a large part of a business owner. I work with some pretty heavy things, so I have to make sure I take the time to feed my own mind. I can take a break and enjoy life with my friends and my family.
The role of gratitude
I approach my work from a “performance” perspective instead of that should or I have to. What should I do today? I can help people. I can share someone’s story with them and witness their strength and beauty of the human mind. Together with that comes some extra work and pollution, but it is completely worth it.
Advice for owners of small companies
Don’t be stuck in all must. I should post more. I should do better. Respect how much you can handle in a day. I love what I do. If it gets difficult, I know I can take a step back and my company will still be there.
What she likes about having her own business
I like to be able to set my own role and schedule. I can make up for it! I decide how I want to support people and I fulfill their needs in a very flexible way. My sessions with customers are 90 minutes long. When can I spend 90 minutes with a patient in the hospital? Never! Because I can make the rules, I can sleep if it has been a long week. I can take care of my parents as they get older. I can have my beloved dog with me while I am on the phone.
Why she likes ZenBusiness
I was able to set up my LLC very quickly when I finally got the courage to do it. ZenBusiness gives me so many means to help when I am in a sticky place with my company. I have requested a ZenBusiness Small Business Grant, and I have it! That extra money helped me to restore some of my start -up costs and invest in my own education, so that I could be a better coach.
Last thoughts: The power of mission
In the book The Five Regets of the Dying is one of the regret: “I wish I had the courage to lead a life to myself, not the life that others had expected from me.” My mission is to help people learn to love themselves and to love their lives, whatever happens.
Note: This interview is condensed and processed for length and clarity.
Inspired by the story of Abby? Learn how ZenBusiness can help you to turn your passion into your own company by helping you form an LLC or a company.
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