Hi, my name is Carolin Rathbun. I'm a copywriter and foundational business coach on a mission to help women create fulfilling businesses (and lives).
I believe that when your business aligns with who you are (not what you think you should be doing or copying someone else's way of doing things), you can confidently and deliberately create the life you want.
What do I mean by a fulfilling business?
I mean waking up knowing you're living your purpose in a way that enriches your life, with a business that fills you up so that once you've served your clients, your family and everyone else in your life, you still feel inflated. And you're excited to wake up the next day to do it all again.
What's more fulfilling than that?
One thing I know for sure - that I learned the hard way - is that in order to find fulfillment, you first need to know your purpose. That's what I believe is the biggest stumbling block for most women.
Women are born nurturers. We're taught it's better to give than receive. We live our lives believing our partners and children are our purpose. So what happens when they all go away?
At the age of 50, I found myself divorced and struggling to figure out what this next chapter would look like. For 25 years, I had built a life putting my kids, my spouse and in later years, my parents before me. Then within three years, everything changed. My kids were off at university, my mother got Alzheimer's, no longer knew any of us and was placed in long-term care, my husband and I split up, and my father died.
Who was I when all of my roles fell away?
All I knew was that I needed to create a life that put me in the driver's seat and fulfilled ME in every aspect.
I began by looking at what I really wanted out of this new life. I knew I wanted to further develop my copywriting business, which I loved! I needed the flexibility to set my own hours. I wanted to attract clients I adored working with. And I wanted the freedom to travel whenever and for as long as I liked (thank you, wifi!); I had already waited far too long to make my travel dreams a reality. (By-the-way, that's a picture of me in Vienna which was only part of a month-long European travel-ganza and a 30-year dream come true!)
Figuring out what I wanted was the easy part.
Figuring out how to do it was the challenge!
The reason it was a challenge was because I had a lot to learn along the way. I had to learn new programs and gain new skills. I had to identify and clear inner blocks that were keeping me playing small. I needed to learn how to shift my mindset to stop self-sabotage. Every step brought me more confidence and clarity yet something was still elusive; my purpose.
Then, with some help, I discovered it. It was hidden in plain sight, its golden thread woven throughout my life. Yet it was elusive, partly because it's impossible to find on your own and partly because it was the lesson my entire life had set me up to learn. Once I saw it, it was obvious. It was validating. It was liberating. It was empowering!
Getting clear on my purpose was the final piece I needed for everything else to fall into place.
We're all on our own Hero's Journey, as depicted by mythologist Joseph Campbell.
Every one of us, at some point in our lives, is presented with a challenge. If we choose to accept it, we step over the threshold into the unknown world. We meet mentors along the way who point us in the right direction. We collect tools to help us overcome difficulties. And we each face a moment when we're ready to give up and go back to the way things were. But if we're determined enough to keep seeking the treasure, we find it. Then it is the hero's duty to share the magic elixir with others by becoming the mentor for someone else.
Those of us brave enough to be entrepreneurs, particularly those in heart-centred service-based businesses, are often driven to teach what we most had to learn for ourselves.
When I started my journey, I thought it was to discover WHAT I wanted to do. But I already knew that: writing in its many and varied forms. I just needed confirmation that I was right and I got it! So then maybe my journey was to find HOW I was to do it. While I picked up many tools along the way, that's all they were - tools. Good and very useful tools that I'm excited to share with you to make your journey easier.
My ultimate journey was to discover my inner Purpose - my WHY, the thing that makes me tick, the reason people are drawn to me (or not) - and in so doing, I also learned how to help you find your inner purpose.
This is the goldest gold I could have found because helping you find your purpose aligns perfectly with mine.
My purpose is to encourage people to believe in themselves so we own our value and what we have to offer to the world.
It's how I show up every day, with every person.
It's how you can expect me to show up with you.
For me, finding my purpose was game-changing. I became clear on what I'm here to do, who I am here to serve and how I can best help, all in a way that leaves me feeling fulfilled and joyful! It can be that way for you too.
In order to build anything that will last, you need a solid foundation.
I believe discovering your inner purpose is that foundation, especially if you're a woman with a vision to become your best self.
Sure you can build a business like I tried to do - by stacking random pieces on top of one another. It might look good, but you're afraid to climb to the top because you're not confident it will support you. Something feels off. The sand beneath you keeps shifting. You struggle to know what to say and to whom. I know how hard this can be and I'm a writer!
If you're not clear on why you're doing your work, what you need to show up as your best self and who you're here to help, you're throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something will stick.
You can't create a fulfilling business and charge what you're worth if you don't know the real gift you bring to the table.
(Psst...you only have one WHY, and it Never changes.)
I'd love to help you discover your purpose and what you need in order to show up as your best self.
If you already know your purpose, great! Your journey is well under way.
The rest of the business-building client-attraction pieces can be learned, assembled and reassembled to fit your ever-changing life.
I can help you with that too!
I'd also love to help you:
- discover and break through what's keeping you playing small
- gain confidence in what you offer so you finally charge what you're really worth
- write copy that attracts your ideal clients (and repels the ones you'd rather not work with)
- ensure your message is clear, trustworthy and authentic
- build your list so you can reach more people and make a greater difference in the world
In other words, I'd love to help you create a business that fits who you are.
This is an important time in history for women.
More of us are embarking on our own hero's journey. We want more for ourselves.
We want to create businesses that not only make a difference for our clients, but also leave us feeling fulfilled.
Click the button to book a 30-minute no-obligation call
