About Us
Is "passion" still a thing?
Where did this, “I wanna help people,” thing start?
Actually as a 14-year-old living in the city of Philadelphia, I read about a young girl who was answering teen questions in the newspaper. I enjoyed her column so much that I KNEW I could do it too!
I wrote to the newspaper and told them so! While they politely said they only had ONE teen columnist they appreciated my offer. Undaunted, I started helping my friends in school and on my block. Where did this “wisdom” to help come from at such a young age?
Couldn’t tell you…but it never left.
One day I took a long look at all the different roles I’ve played in high school, college, at work and wondered how this all added up to anything “special” for Chris Makell. I remember lying in bed asking myself, “Is this all there is?” It was shortly after that that I discovered “coaching” as a skill and profession.
Since I’ve been a perpetual student, I decided to pay for coach training and fly to Seattle Washington for 3 weekends to sit in a classroom and learn how to be a professional coach. After a 6 month mentoring program, where my teacher listened to and graded me on my coaching calls, I received my certification. I did nothing with it for 4 years!
Sure I used my listening skills while I was a manager, or when working with my company’s clients. But the intent was to work with individuals to achieve their greatness – whatever that was to them.
Finally in 2010, I left the corporate world and launched my own coaching practice. For 6 years I was deep into the entrepreneurial journey helping business owners, career professionals and anyone I could to get what’s in their way, out of the way, so that they could be far more successful. It was exhilarating, it was scary at times and so very rewarding.
If you know anything about being an entrepreneur, it’s HARD WORK, 24×7 and you really have to be ready for that “life.” Well, I decided, I could help more effectively if I had a steady income and that was what was in my way, if gotten out of the way, would help ME be far more successful.
So in 2017 I joined the IRS and given the crap, heartache, mistakes, lessons, experiences, wisdom, yeah all that stuff I have experienced in over 40 working years, I rapidly rose through the federal grading system to the astonishment of my managers and peers. I’m finally at a point where I can balance my continued ascent – I have a goal and well I think you can tell who I really am, by now…lol with getting back into my passion…helping more people.
I can’t tell you how many times in this journey, I have sabotaged my own success. From shifting my focus from one niche to another, writing a book meant for one audience and changing up at the last minute, to losing site of what really mattered because I listened to the “coach du jour.”
I come to this work with experience, hard knocks and a boat-load of failure tempered by success and smiles.
It provides nothing short of pure joy to help others recognize that self sabotage is part of the journey and that once you remember “you’ve been here before” you blaze through it faster (with fewer bumps and bruises!).
I am simply here to…remind you.
There you have it…from a young girl in Philadelphia who could help teens, to a seasoned professional (that’s how we roll here) in Austin who can help you.
I have gotten what was in my way out of the way…and yes, I’m much HAPPIER and WAY MORE SUCCESSFUL.
I can help YOU do it too.
Let’s get what’s in your way out of the way, so that you can be happier and far more successful!