How To Become An Influential Coach? Exclusive Interview With Ali Turner

Ali Turner is a business mentor & leadership activator for women who know they’re meant for more: more wealth, more success, more impact, and more freedom. As a certified meditation instructor, business owner, and sought-after coach, Ali unifies her understanding of consciousness with her experience in the business. Her purpose is to guide women to activate their inner power and leverage self-knowledge to build the business they’ve always desired.

Ali Turner, Holistic Business Coach for Women

You are a business coach that empowers female entrepreneurs to build a business that fulfills their actual purpose in life. What does that mean to you? As a coach, I see so much untapped potential in female entrepreneurs… mainly because so many of us try to build something we don’t actually enjoy. We’ve all been told what types of businesses are profitable, effective, and easy to start in 2023 — through YouTube Ads, influencers, and pushy sales calls. But how often have we looked inward to discover a deeper meaning behind our work? This is what I focus on with my clients: self-awareness and really the self-knowing that’s required to build a business that’s aligned with who you are, who you’re becoming, and what you desire to create. What inspired this for you, and where do you begin with your clients? Given my own experience starting and scaling a business that wasn’t aligned with what I actually desired, I learned how important it is to truly love what we do. To wake up every morning excited to start “working.” So much so that it doesn’t feel like work. I encourage everyone in my world, client or not, to do that inner work necessary to reveal your purpose, your calling, your “dharma,” if you will. Only from there can we build a business you won't want to run away from or burn to ashes within a few years. This is an ongoing process. It’s not a one-and-done, it’s not overnight, it’s not a few hours of meditation and you’re set. This is work that is done continuously throughout one’s evolution as an entrepreneur, coach, mentor, and leader. I love that. And I know you have a firm belief in the power of inner work when it comes to entrepreneurship. Does that require a certain attitude on the part of your clients? What kind of audience do you target your work towards? I primarily work with women. Partially by choice, and partially because women are the ones most often drawn to me and my work. I do think that openness toward spirituality and personal growth is vital, not only to expanding through my work as a coach, but also to expanding as an entrepreneur in general. I like to say “your business only grows as much as you do,” and my seasoned clients get this. Your business will push you, force you to grow as a human being. If you try to fight that, you’ll stay stuck.

But here is the best part. Not only does your business’s growth push you to grow, personally, but also your personal growth can push your business to grow, exponentially. So when we consciously choose to grow, to do the inner work, to push ourselves, to expand as humans and as leaders inside, we see massive results in our businesses outside. So, aside from the more inner-focused aspect of your work as a business mentor, what else makes you different from other business coaches in 2023? Great question. I think one of the biggest things that sets me apart is the fact that I’ve actually created, and actually still own, another business, aside from my coaching business. I’ve seen a lot of business coaches pop up in the last 2-3 years who have only ever created a coaching business. Whether they started out as a business coach, pulling on years in corporate for their expertise, or they began with fitness coaching, relationship coaching, spiritual coaching, you name it… the only business model they actually know is coaching, itself, so they can only coach other coaches, effectively and in integrity. Now, there is value in that — don’t get me wrong. They have a narrow and precise focus on the coaching industry. Which is something I focus on as well, along with consulting, course creation, content creation, online services, and the like, given the fact that I want to help women build a business that aligns with their life purpose, and those industries are particularly open to this more self-led work. So that difference plays out… how? The difference is I’ve had experience with many, many different types of businesses, and I’ve learned how business people think. I’ve seen how a solar company in the San Francisco Bay Area thinks about marketing and how a home builder in the Midwest wants to approach new clients. I’ve had my eyes on, and my hands in, companies in such a wide range of industries, and it’s given me a clear understanding of the fundamentals… the pieces that all businesses need to succeed. And additionally, yes, as you’d mentioned: the fact that I blend the inner work, one’s expansion into higher states of consciousness, with business creation& growth is something that you don’t see too often amongst business coaches. At least not at this level of specificity and practice. What would you say to someone who’s not sure what type of business to start? Yeah, this is one of the biggest things for me. It’s like… I see business opportunities everywhere. Everywhere! What do you love? What do you enjoy? What do you get lost in, when you do it? What makes you think, explore, and investigate? What sparks your curiosity? What are you just naturally good at? Like, that’s your business. Go do that. It really is that simple. I think everyone overcomplicates building a business but this is actually the future of our economy, in my mind. An economy where people do what they love, and get paid to do it. That’s why the coaching space has taken off. That’s why consulting has taken off. That’s why course creators and content creators and everything creation-related has taken off. Go out and create what you love; that’s your business. And if you’re new to an actual business and need to build a business model around it… give me a call. [Laughs.] What’s one of your “pet peeves” in the coaching industry? Something you see a lot of but feel has a detrimental effect on the industry as a whole? This is a really good question. I think that there can be a lot of toxic energy in the coaching space… and the biggest thing that personally blows my mind is when coaches preach that there’s only one right way to achieve a particular outcome. Especially business coaches. They teach that there’s only one perfect framework, process, or system, and if you don’t have this, you’re going to fail. Like, this is scammy marketing, this is sleazy sales tactics, this is making people feel guilty, and feel scared, and feel like they’re not going to succeed… if they don’t buy the “XYZ program.” And I don’t think that’s a healthy energy for people — especially new business owners, like most coaches are — to be investing from. To be spending money from. To be growing their business from. That’s probably the biggest “pet peeve” I have in this industry. What’s the most common thing you see holding entrepreneurs back from reaching their full potential? I think honestly, the biggest thing that holds people back from success, is ultimately just… I mean, it’s not exactly laziness, I was tempted to call it laziness, but it’s really more a sense of entitlement. Because we’ve all heard these stories over the last 3-5 years in the coaching industry, and in the online space in general, about these “overnight successes” — where they start their business and 90 days later they’re making a million a month, and traveling the world and flying first class and buying cars for their parents and the whole dream. But what we don’t see in those stories is the amount of time and energy and experience that went into creating that success, before those 90 days, or 30 days, or six months, or whatever. And that is a way of marketing oneself, one’s business, saying “this is my result, come with me…” but I think that it creates this sense of entitlement. Where people come into the online space and think that they’re just going to be wildly successful, quickly, without putting in any real work. Without putting in any time and energy and effort to grow their business sustainably. Right. And how do you counteract that attitude? If you're not showing up consistently, not creating powerful content, not building a brand, not serving your people, not building the systems you need on the backend, not actually giving yourself to your business, it’s just not going to grow. And that level of entitlement and of laziness is… it just drives me absolutely nuts! [Laughs.] Because it’s actually so simple, when you boil it down. Like, the things you need to do are SO simple. People just don’t want to do them. I mean I have people come to me and say “I want a million-dollar business, but I don’t want to create content. I hate content.”It’s like, I’m sorry. But in 2023 and beyond, content is your business.

Social media is your business. You better get really dang good at content. Tough love.

So real. I love that. And sort of following from that, what would you say to someone who is just starting their business, as a coach or course creator or leader in some capacity?

I love this question. I would say the biggest thing, when you’re just starting your business… there are so many things but the fundamental piece for me is… build your brand. Just build your brand. And I’m not talking about the fonts you use, the colors you put in your graphics, what your logo looks like… no. I’m talking about the energy; I’m talking about the intention; I’m talking about the values, the vision, the purpose… of your business. And that comes from inside. That doesn’t come from hex codes. It should help determine them, sure. But it comes from inside.

So I would encourage you, as you start and scale your business, to go inward. We all go outward, when building a business. We’re building up this entity outside of ourselves, and we look outward for answers, solutions, strategies, and guidance. But go inside, too, regularly. Find your own power inside, and use that to generate your brand’s energy. Decide what energy you want to give to the world; decide what energy you want people to feel from you. It’s not about hiring someone to create a logo for you — I don’t even have a logo. Just real talk. I don’t have a logo. But I have a presence that is felt... when you come across me. A presence and an energy that radiates outward from my business, that anyone who finds me can feel. Focus on that. Become that. That’s what builds a brand. And that’s what builds a business.

In LOVE. Okay, and how can people find you, connect with you, work with you?

I’m on Instagram at @iamaliturner and on Facebook as Ali Turner. The best way to be a part of my world would be to join my next free training inside my group. We do Q&As, hot seat coaching, and live masterclasses almost every week! If anyone wants to connect more directly just follow me on Instagram and send a DM, my team and I are pretty responsive and handle most inquiries there.

Last question. What’s your vision for Infinite Woman?

Millions of women create infinite freedom, wealth, and impact by doing what they love. That’s my vision, and that’s the vision for our company.

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more info!

Read more from Ali!