 |
The Business Of CoachingAuthor: Sarah Short
To be a coach, one must have clients. To have a coaching business, those clients must be ones who pay. This podcast is designed to support qualified coaches to build robust, financially viable coaching businesses. Language: en-gb Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Success Leaves Clues with Beverley McCluskey
Wednesday, 25 March, 2026
In this episode of The Business of Coaching, we sit down with Beverley (Bea) McCloskey, a former corporate pharmaceutical professional turned successful coach. Bea shares her powerful journey from the high-stakes world of big pharma to a catastrophic burnout that eventually became the "gift" that launched her business.If you’ve ever felt like you’re spinning 25 plates at once—or keeping 25 browser tabs open in your brain—this conversation is for you.About the Guest:Beverley (Bea) McCloskey is a specialist coach and mentor with a deep-rooted background in the corporate pharmaceutical industry. Having spent much of her career in field-based roles for global giants like AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, and Novo Nordisk, she experienced firsthand the transition from high-performance sales to leadership and dedicated coaching roles.Bea’s professional journey took a pivotal turn following a catastrophic burnout and a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, triggered by a combination of high-pressure work and challenging personal circumstances. After a two-year recovery period, she transformed this lived experience into a successful business.Today, Bea focuses her expertise on helping women in the pharma sector—her "ideal client" who mirrors her own experiences from 15 years ago. She works with high-achievers to help them navigate the pressures of corporate life, avoid burnout, and rediscover joy in their careers by balancing soft and hard power.Key Takeaways:The "Tell-as-Coach" Trap: In many corporate environments, coaching is often mistakenly used interchangeably with "training" or simply telling people how to do their jobs.The Cost of Perfectionism: Bea reflects on how her perfectionism wasn't about excellence, but rather an "away motivation" fueled by a terror of making mistakes.The Reality of Burnout: Burnout isn't just about working too hard; it’s a multifactorial collapse of resilience often triggered by a combination of personal and professional challenges.The "Niche" vs. The "Chasm": Having a broad niche like "women in danger of burning out" can feel like a chasm where no one can hear you. Success comes from a "tight focus" on people who share your specific lived experience.Employee vs. Business Owner: Transitioning from an employee mindset to a business owner mindset requires a "different manual". Simply replicating corporate structures (like expensive websites and VAT registration) doesn't equate to having a business if you don't have clients."I thought I had a niche, but it was a chasm and no wonder no one could hear me... My words were just words. They were not targeted." — Beverley McCloskeyHave you enjoyed this episode? Find out more and take the FREE quiz at: https://thecoachingrevolution.com/Join the FREE Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/buildacoachingbusiness
