Janelle Ryan
Janelle Ryan is a Global Personal Coach, Author, Group Facilitator, Presenter, Speaker and Founder of Sky High Coaching. Her passion is helping high performers expand their minds to new ways of thinking, create whatever it is they wish in their life and lead and inspire others.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your professional journey/venture/initiative and what inspired you to choose this career.
I was raised in a very small town in a rural part of Australia. My childhood was extremely happy – I loved riding my horses, playing netball and being with my friends. I also held a deep curiosity about the physical and non-physical world. Before I was 10 years old, I was studying metaphysics and in my late teens I had left home to explore our planet. Unfortunately, my craving for adventure and the unknown was cut short in my early twenties when I accepted a young man’s proposal for marriage, found myself a sensible job and began to study at university. Life, however, had other plans and a series of events found me single, carefree and travelling across the northern hemisphere, which I continued to do until my early thirties. Again, life intervened and I found myself back in Australia without a job, relationship, money or any qualifications. I began accepting temporary roles, and bunked in with a friend whilst I worked out what to do with my life. One day, someone suggested I see a coach. I had never heard of coaching, but the thought of having someone support me whilst I figured things out was appealing. There were only two coaches in Melbourne at the time (2001) and I was thrilled one was based not far from where I was staying. I contacted Kate, we met and I enrolled for six months. Within two years I had a role I loved, I was back at university, I had money and I’d bought my first home. I also lost a lot of weight and was fitter and healthier than I had been for a long time. This was the beginning of my love affair with coaching – an affair I’ve been immersed in for over two decades. I enjoyed many years of dream roles, promotions and leadership opportunities – all due to the ongoing coaching I enrolled myself in. In 2011, I experienced a Dark Night of the Soul, triggered by three traumatic events within a short space of time. For months my world was very dark. Eventually, I took myself to Indonesia on a spiritual quest and experienced a joyful transcendental event. Upon my return home, I knew I had to make a change. It was time to do something for me, and me alone. I enrolled with a coach who specialised in career changes and during our work together the modality of coaching emerged as the ‘perfect‘ job for me. I didn’t really choose coaching, coaching chose me.
Was there any turning point in your life that changed your journey? If so, what was it? Please tell us the backstory behind it.
I think this is answered above, but one of the things I am most proud of was I was found to be in the Top 6% of happiest people in the world – without some of the things we, as women, are told we have to have to be happy, such as having our own children.
Tell us about your goals, interests, and role models.
I prefer to create a Vision for my life, rather than set goals. My Vision is for life long expansion – to never stop learning. To evolve into a more loving, caring and calm human each and every day. To share the fruits of my labour with family and friends. To share my skills, gifts and strengths with everyone in the Sky High Coaching community so they can create a life of joy and freedom. To continue exploring the world and those who inhabit it. To continue to explore the metaphysical world so as to continue creating a life and business from a place of ease, joy, authenticity and inspiration. To feel peace with who I am in my complexity and humanness. My role models are close to home – some members of my family, my husband, best friends and my clients – the changes my clients make in their lives, their courage and bravery has me in awe.
Everyone has their own set of challenges when starting an entrepreneurial journey. Still, the most essential part for others to learn is how you deal with those. Would you like to share with us your challenges and your coping mechanisms?
I think the biggest challenge was moving from an employee mindset, to an entrepreneurial mindset. No-one really talks about this one. There is no-one giving you direction, or telling you ‘what to do’. There is no-one to report into, no-one holding you accountable. Enrolling with coaches gave me someone to bounce ideas off, someone who would share their ideas (and their own journey) and someone to hold me accountable. The loneliness you experience when you start out and you don’t have a team – I joined networking groups and made friends with other entrepreneurs. One of the biggest mistakes I made was directing money from my own interests (the gym, going out with friends, holidays and adventures) and into the business. This affected my mental health and I quickly amended this. Moving my body, social connection and exploration are important parts of who I am. When I reinstated them, my business benefitted. The importance of emotional intelligence; which includes your belief systems, your fears, your emotional triggers, your blocks. This is probably the most important piece to a successful business and I worked with a coach on my EQ and will continue to. Your fears will never subside, as your business grows you experience new fears to the ones you held before.
What impact do you feel you have been able to create with your work so far and how would you want to grow in the next few years?
I think you would have to ask my clients what impact I have been able to create with my work so far, but for me, I have seen many of my clients create a life/business/career they never thought was possible – that is the impact – I helped people make the impossible possible.
While the global pandemic of COVID-19 is associated primarily with adversities, it has also brought about a true boom in startups, with successful entrepreneurship in many countries. The pandemic has impacted all of us in one way or another. Would you like to share your experience on a personal and professional level?
Sky High Coaching was well established before the events of 2020 and 2021. We had more work than before, with many organisations reaching out for help along with the free services we offered for our community such as virtual social events. Personally, I used lockdowns to get fitter via online bootcamps, I did a lot of walking with neighbours, meditated more than ever before and threw myself into online courses.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
I was very proud to be named one of Australia’s Top Ten Women Entrepreneurs in 2017 Named by My Entrepreneur Magazine. I was very proud to be found to be in the Top 6% of happiest people in the world by Mindvalley in 2019.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
The change I would like to see in the world is more emotional intelligence – more love, care, kindness, gratitude, courage and acceptance. Less judgement, anger, fear and shame.
What’s the most important thing you have learned in your personal life and professional journey? What is your personal motto in life?
Gratitude is the key. Expansion, creation and leadership for a lifetime.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women’s leadership today?
Emotional intelligence is the key to effective, visionary, inspirational leadership – not gender.
With your grit and determination, you are making a considerable impact, breaking through, and serving as role models for many budding entrepreneurs. What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
Anything you can envision, you can achieve. Anything. You are limitless.