Shellie Kemp had taken coaching courses before. Multiple ones, actually.

As Freedom & Care Pastor at a church that welcomes 7,000 people weekly through recovery ministry and Sunday services, she knew excellent training mattered. She’d already invested in certifications, accumulated the credentials, filled notebooks with concepts.

But something was missing.”

I had head knowledge,” Shellie admits, “but I didn’t really know how to coach.” The theories made sense on paper. In real conversations with hurting people? She couldn’t quite close the gap. And with her schedule—six days a week in full-time ministry—she wasn’t sure she had the capacity to try again.

Still, the Lord kept prompting her to go deeper. When she discovered a faith-based institute that offered ICF certification, something clicked. After prayer and her husband’s agreement, Shellie said yes—despite the cost, despite the time constraints, despite not knowing exactly what would be different this time.

What she didn’t expect was how quickly everything would shift.

Week after week in the Essentials of Life Coaching cohort, Shellie encountered something she’d never experienced: actual practice. Live Zoom sessions. Audio lessons. And then—surprisingly soon—peer coaching.

“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t even know what I’m doing yet!’” Shellie laughs. As someone used to being the pastor offering care, stepping into the client’s seat felt uncomfortable. Vulnerable. But when her turn came, she shared something she’d been struggling to decide—something she’d never spoken out loud in a coaching setting.

And then it happened. Her breakthrough.

In that moment, experiencing the power of coaching from the inside, everything crystalized. “I was completely hooked,” she says. “I knew I needed to launch my own coaching business.”

The transformation rippled outward immediately. Back in her pastoral meetings, Shellie started using a prep form, creating more focused conversations. She learned to ask one simple question: “Why am I talking?” It reminded her to create space instead of rushing to fix things.

Then came Mary (name changed), a woman nine months sober who walked into their recovery meeting ready to give up. In the past, Shellie would have immediately stepped into pastor mode. This time, she led with curious questions, creating space for Mary to discover her own reasons for staying sober, her own next steps.

The shift in Mary’s perspective was visible. The group leaders stood in awe.

Now Shellie runs a virtual coaching business alongside her full-time ministry—reaching people who might never walk into a church. She’s already booked her first client. She feels confident in ways that extend beyond her ministry into every area of her life.

“The Lord fills all the gaps,” Shellie says to anyone hesitating. “You are worth the investment. Take the time to learn more in this area of ministry—you’ll be personally blessed as you apply what you learn to your own life too.”

“The Lord fills all the gaps,” Shellie says to anyone hesitating. “Time restraints, every detail—He’s in all of it. Don’t doubt what He has shown you.”

“You are worth the investment. I know it feels like a lot—especially when you’re already working full-time and wondering if you can take on one more thing. But this investment in yourself will multiply far beyond what you expect.”

“Take the time to learn more in this area of ministry,” she encourages. “You’ll be blessed professionally, but you’ll also be personally blessed as you learn to apply the knowledge and techniques to your own life.”

And to anyone sensing that same prompting she felt? “You can do this. The Lord fills all the gaps. Don’t doubt what He has shown you.”