Jenn Nickel remembers the moment clearly. Her client was frustrated, convinced she needed to leave her company entirely to find fulfillment. They’d spent weeks exploring new industries, crafting exit strategies, mapping out career pivots. But something wasn’t adding up.

“Sometimes we think we want to change the circumstances,” Jenn reflects, “when really we find peace by changing ourselves.”

Instead of pushing her client toward the door, Jenn asked different questions. Questions about what was happening inside this woman – not just around her. The work shifted. The client shifted. Her mindset and approach shifted. And rather than leaving, she applied for a different role within her company that better matched who she’d become through the coaching process. She’s still there today, thriving.

That’s what nearly 2000 coaching hours and working with more than 50 clients teaches you: the best answers don’t come from the coach – they emerge from the client.

But Jenn didn’t start here. Six years ago, she wasn’t even sure she could call herself a coach.

After spending 13 years in various roles with a multinational insurance company (including four years leading marketing efforts in Dublin, Ireland) and another decade serving nonprofits in Louisville while raising her young children, people kept seeking her out. They wanted guidance through career transitions, leadership crossroads, major life decisions. She had a vague sense that “coaching” was a thing, but felt overwhelmed by training options and held back by a nagging thought: Don’t you have to have your life together to be a life coach?

Her family saw what she couldn’t. In 2018 they encouraged her to invest in training and go from there. To try it. When she found PCCI – ICF-accredited, Christian, allowing her to take one class at a time – she signed up for The Essentials of Leadership Coaching.

“I was off to the races,” she says.

Her first two clients came in early 2019. “I will always be thankful for those first clients who gave me the opportunity to enter their lives as a coach when I barely knew what I was doing,” Jenn admits. “I’ve learned so much since then.”

That humility – paired with relentless commitment to excellence – defines her journey. She earned her Certified Professional Leadership Coach certification through PCCI, pursued her ACC credential through the ICF, then added a Certified Professional Life Coach certification through PCCI. She eventually reached the PCC level. Now she’s working toward her MCC. Along the way, she added Enneagram training and is starting Group and Team Coaching classes because that’s what serves her clients best.

The training did more than add letters after her name. “It gave me the infrastructure to do my coaching work,” she explains, “the words to articulate what coaching is and what it isn’t, the framework for coaching conversations. It gave me confidence in what I was offering.”

But mastery came through practice. Through trusting clients to find their own answers. Through understanding that at the PCC level, you coach according to each client’s unique style – not your preferred method.

Today, Jenn runs what she calls “a part-time, high-quality, professional practice” that fits her season of life. She works primarily with CEOs and nonprofit executive directors and their leadership teams. She facilitates strategic planning sessions. She leads workshops on Executive Presence and the Enneagram. She even offers interview prep packages for future leaders: college graduates who need help telling their stories and nailing job interviews.

Her sessions follow a rhythm: a brief catch-up, then zeroing in on what the client wants to discuss. She explores why the topic matters, what’s possible, what’s important, before moving to solutions. “I often hear, ‘now that I’ve said this out loud, I can clearly see that…'” The sessions end with practical next steps and key takeaways.

Not all her clients are Christians, but they all know she is. She prays for them. She relies on God for wisdom and direction. “Clients need to hear from the Holy Spirit, not Jenn,” she says simply.

Her biggest challenge? Marketing herself. With her corporate marketing background, she knew how to promote a business – she just felt deeply uncomfortable promoting herself. For years, she didn’t even have a website. Eventually, she worked through this obstacle in her own coaching sessions (coaches need coaches too) and hired a team to help her launch a professional online presence.

In 2024, PCCI asked if she’d consider teaching. Her first thought was no – too busy. Then: yes. “I want to be a part of this community of global, rockstar coaches. As a solopreneur, the collaboration aspect is important. Plus, teaching makes me a better coach. I love connecting with people and partnering with them on their journeys.”

Now, as both practitioner and instructor, Jenn sees something clearly: “We are in a time of rapid change and uncertainty. Leaders face many challenges and are pulled in so many directions. Coaching creates carved-out, intentional time where clients can slow down, think, process, make good decisions, and move forward with renewed clarity and confidence.”

Looking back, her little business has grown into something exciting. Her advice for aspiring coaches is direct: “Take a step into coaching and see where the Lord leads. Some people think about it for a long time – just begin.”

Because the question isn’t whether you’re qualified enough. The question is: are you willing to learn?