After fifty-two years without self-worth, Kylie Chapman lives to help others find theirs.
Most of us have battled self-doubt throughout our lives. Whether it’s a relationship breakup, a chronic health issue, family problems, money, unexpected changes can throw even the brightest of temperaments into a dark place.
“There are no problems – just solutions.”
Meet Kylie Chapman. She’s the CEO and founder of Beaches Life Coaching. She vacations at remote eco surf resorts in the Fiji Islands with her two teenage boys. She mentors senior high school girls transitioning to employment and donates regularly to her Tibetan monastery in Bir, India in her spare time.
But there was a time when the 52-year-old was feeling pretty low about life. Low enough, she says, to consider ending it all.
It was just over a decade ago. Kylie’s marriage had ended, making her a single mother to her two boys. She’d already struggled through her fair share of personal turmoil: miscarriages, depression, postnatal health issues, and chronic illness. To top it off, her career was at a standstill. Despite a solid background in Corporate Human Resources, she couldn’t quite face the business world.
To make ends meet, she cleaned houses and dropped fliers.
But Kylie saw a way out.
Today, Kylie’s the CEO of her own coaching business dedicated to guiding others to find their own self-love and worthiness. She’s just published her first book and was recently named one of YMag’s 8 Female Thought Leaders of 2020.
But this is no ordinary lemonade-from-lemons story. It’s a story of hard work, grit, and genuine self-belief.
From Despair to Determination
Looking back, Kylie credits her two boys with her drive to keep going.
“They’ve given me my spark. They are my “why”,” she says. “I want to be the best mother and role model to them that I can. They deserve that from me.” Without them, there is no me.
As a newly-single mom with no parents or other family support, there was nothing to do but become her own biggest champion. She had to help herself.
“I’ve been my own mentor, advisor, source of guidance and wisdom,” she shared. “I allow myself a pity party when needed knowing that I will feel better the next day. That no matter what, I will always find a way, always find a solution.”
Back when she was dropping leaflets, there was no time for that pity party. Instead, she dusted herself off and started her journey as an online solopreneur.
Again, there were lessons to be learned. With no business partner and no mentor, Kylie began the grueling task of going it alone.
For over 10 years, she worked online with a variety of businesses. Some were a success Some were not. But, between losing money and making money, she learned a lot about the world. What’s more, she learned a lot about herself. As things turned out, it was her very struggle that led to her bustling career in Personal Development.
“There’s no secret to dealing with challenges, she says. You just get on and do it. Unfortunately there is no magic pill you can take – trust me, I looked for it for years!” Kylie remarked.
“As I tell my boys, there are no problems – just solutions.”
Finding Success as a Solopreneur
While COVID-19 has made working from home the new normal, it’s still not without its challenges.
As many of us can now attest, the perks of working from home in your pajamas are offset by the pervading sense of isolation.
Kylie’s early experience in the online business world was lonelier still. Interactions with colleagues and other business folk were largely limited to email and Skype.
It’s the memory of her own loneliness and isolation that has propelled her to help others through the journey.
As a coach, Kylie encourages work-from-homers to seek support wherever possible. That means joining groups, going to meet-ups, attending live trainings: anything that allows for healthy, physical interaction with others on the same path. After all, humans have an inherent need to connect with one another; Zoom and Messenger only go so far in fulfilling that need.
Learning is crucial, too. She urges anyone in business to pursue knowledge in all its forms – whether through reading or attending events. “I’ve always been my own mentor, advisor, source of guidance and wisdom,” she says. “I have a never-ending thirst for knowledge and learning.”
Books have always been an invaluable resource for Kylie; she says she owns far too many to list, and especially reveres Brene Brown. “I think you can always get something out of any event or book, even if you don’t learn anything new as such – it’s a reminder or reinforcement that you are on the right track.”
Spirituality is also important, and Kylie found her spirit through Buddhism. Her connections to a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Bir, India, provided a lifeline in her solo years. She now shows her gratitude by donating regularly to the monastery and maintains many lovely friendships.
But there’s one thing that matters above all else. The numero uno, says Kylie, is also the one thing that entrepreneurs tend to neglect the most: self-care. “You need to be kind to yourself – because if you don’t, who else will?
After running on the strength of her own wits for so long, she’s grateful now to have learned how to do it easily. She’s turned her years of hard work and struggle into a framework for everyday life, no matter what it may throw at her. Talk about resilience and fortitude!! She’s turned her own struggles into a powerful inner strength she never dreamed she was capable of.
Looking To The Future
While some could be tempted to retire richly and live off their earnings, slowing down has no place in Kylie’s life.
With such passion to share her message of self worth, she’s recently joined the speaker’s circuit so there is no slowing down for her. She also provides those within her Self Love community endless resources via workbooks, videos, pdf’s, challenges, and more.
There’s always something to improve, she says, and she is constantly looking for new ways to help her clients and colleagues. Ideas must keep rolling, content must be created afresh. Part of her success came from listening to what people need and want.
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop striving to better myself and therefore my services and business. It’s my mission to provide long term, life-changing value to the clients who make up my community, as well as those colleagues I get to consult, and work with”.
