We recently had the privilege of interviewing Lucie Lachaux, a certified coach, consultant and founder of Changing Minds. She has been associated with different successful businesses around the world. This extensive experience has helped her emerge as a dynamic and accredited coach, helping people discover their true potential and create their desired life. With her coaching concept of “Authentic Performance,” she aims to lead people in embracing lives with their authentic selves. Holding a unique approach towards the coaching industry, Lucie is standing today as a global expert. Let’s learn more about Lucie Lachaux and her journey through this interview below.
Career Overview
We started the interview by asking, “Could you share a brief overview of your career journey, including key milestones and transitions?”
She shared, “I was Head of Finance in the pharmaceutical industry for 6 years across 3 countries: France, Ireland, and Dubai. I quit my job last year to open a coaching and consulting business.
I was very successful, but I couldn’t feel happy and fulfilled. After finding my answers, I decided to become a coach and help others bridge the gap between success and fulfillment.
I created the “Authentic Performance” coaching concept and built my company around this.”
Impact Of Education On Career Path
To learn more about how Lucie’s educational choices have impacted her career journey, we asked, “How has your education influenced your career choices and success in this industry?”
She replied, “I had an accounting degree in high school (which was not common), but I loved accounting. I went to one of the biggest French business schools, and thanks to my previous accounting degree, I was the 2nd best student over 100. This led me to go to Taiwan for an exchange year. I did a master’s in finance, which helped me to get my first position as a Financial controller. My career went very fast because of my passion for people and business. I was in charge of a lot of transformational projects globally, managing different changes in different businesses all over the world.”
She continued, “My willingness to move to another country helped me become the Head of Finance in Ireland and Dubai. My job wasn’t only about finance. It was more about business strategy from sales, marketing, and finance. My degrees were necessary for 50%, but the other 50% were more about me being curious and wanting to learn something new.
To become a coach, I took 2 certifications from the ICF and got certified as a Senior Professional Coach, which is not mandatory to be a coach by law. However, it is a necessity to understand the proper skills of coaching.”
Overcoming Obstacles
Obstacles are an inevitable part of any career journey, and overcoming them is what matters most. We asked, “How do you tackle challenges in your field amidst changing market dynamics and technological advancements?”
Lucie replied, “There are a lot of coaches out there. However, I am the only Authentic Performance coach. There are a lot of opportunities to develop AI tools to implement coaching in companies and allow companies to benefit from having internal coaches. My goal is to make coaching measurable in terms of company performance.”
Adapting To The Emerging Trends
Another factor that’s paramount for personal growth and success is embracing the latest technologies and trends in the market. So we asked, “How do you ensure your company remains adaptable to emerging trends and technologies?”
She said, “I keep myself up to date and keep learning every day.”
Visions For The Business
We were intrigued to learn about Lucie’s plans for advancing her career. So we asked, “What are your plans or goals for your career and company?”
She replied, “I plan to build a Label for companies and partner with global companies to create personal development programs for their employees. After COVID-19, individuals aspire to grow and thrive within their own organizations. This underscores the importance of companies investing in the development of their employees to retain talent.
Lessons Adopted In This Journey
Everyone picks up specific life lessons and influences them and their journey. We asked, “What valuable lessons have you learned throughout your career?”
Lucie shared, “Always be yourself. Do not compromise who you are and go against what you truly want. The only way to find success and fulfillment is by being authentic.”
Unique Services
To stand out amidst the competition, experts need to work on building certain unique skill sets and services. So we asked, “How do you differentiate your services from competitors in the current market?”
Lucie Lachaux shared, “There are no other Authentic performance coaches. My approach is based on self-awareness, mindset, and introspection, whereas other performance coaches focus on short-term goals and skills.”
Tips For Beginners, we asked Lucie Lachaux
Starting in a similar industry, I will find hearing from experts like Lucie Lachaux inspiring. We asked, “What are the most important qualities or skills you believe beginners should cultivate to thrive in this industry?”
Lucie Lachaux further shared, “Emotional intelligence and active listening are essential to become a coach. But the most important thing is to find the reason why you’re doing it.”
Find Lucie Lachaux on LinkedIn.
