The Mission and The Message

Hello fellow coaches and entrepreneurs!

First, check out the video below.  Then I go into more detail in the text to follow:

I am so excited to start this new blog and provide some wonderful information about how to create an amazing business that is not just a career, but a true extension of yourself and your gifts.  If you could have your own Fairy Godmother who could support you in creating the business of your dreams, what would you ask for?  What would your business look like?  Who would your clientele be?  What would you offer? 

My name is Cortney Budney and I am a Certified Health Coach, an Energy Practitioner, a Business Transformation Coach and a Life Transformation Coach.  I have been doing this work since 2011 and have had an amazing journey full of lessons, excitement, frustration, overcoming fears, and a lot of personal growth.

Like you, I graduated from Institute for Integrative Nutrition where I received my health coach certification as well as support in starting my business.  My experience was that the schooling was excellent and WELL worth the money invested.

So the question is...  Why do thousands of people graduate from the program and most eventually give up and go back to their 9-5 job?  Why is it that some people have been running their businesses for a couple of years and still have only a couple of clients and are struggling to find their way?

Through my own struggles, thousands of dollars of money invested poorly, a lot of perseverance, getting one on one business coaching, and personal study and reflection, I have learned some key principles everyone should consider and put into practice if they desire to create a successful business.  I have been so blessed by the Universe to have received all of this wisdom through her loving life lessons.   So I want to be able to give back to the world and to all of the coaches, entrepreneurs and visionaries who long to share their gifts with the world but just can't quite figure out how to do it successfully.

For those who have been through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition's (IIN) coaching program, you likely will agree it is an amazing, life changing, and empowering program.  So why in the world do most coaches give up?  Were they just not as driven as people like you and I,who will do anything to share our passion for wellness and happiness with the world?  Maybe that is true of a few... but probably not of most.  I believe most of the graduates at IIN really did have a strong desire to help the world become a healthier and happier place and to have a successful and abundant business. 

I know that there were many times I almost gave up because I just didn't have the money or mental/emotional energy to keep supporting a business that was putting me into debt.  My business felt incomplete and I didn't really know what my purpose or message was.  My work with clients was wonderful, but I often found myself trying to follow session outlines and giving out the appropriate session handouts and it just never felt right to me.

I would have amazing "health histories" with people, but when it came time to share my program I would start listing all of the things that IIN provided to make up a program "Food education tools, 12 one on one sessions, etc" and I honestly lost my passion and excitement when sharing this information because it did not feel authentic or true to what I actually wanted to offer people.  This is something clients could pick up on energetically and when people can see you are not excited about what you are offering, they will not be excited either.  People want to know you believe in the work you are doing with them and that you are excited about everything it includes.

So how did I get to the point that I was having powerful initial sessions with people and was offering a program I was truly passionate about?   How did I start believing in my work and set myself apart from other coaches?

I stopped following outlines, guidelines, etc and I really started to get in touch with what my Mission and Message were! 

Without a mission and a message, you will likely continue to spin your wheels and never be recognized for the amazing person you are and for the gifts you have to share with the world. 


Health coaching and most coaching in general is not yet widely accepted as a "need".  When you have a problem with your teeth you go to the dentist, that is the accepted way to treat dental issues.  But people don't feel sad or sick or confused about their life and health and automatically think, let me find and make an appointment with a health coach.

When that day comes, and it will, we can have health coaches that follow a pretty standard way of practicing like the IIN guidelines.  For now, you have to think of yourself as a specialist, a missionary, an expert, and a visionary.  What you are offering the world and your target market or tribe needs to be clear and needs to be unique.  Basically, you want to brand yourself and be set apart from everyone else.

To do this successfully, you first need to get clear about your mission and your message.

Think about all of the speakers you listened to at IIN.  They all had a distinct message to share.  Their vision, mission, and message were clear and although they were all related in regard to health and wellness, they were all unique.  David Wolfe talks about raw foods and superfoods, Weston A Price Foundation is all about raw milk, tribal eating, fermented foods, and John Douillard's message is about Ayurveda and Seasonal eating and living.

Other examples:

Eckhart Tolle- his main message is always about being present.  He has many ways of sharing this message, but that is the main message.

Debbie Ford- her message was all about "shadows" and allowing the things you think are "bad" about you to be present and to integrate them instead of trying to push them away.

Derek Rydall- He talks about the Law of Emergence and how we don't need to be fixed, we are not broken, we just need to allow the amazing being we are inside to emerge.

Most successful speakers, writers, and healers have a main message and behind the message is the mission that is driving them.

So what is your mission?  And if one of your clients or workshop attendees was asked what your message was, what would they say?

So how do you get clear on your mission and message? 

The Mission

Stop and think about why you are doing this work.  Forget all of the business and networking and coaching things you learned.  Why are you passionate about helping others?  If you had absolutely no limitations, and I mean none... if you could fly, have all of the money in the world, all of the relationships you desire, all of the resources.... what would you be doing with your life?  What would you be doing for the world?

Just start jotting things down.  Get really descriptive about it.  Let your hand and mind be free and don't over-think or try to control what is coming out, just let it flow.

What did you come up with?  Because whatever it is, it is your mission! Type it up, print it out, frame it and put it somewhere you will see it every day.  In your home office, your bedroom, wherever you will see it the most often while you are doing your work.

Let your mission drive you and keep you motivated when you are get scared, tired, or overwhelmed. 

The Message

This is the most important thing to figure out in order to keep you focused, driven, and clear in your business.  Many of us have so many interests and things we are passionate about.  If you have experienced trauma, weight issues, eating disorders, have a child with autism, etc… and you are passionate about all of these things, do you just have to choose one?  No!  I truly believe you don’t.  

You just need to get clear on what your message is and focus on the message. 

Here is a simple activity that will get you very clear on what your message is.  Do NOT over-think this.  Simply answer this question, “If you had the opportunity to share a message with the whole world and everyone would hear you, but you were limited to one to two sentences, what would you say?”

Write it down. 

That is your message!  You can share it in many different ways and use other supporting "messages" and wisdom to support your words, but your main message must always be clear and present.

That is your message.  You can share it in many different ways and use other supporting "messages" and wisdom to support your words, but your main message must always be clear and present.

Will you be the Self-Love Expert?  Will you be the expert on teaching parents how to help their kids eat healthfully?  Will you be the go to person when people want to learn to cure their eating disorders or to understand why they are cutting themselves?

That brings me to a very important point, you are not limited to just being a "Health Coach."  If your work is more about helping people emotionally and you find that the "Health Coach" title is not really aligned with your work, then call yourself something else!  You can be a Transformation Expert, a Harmful Toxins Teacher, etc. 

So if you have felt stuck and confused about how to create a successful business that you are passionate about, start by really trying to figure out what your mission and your message are.  These will be the very foundation of your work.  If they change over time, that is okay!  Through your work, experiences, and your own journey your mission and message may change and that is good.  Allow that to happen naturally.

Also, remember that your work as a "coach" is powerful and life changing.  People need your support.  But who are you getting support from?  We coaches often feel like we have all of the knowledge and wisdom so we should be able to do it all alone.  But we can't, we need help too.  It validates what you do to the same in your own life and to have your own coach.  Would you go to a massage therapist who never got massages?  Or to a dentist who didn't get regular dental cleanings for himself?  When you have a coach to help you move forward in your life and your business, then it means you believe in the work you are doing and you believe in the power of coaching.

If you want to know if I am the best coach for you, I offer free 60 minute initial sessions to all IIN graduates and any healer, coach, or entrepreneur who reads this post.  I offer a highly transformative 4 week Fairytale Business Coaching program where we will work together every day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks.  This fast track program will completely change your business and your life and will open the doors for success, abundance, and happiness to flow in your life in a powerful and lasting way.  This coaching program is very limited and slots will fill up quickly over the next few months, so if this feels like the right program for you, don't wait to reserve your spot!

If you are interested in scheduling your free session and finding out if this program is right for you, please complete this survey and I will contact you within 24 hours to schedule your free session.  These monthly slots fill up rather quickly, so if this feels like  the next step in transforming your life and your business, please take your first step and complete our survey today.  If our program slots are filled up for the next month, I will reserve a spot for you in one of the following months after you enroll.  (Update 4/22/13: We are now opening spots for our May and June 2013 programs, make sure to complete the survey today and that will hold your spot until our initial session.  After the session, your spot will continue to be held for 48 hours until you make the decision to enroll and change your business and life forever!)

Let your mission and your message drive you to keep going.  The number one thing that sets successful people apart from others is that they never give up!  

"Most people give up just when they are about to achieve success. They quit on one yard line. They give up the at last minute of the game one foot from a winning touch down." – Henry Ross Perot

Don't let this be you!  Your success is right around the corner.  All you have to do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you will have stepped right into your dream life and dream business. 

I would LOVE to see your comments and hear from you about what YOUR mission and YOUR message are!

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Sending your lots of love, health, happiness, and abundance. <3

Your Fairytale Business Transformation Coach,

Cortney A. Budney
WholeMinded Wellness- Healthfully & Happily Ever After
www.wholemindedwellness.com