Episode #65: Chloë Garland – The Jam Donut Principle, Quarter-Life Crises and the Philosophy of Coaching
A quarter-life crisis is a period of intense soul searching that arrives when we are first confronted with the question of what to do with our lives.
That’s according to Chloë Garland, the founder of QuarterLife, a company that works with individuals and organisations to help people in their 20s and 30s not just survive, but thrive.
In this episode of The Coach’s Journey Podcast, Chloë sheds light on the generational shifts that have prolonged adolescence, and how many of us encounter our first truly meaningful life choices in our mid or late 20s.
Chloë tells host Alex Whitton how studying philosophy encouraged her to ponder life’s big questions, and how in her first coaching session – at age 22 – she was asked questions she had never considered before.
That session left Chloë feeling ignited, and she describes the unusual experience of being called into coaching at a young age, knowing she had a gift for conversations but perhaps unaware of the profound impact she would have on the lives of young people she would meet along the way.
In this episode, Chloë and Alex also talk about:
Living emergently, holding goals lightly, and embracing opportunities as they arise
The jam donut principle of purpose and presence
The power of metaphors and fables to simplify complex ideas
Psychodemographics, and how to find your niche
The value of shared experience in coaching, and the importance of owning your story
Chloë also shares some hugely valuable lessons on growing a coaching business, reflecting on investments, outsourcing, and how the fear of success can be as much of a hindrance as the fear of failure.
For more information about Chloë, visit https://quarter-life.co.uk/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloegarland/.
For more information about this episode’s host, Alex Whitton, visit http://www.exploregrowbe.com/.
Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com.
Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg
To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community.
Things and people we mentioned (that you might be interested in):
- Robin Chu https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinchu1/
- Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘monumental letter’ on living emergently https://fs.blog/hunter-s-thompson-to-hume-logan/
- Roger Evans - https://www.rogerevansandassociates.com/
- MOE Foundation - https://moefoundation.com/
- Animas - https://www.animascoaching.com
- Urban Scholars - https://www.brunel.ac.uk/education/urban-scholars
- Open Private School - https://www.openprivateschool.org/
- New College of the Humanities (now Northeaster university) - https://www.nulondon.ac.uk/
- The Midnight Library - http://www.matthaig.com/books/midnight-library/
- Yannick Jacob - https://www.coachingandmediation.net/
- Caitlin Hall - https://www.caitlinhallcoaching.co.uk/
- Chloë’s email address: chloe@quarter-life.co.uk
BIOGRAPHY FROM CHLOË
Chloë is a career and executive coach, and the founder of Quarter-Life, a coaching and training company that focuses on supporting Millennials and Gen Z in their careers. After a profound experience with a coach in her early 20s, Chloë founded the business in order to empower young professionals as they navigate the earlier stages of their career.
Chloë’s one-to-one practice grew as she started to partner with universities and companies to deliver executive coaching and training in the workplace. Her mission is to embed coaching from the ground up in order to help organisations better support, develop and retain their younger employees and to create future leaders who are imaginative, resourceful and entrepreneurial.
Chloë has now worked with over 1,000 young professionals across a number of industries, helping them to find more fulfilment and confidence at work. She has been recognised in Forbes, The BBC, The Independent and The Guardian for her contribution in this space.
Alongside her work with organisations, Chloë has a particular passion for coaching people aged 14 to 18 from underrepresented groups with the aim of improving access to opportunities.