EMPOWERMENT COACH EXTRAORDINAIRE

Dr. Bing is the founder and CEO of Turning Point Leadership Group LLC, an innovative performance improvement company that specializes in diversity, equity, and inclusion, leadership development, and relationship management. She has worked in the U.S. and abroad developing and delivering interventions for clients of all sizes and disciplines from individuals to Fortune 50 companies. She is a Certified Diversity Executive through the Institute for Diversity Certification. Her training programs won an award from The Society for Human Resource Management. Her viewpoints are often sought out as a conference keynote speaker and presenter. And, they have been aired on the CBS Evening News.

Dr. Bing is also a Certified Relationship Specialist through the American Psychotherapy Association. She is the author of Tame Your Tongue & Transform Your Relationship, Tame Your Tongue & Transform Your Organization: How to Close the Employee Inclusion Gap, and a motivational speaker in the Les Brown Speaker’s Network.

In addition, Dr. Linda hosts a podcast called In Her Shoes and previously served as the co-host on Love & Relationships on Atlanta’s top-rated urban station, V-103 FM. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Education, an M.A. in Psychology, an M.A. in Organizational Behavior, and a PhD in Organizational Psychology. She is on the Leadership Council of the National Small Business Association and is a member of many civic and professional organizations. Her innovative trainings and coaching programs have helped millions transform their lives resulting in enhanced relationships and increased income. Today, she would like to do the same thing for you. Let’s listen to her Interview.

Dr. Bing, what is an Empowerment Coach?

Most women don’t know where to get help with their businesses and support in their life simultaneously. As an empowerment coach, my primary focus is on who you are aligned with what you do. I merge executive coaching with life coaching. I help you become who you need to be, so that you can do the things you need to do, to have the things you want to have. The coaching relationship we develop helps you make changes that impact your entire life.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I spend my days curating my newest brand “The Dr. Linda” coaching programs which primarily support Black Christian women over 40 who are single again. I uplift their confidence, help with goals, and pull them out of guilt, shame, and despair to help them prosper in life and in business. I can do it because I was once her and I did it for myself. As the CEO of Turning Point Leadership Group, an organizational development firm that specializes in diversity, equity, inclusion and relationship management, I coach, train facilitators and coaches, meet with clients, and create DEI strategic initiatives. For over 25 years, we’ve been supporting clients in the creation of sustainable DEI cultures. Our products, programs, and services work for everyone but my personal sweet spot is Black women.

That is why I developed a subsidiary brand, “The Dr. Linda Coaching” known for leadership, confidence, and style. As we prepare organizations to recruit, retain, and develop women we also need to prepare the women for leadership roles in the organization. January 2023 will be our official launch. We are building a network of coaches as well as products and services for every budget and every situation. Reach out to us at thedrlindacoaching.com.

How has the need for coaching grown over the past decade and why?

The market size of the Business Coaching industry in the US has grown 2.8% per year on average between 2017 and 2022. The market size of the Life Coaches industry in the US has grown 3.2% per year on average between 2017 and 2022. Coaching is a highly personalized and individualized well-being intervention. According to research commissioned by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), awareness and engagement with coaching continued to grow. The data indicates that in times of profound change, increasing pressures and demands, coaching is seen to be more relevant.

As an Empowerment Coach, what are the biggest challenges you face?

One of my biggest challenges is helping people understand what coaching is and what it isn’t. Everyone can benefit from some sort of coaching because it grows and develops us. We are imperfect people so there is always an opportunity for growth and development.

A second challenge is helping people see that hiring a coach is not an expense; it’s an investment. As with any investment, you will see an appreciation in value, your value over time. And you’re worth it! You don’t need to wait until you reach a certain level of success or make a certain amount of money. A good coach can help you get there. Even coaches have coaches. I have more than one.

How do you help women identify their blind spots?

It’s all about self-reflection. I ask a lot of questions like:

Why are you seeking coaching?

What changes do you expect to see in yourself because of the process?

Who are you? (they can answer any way they want, as creatively as they want, in as much detail as they want)

What are you most afraid of?

What are some adjectives to describe who you are now?

What are some adjectives to describe who you want to be?

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

I’ve learned many important leadership lessons but, I think the most important one is that leadership is servanthood. A servant leader feels responsible for helping people learn and grow, feel purposeful, motivated, energized, and contribute at their highest level. It’s not about you the leader; it is about your people. If you do not want to serve, you are not ready to lead.

From your own firsthand experiences, what led you to create your focus group as well as your podcast?

I am a Black Christian woman who does not believe in divorce. God doesn’t like it so neither do I. However, my first marriage ended in divorce, and I was devastated. I had two small children, a house, and a new business to maintain. I became depressed and my self-esteem was shot. I remained single for several years. Whenever I decided to date, it seemed as if I was picking the wrong people and the relationships did not work. Then I met my second husband and history repeated itself. While I knew intellectually that I was a good, intelligent, attractive woman worthy of love I could not feel that in my heart and my self-esteem and confidence got worse. Now I was divorced twice! There were days when I didn’t want to live. But God had another plan.

After my second divorce I felt a lot of guilt and shame. I felt like a failure but, I grew closer to Christ. I studied His word more and prayed more. I sought His will in everything. I was determined to follow Him wherever He was leading me. I began to see His work in my life like never before. God led me through a process that gave me back to myself. He let me know that my previous radio audience was practice for the real thing. I was a Black Christian woman over 40 who was single again and it became apparent that that was the audience for me.

It was then that I remembered hearing Minister Paula White say, “you can’t lead in areas where you did not bleed.” It was then that I remembered a guest minister who spoke at my church about his experience developing a drug rehabilitation program after he recovered from his own drug addiction. He spoke of how God leads us through experiences so that we become equipped to lead others. If God told us what we would have to go through, we would never volunteer. I now know that my experience was not one of shame but of honor. God used me to better serve His people. I am now in my third and final marriage to a wonderful man that I dated earlier in life and reconnected with 20+ years later in my church. It’s a beautiful story for another time.

What makes you the next Trailblazer in women empowerment?

First and foremost, it’s my anointing. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I’ve learned how to take my experiences and my education and use them to point the way, take risks, and change the environment. I have a vision for a different future and a faith that turns dreams into reality. My determination cuts through barriers and obstacles. I use that power for myself, I use it to help other women, and I instruct women had to tap into their own power to do that for themselves and for others.

Tell us about your new book.

My new book is titled Tame Your Tongue & Transform Your Organization: How to Close the Employee Inclusion Gap. Several years ago, I was reading in the book of Proverbs and was inspired by four tongues. So, I wrote several pages about them and then stopped. Over the years it took me a while to go back and continue writing but I finally did. I published a book called Tame Your Tongue & Transform Your Relationship. Today I not only sell the book, but I have a workbook and workshops on the subject. Many of us, especially women, speak a lot and don’t often speak with compassion. As a result, we speak death rather than life into our relationships and blame the failures on everything else.

Because I work in diversity, equity, and inclusion and often hear about the microaggressions that people (especially women and people of color) are challenged by, it occurred to me that the same techniques for taming our tongues in our personal relationships could be applied to taming our tongues in our professional relationships. Instead of using our tongues to degrade and discriminate we can use them to uplift and encourage. I also have a workbook and programs for the new book. Both books are available on my website: thedrlindacom, barnesandnoble.com, and amazon.com.