Spotlight: Glenda Betts

1 - Where are you from, and how did you choose to live in Middle Tennessee?

I am a Middle Tennessee native and currently live in the lovely city of Franklin.

2 - What is your professional background, and why did you become a coach?

My professional background is marketing management, and much of my career has been in the utility industry. I was a division vice president of marketing for United Cities Gas Company and worked there for over 20 years. After United Cities, I was a senior manager for the Tennessee Valley Authority and did global marketing communications for the Economic Development department to help existing businesses and communities grow and to recruit new major companies and jobs to the seven-state region.

I volunteer in my church as a PLACE coach to help prospective members learn about their unique personalities, abilities, passions, and spiritual gifts to find their best place of service as they became new members. During the time when I was getting ready to retire early from the corporate world, my church offered the CAM Leadership Coaching certification program. This began my encore career as a professional coach.

3 - How did you choose your specialty area?

When I started coaching, I thought my coaching niche would be in one of my previous business areas - either marketing, communications, or economic development. While I do utilize these background skills, the clients that I initially coached were typically looking to transition to a new job or to gain more confidence and leadership skills for promotion within their existing companies. Thus, life and career leadership became my specialty area. In a way, I’m doing what I was doing before in that I was bringing or expanding jobs to the Valley region; and now, I’m helping people find and grow in those jobs that best fit their personal uniqueness—personality, strengths, lifestyle, goals, and values.

4 -What are the greatest challenges and greatest rewards of your career?

A challenge that I experience is continuing to build my prospective client pipeline.

My passion is to encourage others in finding their unique purpose, to use their top strengths, and to continue to grow and have self-confidence as they use their talents to serve others. When I see the growth and multiple successes that my clients achieve both personally and, in their careers, it is extremely rewarding. That’s the power of coaching!

5- What is something that most ICFTN members would be surprised to learn about you?

There are a couple of things:

I am grateful that my mentoring coach during my initial coaching certification is also an ICFTN long-term member--Tom McMinn. Tom helped me to be aware of and discontinue self-limiting beliefs and to keep moving forward to accomplish my goals.

I enjoy supporting women-owned businesses. Three years ago, I founded a Christian Women’s Solopreneur Community to encourage, educate and help women excel in operating and growing their own small businesses. Like myself, most of the women in our group have started second chapter professions after having worked in the corporate world as managers, teachers, lawyers, sales leaders, et al.

6- How do you enjoy spending your free time?

My husband is Chris, and we have two grown daughters and four precious grandkids. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, volunteering, walking, traveling, discovering new tea rooms, and reading.