Celebrating Aha Moments
Life coach and speaker JENNA COOLEY loves to watch a client have an illuminating moment of awareness – that “aha” moment: “Her eyes brighten and she exhales, sinking into the chair. It’s usually a result of an empowering question that hits just right,” she says. “Then, I tread more deeply into what’s underneath. I share advice after asking if the client would like to hear it. Often, I wait for a client to find her own solution. Then we settle into preparedness and action.”
Cooley’s quest to mine those moments – drawing from her own difficult experiences and formal counseling training – has translated to more than twenty-five years of teaching, counseling, and guiding others.
Cooley, the founder and owner of Jenna Cooley Coaching, moved to Southport in 2020. While her practice is based there, she has recently been expanding her services to Wilmington. Cooley says the expansion began when she spoke at the Womenpreneur Empowerment Summit at Brunswick Community College in November 2024 and connected with several Wilmington businesses. “I began doing professional development seminars for a dental practice in Wilmington and have plans to offer more customized lunch hour leadership sessions and retreats with businesses there,” she says.
Cooley’s life experiences and personal trials have given her wisdom and strength to empower the women and teams she coaches, she says. She was one of the few kids in her San Jose, California, neighborhood with divorced parents. “(My mom) taught me that women need to be able to take care of themselves and encouraged me to work at an early age,” she says. “I balanced babysitting for 11 families by the time I was twelve.”
Cooley was an elementary teacher and middle school counselor before transitioning to running a grief support and community outreach programs for hospice. After earning her coaching certification, she held a full-time role in performance coaching and leadership development with the U.S. Marine Corps Headquarters at Quantico. She eventually returned to hospice and was promoted into management for a large organization in the Washington metropolitan area. “Working in hospice reinforced my belief that every day is a precious gift,” she says.
A difficult divorce as a young mom, remarrying a widower and raising her “beautifully complex blended family – one stepson, one adoptive son, one biological son, and one biological daughter” – have been formative life experiences that fueled her passion for helping women.
“I’m good at what I do because of my personal losses and painful experiences,” Cooley says, who first opened a coaching practice in 2011. “Those things taught me compassion and empathy and to focus on the blessings wrapped in adversity.”
When she moved to Southport, Cooley narrowed her focus to individual coaching and small groups for women during challenging personal and professional times, life and career transitions, and for teams in the health care industry. She uses tools such as Positive Intelligence, DiSC, and Energy Leadership to empower clients with education on brain wellness, positive mindset, stress management, emotional intelligence, and dynamic communication.
Cooley’s audiences discover how to challenge their mindset to reframe problems into opportunities. “My combination of evidence-based training coupled with a gentle warmth becomes a holistic approach to helping people get out of their own way,” she says. “I help them dig through their thought patterns and resulting behaviors.”
Cooley’s approach leads with genuine interest in each individual through a discovery of strengths, gifts, and talents. “I create a nonjudgmental safe space and am deliberate about my choice of questions,” she says. “It’s a win-win when groups are feeling reenergized, communication is more open and effective, and the team is excited about going back to work. There’s lots of laughing; humor is important.”
She offers her customized Let’s Grow! workshops on a regular basis in Southport and Oak Island and now creates customized seminars for healthcare businesses in Wilmington. “They deserve inspirational and educational content that reinvigorates them and reinforces team connection,” she says. “I strive to bring fun, light-hearted, and compassionate energy that leaves teams with increased motivation and confidence.”
Ultimately, Cooley is focused on the future.
“I am oriented toward insight, growth and meaningful goals,” she says. “My coaching methodology focuses on positive mindset and helpful behaviors for moving forward with confidence.”
To view more of photographer Brenda Torrey’s work, go to brendatorreyphotography.com.
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