Women Branching Out: Emmanuelle Lambert

EmmaPortrait 0912_2Life coach and yoga instructor Emmanuelle Lambert is our Women Branching Out interviewee today!

Emma trained to become a yoga teacher and coach while working a full-time corporate job. Then, she left her corporate gig to devote herself full time to her own business.

Emma helps new and aspiring women solopreneurs – yoga teachers, coaches, healers, creatives – get started in their own conscious businesses. Her business motto is “Where the Be meets the Biz.”

Emma’s group coaching program Ignite Your Life!, starts March 4.

Here’s Emma …

Tell us about you and your business. Where do you live? What do you do and who do you love to serve?

Bonjour! I am a yoga teacher and life coach living in Brussels, Belgium, but originally from Dijon (yeah that’s an actual city), France.

I am passionate about helping women find what they’re truly capable of so they can design the life they want, without guilt or overwhelm.

I teach live yoga classes and coach either face-to-face or online (thank guru for the internet!).

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What does having a conscious business and life mean to you?

It means having a wholehearted/minded/spirited life and being in total alignment with one’s values, it means being aware of our stories and fears and dealing with them, it means finding one’s power and using it for the greater good, it means having a business as a means to full self expression and service. Oh, and having fun too!

EmmaWebsite

How does being a yoga teacher influence your coaching business?

I believe yoga and coaching are complementary and can work really well together for a holistic approach to self development. I sometimes resort to yogic philosophy in my coaching.

I found that the philosophy sustaining the coaching methodologies I use is somewhat very similar to what I would broadly call yogic philosophy, but expressed in a different way, in different words. Depending on who my client is and what they need, I will use one of the other.

Actually, several clients told me they chose to work with me because I had this yoga background. They felt they would be seen and heard without judgement. Basically it means that if someone tells me they feel a lot of energy in their third chakra, I won’t cringe or start laughing!

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Why did you decide to start your own business?

I think that somehow, I’ve always known I would be working for myself someday.

It boils down to one word which is one of my core values: freedom.

Working my own schedule, choosing who I want to work with and what I want to do, that was a big deal for me.

Of course, I also couldn’t imagine doing what I do in a fixed structure. I am very good at having my own structure, and again, I get to decide what it is.

There is another reason: I do believe that it IS possible to create the life you want to live, and I want to be a living example of this.
How could I teach and coach about empowerment if I’m not walking my talk? I would feel like a fraud.

I am not saying you have to have your own business absolutely and that you should quit your job tomorrow. I am just saying that this was how I always envisioned things for me, and I needed to have my own business, but that’s my choice.

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How has running your own business empowered you?

Oh man, it has empowered me in ways I could never imagine!

It has forced me to accept that deep down, I am a leader. See, I used to be shy and I certainly didn’t want to disturb, so I kept quiet for a long time – not to be seen, not to be heard, not to stand out. But deep down, I was not happy. Deep down, I knew I was not fitting in, and that there was more to life than this.

Running my own business had me digging deep inside to accept that I had to be seen and heard, if I ever wanted to be in business and have people come to me.

Whoever said that running your own business is the best self development tool ever was right!

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Why did you decided to create Ignite Your Life, your group coaching program?

I’ve always known I wanted to do something special, that I wasn’t really made for corporate life, but I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.

So I settled in, got a job, and was unhappy for years. It was a fight between reason and heart, really: “Who do you think you are? Consider yourself happy. You have a job, a boyfriend, a roof above your head, what else could you possibly want?” (we’ve all heard that one, right ) “But I am NOT happy and I don’t know what to do!”

After years of soul searching I found out. It helped that I started practicing yoga, too. But it took me ages. Years of waking up crying in the middle of the night because I wanted to quit my job but I didn’t know what to do, and feeling so lonely!

And I know there are women out there who feel the same, who are suffering, who don’t know what to do with their lives but knowing they can do so much more! So everything I have learned and used is here, in that program, so they don’t spend that long in that painful state of confusion.

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Finish this sentence. I believe…

I believe that we all have the potential and power to do whatever we want and create the life we want to live – so screw excuses and go kick ass!

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When Emmanuelle Lambert tried yoga for the first time, she was a frustrated corporate employee and it wasn’t love at first downward dog. Fast forward six years, Emmanuelle is a fully self-employed yoga teacher and life coach. When she is not goofing around on her yoga mat, Emmanuelle can be found playing with her Krazy Kitty and her Lovely Boyfriend, jumping around to loud indie rock or eating dark chocolate – sometimes all these things at the same time. You can find Emmanuelle on Facebook and Twitter. Her group coaching program Ignite Your Life! starts March 4.

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Freedom is one of Emmanuelle’s core values. What are your core values and how does your business support them? Comment below!

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27 Comments

  1. Mindy Crary on at

    When you asked, “What are (my) core values and how does (my) business support them?” I realized that the old answer would have been Wisdom and Service–those were my highest business values and I didn’t really consider how my personal life interacted with it. NOW I would say, Flexibility, Adaptability and Self Growth. This might not be everything, but what I want for myself, I also want for my clients and business. Amazing to see how I’ve changed in 15 years of self employment!



    • christie on at

      Mindy, that’s such a great insight, to look at the old answer compared to your new answer. Way to grow!



  2. Sarah Yost on at

    I relate to so much of this. I taught yoga before coaching full time. I incorporate a lot of yogic philosophy into my practice. And that “I feel a lot of energy in my third chakra” line. Really get that too. I’m going go go stalk Emmanuelle now.



    • christie on at

      I know several coaches who’ve taken a similar path!



  3. Pam Pearson on at

    I’ve taken a little different approach this year and I’m focusing on the core feelings I want to create in my life. Those are love, connection, serenity, joy and passion. I can see what is and isn’t working in my life as I check in with myself to see how I feel. Then I can change my behaviors from there. I also so agree with the statement “I believe that we all have the potential and power to do whatever we want and create the life we want to live – so screw excuses and go kick ass!” Too many people live behind excuses — here’s to bringing it everyday!!



    • christie on at

      Great approach Pam and wonderful core feelings!



  4. Cathy on at

    What are my core values…believe it or not, that was my major consideration when establishing my new business. I think it is an older and wiser thing. One of my core values is contribution. My business is designed around contribution in every single step we take. What a great question to leave us with. Thanks!



    • christie on at

      Definitely see that in your work Cathy!



  5. Laura Gates on at

    What struck me in this piece is “freedom” something I have been searching for what that really means to me, what is true freedom? My definition used to be money, because that bought me what I wanted and gave me the freedom to travel and live where I wanted. But money seems more like a tool and less like the objective these days so I love exploring what it means for me now, Thank you!



    • christie on at

      Love how your definition of freedom has changed Laura!



  6. Claim that freedom girlfriend!! I’m now six years into my third business venture, Inner Fortune, and I sure resonate with the amazing teachings that come along with the ride. My current kick ass creation is the Environmental Leadership Project – an anthology for climate leaders! http://www.innerfortune.com/environmental-leadership-project and I’m doing this because we all need to know about – and celebrate – the actions being taken to sustain our planet!



    • christie on at

      Love your environmental focus Karen. We can’t be free if we can’t breathe!



  7. Teresa Deak on at

    What a great example Emma is! It’s wonderful to live the life our hearts want for us, and so wonderful that she can help other women do that, too!

    Hugs and butterflies,
    ~Teresa~



  8. Great article – I can relate to this so much! I love what you do Emmanuelle, it’s so important to help people get off the corporate treadmill, people who are really unhappy and just doing it “for the sake of having a job” without ever truly finding meaning or fulfillment in their lives. i know lots of these people, but many of them aren’t ready to admit that they need to change. How sad! Keep up the good work 🙂



    • christie on at

      I know there are people who handle corporate life just fine, even thrive in it, but for a lot of us (me) it’s not my place in the world. Thank goodness for coaches like Emma!



  9. I adore Emmanuelle’s writing style…I can here her sexy French accent as I read. LOL!

    My fave take-away today is keeping the fun. I’ve been a health and wellness coach since 1993 and sometimes the fun does seep away. So I appreciate the reminder to keep it light and fun, because life is what we make it.

    xox



    • christie on at

      Ha! Love that Jacqueline.



  10. Freedom is definitely one of my core values, too. Each day I get to do exactly what I want and I am so grateful for that. I love that Emmanuelle wants to help people suffering over their jobs that don’t like. I am not a coach but I wish everyone could love what they do.

    Great interview (as always)!



    • christie on at

      Love all that you’re up to Tracey, freedom through travel and great food experiences!



  11. Jenn Burton on at

    Such a delight to read… I also was a yoga teacher before and while I was becoming a coach. I used to teach Bikram Hot Yoga… and coaching people through that 105 degree class gave me the courage to do what I do now. But I will say… running your own business I agree is a whole new level of empowerment, and I still have my growing pains. I love all these women that you bring to my attention Christie.. Fantastic interview!



    • christie on at

      I didn’t know you were a yoga teacher Jenn. For a while I thought that was my path, too!



  12. Dang, Christie. Your interviews are always ace. Thank you for that!

    I think Emmanuel is a lovely example of a shift in what people want and her clients, recognize this desire within themselves. Reference to a chakra is no longer unusual or out of context in most environments. I love this! And oh goodness, is entrepreneurship a powerful lens of self-discovery and personal development. Totally agree.



  13. Jessica on at

    Yay — what a great story about living your truth. My core values include good health and fitness that doesn’t feel like work; another is good parenting. So my business centers around helping other moms find more fun and fitness for themselves and their families!



  14. Inga Deksne on at

    Thanks Christie for a great interview with Emmanuelle, completely share her belief “… that it IS possible to create the life you want to live, and I want to be a living example of this. ”

    my core value is freedom and alignment with inner happiness, I’m still combining working in the corporate world with my own business but my exit is on the horizon.

    this interview seems like a reminder to me to keep going towards my dreams.



  15. Hi Christie and Emannuelle.. love the interview questions and am also a big fan of freedom.. have had so many entrepreneurs through the generations in both sides of my family that I couldn’t imagine working for others past getting the training/experience. And love hearing what that value means for others.. how it colors that rest of their experience. Love reading your interviews Christie..
    xox
    Lisa