From stuck to steady growth
Rebecca Lewis is a freelance marketing consultant who has been running her own business for over four years. She works primarily with B2B clients, often staying with them for six months or more, and has built every client relationship through word of mouth and existing contacts. She’s a sensitive, thoughtful marketer who cares deeply about doing meaningful work – and doing it in a way that fits her life, not the other way round.
Before working with Clare, Rebecca was feeling stuck and losing confidence
When Rebecca first reached out, she described herself as “stuck.” Her work-life balance around family was shifting towards more available working time, but instead of feeling ready to grow, she felt uncertain about where to go next.
Her words captured it perfectly:
“I haven’t found what naturally works for me/the business. I deliberately haven’t scaled anything quickly over the last four years, but now I also don’t quite know where to go next and have lost a lot of my mojo and confidence.”
Several things were weighing on her:
- Sales discomfort. Rebecca is brilliant at solving marketing challenges for her clients but uncomfortable selling her own services. Sales tasks always got pushed down the priority list.
- Worry without action. Spending a lot of time worrying about where new clients would come from, rather than trusting her proven ability to attract great people.
- Sustainable marketing. LinkedIn posts got good engagement, but a sustainable habit was hard to find. Client work came first.
- Industry change. The marketing world was shifting fast, particularly with AI , and Rebecca felt unsure where she fit.
- Life balance. Not wishing “jump in” to taking on more clients without thinking it through holistically. Rebecca wanted growth that fit her life, not growth that consumed it.
She described what she needed from a coach with characteristic clarity:
“Someone who can offer both a listening ear to talk things through, and practical plans of action we can collaborate on together. I love to work collaboratively with people, and find this harder to do now I’m working solo.”
Working together with gentle, honest, practical sessions
The Approach
From the very first conversation, the coaching wasn’t about pushing harder or hustling louder. I sent Rebecca a welcome document that set the tone:
“This isn’t a ‘push harder, do more, hustle louder’ coaching journey. This is about clarity rather than busy energy, direction rather than pressure, habits rather than overwhelm – a business that supports the life you want, not one that consumes it.”
Our work together focused on three core threads:
1. Getting honest about where you really are
The first session began with space to pause and reflect. Not to fix anything, but simply to notice. Where was there lightness? Where was there heaviness? What felt energising and what felt draining?
We explored Rebecca’s story: her background, her values, what had shaped her. We talked about her deep connection to nature – how she notices the small, beautiful things when she’s walking. And we talked about how her sensitivity is a strength, not a weakness, something to be paired with the right conditions, not pushed against.
2. Defining what success actually looks like
Together, Rebecca and I worked out what success genuinely meant to her. Not what the industry said, not what her past career said, not what anyone else expected:
- Working with scale-ups on project-based, collaborative work
- A weekly rhythm that felt balanced and sustainable
- Marketing that feels human, honest and sustainable. The kind that builds trust over time, not noise in the short term
- Writing and sharing her voice, which she’d been holding back through fear of criticism, despite a deeply impressive background she rarely talked about
3. Practical, tangible actions
The sessions weren’t just reflective, they were grounded in concrete next steps:
- Case study from a client win. After receiving an unprompted testimonial from a client, Rebecca was tasked with turning it into a case study and using those words as social proof. A natural, comfortable way to showcase her work without feeling salesy.
- Reviewing a client relationship. We explored what might happen if Rebecca changed her way of working with a client that wasn’t aligned with the work she wanted to be doing. Approaching the conversation not from fear, but from a position of “here’s what I can do for you on a project basis.”
- Crafting natural introductions. Together, we developed several ways for Rebecca to introduce herself that felt authentic rather than promotional. Phrases like:
“People usually find me when their marketing looks busy on the outside, but something isn’t quite working underneath. I help them slow it down, ask better questions, and get really clear on what they’re trying to say, and who they’re trying to say it to.”
“I sit in the space between strategy and people. Between what a business wants to say and what their audience actually needs to hear. That’s usually where the most interesting marketing work happens.”
These were designed to mirror how people actually describe Rebecca, making them easy to repeat at networking events and in conversation.
Clarifying the offer. We began shaping a clearer offer. Potentially three tiers, with a free entry point and a newsletter lead magnet. So that Rebecca’s value proposition became easier to communicate.
Publishing. One concrete target was set: Rebecca would publish a newsletter, either through LinkedIn or directly, to start building visibility and consistency.
Values work. Reworking a values canvas, recognising that the self-holding-back Rebecca experienced was tied to not yet having articulated her values clearly: Who are you? What are you? What is your why?
The results were; confidence, clarity, and momentum
The impact of the coaching was felt across several areas:
Accountability that made things happen.
“Having the accountability has been huge. I’ve achieved much more with this one project than I ever would have alone. Alone, you can put things off that feel uncomfortable, or avoid the bits that feel hard. With a partner, I had to face those things and get stuff done.”
A clearer pitch that won business.Rebecca refined her offering to be a better fit with both her client’s needs and her own capacity. The pitch was successful.
Confidence to step forward.
“My research and networking has connected me to the right topics and people who either need my services or can refer me. The confidence I have to step forward to talk about particular issues has increased. I don’t feel so alone or like I am making it up as I go along.”
Fresh energy and direction.
“It has energised my thought process and I will look to taking a new and different route early 2027.”
Thinking both challenged and validated.
“Clare engaged so naturally with what I was trying to achieve and was able to help me unravel all the threads of experience and link them to the areas I felt most strongly about. I have had my thinking both challenged and validated and a strong idea for going forward.”
What Rebecca said about the experience
“Clare is thoughtful, smart, kind, gentle, and funny. She brings her liveliness, warmth, and humour right from the first session. You never feel quizzed or interrogated, but gently nudged towards a deeper sense of who you and your business could be and the good you’re putting out in the world.”
“Clare is an insightful cheerleader for the changes you’re trying to make. She makes it very easy to open up to her in confidence. She is someone I absolutely trust to talk about difficult and challenging situations, as well as celebrate with on my successes.”
“Working alone can be lonely but you can also start to operate in a vortex — having a new perspective shone a light onto my blind spots.”
“Clare sends comprehensive thoughts and notes after each session, which are a great reference point to reflect on what I committed to. After our closing session, Clare sent a brilliant sheet of reminders and summaries of what we discussed over six months. It’s a lovely quick check-in point when I feel like I might be veering off track.”
Looking Ahead
Rebecca’s next steps include:
- Building greater consistency in staying front of mind and following up with potential clients
Developing a clearer corporate offer, which was starting to take shape - Continuing to publish and share her voice rather than holding back
- Staying connected with Clare as a trusted thinking partner
“I would love to stay connected with Clare as I move forward, and feel I have found a business partner who gets my unique way of working and who is absolutely on my side to provide support and challenge as it is needed.”
Rebecca Lewis is a freelance marketing consultant based in the UK. Find her on LinkedIn and at https://rebecca-lewis.co/
__________________________________________________________________________________
Clare Morris is a business coach and the founder of Focus & Growth Coaching. She works with founders, freelancers, teams and directors who want to grow in a way that’s aligned with their personal values.
Focusing on the right areas, building sustainable momentum, and ensuring business actions don’t harm the community or planet. Her approach is calm, collaborative and deeply human. No hustle. No pressure. Just honest conversation, practical action, and steady growth that fits your life.
A Note from Clare:
Sometimes we can’t quiet the noise. But we can focus on the right, ‘what next’. Focus & Growth Coaching was set up to support those shifts that need to be shared. Ensuring our audience, customer, client… is aware of who we are, what we wish to offer, and how to be part of that wonderful journey.
Giving you the opportunity to work with me when one part of your business needs dedicated time to develop and flourish.
Why I’m sharing this case study
Because so many talented, purpose-led business owners are:
- overthinking and burning out
- have a thousand ideas but not able to choose ‘what next’
- can’t connect the vision, mission, and income when they want to offer support for free
- offering solutions that are vital to change behaviours, not just of individuals, but corporations
This is exactly why coaching exists.
And this is what the first step can feel like when you’re held with care.
If this has inspired you and I’m the caring coach you’ve been looking for.
Check out my workshop and coaching options here or book a free coaching session to talk it through here.
With purpose
Clare
If you want to work with a values-led coach who’s aim is to connect you with growth without losing focus and purpose. Book a coaching call – it’s free
What could go right?…
