Lessons, Learning Curves, and New Beginnings: Q1 Reflections

About three months ago,

I returned from 4.5 months of traveling around the globe (see my Travel blog), right after stepping away from the safety of a steady paycheck to pursue what I truly love —

building a full-time coaching business.

(If you’re curious about how that leap of faith came about, check out the related posts.)

As January rolled in, I was ready to dive headfirst into this exciting new chapter. I pictured my days neatly structured around meaningful coaching conversations and the behind-the-scenes work that keeps a business running.

The key word? Structured. I’m just wired that way.

But reality had other plans.

After a lifetime in corporate — with no startup experience to fall back on — I quickly realized that creating that ideal routine would take a lot more adjusting than I expected… and a fair amount of reimagining, almost daily.

🎯 Spoiler Alert: The Journey Brought Me Here

Now, as I wrap up my first quarter, I’m still fine-tuning that routine, but I’m excited to share the journey, the unexpected lessons along the way, and where “Move Forward with Renate Stoiber” is today.

👉 My website now features all my coaching services, and I’m ready to serve you with:

💡 Monthly Packages: Ongoing support if you find yourself on a journey.

⏱️ OnDemand Sessions: When you need a thought partner in a tough moment.

🤝 Group Sessions: Connection and growth with others facing similar challenges.

✨ A to Z Learning: The Journey Begins

But getting to this point wasn’t a straight path.

In fact, building “Move Forward with Renate Stoiber” felt more like navigating a maze of learning curves — with lessons popping up everywhere, from Accounting to Zoom and everything in between. Each step, big or small, shaped the foundation I now stand on.

🔢 A is for Accounting

Even though I’ve always loved math (and vividly remember telling my kids during homework time over a decade ago to “become friends with numbers”), accounting has never been my forte. Thankfully, a dear coach friend offered some pointers to get me started, and around the same time, another friend asked for a small favor.

This turned out to be a perfect opportunity to try something new while crafting my new routine: I combined a lengthy midday walk — something I normally reserve for mornings or evenings — with a short series of YouTube accounting videos.

Walking is a cherished part of my daily rhythm. But giving myself permission to take a walk in the middle of the day? That felt different. And to my surprise, an hour later, I returned feeling accomplished — and with a new tool in my routine toolbox.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t call myself an accountant, but at least now I have the basics down.

✨ Content Creation: My New Reality

I quickly realized that content creation would be a major part of my new routine. In my quest to establish that routine, I blocked my calendar like this:

🕗 8:00–12:00: Content

🕐 13:00–17:00: Operations

Monday–Friday.

How do you think that worked out? Right! 🙃

The learning curve was steep. I found myself working 11-hour days and feeling frustrated by the end of it. It wasn’t that I wasn’t learning — I was. But something felt… off.

📚 A Shift in Perspective: Newness with Grace at Pace

Then came a pivotal moment. I participated in “The Story of You: Write Your 2025 Chapter,” a powerful session offered by the ICF SFBayArea chapter and led by the talented Michelle Salvado (LinkedIn).

During that reflection, I titled my 2025 chapter:

👉 Newness with Grace at Pace.

That’s when it hit me. Yes, my learning curve was steep, but I needed to extend grace to myself and let go of the breakneck pace I had been conditioned to for nearly three decades.

⏰ Rebuilding with Boundaries

With that realization, I was back to refining my routine. But this time, boundaries began to emerge — ones that honored both my passion and my well-being.

🎨 W is for Web Design (and a Little Comic Relief)

I promised not to take you through the entire alphabet… so here’s our last letter: W for Web Design.

Oh boy, where do I even start?

I won’t bore you with the countless trials, tribulations, and just as many lessons learned.

Comic Relief: The Late 2000s Design Debacle

Here’s a little anecdote for some comic relief. I’m not very artistic. But I happen to have a very gifted full-stack developer son with a sharp designer’s eye. His reaction to some elements on the v1 of my new Services page?

👉 “They’re very late 2000s.” 😂

Ouch. But hey, I fixed that!

(If you’re curious, check out my refined website: moveforwardwith.coach.

And to give credit where it’s due, here’s what my son is capable of: danielstoiber.com.)

💡 The Breakthrough Moment: Clarity on a Bike Ride

Finally, I saw the light at the end of my website tunnel… if I could just figure out how to make those pesky forms work across devices!

After one long evening, I did something different — I stepped away from the problem for a couple of days.

And then it happened. It really shouldn’t surprise me by now, but there I was, leisurely biking to my passport appointment (yes, in the middle of the day again!) when it struck me:

👉 There was a much simpler solution for those forms.

So, when you let me know which group coaching topics you’re interested in on my website, moveforwardwith.coach/group-services, know that this moment of clarity happened while enjoying a beautiful morning ride along the San Francisco Bay.

🎯 The Outcome: Ready to Serve You

Here I am, at the end of my first quarter with “Move Forward with Renate Stoiber.”

✅ My heart is full of joy.

✅ My mental and emotional well-being are intact.

✅ My operations are hopefully running smoothly.

And I’m so excited to support you in finding joy and success in your transitions — whether you need ongoing guidance, a thought partner in a tough moment, or connection with others on a similar journey.

💡 Monthly Packages: Ongoing support as you explore possibilities and take intentional steps forward.

👉 Schedule your free coaching consultation to explore monthly packages: moveforwardwith.coach/contact

⏱️ OnDemand Sessions: When you need a thought partner during a challenging moment.

🤝 Group Sessions: Connection and growth with others facing similar challenges.

🌟 Special Offer for April:

If you’ve been affected by recent layoffs, I’m offering 70% discounted On-Demand sessions to support you through this time.

👉 DM me on LinkedIn or email me at renate@moveforwardwith.coach to take advantage of this offer.

👉 Explore all my offerings: moveforwardwith.coach