It may be a life-changing experience to set out on a path of self-discovery and personal development, and having an experienced life coach by your side can make all the difference. Life coaches offer priceless guidance, assisting people in overcoming obstacles, establishing worthwhile objectives, and realizing their full potential. When a life coach has the appropriate knowledge , they can be a reliable ally in the quest for personal development and fulfillment. With customized tactics, providing encouragement, and helpful suggestions, a life coach enables people to surmount challenges, develop resilience, and accomplish significant, positive improvements in a range of areas of their lives.
Featuring in The Enterprise World’s issue of The Most Inspiring Businesswomen To Follow is the story of such a woman who has been changing lives with her meaningful coaching.
Meet the – Changemaker – Laura Rinnankoski
Laura Rinnankoski was born in the vibrant city of Helsinki, Finland. She later traversed continents and lived in Caracas, Venezuela. Her educational pursuit led her to study in some of the most renowned international schools in America, including Boston University where she got a degree. Later she moved to Miami and currently Laura lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Laura’s upbringing reflects a blend of three distinct cultures—the friendliness of Venezuela, the Nordic charm of Finland, and the cosmopolitan style of the United States. Laura Rinnankoski effortlessly communicates in four languages—English, Spanish, Finnish, and Italian. This linguistic versatility allows her to navigate the global landscape with ease.
During her time in Miami, Laura Rinnankoski worked with very well-known advertising agencies, and had the privilege of managing some big clients like – Ericsson, Samsung & The Discovery Channel. Laura was also involved in the advertising campaign of the International Space Station. Another feather in her hat was when she worked on the advertising campaign of the Matrix Reloaded movie for Latin America.
“All of my jobs have involved managing relationships. I decided to become a life and relationship coach because coaching combines three things that have always been important to me…helping people, communicating with people in different languages and I’m also spiritual,” she adds.
Laura Rinnankoski is passionate about helping people find their own answers and become more empowered. She focuses on relationship coaching.
“We all have different kinds of relationships with our families, friends and partners. The most important relationship that you will ever have is the one with yourself,” says Laura.
This became her main motivation, to help clients improve the relationship with themselves, thus helping them improve all their other relationships.
Walking Through the Process of Transformation
“One of the most common challenges that my clients face is not fully loving and accepting themselves.”
Many clients have come to Laura Rinnankoski, seeking help in improving their romantic relationships. And after a few sessions have come to the realization that the relationship with themselves needs to improve to attract a loving relationship.
“You can only share what you have inside, that is why it is crucial to love yourself first,” she adds.
You need to love and accept yourself first, in order for someone else to love and accept you as well. Loving and accepting yourself doesn’t mean that you think that you are better than others, but it does mean that you accept all sides of you. You are the only one that can give yourself self-love and self-acceptance. No one else can give it to you. You can only share something that you already have, so love and accept yourself first, and then you will be able to share with others.
Here are some exercises that Laura Rinnankoski does with her clients:
#1: Write a list of things that you like or love about yourself. It can be from 10–100 things. It doesn’t matter how many things are on the list, the most important thing is to do the exercise because it is like writing a love letter to yourself.
#2: Have a gratitude journal or write a daily gratitude list of at least 5 things that you’re grateful for. The more you focus on gratitude, the more abundance you will create in your life. You can change your life by having an attitude of gratitude.
#3: Monitor your self-talk. Is it mostly positive, or is it mostly negative? If it’s mostly positive, great…keep it up! If it’s mostly negative, find a way to turn it around. Humour is a great way to turn things around.
#4: Write down your stories. What story are you telling about yourself, life, love, relationships, men, women, etc.? If you don’t like a story, you can always change it. You can’t change an event, but you can change the story that you are telling yourself about what happened.
#5: Create a vision board. It’s important to have a vision, dreams and goals. When you create a vision board, you are making a collage of images of your ideal life. You need to believe that everything is possible for you, and you need to feel worthy of receiving it but you don’t need to know how it will happen. When you are aligned on all levels with your thoughts, your beliefs and your actions, then the Universe will bring in people, events and circumstances that will help you manifest your dreams and goals.
A Heart Touched, A Life Changed- What Laura’s Clients Have to Say About Her
Laura Rinnankoski once coached a woman who had been single for several years and had given up on love. After the sessions with Laura, she met her future husband on a dating application and Laura was invited to the wedding this last year, which was simply amazing!
It was a very impactful experience, even for Laura, because she went from not believing that love was possible for her…to meeting a wonderful man who became her husband! It shows that it’s never too late to change your mindset or your beliefs.
This the testimonial that she wrote for Laura Rinnankoski:
“I did my first workshop with Laura Rinnankoski over six years ago. I had been single for over five years after recovering from a car crash. I was very negative, cynical and I hated myself and the idea of being with a man disgusted me. The theme of Laura’s workshop was about learning to love oneself before one can truly love someone else. This seemed perfect for me at the time, I had no idea how to love myself or care for myself.
I was always looking for love and recognition in other people instead of myself. Laura’s workshop made me want to be a better person for myself and my future partner and it made me want a healthy relationship. We discussed the qualities that we wanted to find in our next partner and also the qualities that we wanted to bring into our next relationship. I learned about self-love and compassion and I learned to slowly let go of who I was not and embrace who I was. Shortly after, I created a profile on a dating website, and I opened myself up to the possibility of finding love. A few months later, I met my current partner.
I was able to let go of the self-loathing, open up and be a kind and loving girlfriend. We have been together for over six years now and I still talk about how Laura’s workshop prepared me for this relationship. I cannot recommend her workshops enough. Love yourself first and before you can love someone else. Care for yourself before you can care for someone else … Words of wisdom. Thank you Laura, I am very grateful.”
Myths and Facts- Breaking the Barriers
Sometimes people think that a coach will tell you what to do…and that is not the case at all. A coach will guide you to find your own answers. The answers have to come from you because you need to have awareness and take responsibility for all aspects of your life. A person who doesn’t believe that life coaching works should read all the case studies and testimonials of clients who have had great success with coaching. People have greatly improved their lives with coaching and as a result they have become better versions of themselves.
Individuals can greatly benefit from life coaching. Working with a life coach can bring about the following: better work/life balance, elimination of long-held fears and anxieties, enhanced creativity, greater financial security, improved communication skills, more satisfying work life and stronger relationships with friends and family.
When looking for the right life coach, pick someone who you resonate with and who has experience managing the type of situations that you would like to work on and improve.
“Use your instinct and your intuition to pick the right life coach for you.”
What the Future Holds?
“Looking ahead, I see a global journey conducting workshops and talks in four languages—English, Spanish, Finnish, and Italian.”
As a bestselling author, Laura Rinnankoski is currently weaving stories about coaching and her life’s journey for her next books.
“I foresee coaching evolving by embracing the virtual world, emphasizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,” she further adds.
The focus will be on preserving psychological safety and personal boundaries, creating a nurturing environment for growth. Tomorrow’s coaching landscape will witness the improvement of virtual leaders and a heightened emphasis on executive presence. It’s a harmonious progression—marked by progress, inclusivity, and impactful leadership.
