A holistic approach helps women realise their full potential

In less than a year after taking her business full-time, Lucy Gernon took home the newcomer/start-up of the year in the Powerhouse Women in Business Awards 2022, in recognition of her tireless efforts helping women realise their full potential.

The awards ceremony, celebrating women's professional achievements, was held at Carlow’s Seven Oaks Hotel on November 18.

“It was a fantastic night,” said Lucy Gernon, founder and creator of Powerhouse Revolution Coaching. “There were so many women doing incredible work in business there, and it shows the importance of networking and community in business.”

Gernon said she was thrilled to take the award home. “I genuinely wasn’t expecting it,” she said. “I’m not even two years in business, and to win it, I was thrilled because it’s hard work [running a business].”

Powerhouse Revolution Coaching, aimed at female leaders who want to increase their professional and personal success, originally started as a side project. Gernon spent most of her career in the pharmaceutical industry before starting the business in March 2021.

Part of the reason her work resonates with clients is her approach to seeing the bigger picture. Her programme boils down to three main categories: success, balance and happiness – and ensuring that all clients become more confident, happier and content is key.

“What differentiates me from a lot of other coaches is I don’t just focus on leadership,” Gernon explained. “It’s a holistic approach because I want these women to be as successful as they can be in their careers, to add as much value as they can, but not burn themselves out or miss out on life.”

Gernon noticed that many of these women are high-achievers, but due to their status they can’t switch off. Mostly it’s because they don’t have the tools to do so, resulting in tiredness and burnout.

Gernon helps clients not only through specialised programmes but also through online content, podcasts, masterclasses and more to ensure that high-achieving women find better ways of working.

“My whole motto is that success, balance and happiness are possible for women, and they shouldn’t have to choose,” she said.

“The juggle is real, and a lot of women, especially women leaders, feel this acute sense of responsibility for the team and the organisations they work for – and then they have family stuff.”

The aim is to ensure they’re more strategic with their approach so that they have the confidence and self-assurance to make decisions for themselves and their work. Much of Gernon’s work addresses core beliefs that people may not realise they have, so part of her work is educating clients about themselves.

“Where it all starts is with mindset. That’s where I love focusing first because if you don’t have the right mindset, the limiting beliefs are there – ‘I must do what the company tells me or do everything I’m told’ – that’s a huge limiting belief and that’s where we’d like to start,” Gernon said.

Many of the women who come to Gernon say they want structure, guidance and focus, so her system focuses on the pain points in their work-life balance and what they want to achieve.

“If you don’t know what you want, you can’t get there, and most of us go through life not being clear about that,” she explained.

“My job is to bring them structure and guidance around that so I can take them through the process, teach them these skills and tools they’re missing to succeed in all areas – as it’s not just leadership, it’s leadership in life.”

Small changes can have the most impact, which is why Gernon focuses on five small areas in a person’s life and tweaks them. They can get back anywhere between 12 and 42 hours per month, which can make a huge difference in their lives.

Gernon and her team of three, which she describes as “the backbone of everything”, are expanding both the business in the UK market and their online services. On top of that, Powerhouse Revolution Coaching plan to launch group coaching and also have a high-level masterclass for senior women in leadership coming up.

Overall, it’s about positively impacting women’s lives, and that is what pushes Gernon forward.

“When I hear clients say their family and friends have noticed a huge difference in their mood and how they’re holding up, and improving relationships even at home, because of the stuff I taught them for work, it’s just so rewarding,” she said. “It has this massive positive ripple effect.”

For more information on the next masterclass, visit www.signup.lucygernon.com/masterclass