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Ms. Johnson dresses almost exclusively in pale pink and chocolate brown, her signature colors. "Pink, for me, isn't a feminine color, it's the color of power and possibility. I want it to remind people of me like the Starbucks Siren or the Nike Swoosh," she said of building a brand around her coaching.
On her (pink and brown) information-packed Web site is suggested reading, a bio, her current events-heavy blog, a section with FAQs and her E-zine, In the Pink.
Though Ms. Johnson, who works only with women, does one-on-one coaching, she also runs several workshops each year. "Uncommon Confidence" focuses on self-esteem building.
"It's all about building a more confident attitude and saying no to things that don't serve you and don't address who you are. It's also about surrounding yourself with people that make you better, not worse, and making them your support team because none of us exist on an island," said Ms. Johnson. In addition to organizing groups with public enrollment, she also teaches this program to female juvenile offenders at Litchfield's Touchstone residential treatment facility.
Her other popular workshop, "Awaken Your Passion," helps women identify and realize their wants and dreams. She asks participants to deeply examine questions such as "What do you want?" and "What is important to you?" through activity-based group work.
While it seems like Ms. Johnson is asking some elementary questions, she said, "People often don't slow down long enough to ask themselves these questions. Women get caught up in the daily routine. A lot of it also has to do with giving yourself permission-it's OK to ask yourself what you really want, it's OK to admit that your needs are as important, if not more so, than someone else's. Women take a backseat; we put ourselves behind other people in our family. We are the caregivers. If we aren't caring for the kids maybe we are caring for elderly parents. Even the care of pets and the home often fall to women," said Ms. Johnson, who cohabitates with her fiancé and five greyhounds.
"In 'Awaken Your Passion' we talk about the four ways to recognize what you want. It's a values based program where participants make life 'must-have lists.' The attitude is not right versus wrong; it's good versus better.
"Your values are your unique essence," she continued. "They shouldn't be something you are taught by your parents or your church. People are often surprised by what they find."
One of her workshops is starting next month in Sharon, sponsored by Women's Support Services, and is free to registered participants. These workshops usually involve 18 hours of instruction over six weeks.
Women often walk away from E. Johnson & Company workshops realizing they are not alone and not the only ones dealing with these issues. "They feel they have gotten permission to explore something for themselves. You shouldn't need to get that from someone else, but that's where self-esteem comes in-we don't think we deserve that," Ms. Johnson said of women who often put familial needs before personal ones.
Participants can expect to walk away from one of her workshops knowing how to say no more confidently, how to put themselves first without feeling guilt, and to use their voice a lot more. They learn to give themselves permission to dream about something, according to the instructor.
After completing a workshop, women have made great decisions, such as taking early retirement and traveling the world, or even just committing to something they love.
Additionally, Ms. Johnson runs a monthly women's group called Passionale. The free meetings serve as a gateway or introduction to the E. Johnson & Company world. Usually held at Irving Farm Coffee House in Millerton, N.Y., or Berkshire Community College in Great Barrington, Mass., it's open to all women who register on her Web site or by phone.
The conversation groups have a theme, such as "Change and Transition," and "We just have a cool conversation," said Ms. Johnson. "It's less information-based and more informal conversation. It's a great way for people to get information about what I do," she said.
Why offer her services for free? "Paying for something when you aren't sure it's going to be right for you is awkward," she explained.
"It's a great stretch for women who are shy or reluctant. It's a safe environment for people to put themselves out there and realize, 'I'm not alone,'" she said of the talking group. The group's single rule is that negative self-talk is not allowed.
Ms. Johnson cut her coaching teeth at Linkage, Inc. in Lexington, Mass. She managed the management and coaching programs, and she led internal coaching sessions at large corporations. "That got me really excited about coaching, but I wanted to look at whole people, not just people at work so I decided to leave there and learn more," she said.
She honed her skills at The Coaches Training Institute, which runs programs nationwide, and also graduated from the University of Connecticut.
Many people ask her if a psychology background is needed for this work but that is not what confidence coaching is about. "I ask simple questions, such as 'What do you want to do?' 'What's stopping you from getting there?' and we work on that. It's not like I'm probing into the recesses of your mind. If that's what people need, they aren't in the right place with me," she said, but she's always happy to refer a client to another specialist, which is where the "& Company" comes from in her business' name.
She works only with women for a reason, saying, "They have the greatest need in this area. My premise is that I work with women on exploring their authentic self and creating greater possibility in their life through building their self-esteem.
This is more of an issue for women than for men as we get into the whole idea of balance. Traditionally the role of home and family has gone to the women as well as working outside the home. That's where we get into 'where does she say no [to too many commitments]?' Women have a really hard time, especially when society tells us that we need to do all these things ... . The need was there to give women permission to explore what they really want to do, while men seem to have that given to them automatically," she said.
Ms. Johnson encounters many women who are getting to the middle of their lives and want something for themselves. They say, "I've been giving to my family, I've been giving to my husband, I've been doing this job. Now what about me?"
She admits that today's women do a lot, but that's OK if they are sure about their goals. But, she warns, "Perfect is not real-you may have had a perfect job review or a perfect score on your GRE, but that is not a continuing ideal. Too many women strive for perfection."
While Ms. Johnson doesn't claim perfection, she does claim happiness and has never regretted leaving her corporate gig. "This is what I really love, I love helping other women build confidence and find what they really want to do," she said.
The coach doesn't believe that women should subjugate themselves to other people for any extended length of time, even children. She believes in still doing things purely for oneself.
She makes the analogy of a subjugated wife or mother to a nurse who is an amazing caregiver but who is overweight, smokes and has a bad relationship-she's not taking care of herself. She is giving from a deficit so she can never give her best, and that doesn't help anyone.
E. Johnson & Company can be reached at 860-435-6008 or by visiting www.ejohnsonandcompany.com.
