We had the good fortune of connecting with Winn Clark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Winn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The original seed for starting my own coaching business was planted 15 years before I took the plunge. I was having my first ever coaching session with a life coach as I finished business school, and I remember sitting across from her and thinking, I want to do her job someday. It was a strong gut feeling I couldn’t ignore. Over the years, I experienced coaching with a number of great coaches, worked hard in my corporate jobs, and continued on my own personal development journey. I just didn’t see myself as an entrepreneur. But the idea of becoming a coach just wouldn’t go away, and it started to feel more and more urgent. I was feeling burned out and disillusioned with my corporate job, which gave me the courage to take the leap and get some serious training to become a coach.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I coach creatives, coaches, and entrepreneurs to really thrive in their work and lives. Having left the corporate world after 20+ years in marketing and business development, I know firsthand the courage it takes to start your own business and to feel isolated, overwhelmed, and afraid to fail. Building my coaching practice has been the hardest and yet most rewarding thing I’ve done. The biggest lesson I learned is to keep showing up with consistency, passion, and generosity. These principles have been the cornerstone of my approach, and it’s worked for me.

Every coach is different, and I think what makes me unique is that I bring my coaching and business experience together and tailor my offering so that each client gets highly individual attention. It’s not one-size-fits-all coaching.

When I began coaching, I knew that I didn’t want to only provide high-end coaching services to the privileged. My vision is a world where everyone has a coach and gets the support they need to love their work and have success. I’m proudest of creating my All-In With Winn Group Coaching Program, which makes coaching accessible, affordable, and inclusive.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A few years ago I left Southern California and moved to Paso Robles, which is a small wine country community halfway between LA and San Francisco. It’s a great getaway from the city and it feels like a world away.

For wine amongst the vineyards, I recommend the west side of Paso where we live which has beautiful vineyards and rolling hills. Halter Ranch, Tablas Creek, Epoch, Vines on the Merrycrest, and L’Aventure are some favorites. Downtown Paso also has some great tasting rooms and I love Diablo Paso, LXV, Ranchero Cellars, and of course, Hayseed and Housdon which was founded by my partner Ted has great wines and he shares a portion of the proceeds with local charities.

I also like Levo and Desparada Wines, BarrelHouse Brewing Company and McPhee’s Canteen when visiting Tin City, which is just a couple of miles from Paso. Nearby I’d check out Anglim Wines and do a tour at Firestone Walker Brewery.

For a small town, Paso has a fantastic food scene. My favorites are Il Cortile, La Cosecha, Jeffry’s Wine Country BBQ, Thomas Hill Organics, BL Brasserie, Les Petites Canailles, The Hatch and Alchemists Garden. The speakeasy 1122 has yummy cocktails in a cool setting. And in neighboring Templeton, Kitchenette, 15C and McPhee’s are all great. The Range in Santa Margarita is worth the drive for dinner.

Shops I’d recommend in downtown Paso include AndBe, Bijoux, and The Paso Robles General Store. The Negranti Creamery has delicious sheep’s milk ice-cream sandwiches.

You can’t visit Paso without seeing the light installation at Sensorio, which is getting global attention. The Vina Robles Amitheather has a good concert lineup and for live local music check out The Pour House.

San Luis Obispo County has excellent hiking. I really like Bishop Peak which is the tallest summit in the area. The trails along the ocean at Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve are beautiful.

While in the area, I always suggest a visit to Hearst Castle in San Simeon which I’ve probably been to 10 times. Then I’d visit the Elephant Seal Rookery just north of there. I’d also plan to spend an afternoon in Cambria checking out the shops, doing a walk on Moonstone Beach and then having lunch or dinner on the covered patio at Robyn’s.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I met a group of amazing women in a mastermind a few years ago who had such an impact on my work. Britt Junod Rohr from Swell Press Paper has been especially supportive in so many ways!

Website: www.winnclark.com

Instagram: @winnclark

Linkedin: Winn Clark

Image Credits
Dina Mande for the photo of the couple in the jeep in the vineyard. Payge Ray for all other photos submitted, except for the casual shots.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.