Profits & Passions Irene Gutmann Walk the talk By KEITH LORIA

Profits & Passions
Irene Gutmann
Walk the talk
By KEITH LORIA

Irene Gutmann created Eagle Life Coaching three years ago.

As a personal professional coach for Eagle Life Coaching, Irene Gutmann helps entrepreneurs achieve their dreams in growing their businesses and becoming more focused in their lives. What’s ironic is that by switching careers from a clinical social worker to a coach, Gutmann was able to fulfill a dream of her own by becoming the host of her own radio program.

“I always had a secret dream of being like Oprah and doing motivational speaking and influencing people to make their lives better,” said Gutmann, who is on 1300 AM every Tuesday morning for WRCR’s Radio Rockland, which broadcasts out of the Nanuet Mall. “It’s only a small little area of the world that I am influencing, but it’s been great fun.”

The radio show came about after

Gutmann appeared on the Spring Valley station as a guest explaining her coaching.

“No one knows what a coach does,” she said. “I didn’t know how to get the word out about my coaching so I forced myself to go into the radio station and asked them to interview me. They did and it went really well.”

So well in fact, that the station manager coaxed her into starting her own show, helping people and giving coaching advice. Thus “The Coaching Corner” was born.

“With the show I try to help people reach their goals and dreams one step at a time. I also interview people from all over the country about ways to help people make every area of your life better.”

Her guests have included best-selling authors, motivational speakers and experts in the field of goals and time management.

“I like the idea that I’m helping people and I love interviewing people,” she said. “I like getting silly on the show. We’re helping people but we’re also laughing. It’s a light, playful atmosphere.”

Although her original degree from New York University graduate school is in clinical social work, Gutmann became a coach three years ago when she decided that she needed a bit more satisfaction from her clients than she was getting as a therapist. So, she took a six-month course that was geared toward clinicians who wanted to become professional coaches.

“My frustration in the therapy field was that people come to you because they are in pain and when they get to a certain level of being OK, they stop counseling. For me, OK was never good enough,” she said. “Coaching focuses on your strengths and is always moving forward. You have to see practical results.”

She mostly works with professionals trying to grow their businesses, but she does some personal coaching as well.

“If someone wants to write a book or if they want to have more balance in their life or reduce stress, I can help. I teach people to dream big but to break it down and take one piece at a time. It works, it really works. It is one of the only things I know of that works in such a powerful way.”

Gutmann said the toughest part of coaching is getting people to understand just what exactly a professional coach does, since many people call themselves coaches, but they are actually consultants.

She offers this typical example of a client.

“A woman entrepreneur who has started her business comes to me. She is talented and wants to makes sure her business grows. We go through the business aspects. I don’t specifically give advice; I have a technique in asking certain questions to help people realize what they need to do for the business.”

As host of "The Coaching Corner," Irene Gutmann has interviewed guests such as Ayogo Iguna, a minister from Kenya who has a store at the Nanuet Mall and sends 30 percent of the money he makes to people in Kenya to help them better their lives.

According to the 48-year-old Gutmann, many people sabotage themselves and her job is to get them over any hurdles that come up.

“Coaching makes you an expert in helping people reverse the blocks. I can literally help people change their lives. It’s very powerful and life changing. You watch people plan and go after their dreams. It’s amazing,” she said.

“The best thing about radio is that it’s not important to teach a whole lesson in 30 minutes, you can give them five points to think about and have fun,” she said. “As a coach, I am very passionate about my work and helping people be passionate about theirs.”

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