Hey there, I’m Chelsea!
Dr. Chelsea Hetherington, if you're feeling fancy. 🎓
I'm an ICF-certified coach and thinking partner for self-employed people navigating the messy middle of building a business.
I specialize in working with smart and capable entrepreneurs (coaches, consultants, therapists, solopreneurs) who are stuck in their own heads: second-guessing their direction, spinning their wheels, circling the same decisions instead of making them.
I love working with people who are figuring it out as they go, because that's exactly what I'm doing too.
My story
It started with a PhD I wasn't sure what to do with.
I spent years in a doctoral program in developmental psychology, genuinely fascinated by how people grow and change, but increasingly certain that the tenure-track path wasn't for me. When I finally left academia, I thought that was the hard part. Land somewhere outside of it, and the rest would follow.
It didn't quite work out that way.
What I discovered is that leaving a system doesn't automatically mean you know who you are outside of it. I had a new job, but I was still carrying the same values system, the same uncertainty, the same question underneath everything:
What do I actually want?
It took real reflection and eventually working with a coach myself to start answering that question. That experience changed everything.
Since then, I've spent years building my own winding, nonlinear business. I've worn a lot of hats over the years: coach, researcher, writer, consultant. I've experimented, pivoted, learned what works and what doesn't.
What I've discovered through all of it is where my superpower actually lives: coaching entrepreneurs who are in the thick of figuring it out.
Not because I've arrived somewhere on the other side or because I have all the answers, but because I've lived the winding road myself.
I've watched my coaching clients come out the other side of their own messy middles with more clarity, more confidence, and a stronger sense of what they're building. That’s what it means to have a thinking partner who’s in the thick of it with you.
Ways to work together
1-on-1 Coaching
If you're ready to get clear and take action, this is where we start. We work together over six sessions: thinking things through, finding clarity, and moving forward.
Notes from Chelsea
Not ready to dive in just yet? Come figure it out alongside me. I write about the messy middle of building a self-employed business. No perfectly packaged advice, just honest reflection from someone who's in it too.
Experimentation 🧪
We can only think and plan so much before we need to get our hands dirty. Trying things, learning from what doesn't work, and using "failure" as data is just part of the process. I bring that same spirit to my own business and to every client I work with.
My core values
Authenticity 💬
I don't perform expertise I don't have, and I don't expect you to have it all figured out either. What you see is what you get: someone who is genuinely invested in your work and your clarity, not in pretending like I have all the answers. Honest conversations get us further than polished advice every time.
Fun 💃
Working for ourselves means we get to build something entirely our own, on our own terms, doing work that matters to us. That should feel good and be fun! I bring that energy to my coaching too. If we're going to figure this out together, we might as well enjoy the process.
Let’s get to work!
Ready to figure it out together?
If you’re ready to stop spinning and start moving, let’s chat. Book a free clarity call and let's see if we're a good fit.