Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle LaCoste.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always worked in education in some form or another; with the last 15 years in higher ed. I began professionally college planning about 15 years ago; in that I guide families through the entire college process while helping the family create the plan to pay. Over the last 8 years, however, I noticed a lot of parents were hiring me to “coach” their students through freshman year of college. Since then, I have had many parents hire me to coach their teens through middle and high school, particularly neurodivergent students. So today I spend 50% of my time doing college planning and 50% treating neurodivergent teens, coaching them through school. I work with teens experiencing depression, anxiety, gender-identity issues, and social anxiety. I’m currently working on a grant to begin group/mentorship programs for teen boys in Sumner County.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenges are always the same; keeping up with the ever-changing environments that continue to fuel anxiety and depression in our youth.
From the college planning perspective, keeping up with the continued increase in cost of attendance while families are not making enough money to keep up keeps me job challenging as I’m focused on positioning students to look as desirable as possible in order to receive the deepest discounts from universities.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a database of every single colleges business model in the nation. It tells me what type of students they are looking for, who they pay to attend and why. Colleges use what’s called “Enrollment Management” to build out their freshman class each year. I help students get to those colleges that will pay them the most to attend.
I’ve always had a natural way with students so my teen coaching came to be very organically. In my coaching practice, parents report seeing their students’ attitudes and depression shift almost immediately once they begin working with me.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Have a great mentor, always continue working on yourself and have a lot of capitol to begin your own business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.daniellelacoste.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniellelacosteconsultant/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-lacoste-b296a2168/
