As an award-winning life and business coach, Connie Theodoridis has dedicated her life to ensuring individuals and businesses have all the support they need to maximise their success and ‘achieve their goals.’
Connie talks with The Greek Herald and details how her Greek upbringing directly influenced her desire to help people in need.
Tell us about your journey as a life and business coach.
From a little girl, I always wanted to help others and make people feel good about themselves and this continued into my teenage years and then as an adult. I believed it was my purpose to help individuals and businesses become the best version of themselves and achieve extraordinary things.
I then set out to obtain my qualifications to be able to pursue my passion and have never looked back. I now have over 20 years’ experience working with people and helping individuals and businesses grow and achieve their dreams.
I am so excited about where this journey will take me because there is nothing more satisfying knowing that you are helping people and making a difference.
What was the main motivation behind your business, Opening Doors Life & Business Coaching?
My main motivation was to create Opening Doors to help any individual, couple or business move forward to success. I wanted to create an environment to help people understand what their purpose is and what makes them stand out whilst honouring their strengths.
I wanted to help empower people and help them develop the resources to better manage any future obstacles, challenges and blockages that get in their way to success. To create a practice where individuals could embrace their uniqueness.
Opening Doors now helps many individuals and businesses transform into who they were always meant to be as we are born whole and born to be extraordinary. Our aim is to help coach you to shoot for the stars as we believe you can be anything you want to be.
You recently won Most Outstanding New Business in the Sydney Hills Local Business Awards. How did that feel?
Words can’t describe the feeling I got when they announced my business as the winner. All I could think about is the wonderful people that believed in me and supported me to start this wonderful journey. I am more than blessed to have so many wonderful people by my side who see this gift in me that God blessed with me and have had faith in me right from the beginning.
To win this award for Most Outstanding New Business with over 30 finalists demonstrates to others that you can do it and that you can make your dreams come true. I am not saying it’s easy by any means, it takes determination, commitment and lots of hard work. But with the right people around you and with a solid plan, dreams do become a reality.
How has your Greek heritage and upbringing influenced your career?
From a little girl, my heart has always been drawn to my Greek heritage. Those who know me, know the love I have for Greece and know how honoured and grateful I am that I was born into such a wonderful and amazing culture. There is this feeling inside me that I can’t describe every time I go back to Greece. The minute I get off the plane I feel like I am home even though I was born in Australia.
I can’t thank my parents enough for bringing me into this world as a Greek Australian. It has definitely influenced many things I have done, especially my career. The award I won is for them not me. It’s to thank them for all their sacrifices. It is to show them how grateful I am. I know how hard it was to come to this country with one suitcase leaving your family behind so that you can provide opportunities for your future family.
So, my success is their success and I aim to keep shooting for the stars so that I bring many more happy moments into their life because they deserve it. What our parents did for us is beyond words and I hope that my story inspires others to embrace their opportunities and turn them into many other successful stories. I am a proud Greek Australian and will always be.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I just want to thank the amazing people who have always been by my side: My husband, parents, sister, family, friends and clients. This award is for you and to thank you for the belief you have had in me throughout my journey. You are all blessings from God and words can’t describe how grateful I am. I would also like to thank Steve Loe and Precedent Productions for the amazing awards program they put on and the recognition they provide to businesses throughout the country.
Opening Doors has also made it to the 2022 Australian Women’s Small Business Champions Awards as a finalist for Most Outstanding New Business. The awards ceremony is being held on November 12 and I am hoping to make you all proud again.