Meet Anne-Marie Zanzal | LGBTQIA+ Life & Business Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anne-Marie Zanzal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anne-Marie, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?

I came out to the LGBTQIA+ community in 2016. I was married for 26 years and had four kids. My Queer community is known as a “late bloomer” or “later in life lesbian.” I identify as both lesbian and Queer. My background is ordained ministry in the progressive Church of Christ, a clinically trained hospice chaplain, bereavement counselor, and adult development trainer.

There were literally no resources when I came out for my particular experience. I saw a need to use my professional background coupled with my personal experience in the LGBTQIA+ community to create something for the late bloomer. I created Anne-Marie Zanzal Coaching (annemariezanzal.com) and we provide content, support, and services for the late in life LGBTQIA+ community. I am also the admin of several large Facebook groups that helps this community for free. I also have a podcast Coming Out & Beyond that tells the stories of the LGBTQIA+ community. I deeply believe in the power of storytelling to educate, enlighten, and make us feel not so alone.

I have expanded my work to create a new program for other professional caregivers like me who want to create support and services for the communities they love. This is called Purposeful Empowerment. We help folks such as medical professionals, educators, therapists, social workers, coaches, etc make their business dreams come true. We help them start, build, and grow their business.

I help people embrace who they are authentically so the world will be a better place. Authentic people are happy people. They are also have a deep desire to help others and make the world a better place.

What should our readers know about your business?

I would like to focus on my new business Purposeful Empowerment.

After five years of working with the later in life community, I spent 2023 working on expansion. I created Purposeful Empowerment to work with other professional caregivers (like me!) who want to leave their mark on the world by providing support and services for the communities that speak to their heart. We help our clients become super clear and who they want to serve; embrace visibility; understanding the importance of branding; and value their worth.

I thought this would be an easy expansion as I had done this before! I had already built Anne-Marie Zanzal Coaching from scratch to where it earns well over six figures. I already had a social media following of 15,000. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

People knew me in one arena as a professional caregiver and now I had to introduce them to my business side. This is something you do not typically show when you are running business that is about emotional and spiritual support. So my following knew me as a caring and supportive person, they had never seen the business woman aspect of me before.

I also started a podcast to support this venture called Queer Business Success and taped over sixty shows before we released it. That was big mistake. I should have been a year or two into this newest expansion before I started business podcast. It took my focus away from creating a solid foundation for the new business. I have so many podcasts already recorded I was able to put this work on hold so I could return to the foundational work to help my business grow.

My story is unique. I did ALL of this AFTER 50. Before this I had always worked for someone else. I am someone who is not afraid of taking on a new challenge or change In fact in business I thrive on them. I believe that we need more LGBTQIA+ business owners, that our stories and services need to be seen, and that we need to show up as our full Queer selves in every aspects of our life. Owning our business is a way for us to achieve that goal. Those who become super success will also be able to invest money to change the systems of power that seek to undermine the LGBTQIA+ community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would play pickle ball at SheIby Park. The I would take them to Sixty Vine at the Assembly Food Hall in Downtown for pizza and a wine flight, followed by a stop at the Tiger Bar in East Nashville for an after dinner drink, following by a round of karaoke at Sid Gold’s Piano Bar in Inglewood.

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?
My shoutout is to my later in life community who has supported my business and supported me when I was a “newbie.” My chosen family in Nashville of other LGBTQIA+ women identifying folks who provide me with love and support. My wife Nashville photographer Tonda McKay who is the love of my life and biggest fan.

Website: annemariezanzal.com and purposefulempowerment.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemariezanzalcoaching/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariezanzalpurposefulempowerment/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amzanzal

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@annemariezanzal