The SAVEDpreneur™ Spotlight: Lani Shaw, Esq., Founder of Coaching with Lani

Lani Shaw, Esq. has a rare gift: she can see your potential more clearly than you can — and she knows exactly how to help you catch up to it. As an ICF certified career and leadership coach, attorney, and speaker, she specializes in guiding high-achieving professionals through promotions, pivots, and periods of burnout with structure and intention. Her work sits at the intersection of clarity, confidence, and calling, and her message is one that every driven believer needs to hear: ambition and faith are not in conflict. You do not have to burn out to succeed. You just need a strategy rooted in purpose.

Let's lean in.

Tell us who you are and what is your God-driven purpose?

I am an ICF certified career and leadership coach, attorney, and speaker known for helping high-achieving professionals turn clarity into confident action. With a unique blend of legal expertise, executive leadership training, and ICF coaching principles, I specialize in guiding mid-career professionals through promotions, pivots, and periods of burnout with structure and intention. I am recognized for my ability to translate potential into practical strategy — helping clients move from feeling stuck or uncertain to positioned and prepared for their next level. I am also the founder of the Level Up with Coach Lani YouTube channel and the “Ask Coach Lani” weekly feature on Connected Woman Magazine.

My work centers on clarity, confidence, and sustainable success. I believe in giving yourself grace without lowering the standard, and I teach professionals how to pursue excellence without sacrificing rest or well-being.

Through coaching, workshops, and speaking engagements, I equip leaders to steward their skills, amplify their voice, and move forward with purpose.

My God-given talent is the ability to see potential clearly and turn it into purposeful action. I have a rare gift for helping capable people recognize their strengths, organize their thoughts, and move forward with confidence and strategy. Where others see confusion or overwhelm, I see opportunity and structure. I instinctively translate vision into steps, fear into focus, and ambition into sustainable progress. At my core, I am gifted in building people — calling them higher while giving them the clarity and tools to rise.

What was your first encounter with God and how did you know you were saved?

I grew up in a Baptist church in a small South Carolina town. My childhood was filled with Vacation Bible School, Sunday School lessons, choir rehearsals, and being baptized at a young age. Faith was always around me. Church was familiar. Scripture was familiar. Worship was familiar. But for many years, it was something I participated in because it was part of my upbringing.

At fifteen, that changed. I remember hearing a sermon that pierced my heart in a different way. It was no longer about routine or tradition. It became personal. I understood my need for forgiveness — not just in theory, but in truth. That day, I made an intentional decision to ask God to forgive my sins and I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior for myself. It was not just something my family believed; it was a choice I made.

I knew I was saved because I felt the weight of conviction lift and a new sense of clarity and peace settle in my spirit. My faith became my own.

Many of us want to be successful. What does success mean to you?

Success, to me, means balance. It means building a life where achievement does not come at the expense of peace, and where ambition coexists with joy. It is not just about titles, income, or recognition — it is about having the freedom to enjoy the life I am working so hard to create. Success looks like meaningful work, fulfilling relationships, rest without guilt, and the ability to be fully present in each season.

It also means giving back and helping others rise. True success is not something I hold onto; it is something I extend. If my growth, knowledge, and experiences can create clarity, confidence, or opportunity for someone else, that is success. For me, success is impact, stewardship, and living well while lifting others along the way.

What does having “vision” mean to you? What is your vision?

Having vision means seeing beyond where I am and being intentional about where I am going. It is the ability to look at my current circumstances, skills, and opportunities and discern what they can become. Vision is not just dreaming; it is direction. It is clarity about the life I want to build, the impact I want to make, and the legacy I want to leave. It requires faith, strategy, and the courage to act before everything feels certain.

My vision is to live a balanced, impactful life where I operate fully in my gifts while helping others do the same. I see myself building platforms that create clarity and confidence for high-achieving professionals, especially those navigating pivotal seasons in their careers. I envision sustainable success — where leadership and rest coexist, where ambition is guided by purpose, and where my work allows me to give back, mentor, and build community. My vision is not just personal advancement; it is influence with intention and impact that extends beyond me.

What does being a SAVEDpreneur™ mean to you? What is your kingdom assignment and how are you carrying out your assignment now?

Being a SAVEDpreneur™ means my faith is not separate from my entrepreneurship. It means I do not build for status alone, income alone, or visibility alone. I build from conviction. I lead from belief. My business is an extension of my values — it reflects integrity, stewardship, excellence, and service. Being a SAVEDpreneur™ means I pray over decisions, I seek wisdom before strategy, and I measure success by impact as much as revenue.

My Kingdom assignment is to help capable, high-achieving people recognize their God-given gifts and steward them well. I am called to bring clarity where there is confusion, confidence where there is doubt, and structure where there is overwhelm.

I am assigned to remind professionals that ambition and faith are not in conflict, that rest is not weakness, and that excellence can honor God. My work sits at the intersection of purpose and positioning.

I carry this out by coaching with integrity, teaching practical strategy, and modeling balance. I create frameworks that help people move wisely, not anxiously. I speak life while also teaching discipline. I build systems that empower others to advance without burning out. Through every workshop, coaching session, post, and platform, I aim to reflect leadership that is grounded, strategic, and anchored in faith.

What did God call you to build, and how did you know? What steps did you take to be obedient? How quickly did it take you to answer the call?

God called me to build a platform that develops people. Not just a business, but a structure where clarity, confidence, and calling intersect. He called me to build spaces where high-achieving professionals can grow without burning out, lead without losing themselves, and pursue excellence without compromising their faith. What I am building is more than coaching programs or digital products. I am building leaders. I am building systems that help people steward their gifts well. I am building influence rooted in purpose.

I know this is what He called me to build because the vision would not leave me alone. It was consistent. It aligned with my natural gifts — strategy, teaching, encouragement, structure. Doors began opening. Opportunities to speak, coach, and lead kept appearing. The more I leaned in, the more confirmation I received through impact, peace, and fruit.

When God gave me the coaching vision, I did not delay. I moved quickly. I enrolled in my coaching program and completed it in six months. I became certified that same year. I did not wait for perfect conditions or full clarity on every detail. I responded with obedience. I invested time, resources, and discipline into becoming equipped. I began serving before everything felt polished. I stepped forward in faith and allowed momentum to follow. Obedience for me looked like action — study, certification, launching, speaking, posting, inviting, building. I did not just pray about the vision. I partnered with it.

Where did obedience cost you something—money, time, identity, approval? And how did you handle the tension?

Obedience cost me comfort. It required me to step into something new while still carrying the responsibilities of my career, my reputation, and my existing commitments. It cost me time, energy, and financial investment. It meant late nights studying and building. It meant being seen before I felt fully ready. It meant risking being misunderstood by people who only knew one version of me. Obedience required me to stretch beyond the safety of what was familiar and proven.

It also cost me the illusion of control. When you move because God says move, you cannot micromanage outcomes. I had to trust that the vision came with provision. I had to release perfection and choose progress.

I had to silence doubt that asked, “What if this doesn’t work?” and replace it with faith that said, “What if this is exactly what you were called to do?”

I handled the tension by staying anchored. I prayed. I sought wise counsel. I reminded myself of the confirmation I had already received. I kept moving even when everything was not crystal clear. I allowed both ambition and surrender to coexist. The tension did not disappear overnight, but I learned to see it as growth. It stretched my faith, strengthened my discipline, and refined my confidence. Obedience was not easy, but it was aligned. God gave me the vision, and I honored it with action.

What upcoming projects are you working on that you want our readers to know about?

I am building a multi-layered platform rooted in clarity, confidence, and calling. I am growing my YouTube channel with strategic career content that educates and converts. I am expanding my speaking and paid training presence, delivering workshops and conference sessions that position me as a thought leader. I am developing and refining my signature coaching programs, digital guides, and leadership frameworks that help professionals pivot, get promoted, and avoid burnout.

I also host a weekly feature called “Ask Coach Lani” on Connected Woman Magazine, where I provide career advice to women navigating their professional journeys.

I am strengthening the systems behind my brand — building funnels, email strategy, and scalable infrastructure to support my growth. I am nurturing community across social platforms and creating spaces where high-achieving professionals can grow with intention. I am not just posting content; I am building a leadership ecosystem that blends faith, strategy, and sustainable success.

What is the best way for our readers to keep up with you?

YouTube: youtube.com/@levelupwithcoachlani

Website: www.coachingwithlani.com

Instagram: @exec_coachlani

Ask Coach Lani: https://connectedwomanmag.com/ask-coach-lani/