What has led you to coaching?
For quite a few years I’d been feeling stuck and unfulfilled in my career, and as a bit of an imposter because I just wasn’t passionate about the things I was “supposed” to be passionate about in my role.
I finally reached a point where I decided life was too short to not be spending my time doing something I really enjoyed and signed up for an online group career change programme. This was not only my first experience of coaching, but it helped me connect with what I was good at and felt passionate about, which is supporting others to move forwards.
Most people become a coach to change the lives of others… How has coaching benefited your own life?
Coaching has benefited my own life in so many ways! Being coached myself really opened up my eyes to how many amazing possibilities there are out there, and the fact that the main things holding me back from having the life and career I wanted were my own thoughts and assumptions.
I’ve made some big positive changes in my life as well as my career, and have really embraced the mantra of “ask for what you want, rather than what you think you can get.”
My journey through my coaching diploma and building my business has also massively expanded my comfort zone and my self-belief, and I get so much joy and fulfilment from supporting my clients to create the life and career they dream of and deserve.
How did the qualification slot in with your busy life?
With some dedication and planning the qualification slotted reasonably easily into my busy life! I was able to dedicate a few hours a week to study, and fitted in coaching sessions on an evening. I looked ahead to which Accelerator Days I wanted to attend, and make sure I put those in my calendar, along with the deadlines for submitting the evidence before them.
I completed a lot of my qualification before the pandemic struck, and actually, everything moving online, and being able to record practical assessments rather than doing them live, made it easier to fit my final bits of study around other things.
What was the most rewarding part of your Coaching journey?
It’s obviously hugely rewarding to support my clients to achieve their goals and create positive changes in their lives, but I think the other most rewarding part of my Coaching journey has been the amazing friendships and connections I’ve built along the way.
It’s amazing to think about how many relationships I’ve built in the last 12 months, given we haven’t been able to meet people face-to-face! Having people in my life who support, cheerlead and challenge me is massively beneficial, and I aim to be that person for my peers as well as my clients.
Tell us about the work you do! How are you using your coaching skills?
I set up my career and life coaching business in September 2020. I’m passionate about helping frustrated and unfulfilled mid-career professionals to get unstuck and create more purpose, fun and freedom in their lives and careers!
I generally work with individuals who have done everything they thought they were supposed to do, they’ve ticked all the boxes and created what looks like a successful life and career from the outside, but from the inside, they are wondering “Is this it? Surely it’s supposed to feel better than this?”.
I support them to reconnect with what is important to them, get clear on what they want, and create the mindset and action plan they need to create a life and career that feel as good on the inside as they look from the outside.
What’s the biggest area in coaching you are curious about and why?
The biggest area in coaching that I’m curious about is mindset and how our brains work!
It’s absolutely fascinating to me, and I also feel that understanding more about how our minds work and the habits and strategies we can build into our lives to really get our thinking and our beliefs working for us rather than against us is fundamental, both for me in supporting my clients to do that, but also for myself in building my business and creating the life I want.
I’d hazard a guess that the biggest thing stopping most of us from being, doing and having what we really want in life is our own thinking, those deep-seated beliefs and the stories we tell ourselves. If we can turn those around then the world really is our oyster!
What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue a life coaching career?
If it’s something you feel really passionately about and keep being drawn back to, then do it!
Completing a recognised qualification can be beneficial in multiple ways, both in giving you credibility (in your own head as well as others!) and in giving you the structure and support to grow your skills, experience and confidence.
And don’t spend too much time worrying about the future, just keep taking one step at a time in a direction that feels good to you. Build a good support system around you, and also invest in some coaching for yourself if you haven’t already, so you can experience the power of coaching and investing in yourself for yourself.
What are the best resources that have helped you along your coach training?
The best resources that helped me along my coach training were other trainee coaches!
Supporting each other with reciprocal coaching, sharing our learnings and general cheerleading, along with the wonderful meet-ups that are available.
Would you like to have a coaching business you can run from the comfort of your own home? The free Introduction to Life Coaching training sessions are available for you to join. They are interactive, informative and designed to help you understand if training to be a life coach is for you.
Take positive action, project forward and plan for a year to remember for all the right reasons. Choose from available dates here.
The Coaching Academy was established in 1999, and is now the world's largest coaching school.
In that time we have trained over 14,000 people to become life coaches.
We are accredited by the International Coach Federation and the Association for Coaching, and we're rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
