Combining the two strands of my business successfully. Making a significant difference in a large number of young folk’s lives. Helping them with challenges ranging from extreme anxiety over exams to deciding whether their current career is for them. At the same time, working with the S end of SMEs to grow and develop their businesses while still having time for their families and friends.
To keep getting the coaching word out there and encourage people to take that plunge and, to quote Bev ‘Do It or Ditch It!’
Listen to the people you meet and give them your full attention. Answer the questions they actually ask and make sure you do the best job you can with each client you work with. Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool you can have. It’s how I get all my work.
Put yourself ‘out there’. It’s no use being the best kept secret in your area. Join networking groups, go to events you're invited to and show them who you are. If a person doesn’t want to work with you, that’s fine. It would be beyond hard work and not everyone is for everyone.
Age isn’t important. I know a number of people who worry they are too old or too young to coach or be coached. It’s all about personalities and the ability to communicate effectively. Be yourself – it’s the most attractive you’ll be in my experience.
That’s a hard one. At the moment I'm a bit of a Malcolm Gladwell junkie. ‘Blink’ is probably my favourite of his. For coaching young people then it would be ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers’ by Sean Covey. He rewrote his father’s book with teens in mind and it has pictures. I've actually read this version right through and recommended it to many others of all ages.
Humphrey Walters. Amongst many things he worked with Sir Clive Woodward to get the England rugby squad on track. To push himself out of his comfort zone he completed ‘The Toughest Yacht Race in the World’. There are many phrases and ideas from his talk he gave that I use regularly. I also had the honour of speaking with him after his presentation.
For luxuries I would need/want an ipod with a range of music on it; some nice smelling lotion or cream (maybe with sun protection in it); comfy shoes for those treks into the forest.
Anywhere that includes my family. In terms of actual place, the British coastline.
Become the first female Venture Scout in the area where I lived (I was 16). Unusual as I don’t tend to be a trail blazer!
Waking up every morning and thinking ‘Hurray! I'm looking forward to what the day holds’.
Seeing the positive and long lasting impact it has on individuals and teams.
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.
