What brought you to coaching?
A year ago I was looking for something to add on to and enhance my current work experiences. A Colleague had recently been to the two-day taster coaching workshops and rang me to say ‘I have found something that would be perfect for you’. I instantly looked into coaching and found that for my work experience and skills it would be an ideal add on. I too attended the taster training and signed up on the day for the Life Coaching Diploma Diploma, I was left inspired and ready to learn more!
What was your profession before becoming a coach?
I worked as a Performance and Contracts Manager, managing a large government contract in Employment and Skills. My background has been in management working in training, recruitment and HR over the last 15 years after graduating from university.
What did you find most interesting to learn?
How powerful your listening and questioning skills can be. It sounds simple but how multi-faceted these skills actually are. It has been fascinating to learn the variety of coaching techniques and how you can use this to really enhance your clients potential, tapping in to what is important to them and the milestones to get there.
What was the most rewarding part of the training/journey?
The most rewarding part of the training and the on-going journey is how you can support ordinary people from all walks of life, help them to make transitions, increase the space for a greater self-awareness and above all take actions to make things happen. Helping your clients achieve is the ultimate goal for both them and you.
Which bits did you enjoy the most?
Working with people, whether that’s face to face, over the phone and more recently on Skype, people like the interaction of someone that is supportive yet challenging. I have loved working with people!
How did the qualification slot in with your current life?
The Coaching Academy has designed the training to be as flexible as possible. The course is designed to fit around people who have other engagements, and by having a 24 hour log in it meant I could continue to study when the children were in bed, coach when they were at school and be assessed when it suited me. This made the course possible and achievable.
What else did you have to consider whilst qualifying?
How useful it is to start to build up your network and become more commercial in the market place. It’s great to achieve the qualification and the Coaching Academy provided some excellent marketing DVD’s to help you think about those next steps to set up your own business.
Where are you now? How are you using your coaching skills?
I qualified in July 2015 and have since set up two coaching ventures. I have my own coaching practice where I specialise in public sector coaching and Life Coaching Diploma within this sector. I have personal coaching clients through this and am building this portfolio up and also have a contract with Birmingham City Council coaching their service users.
In addition to this I have formed a partnership which specialises in coaching women who have taken a career break and or a maternity/extended maternity break and looking to re-launch their careers again and i have also been working with employers to enhance their process for maternity coaching.
What are your top tips for:
People who are looking at coaching as a career?
Explore the coaching process, attend the 2-day free taster event and work out how you will benefit and how you will help others.
Those coaches currently in training?
Keep practicing keep coaching and get feedback. The more coaching you do the more you learn. Practice all methods of coaching, to include Skype and face to face and telephone coaching.
Coaches that are about to qualify?
View the marketing DVD’s and start to whilst completing the remaining parts of your Diploma think about how you can use your training in business if you are looking to set up your own business.
What is your favorite coaching question?
What would tomorrow be like if you were to let go of this belief?
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.
