Coach in the Spotlight - by Judith Quin

What brought you to coaching?

I’d occasionally been helping people with their vocal confidence and public speaking skills for a few years and one of my massage clients, who writes training programmes, asked me to take her through how I work to see if I might be able to help her with a new programme.

She had trained with The Coaching Academy and as I took her through my process she said “Have you had coaching?” (‘No.’) and “Have you had coaching training?” (‘No.’) “What you’re doing is coaching – if you trained you might be able to expand your work” – she gave me the details of the free 2-day introductory weekend, I went along, signed up for a diploma and it’s paid back in spades…



What did you find most interesting to learn?

The most interesting thing was that you don’t need to know anything about your client’s topic, that the coaching skills were completely transferable between my varied case-study clients and their different challenges, mindsets and circumstances.

Which bits did you enjoy the most?

Helping people change their lives. One of my case studies had lived with severe depression and anxiety for over ten years, her feedback said; “When I first started I wasn’t getting out of bed, or embracing life at all… for years I’d been receiving all different types of therapy, always looking to others for answers. Working with Judith (or as I like to call her; my fairy godmother) made me realise that I have all the answers within. …. Coaching in my opinion is: productive, personal and positive problem solving.”

Seeing her take responsibility for making positive changes in her life kept me working hard at my training.

She is now working a full-time job, saving to move out of home and taking more responsibility for her emotional connections. An incredible transformation from the young woman living off her parents, staying in bed eating chocolate and watching TV whilst letting her relationships with men dictate her emotional state.

I also found that the accelerator days were essential in boosting my motivation. Being surrounded by people going through the same things, being able to share experiences, learn from those further ahead and support those just starting out was a great feeling.  

Where are you now? How are you using your coaching skills?

I am working with the public as a vocal confidence specialist and life-coach, am about to run my 4th public Vocal Confidence one-day workshop, I run group workshops and seminars on public speaking and presentation skills, have private coaching clients, have been invited to speak at several events, am about to have my first article published for a magazine and have completed the first draft of my mini-coaching book.

I also have corporate clients who book me to work with their teams either 1:1 or in workshops on public speaking and presentation skills.

What is your coaching niche and why did you chose it?

Vocal confidence coaching; helping people to find their voice and have the confidence to use it in front of others. When people ask about ‘choosing’ a niche, I think your niche finds you, mine combines my acting skills, with my holistic healing awareness and has been hugely enhanced by the skills I have learnt through training as a coach. 

What is your favourite coaching question?

My favourite coaching question is a two-parter: “How long have you been living with this?” followed by “What will your life be like when it has changed?” – it helps bring a client to an awareness of the real effect of whatever it is they want to change and encourages conviction and motivation to do so.

What do you enjoy most about being a coach?

Coaching changes people’s lives on a much deeper and more permanent level than I expected; to receive feedback like: “I wished I had met Judith early in life. It would have saved me lots of sleepless night” re-enforces my passion and belief in what I’m doing. 

What are your top tips for people who are looking at coaching?

If you are thinking of coaching, know that even if you don’t use coaching in your work, or to create your own business, it will change the way you live your life.  You won’t look at challenges the same way and will be forever asking yourself open questions and setting goals.