What brought you to coaching?
I had a great career in HR and did some coaching. I never actually did a qualification but I always dreamt about doing it and being able to leave the corporate world and start up on my own. Somehow though it’s more difficult to try something new when you’ve got a lot to lose.
But then I had my family – triplets! I did go back to work part-time when they were babies but I couldn’t see it working long term so that was my catalyst to revisit the coaching. I enrolled on TCA’s Life Coaching Diploma and that’s when my coaching journey with TCA began!
How did you fit coach training into your busy life?
Being honest, I went into it thinking - well I’ve coached before, surely this will be easy? But there was so much more to it than I thought, and although I knew about the GROW model I soon realised I hadn’t been applying it in the best way I could.
I quickly saw that without a strict deadline the course could easily drift. So once I stopped working I decided to complete it in 12 months. That was still quite challenging, given everything you have to do, and the fact that I had triplets! But I was really disciplined and broke it down into monthly goals to keep on track – e.g. how many coaching sessions and training to do each month.
Which bits did you enjoy the most?
My favourite part was the Accelerator Days – they really helped to motivate me and keep me on track – and I met some fantastic people, who were great to share the journey with. With a young family it was brilliant that I could study at home, but I did tend to get distracted studying at home. It’s not my natural preference to work on my own for long periods so I found it quite hard! I often used to take myself out of the house – I found it more motivating being in a busy café rather than sitting at home on my own, looking at all the washing that had to be done! I also used to sit down on a Sunday night and block out chunks of time that week that I could study or coach. I found that if I didn’t plan it in – it didn’t happen!
There were a couple of times I forgot to book the training days in time so that extended my timeline. For one I ended up travelling to Liverpool so I wouldn’t miss my course deadline – it was worth it! Actually it was a lovely experience as the class was much smaller.
Although the practical assessments were challenging, I can honestly say they were the most valuable part of the whole course. The feedback was so motivating and it was great to hear where I needed to improve. My advice would be, don’t put these off!
Where are you now? How are you using your coaching skills?
So now I’m qualified and I have a business! During the course I was debating what my niche could be. I kept thinking about the advice that it should be personal to you, and something you are passionate about. I kept coming back to the fertility journey that I had been through. It had taken me 10 years to get pregnant, and it was a very private and lonely journey. The emotional support I was given by the medical teams was non-existent and there wasn’t really anyone I could talk to who understood what I was going through.
How did you find your coaching niche?
The more I thought about it, the more I knew there was something in this. If you’re trying to get pregnant you definitely have a clear goal, and you are very motivated - I know I was! I started speaking to people about it and they all thought it was a great idea – and nearly everyone said ‘I know someone who’s going through that’. So I was pretty convinced there was a market out there. I started having a few fertility practice clients and I could see they were really benefiting.
And so in January I set up my business – Lisa Ashworth Fertility Coach. I now support women who are going through a fertility journey. I help clients get clear about their plan for their journey and get their mindset under control. So often, I see people doing everything right on the outside but their head is all over the place, and this holds them back. I am absolutely loving it. I’m so passionate about helping these women, and I can see that they have real benefit from sharing their journey with me.
So looking back my 3 tips would be:
1. Set yourself a deadline to complete the course, and stick to it! Break it down with smaller goals each month.
2. Book your first practical after about 8 sessions – you will learn so much from the feedback.
3. Find a niche! And one that you are passionate about…
If Lisa's words have inspired you and you feel that Coaching could be a potential full or part time opportunity for you, or if you would just like to know a little more about what Coaching is and how it can benefit you and the lives of others, please contact our Specialist Course Advisor, Jamil on 0208 996 4830 or email: Jamil@the-coaching-academy.com
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