Rebecca Levene - 'If you put your mind to it, you can achieve your dreams!'

I first heard about coaching through my cousin who went to see a coach after some big crossroads moments in her life. I found myself incredibly interested in the whole process and wanted to know everything about her sessions – I took this as a sign to investigate further, it was a scratch I just had to itch. This led to me being coached myself and also to The Coaching Academy’s (TCA) two-day Foundation in Life Coaching event in Manchester. I went to the event with an open mind and ended up loving the two days, I was super inspired by the things I learnt, the people I met and the options that were available to me. 

My training journey 

The TCA’s reputation and professionalism meant that, after some thought, it just felt right to do my coach training with them. I couldn’t quite believe that coaching was something I could potentially make a career out of. It felt so naturally aligned to who I am and the skills I had that had been taking for granted. Furthermore, the chance to gain a professional qualification and learn as much as I could about the art of coaching was not something I could turn away from. The universe was just throwing me so many signs. Before coaching I was a sales rep for a higher educational publishers and I travelled around the north of England visiting universities – it was never my calling, although I was pretty good at it, but after I had my little boy three years ago something changed in me and I realised I had to find a new direction that felt more me and more fulfilling. As soon as I found coaching, I knew I had to go for it. Leap and the net will appear, right?

The most rewarding part of my training was seeing my confidence grow as I coached people. I still get nervous before a session now, but it’s positive nerves instead of terror! Also, I enjoyed realising that, although you learn all the vital fundamentals of coaching on the Life Coaching Diploma, it is ok to bring your own personality and vibe to the session. As I grew in confidence, I found myself within the process too. When I receive good feedback from clients, it makes it all worthwhile too - that never gets old. I also use my coaching skills on myself, to get me out of negative internal monologues and it’s incredibly powerful.  

Looking forward 

I now have my own business coaching that is centred around coaching mums on career change confidence. I adore working with other mums not only because I can relate to the feeling of being lost and overwhelmed about your career after you become a mum, I can still vividly remember what that felt like. If it wasn’t for coaching, I don’t know whether I would be doing what I am doing now. I want to help mums in the same way that I was helped. And I am so proud of myself for gaining my qualification, as it shows you can change career direction at any time and at any age - there is no timeline that is relevant except your own. We are not in a race. If you put your mind to it, you can achieve your dreams! The impact on my life has been huge – I never thought I would have my own business, let alone change my career path entirely but look, I proved myself wrong on both counts. And I hate being wrong!

Rebecca’s top tips 

For people looking to qualify I would say don’t get hung up on that straight away – make sure coaching is right for you, go and see a coach, attend some free events, read books, listen to podcasts and immerse yourself in the world of coaching for a while. You will know if it is the right path for you. Always go with your gut about where you think you would best thrive and what feels like a good fit for you. I don’t regret choosing the TCA for a moment because I took the time to research and think about all my options first. To the untrained eye, coaching looks like a conversation but it is infinitely and wonderfully more than that. Learn about it properly and you and your clients will thrive. And to current TCA students – don’t get overwhelmed, keep up with your written work as you go along and make the skill your own. You are unique and your coaching should reflect that.