Caroline Hallows - 'I was able to make sense of my own journey'

Caroline is now supporting others to navigate through tough times and is empowering others with coaching. We hope you enjoy her story. 

What brought me to coaching  

When I think back to Autumn 2017 things looked quite different in my life compared to how they are now. After the breakdown of family life, I found myself as a single parent, and although things for me and my then six-year-old son were very peaceful, it was not an easy journey.  

So when I came across an advert for the free Introductory weekend on life coaching by The Coaching Academy (TCA), I really had no hesitation in booking on to it. I have been interested in self-development most of my adult life, so it something I knew I would be interested in. However, I was also wary as I had had rather disappointing and negative experiences in the past with institutions that I won’t name here. 

These reservations were quickly squashed when I arrived at TCA’s course and I remember being struck by the high quality of the presentation, the knowledge and warmth of the speakers, and, perhaps most importantly, I was impressed by the calibre of the audience. I met so many likeminded people and resonated deeply with those around me, even though my own journey has been quite alternative and esoteric in many ways. As, although, I’m a trained teacher with a number of years’ experience in secondary schools teaching science and biology, I am also a trained in shiatsu therapy as well as craniosacral therapy.

While I was at the two-day event I started to realise how beneficial the coaching process would be. Both for me to be able to make sense of my own journey in some way, and then use that learning to eventually be able to help others. 

Knowing this was the right path for me

Before I started with TCA’s Life Coaching Diploma, there was a part of me that knew my self-development had become stagnant in some way. This was particularly felt after the traumatic split from the father of my son. Thankfully, the structured approach to the learning really suited me and gave me building blocks to focus on, whilst at the same time recovering my own life.

During my training I definitely learned how to speak up for myself. Which surprised me, as it was a skill that I thought I always had. However, it became apparent that it was a skill I needed to re-learn and apply more. 

So, it was probably no accident that Pam Lidford’s Values & Beliefs Accelerator Day was first live training that I attended. While I was there, I was able to experience her gentle yet fierce passion - it was very inspiring to watch her powerful yet quiet delivery of the material. On this first day I also met so many inspiring trainees, who have ended up being friends and colleagues to this day. And what journeys we have experienced together!  

The journey to qualification 

I enjoyed working through the workbooks, even though it was tough at the time, as it gave me the structure I was lacking in my life. I quickly started setting up practice sessions with the lovely coaches I met along the way. However, for me, the hardest part was slowly piecing together the GROW model process. As it was a lengthy piece of learning for me and because I am not a detail-oriented person it was a struggle at times. Despite this, I am grateful for the feedback from the practical assessments, mainly from TCA’s Kris and Jan – as I always felt supported and encouraged in my development. 

Also, during the training, I took on a full-time role in a college as a ‘progress coach’. This helped to bring back confidence in my teaching and mentoring abilities and also gave me the opportunity to use some of the materials with the students, such as the Wheel of Life, which they loved!

Where I am now 

After qualifying in the Life Coaching Diploma in May 2019, I decided to take a leap of faith and resign from my job to completely focus on my role as a qualified coach.  

During this time, I have also completely rewritten and published my own website, designed a logo which is based on the alchemical symbol for lapis lazuli.

My niche is very much about guiding people through Soul transformations and helping to navigate through challenging times. This niche came out of a very difficult time for me personally, but I think that this is often the way.  

Caroline’s top tips: 

My advice for those who are interested in coaching would be to try and embrace tough experiences and to not be afraid, as there are plenty of people to help and guide those who have walked a similar path.