Kate Bishop - 'Discover all you can about yourself'

Kate specialises in career and confidence and it’s her aim to make your Mondays feel as great as Fridays. In this interview she shares more about her journey to coaching, training with us and her insightful tips for people who are interested in coaching. 

What was your profession before becoming a coach?

I used to work in the events industry for a company that worked in temporary hospitality staffing - so I met lots of people at amazing events! I actually helped to build the company up from a tiny business to a thriving company, that was a key industry player, turning over £5million. This taught me so much about business, growth and people – both clients and employees. 

Before all of that, I was an actor!

How did you first hear about coaching?

A colleague of mine at the time attended the TCA Foundation in Life Coaching course and said I should check it out. They thought it would be beneficial for me because I did a lot of what was covered on the course, so I went along and loved it!

After attending the course what inspired you to enrol with The Coaching Academy?

A mini-revelation and gin! Halfway through the first day on the Foundation in Life Coaching course, I realised that coaching skills were the part of my job that I relished and that I wanted to do this full time. I then went for a drink with a friend and after several gins had decided to enrol to do two courses, leave my job and start my own business. My friend is still being held accountable!

What was the most rewarding part of your training/journey?

Having a huge variety of trainers with different areas of expertise and their motivation was invaluable. To be able to learn from the best in the industry was so inspiring and really kept me on track.

What did you learn about yourself along the way?

Oh so many things! Some good and some not and several that I am still working on but all of these lessons were very insightful. Before I started my training I had a belief that I was not academic and realised that doing both Diplomas with TCA was me trying to prove to myself that I was not stupid. Oh - and I realised I procrastinate!

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

I run my own business - Kate Bishop Coaching and I coach individual clients as well as facilitate and run workshops.

I also tend to use coaching skills every day just to find out information especially when networking or dealing with difficult people!

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

I focus on career confidence and coach one on one in this as well as run Impact and Confidence programs - I was delighted to work with the Prince's Trust recently and create a full Impact program of workshops and tools for them.

I am also now involved in workplace wellbeing and work with a lot of clients on resilience, stress-management and avoiding burnout. I went through a really tough time as well and I have a lot of friends and clients who have inspired me to delve into this area.

Can you share a client success story with us?

A client I worked with on improving her confidence to feel comfortable applying for senior roles recently contacted me to say she went for and got her desired promotion! After the Impact Program with the Prince's Trust three of the participants shared that they had interviewed for new roles in the organisation and have all got them. It felt fantastic to see how happy and proud they were and how far they had come.

What are your top tips for:

People who are looking to become qualified as a professional coach?

Talk to qualified coaches who have been in business for a while - I wish I had done this sooner to know I didn't need a logo or a website to start coaching.

When you start - just coach - even if you are not getting paid lots just keep doing it as many clients come through referrals

Those currently in training with TCA?

This is really Sarah Urquhart's (one of TCA’s trainers) tip! Read the final assignment paper before you start or if you have already started - read it now! 

Start creating a network of coaches as you will all have different niches and will come across potential clients for each other.

Enjoy it and discover all you can about yourself.

If you’re interested in finding out more about coaching just like Kate Bishop did, join our free Introduction to Life Coaching webinar. Upcoming dates here.