Our Coach in the Spotlight this week is Laura Jeffs who resonated instantly with the idea of a career in coaching. She fit training and studies around her full-time job and is now focused on building her budding business as a Parent Coach. Read Laura's inspiring journey below!
What inspired you to enrol with The Coaching Academy?
After reaching a crossroads in my life, I decided to attend The Coaching Academy's free two-day Introduction course in November 2018 and I have never looked back! Within a couple of hours, I had an incredible feeling that I was in exactly the right place. The whole concept of coaching resonated with me so much that I enrolled on the Life Coaching Course that same day!
What was your profession before becoming a coach?
My most recent employment was running a travel company with my family - something that I absolutely loved! However, with a background and degree in Psychology, and a varied employment history centred around support and guidance, I did not doubt that a career as a coach was the way forward.
What was the most rewarding part of your training/journey?
I thoroughly enjoyed the live training days and the informative (and hugely entertaining!) way that training took place - the trainers made the days so enjoyable. However, for me, the most rewarding part of the journey has been the wonderful fellow coaches I have met along the way. I was lucky enough to find a wonderful support network of students, and be able to discuss and practice our coaching techniques.
How did you fit coach training into your busy life?
As the training can be completed at your own pace, it was ideal to fit around my day-to-day life. The webinars run three times a day, so it was great for me to be able to attend them during the evening. I also carried out the majority of my coaching hours during late afternoons/evenings, which allowed me to maintain a good work/life balance.
Where are you now? How are you using your coaching skills?
I qualified in December 2019, and am now working at building up my coaching practice. I will be focusing on Parenting Mindset, and working with parents who feel they need support in their journey. I feel that a positive support network is vital when raising children and the opportunity to discuss/work through barriers can be beneficial to the whole family.
What are your top tips for people who are looking to become qualified as a professional coach/those currently in training with TCA?
Go for it! if you feel that coaching could be a part of your life, try out the Introduction course - you’ve got nothing to lose by just going along and listening to the information.
For those currently in training, my first tip will always be….stay on top of the paperwork! It can take a little more time after a session/webinar/etc., but it will be so much easier to stay on track if you complete your record sheets as soon as possible. Also, don’t put off your practical assessments - they are a great way to get feedback on your coaching progress!
If you're interested in finding out more about coaching, just like Laura did, start by joining us in our interactive live webinar. Choose from available dates here.
The Coaching Academy was established in 1999, and is now the world's largest coaching school.
In that time we have trained over 14,000 people to become life coaches.
We are accredited by the International Coach Federation and the Association for Coaching, and we're rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
