What inspired you to enrol with The Coaching Academy?
I have always worked in Actuarial roles at Insurance companies and a few years ago I moved into a Team Leader position. It was at this point in my career that I embraced the management part of my role, supporting and developing my team members.
It was also at this time that I came across the term ‘coaching’. Coaching was completely new to me, so I started doing some research to understand what it was and booked myself on to the free Introduction course with The Coaching Academy.
At the end of the two days, I knew I’d found something I couldn’t walk away from.
I also knew that if I didn’t act at that moment I probably never would. So at the end of the course, I found myself at the back of the room scheduling in a telephone interview to enrol for not only the Life Coaching Diploma Diploma (PPD) but the NLP Practitioner course as well.
I had no clue as to how I’d fit all the work in around my full-time job and 2 young children, I just knew that these were life skills I wanted to have. One of the things we’d been told over the two days was that if you have your “why” then the “how” would work itself out … I was certainly going to test out this theory!
What was the most rewarding part of your coaching journey and how did you fit training into your busy life?
The most rewarding part of my coaching journey is the people that I have connected with. I have never met such a positive, energised group before.I have had many powerful conversations over the last couple of years, and I’ve come away with some wonderful friendships.
The NLP Practitioner course was the turning point for me. I did struggle with it at the start, realising I needed proof in order to believe.
Throughout the training I had to teach myself to “trust the process” and the power of finally letting go was life-changing. I learnt so much about myself and my limiting beliefs. I had been putting off my first coaching practical assessment because I thought I wasn’t ready as I still had so much to learn.
However, after completing my NLP course I’d changed my perspective (the more mistakes you make, the more you can learn) and I was ready to book it in. So I did, and I took so much away from the feedback it made the whole experience so enjoyable!
The theory around my “how” worked itself out and I fit all my training into my already busy life. After my first assessment, I set myself an achievable deadline for completing my PPD and stuck to it.
On reflection, I would say it came down to me having the right life-balance throughout my journey which enabled me to fit everything in.
Now that you’ve graduated, how are you using your coaching skills?
Near the end of my PPD, I realised this was now more than just life skills for me, I wanted to transform my career so I could fully utilise my new NLP and coaching skills.
Reflecting on the feedback I had gotten from my clients and others who had witnessed all or part of my journey, I realised I now believe I can do this as a career and that I absolutely love doing it too!
Since the start of 2020, I have reduced my hours in Actuarial work and am using the extra time to work as a Life-Balance Coach, helping people to achieve and maintain the life-balance that they desire. I certainly had to have the right balance in my life, continually aligning it as things changed, to get me to where I am today.
To be able to support others do the same thing in order to realise their dreams and aspirations is so rewarding!
What are your top tips for those currently in training with TCA?
I took longer to qualify than a lot of fellow TCA students that I knew or who I’d spoken to on accelerator training days. I had to work on my mindset when I saw others moving a lot faster than I was.
So, my top tip to those looking to qualify or are currently training to become a professional coach is to complete the training in the way that works for you and at your own pace!
Take your first step towards a rewarding & fulfilling Coaching career, just like Sarah did, with our Introduction to Life Coaching online training.
If you would like to know a little more about what Coaching is and how it can benefit you and the lives of others, or if you feel that Coaching could be a potential full or part-time opportunity for you, join us in this interactive training. 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.
