What inspired you to enrol with The Coaching Academy?
Tired of cramming my self-development and passion projects into spare time, I decided to take a leap of faith and leave my corporate role of 11 years.
I had encountered Coaching through various books and videos over the years but wanted to learn more about it, what it actually was and if it actually worked! I signed up for The Coaching Academy's Introduction course knowing that there was nothing to lose – at the very least it would be the opportunity to meet some interesting people and come away with a few tools to use.
After day one, I was hooked and wanted to learn more. The next week, I booked onto the Life Coaching Course course.
What was/is your profession before becoming a coach?
Up until January 2019, I worked for a global information-content and technology company with roles including new business development, training and project management.
Either side of the 9-5 I was a dancer, fitness instructor and in the process of setting up a social enterprise called Centre Myself, which takes a fun and holistic approach to increasing confidence in teenage girls.
What was the most rewarding part of your training/journey?
The Accelerator days alone give you an opportunity to connect with some of the most interesting and supportive people you’ll ever meet – all with different skill-sets and backgrounds.
The training also generates a lot of self-discovery that I didn’t anticipate. You learn so much about how you connect with others and the importance of creating a space for deep understanding. Being able to witness the progression of clients following a period of coaching is one of the best parts of the ongoing journey.
How did you fit coach training into your busy life?
As many of my clients were in full-time employment, sessions would usually take place in the evening. I would use train or coach journeys to read the recommended texts and listen to recorded webinars repeatedly whilst getting ready in the morning or cooking meals.
I had planned to resign from my corporate role in 2019, building up my savings to sustain me whilst I dedicated time to developing myself and my projects. This was a huge step for me as I discovered that one of my default settings was a need for security!
As the Universe would have it, I handed in my notice the week after TCA free taster weekend. Although this gave me flexibility, I still had to make a conscious effort to allocate time to the training as I was also writing a book and developing Centre Myself at the time.
Where are you now?
I launched my website, marissamccallam.com, earlier this year. Here, people can access 1-1 coaching, my online community and blog ‘Wishing Only Love’ which explores how we can make things unnecessarily complicated for ourselves.
Since 2018, Centre Myself has run several successful programmes across school and community settings, it recently held its first live virtual session and is currently piloting an online course. Using many different tools, including Coaching, the platform promotes the idea that it is possible to live a consistently peaceful and happy life, whilst nurturing the faith girls have in their ability to make informed choices.
How are you using your coaching skills?
Throughout my life, I have seen people denying themselves progress through lack of confidence and beliefs instilled in them from a young age. It's amazing how much you can learn from talking with others, sharing experiences and resources, and being asked really powerful questions I use Coaching to help people discover what they want, decide how to get it and believe they deserve it.
What is your coaching niche and why did you choose it?
My own personal and self-development journey has led me to become a Body and Mindset Coach. I’ve undertaken studies in Positive Psychology, Resilience and Treating Anxious and Intrusive Thoughts.
Through changing the way I thought about things and using physical movement, I overcame 15 years of depression and anxiety. I truly believe that by connecting with our bodies and using simple tools to change our mindset, it is possible to be confident, calmer and consistently happier.
What are your top tips for:
People who are looking to become qualified as a professional coach?
Ask yourself why you want to qualify – if it’s for a certificate to ‘fix people’ you might want to question your motivations! If it is truly calling you, invest in decent resources and, more importantly, yourself.
Those currently in training with TCA?
1. Get yourself a Coach as soon as possible - having a support network can make the process a lot smoother.
2. Be proud of you. Keep reminding yourself that you are unique and this will enable you to connect with a client in a way that another person would not be able to.
3. Do the paperwork as you go! Your Future-Self will thank you for it. Nobody needs to be sat at their desk at 3 am trying to recall a session they had 2 months ago...
Take your first step towards a rewarding & fulfilling Coaching career, just like Helen did, with our Introduction to Life Coaching online training.
If you would like to know 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 live 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.
