Amelia Kirk - Lockdown, a catalyst for change

As I first sat to write this it was 1 year to the day since the health club I worked in closed its doors for the last time ahead of lockdown.

I had been on the Introduction to Life Coaching training just one week before and with lockdown creeping ever closer I hurried to secure my place and get signed up for the Life Coaching Diploma.

It was a huge catalyst for change.

Before training to be a coach I had reached absolute burnout within my career as an Operations Manager at the largest luxury health club in Europe.  I was exhausted, tired and overwhelmed. I had taken a 6-month sabbatical to travel and inject what I thought was balance into my life only to realise I was trying to fix the symptom not digging deeper into the actual problem and knowing I need to make some drastic changes.

I didn’t know when I would be returning to work so I threw myself into my studies as I was furloughed so studying became my full-time job during the first lockdown.  Within 2 weeks of opening my books, I had organised 4 practice clients and was getting the coaching sessions underway as I knew that my confidence would only come with taking that action and practising!

Please listen to what TCA say and do your paperwork as you go along. I did and it made it so simple to keep on track of where I was and what still needed to be done and also to reflect upon my progress. Your LRS is a really valuable tool as it forces you to reflect and taking a moment to really become aware of how much you have progressed keeps building your confidence.

Don’t be afraid of booking that first practical either! The feedback is so valuable!

By the time it reached the Summer of 2020 I had only 1 Accelerator training left and I had already completed all my coaching hours but was still finishing my recorded assessments. I decided now was the right time for me to build my business. I initially planned to wait to do this until I had qualified but understanding that getting out there and doing things is such an important part of learning I decided to treat my business in the same way!

I launched my website and IG and decided to tentatively start taking on paid clients.  This was at a very reduced rate but for me it was so vital to helping me to take myself and my business seriously, to help me start having conversations about money.  Our fears around money are there whether it’s £10 a session or £100 a session so start facing some of those limiting beliefs head-on!

By the end of the Summer, I left my full-time role to concentrate on coaching full time.  It was around this time that I also invested in business coaching for myself.  I had been doing reciprocal coaching and had some fantastic experiences with TCA colleagues but I knew that if I was going to take my business to the next level I needed to truly believe in the power of coaching and invest in my own coach as well!

By January I had submitted my PDJ and was just waiting to hear on my final results.  I had found a niche relatively early on in my journey but I realised that it wasn’t specific enough at all, but don’t panic.  It genuinely will evolve with you over time. 

Follow your interest and see where it takes you!

I was working with women on life balance, this then morphed into helping women let go of people-pleasing and perfectionism as I discovered through my coaching that these were the things that were stopping us from getting the balance we wanted.  

Since qualifying at the start of the year my focus has solidified in that I am now primarily working with women to help them overcome the overwhelm of starting a new business. 

I use my 4 key principles of Perspective, Prioritisation, Planning and Prevention to transform their mindset and enable them to build a business with balance at its core and create a life that they love.

This incorporates helping women let go of people-pleasing and perfectionism, cultivate courage and confidence and build boundaries, habits for success and a clear plan to move them forward.

I successfully launched my first ever group program The Balanced Business Blueprint this month and I am delighted to be taking 8 wonderful women on a journey to create their personal blueprint for their balanced business.

I have also recently taken on the role of Head Support Coach for the “Uncover your Dream Career” Program from Fiona Moss and manage a team of support coaches which is an incredible way for me to keep growing and developing.  I also run my own personal development book club, I’ve featured on a number of podcasts and regularly collaborate with other coaches to continue to grow my network and build my authority.

Now nearly 18 months after first doing the introduction weekend I have impacted 100s of women through my coaching, my personal development book club as well as workshops and webinars I have been invited to host.

I am so excited for the rest of my journey and helping even more women overcome the overwhelm that holds them back from going after what they want!

Who do you want to be when lockdown is over?  

Would you like to make a positive and lasting difference to others, just like Amelia does?

Would you like to have a coaching business you can run from the comfort of your own home?  The free Introduction to Life Coaching training sessions are available for you to join. They are interactive, informative and designed to help you understand if training to be a life coach is for you.

Take positive action, project forward and plan for a year to remember for all the right reasons. Choose from available dates here.