Leanne Cooper - Putting you first

How has coaching benefited your own life?

I am so incredibly passionate about coaching because it completely changed my life!

Coaching has supported me to reprogram my entire mindset, to figure out exactly where I wanted to be in life and to create a plan that got me there.

How did the qualification slot in with your busy life?

Achieving my goal of getting my coaching qualification in 12 months has been more challenging than I anticipated. I juggled studying and building my business with my demanding corporate job, my volunteer work with a mental health charity, caring for my two young boys (including homeschooling them for months on end due to COVID) and being hospitalised myself several times with a serious illness but I DID IT and I am so proud!

Being able to go at my own pace and plan my study time to suit me/my family meant that whatever challenges came up I was able to work around them and keep moving forwards.

What was the most rewarding part of your Coaching journey?

Without a doubt, it’s the people I’ve met along the way! I've been so fortunate to connect with some incredible fellow students through The Coaching Academy Students Facebook group who have been such an important part of my journey.

I would say to anyone starting out with their studies to get yourself out there straight away and start meeting your peers and practising on each other- don’t wait till you feel ‘ready’ or you will be waiting forever!

Tell us about the work you do! How are you using your coaching skills?

I founded my coaching practice You First Coaching because when I finally figured out that change was possible and that this forward-facing support of coaching existed (and worked!), I wanted other women to experience the transformational effects of coaching that I have experienced.

All too often I see women;

• Constantly putting everyone else’s needs before their own.
• Living their lives on autopilot, feeling unfulfilled, unhappy and stuck.
• Knowing deep down they are not meeting their full potential and that they are meant for more.

I am on a mission to put a stop to that! I am determined to help women to realise:

• It’s ok for them to put themselves first.
• They don’t have to settle or make do.
• They are capable of achieving anything that they are prepared to work for.
• Happiness is available for them and they wholeheartedly deserve it.

I’m so happy and grateful to be able to now support other women to go from feeling unfulfilled to being unstoppable through the power of coaching so they can live the lives they really want to be living too.

What’s the biggest area in coaching you are curious about and why?

There are so many opportunities in coaching. I have already done some CPD and become accredited in Wellbeing coaching and there is so much more I want to learn about but Positive Psychology Coaching is next on my list!

What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue a life coaching career?

Go for it! Coaching is so rewarding. From that moment your client realises what they are truly capable of achieving right through to when they are celebrating achieving it and all of the lightbulbs moments in between. There is nothing quite like coaching.

What are the best resources that have helped you along with your coach training?

You are your own best resource and so it’s important that you take care of yourself, particularly around your mindset. You can be the most capable person and most willing student with the best learning materials at your fingertips but if your mindset is not supporting you then you won’t get the results you want.

 Would you like to make a positive and lasting difference to others, just like Leanne 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.