Today's Coach in the Spotlight is confidence coach Daniel Findlay, who uses his own history of struggling with social anxiety to guide his clients into being confident in any social setting. Learn about his story, and get inspired, here.
I used to really struggle with anxiety and confidence issues. I tried lots of different methods to overcome this, however, nothing was sustainable. I decided to work with a coach and noticed the huge positive impact it had on my life; It gave me direction and clarity. I knew this was something I wanted to pursue.
Committing to studying with TCA has been the best decision I’ve ever made. The course was delivered to the highest standard and I was fully supported throughout. At first, I had in my head that I wanted to complete the course as quickly as I possibly could. However, as time went on I realised it was best to go at a slower pace. It took me about 18 months to complete the course and that amount of time allowed me to study and gain as much practical experience as I possibly could.
I loved how TCA combine both theory and practical, this meant when I graduated I was in the best possible place to excel as a coach. I also liked how TCA gave modules on setting up a coaching business and the practicalities involved. The people I met on my TCA journey are people I will be friends with for life.
My niche is social skills coaching. I work with introverts to help them improve their social skills so that they can lead a happy social life and excel in their career.
For years, I really struggled with social anxiety. I didn’t have much of a social life and used to stay home a lot. This was affecting both my personal life and my career. Working with a coach allowed me to have direction and I was taking regular action to improve both my confidence and social anxiety. I overcome this social anxiety and went on to lead a thriving social life, with many close friends. I knew that this was something I could help people with, as I lived it myself.
Many people suffer from social anxiety and a lack of social skills prevents them from advancing in their careers and doing the things they enjoy in their lives. The pandemic has caused more people to be at home than ever before, which means peoples social skills are deteriorating. My mission is to help as many people as possible to feel confident in social situations.
Within 6 months of graduating from TCA I was able to quit my job and do coaching full time. This came with challenges in the beginning and took a lot of persistent effort. If you stick at something and stay persistent over a period of time your life can really change in as little as 6 months.
There are a few things I would suggest to someone pursuing a career in life coaching:
Number one would be to get good training like I did, as this will give you the confidence and foundations to build your career.
Number 2 would be to hire someone who is a successful coach themself. This will give you that direction and save you time and money in the long run.
Number 3 would be to face up to your fears and take action to overcome them. When I first set up my coaching business I was scared to post on social media as I was worried about other people’s opinions. I faced this fear and now it feels normal to post. Often the thing we’re avoiding is the thing we need to be doing in order to grow.
Number 4- Have as many conversations as possible. This is key to getting coaching clients which is going to allow you to have a successful career.
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.
