Releasing people into their authentic selves...

I’m not sure I chose my niches, but rather that my niches found me! Once I’d completed my Life Coaching Diploma training in 2012 I asked my practice clients for feedback and the consistent theme from them all was they felt so much more confident having worked for me. I knew I was onto something…

Roll forward a few years and as an established and successful confidence coach I was then approached to do some corporate work and I haven’t looked back. I now also specialise in executive leadership & team building training and coaching which is the most exciting and rewarding work on the planet. So I have two niches; executive coaching on the corporate side and confidence coaching on the private side but, of course, the same coaching principles apply so the two work very well together.  

In essence I see my role as a coach as twofold; firstly, to create a safe enough space for my clients to feel they can trust me with the truth. Then to help them see their situations/challenges/relationships/goals/past in a new light in order that they can then progress. I am constantly amazed at the power of enquiry both on an individual and group level. Often I just have to sit back and let the questions do the work. I coach in these niches because I genuinely love the impact I can have on someone else’s life.

All coaching is about digging for the truth and so often people are trapped in “shoulds”, “societal expectations”, “legacy events” and limiting beliefs. What a thrill it is to watch people flourish and become amazing, confident leaders guiding their teams to success!  

On the confidence side, I dragged around my own very negative self image for many, many years but, through coaching and some therapy,  this is no longer the case for me and my life has changed dramatically as a result.  However, I need to keep reminding myself (as well as my clients) of the principles and practices of genuine confidence so in no small way it serves me to stay in this space.  The most exciting and rewarding bit is that I get to see people released into their authentic selves which is honestly the best thing ever because I know they will continue in their lives feeling a lot better about who they are and a lot more able for their lives.

I believe that we all have something powerful and important to give to this world but so many people are prevented from doing so because they are afraid or lacking in self belief.  So it’s vital that we coaches help people to shake off their low self esteem in order that they start giving to the world what we all need from them. I do not want to see another life wasted due to low self esteem - it’s too important for us all that we raise everyone’s confidence!

My three top tips for working in executive coaching are:

1. Get some corporate experience yourself - It’s so important that you have commercial insight in order to fully appreciate the challenges your clients are facing. You don’t need to know how to do their jobs (that’s their responsibility) but you do need to be able to understand the context.
2. Read self-help, psychology, personal development and leadership books - as many as you can get your hands on! Then start to formulate your own ideas based on what you’ve learnt and your experience as a coach. And keep reading - there’s always more to learn.
3. Invest in your brand and your marketing - I have always had a pretty full coaching practice and I’m sure that’s due in no small part to the fact that I have invested in a great website and digital marketing support. I also take my social media presence seriously by posting regular reels on Instagram and TikTok (many young corporate clients have found me on there) and trying to be active on LinkedIn. I don’t look upon these as sales tools but more as information giving platforms that introduce people to me and my brand. This strategy of giving and educating online without any expectation of a return has, in fact, produced a full diary for many years now.

Becoming a coach changed my life and I’m a better mother, partner and friend as a result. I love my job and if you are someone who enjoys helping others and wants to see people shine then I would definitely encourage you to give coaching a go. I often encourage my junior leaders to get trained in coaching skills because they are so life changing and relationship enhancing.  If you decide to develop a career in coaching as I have then I can only say positive things about it.  

Coaching has given me the ability to carve out a hugely successful career on my terms. I have a fabulous work-life balance, exciting, impactful career and I even won a big award (Executive Coach of the Year) for my work a few years ago which was a real 'pinch me' moment.   I am a published author (“Flying For Beginners: A Proven System for Lasting Self-Confidence”) and have a new podcast out this year “Tell Me Who You Really Are” - in which listeners get to eavesdrop on the intimacy of live coaching sessions,  so coaching has also allowed me to develop as a person.

Above all,  it’s an honour to work with people in such an intimate way and to help them flourish.  

If you are feeling inspired and would you like find out more about training to be an Executive Coach you might be interested in our free webinar Insight Into Corporate and Executive Coaching - choose from available dates here.