We are pleased to be featuring Olivia McQuillan as our Coach in the Spotlight in this week’s blog. Olivia is a qualified Coaching Academy Coach who left her corporate career behind to set up her own coaching business (Coach with Liv). She now lives and works from Curaçao in the Dutch Caribbean where she is living a life of adventure while coaching people across the world to feel happier, more balanced and find joy and fulfilment in their lives.
I first heard about coaching years ago in my first job out of university when my very scary boss talked about his ‘life coach’ – I remember thinking how much I’d like to be a fly on the wall in those sessions! Years later I had gone down a career path working my way up, but I just didn’t feel my work matched my skillset and it was not something I could see myself doing for years to come. I kept an open mind and was thinking of retraining; everything from a midwife to a pilot – then I stumbled across The Coaching Academy’s Intro to Life Coaching event and jumped in! My partner said he had never seen me so excited talking about work!
Most people become a coach to change the lives of others…how has coaching benefited your own life?
In one of my first coaching sessions when I was being coached by a colleague – I discovered my most important value was ‘connection’. Coaching gives me this feeling of connection in bucket loads, I feel connected to my clients in our 1 to 1 sessions, and I really felt a strong connection to the community of other coaches both through The Coaching Academy and beyond. I also feel a great connection to myself when I coach, I tap into my strengths as a listener, questioner, supporter, and challenger to help clients reach their goals.
Tell us about your journey as a TCA student…
Life was very busy, I moved abroad and back to London again and then I got a new, even busier job. I was ticking along with my studies, progressing, and coaching a few times a week but with a new job this became tricky. The Coaching Academy course is great as you can flex to your personal pace and study alongside life. Immediately after qualifying, I decided to jump full-time into coaching to see how far I could take it, how I enjoyed it and whether I could build a business.
What was the most rewarding part of your Coaching journey?
Being a beginner again and learning a lot of new skills as a newbie! As adults I don’t think we start new things enough, we continue in areas of expertise and experience and it was really challenging and rewarding to learn how to coach, set up a business, market myself & even build a website! That was a big life realisation too, that I can learn new, difficult things and apply myself in areas I had never imagined.
Tell us about the work you do, how are you using your coaching skills?
I work full-time as a career coach offering 1 to 1 coaching to clients around the world. Until recently, I was living in the Caribbean, and loved being able to work remotely from there. Having struggled myself in a career that felt misaligned, I love working with clients seeking career redirection and work satisfaction, we work together on aligning their career with the values and figuring out what they’re great at and what makes them feel their best. I also work with clients on leadership development, work-life-balance and confidence. All my clients want to fast-track positive change in their lives, get unstuck and improve their quality of life!
What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue a life coaching career?
Attend some webinars or live introductory days and see how you like it. I would also suggest reaching out to a few coaches for a chat to see if they can share some of their highs and lows. I have really enjoyed the ‘building a business’ side of things, but that is something to consider as it is not as simple as being a good coach. I would also add that it’s a flourishing industry globally, so I think things are going to be on the up for some time!
What are the best resources that have helped you along your coach training journey?
Definitely, The Coaching Academy’s Student Facebook group! Unlike some other social media groups, everyone is 100% lovely, always willing to help answer questions, and concerns and offer reciprocal coaching. It is a brilliant resource for advice from more experienced coaches and support from fellow students and graduates.
Thank you Olivia for sharing your coaching journey with us!
If you are feeling inspired and would you like to have a coaching business you can run from the comfort of your own home, then do join us on our Introduction to Life Coaching webinar - 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.
