This week's Coach in the Spotlight is Sarah McGeough. Sarah is a children's author, who after training to become a life coach with The Coaching Academy, realised that her perfect niche would be becoming a Book Coach alongside her writing career - she now helps budding authors realise their dream of writing a book!
After we adopted our son, I made the decision to leave my job as it was important for me to focus on being a mum. I realised after a few years that I missed being able to use my brain; as I always enjoyed the excitement of managing a project and working closely with people.
As a new parent, it was challenging finding a job to fit around my family needs and I felt I’d lost my own identity. I desperately wanted to find a way to utilise my skills, balance my home life and find something to reignite my spark again. I came across The Coaching Academy's free Introduction to Life Coaching event. As soon as I had finished the first part, I knew this was what I had been searching for. Kris Robertson was so enthusiastic, and I wanted to sign up straight away. I came away with a buzz of excitement and it was wonderful connecting with others.
Coaching has opened my eyes wider. I see everyone differently, am keen to get to know people I meet at a much deeper level and really take the time to listen. Listening is a key skill that we should never, ever take for granted. It makes the difference between being present and being distracted by the busyness of life. Becoming a coach has transformed my life beyond measure, allowed me to find my passion again, made me live with more intention and I can honestly say I feel fulfilled with every element of my life. I have a new level of understanding and compassion which has made me an all-round better person.
When I first started in 2019, it was relatively easy to slot into my life, however the COVID pandemic hit in 2020 so everything changed, as although the world paused, it felt stressful. I missed my connection with other coaches face-to-face and found this time challenging. Thankfully, I was able to re-focus and was excited to qualify with distinction in June 2021.
I’d say three things, firstly the connection with coaches and the lasting friendships I have built. Having support from other students, both as part of the reciprocal coaching and within the TCA Student Facebook Group was a vital part of my coaching journey, as we are all going through the journey together. Secondly, learning new skills has to be high on my list as I feel I have evolved and grown as a person. The biggest reward by far has to be finding my love and passion for writing. It was buried deep inside, but it’s out there flourishing now.
I had a eureka moment, after a coaching session with my Coaching Academy mentor! I became a children’s author in 2020 and launched my first book, Eddy Finds a Family to help all young children understand adoption. I now have published two books so far (The Flamingo Family), four short stories, have endorsement from Adoption UK and I am developing a school pack and greetings cards next year. I love exploring where writing can take me, but I still wanted to establish a coaching business of my own. Of course, it was an obvious choice after my discussion with my mentor. Helping people is what I love to do, so becoming a book coach was an obvious choice. I have to juggle my time a lot nowadays as I’m so busy, but I’m keen to develop my coaching business called Write Now Coaching.
The endless knowledge that’s out there to be discovered. I enjoy opening my mind to new things, understanding human behaviours and listening to others more intently. I also love the advice, we are different people every day, so grab every opportunity open to you.
Do it. It’s an invaluable tool to help you understand yourself and other people better.
Connecting with brilliant coaches – Michael Heppell and Simon Alexander Ong. Reading books such as Atomic Habits, by James Clear, The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, How to Be Brilliant by Michael Heppell and of course, Do it or Ditch it by Bev James. I have built such an amazing network and continue to learn from so many inspiring people. Being part of the Coaching Academy and making incredible friends on the same journey.
Thank you Sarah for sharing your inspirational coaching journey with us!
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