In this week's Coach in the Spotlight, we explore the coaching journey of Cressida Hamilton. After a successful career in the finance industry, Cressida decided to make a bold career change and become an executive & personal brand coach. Today she shares her journey of self-discovery, growth, and how she is helpings others build their personal brands and confidently be their authentic selves.
What has led you to coaching?
I actually trained as a coach in 2008 and used a coaching approach to enhance my leadership skills for many years during my time as a Managing Director in financial services. In 2021, I decided I wanted to switch to coaching full-time, retrain with The Coaching Academy to hone my skills, and have never looked back.
How has coaching benefited your own life?
One of the biggest benefits I have experienced is that coaching has made me more comfortable in my own skin. As we know, coaching is one of the greatest tools for self-awareness. Greater self-awareness leads to greater self-esteem and enhanced confidence. Perhaps some of that comes with age, but I don’t think I would be as comfortable with myself as I am were it not for my coaching journey.
How did you discover The Coaching Academy?
When I was still in the corporate world, a colleague of mine was going through their Personal Performance (Life Coaching) Diploma and they were full of praise for The Coaching Academy. I liked the flexibility The Coaching Academy offered and I knew they had a strong track record in the coach training space.
How did the qualification slot in with your day-to-day life?
I think with any training or learning, you have to be disciplined in how you schedule it into your day-to-day life. Learning and anything we do for personal growth has to be seen as an equal priority to our job and our personal life and as important as brushing our teeth. Once I made that mental switch, it was easier to slot the qualification in.
What was the most rewarding part of your coaching journey?
Going from ‘coach in training’ to getting my first paid coaching assignment was a special moment for me. I felt it legitimised me as a coach and helped me realise that I could make a successful career out of doing something I love.
What are the best resources that have helped you along your coach training journey?
I am an old-fashioned book reader, so I have three bookshelves full of coaching books that I have bought during my coach training and continue to add to as a practising coach. Thank heavens for second-hand bookshops!
How are you using your coaching skills?
I run my own practice as a personal brand coach. I have learned from personal experience how important having a clear brand really is. It is a key tool in allowing you to showcase who you are and what differentiates you from everyone else in your field. It is the best way to establish credibility and trust in a way that allows you to truly be authentic.
What is your favourite coaching tool or question to use?
There are so many, but I think when it comes to helping my clients understand how to show up as their authentic selves, values elicitation is one of the best tools out there. Our values dictate how we walk in the world and if we have no idea of what they are, we don’t really know what we stand for in life and why.
What types of feedback have you received from clients regarding the impact of your coaching on their personal or professional lives?
One of my best testimonials was from a client who said, ‘They say behind every successful man is a successful woman; and likewise, behind every successful woman there is probably a Cressida’. I think that is because whilst I work with clients on their personal brand, I’m also helping them with their confidence and coaching is a brilliant strategy to help individuals build their confidence. I have seen so many clients develop a knockout personal brand but also discover who they are in the process and then have the confidence to really take that forward.
What’s the biggest area in coaching you are curious about and why?
Values and beliefs. The beliefs we hold about ourselves can enable us to live our life to the full or hide in the shadows. When I help clients recognise, understand, and change their limiting beliefs, watching the transformation in them is incredible. I feel humbled and honoured to be part of that process with them.
Where do you see yourself taking your coaching skills/business in the coming years?
I will continue to grow my one-to-one coaching business over the coming years as there seems to be a need for what I do, but I am also looking at developing online courses as well. Not everyone has the luxury to be able to afford coaching, so online programmes are a great alternative.
What tips would you give someone wanting to pursue a coaching career?
Think about your niche. Having a niche or a specialism enables you to hone in on what you are passionate about and work with clients you really want to work with. I have found that by having a niche, I have more possibilities open to me rather than less.
Thank you Cressida for sharing your inspirational coaching journey with us!
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