5 years on and counting
How time has flown as I reflect upon and celebrate over 5 years as a professional career coach. From a hesitant musing in a coaching session, to learning to coach whilst running mentoring programmes, to training with the amazing teams at Designing Your Life and Firework it’s gone past in a blur. And yet I’ve worked with hundreds of lovely clients to help them get clear on the goals and direction that matter to them and begin the process of exploration and experimentation that in some cases leads to massive changes of career or lifestyle but which more often leads to a rethink and some intentional job crafting and role development. If we’ve worked together, I’m very grateful.
I’m reminded every day why I do this job, why my own personal strengths, golden threads as I call them, and life experiences led me here…
Perhaps as you have, I started questioning the perceived conventional path from uni into industry, despite that being all I’d dreamed about to that up to that point.
Perhaps like you have, I turned to books for ideas and searched for answers outside of myself, in job ads and the opinions of others, some all too keen to have me join their team or project.
Back then the books and even external career support were too textbook; they didn’t take account of me, my circumstances and needs. It took the following 5 things to change that for me:
Firstly, I had a family and almost immediately it was clear that, for me at least, the old ways of working were no longer suitable. So, I got curious about what else mattered to me beyond what I had already experienced.
From there I started experiments to see what might work given my new circumstances, at first just exploratory conversations and then fixed-term part-time jobs to help me discover more without too much pressure.
In one of those jobs, I found myself helping young people with career decisions in a very real-time and tailored way. I was immediately hooked; I loved the possibilities that existed for them at such an early career stage, and I also loved the energy that the process gave me.
And yet, as may also happen to you, I was still side-tracked and distracted; both family and work got in the way of my coaching qualifications, elongating the process. My ego was flattered by roles that brought more status and responsibility and a move into programme management had me edging back towards an unsustainable workload, as it had pre-kids.
Until one day my coach reminded me of the dream, my initial goal. To have my own thing, to be an actual career coach. Of course, I had doubts if it was possible and not everyone around me thought that it would work. The final piece of the puzzle came when I read ‘Designing Your Life’ by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It felt so right to me as a framework and as a process and it led me, with ease, to where I am today just by following the principles.
And you can do that too. I listened to Herminia Ibarra the other day talking to the Squiggly Careers Podcast (her book, Working Identity is another game changer) about the simple steps she recommends. And yet so many people still struggle alone because in addition to the books, the frameworks, the willingness to start and change you really need some outside support from a community, a mentor or a coach; someone beyond friends, parents, partner and colleagues to act as your sounding board and guide.
To-date, I’ve helped hundreds of career shifters and changers; most just needed a new perspective and belief in what is possible. Having changed something at work or in their lifestyle they immediately gain more clarity and ease and the success that comes with that. Others have made huge pivots, moving across the country or to new countries altogether, swapping finance for art, the energy sector for the leisure sector, from consulting to charity roles, marketing for sustainability.
And you can too. Don’t stay stuck. Read the books. Listen to the podcasts. Get curious about what matters most and what you need next. And get in touch with me to explore how coaching might be the missing piece of the puzzle.
