My story

What brought me to coaching?

I think I was heading this way all along. 

Since I was a kid, I've never accepted things just because that's ‘how things are’. I ask questions. I analyse situations. I don't assume that things have to be as they usually are. I guess my natural curiosity explains why research appealed to me in the first place (more on that later). 

I've always had a creative side whether it be dancing, painting, or writing. 

I've always wanted to help others. I've always been bothered by suffering in the world. 

I went through school and college relatively easily. I had great friends. I was always very academic. I spent all of my spare time dancing. It was good and I don’t take it for granted. Not everyone has that privilege. 

But by the time I got to college, I felt completely lost. There was pressure to go to university, but I didn't even know what I wanted to study! Let alone what sort of career I might want.

I didn’t want to close the door to opportunities, and university seemed like the next logical step. 

I went against well-meaning advice (to choose a more ‘academic’ degree) and picked the subject I enjoyed the most. Psychology. 

Going to university was incredibly stressful to begin with. It was so hard to uproot my whole life and move hundreds of miles away when I wasn’t even sure why I was going. 

I did settle in and make more wonderful friends. I learned a huge amount and enjoyed my Psychology studies. I particularly enjoyed my final year project - where I got to do real research on a topic of my choice. I chose to research how ballet dancers use vision to balance. Combining my curious mind with my love of dance. 

But, as I was finishing my degree, I still had no idea what I wanted to do. 

I jumped into a graduate job. It was a good job. On paper, it was an achievement and presented me with opportunities. But it just wasn't the best fit for me. I knew I needed to find something more ‘me’. 

So, I went back to university. But this time was different. 

I made a deliberate choice. I wanted to become a researcher. I wanted to work with children. I wanted to understand more about exactly what made dance and movement so important for our development.

Doing a PhD was quite the experience! I achieved things I never dreamed I could do. My confidence grew enormously. But the blood, sweat and tears were there too. As was the pressure to pursue an academic career. It didn’t feel right. 

At the end of it, I still didn't know what I wanted to do, but I didn't want to be an academic researcher anymore. 

So I made another deliberate choice. I wanted to use my research skills to improve health and wellbeing for others. 

This time, I got it right.  

I moved into a job in the charity sector. A job using research and data, to tackle inequalities in health and physical activity. 

I've been applying my research skills to make a difference outside of academia since.

Why am I telling you all this?

I learned some important lessons along the way. Mainly about the kinds of situations which cause a lot of stress. 

Things get very stressful when:

• You don't have a clear goal

• You're doing things because they’re expected of you (not because you want to) 

• Your work isn't aligned with your values or passions 

• You aren't taking control of your own situation 

I wanted to help others to avoid going through some of that stress. That's where coaching comes in.

As a coach, I help clients to:

• Set clear goals which align with their values

• Do what's right for them, not just what's expected of them 

• Take control and take action to create what they want 

I only wish I'd discovered coaching sooner!

Coaching lets me put my curious, analytical nature to good use. It draws on my background in Psychology. It’s a creative outlet for me too. 

Cocching gives me the tools to help others and reduce some of the stress in the world.