Louise's Story

Last October I was at a low point. I had returned to work in July after 6 months’ maternity leave with my second child, raring to get on with my career and ‘make up for lost time’.

Instead I found myself back in the same old admin job with no apparent career path ahead of me. My annual pay rise was lower than I had hoped, despite an exceptional performance rating, and I had two choices – give up or grab hold of my situation and turn it around.

I knew in my heart that I wouldn’t give up – it wasn’t my style – but with two children under 3, I wondered how I was going to find the energy and the clarity to turn it around this time.

Starting to turn it around

I found details of coaching on Fiona Harrold’s website and had great fun looking through the coach’s CVs and choosing the best match for me.

Sue stood out for me for various reasons, so I got in touch with her. I had my first coaching session with Sue the day before I was due to meet with my boss to discuss my job. The timing was perfect and I felt really confident as I walked in that I could ‘sell’ myself into a new manager role.

I can’t quite believe that was only two months ago!

A Rollercoaster

It has been a rollercoaster ride, very intense and very challenging, but the coaching sessions with Sue kept me going. Sue gives me the space to focus all of my attention for one solid hour on myself, how I feel and what I want. She listens and helps me unravel all the tangled thoughts, feelings and ideas struggling for attention in my head, then offers me her understanding of what I have told her. In addition, she brings her own experience and knowledge of the kind of situations and issues I’m dealing with, to give me ideas to take away.

I now realise that I was desperate for a ‘coach’ at that time: someone to listen, give encouragement, offer advice and put challenges to me. Ultimately someone to empower me to sort my ‘problems’ out for myself, which is the only way I feel happy doing it.

I feel now that I’m in the place I want to be. It’s not exactly as I had pictured it, but the important elements are all there – I feel more confident about my abilities, my sense of self-worth is higher, and I have a stronger network of support and appreciation at work than I had even hoped for.

Sue has left me armed with a blueprint for the next six months, very specifically geared towards taking me closer to my dream job, a string of challenges, suggestions and advice and an open invitation to call or email whenever I need to. How wonderful is that!?

I will certainly come back to Sue for another group of coaching sessions whenever I feel myself approaching another major ‘threshold’ in my life. I am confident that with her help I can continue to develop and grow to the potential I know deep down I have.

Thank you so much Sue. I hope you know how much I appreciate you coming into my life.

Lousie