Nina's Story
Intro by Mike
I met Nina at a workshop led by Fiona in March 2004. Several months later she got in touch again and we started coaching. At the time, even though having found her ideal career, she felt put upon, undervalued and frustrated being an employee. Consequently, self belief and confidence had taken a nose dive. At this point, let me hand over to the wonderful Nina to tell her empowering and uplifting story…
Nina's Story
"I'm one of those people who never really knew what I wanted to do. After university I drifted into advertising and had a rewarding career in marketing. I stopped working to have children, but after a few years wanted to return to work to fulfil a part of me that didn’t involve childcare. I became a Virtual Assistant (home based PA), as I thought this would be the perfect way of combining home life with working at home in an area that interested me.
I wanted to be a VA to someone I respected and who worked in the fashion or health and beauty industry, as these are subjects that I'm passionately interested in.
My VA job involved organising the diary of the online company; booking clients with stylists and makeup artists for clothing or make-up makeovers. This, in itself was a priceless gift - a job I loved and that I wanted to do.
Getting Stuck
I got a real buzz out of helping women improve their self-confidence by changing their appearance. The only downside was the lack of motivation and 'connectedness' with the company vision and ethos. Over time, I became increasingly frustrated, and consequently unable to decide what my next move should be; in short, I felt stuck.
Then one evening my husband said, 'As you love the business so much, why not do it for yourself and create your own company?' Why not indeed?
After all, the same question had been whispering in my head for so long, but I had pushed it down, not wanting to think about it. The main reason stopping me giving this question my full attention was the fear of leaving my comfort zone and stepping out into the unknown.
Taking action
It was at this point I decided to begin coaching with Mike. We had met at Fiona's workshop the year before, and even though my intention had been to work with him and find the motivation to pursue my goal, procrastination kicked in and suddenly it was 6 months later.
Mike had given me really great advice at the workshop, including how to assemble a personal 'support structure,' a method to overcome down, less productive days and remain productive and pro-active more of the time. I liked his down-to-earth, relaxed, friendly manner and found him as easy to talk to whilst coaching as he had been after the workshop last year.
He helped me look at what beliefs and fears might have been preventing me from moving forward in my career, many of which stemmed from my childhood. My role had always been playing support – staying in the background so that others could star. Over the years this was where I learned to feel comfortable, a habit carried forward into all my jobs.
Turning 40 last year, I asked myself what I would regret at 70 if I didn’t go ahead and be the person I knew I wanted to be. I kept arriving at the same answer; I would regret not starting my own personal styling company - what with all the experience and expertise I had. I needed to contemplate and face moving into the limelight!
Making the Change
I knew that I had to change my mindset to make this happen, and instinctively knew that Mike could help motivate me to achieve my dream. He got me to describe and write about my future personal styling company in minute detail, as though it was already a reality.
He showed me how to focus on my goals and aspirations and helped me to gain the belief that I could achieve them. He also crucially helped me to confront the fears that had held me back for so long, and showed me how I could turn them around to positives that could support and motivate me to succeed. Simply, he believed in and supported me.
Slowly, I began to believe, too.
We created action plans, and week by week ticked off what had been achieved, learned any lessons that could be learned as result, and then set down the next week’s work. As Mike would say, we 'chunked down.'
The Glass Slipper
There was no eureka moment – my transformation was more subtle than that, but no less dynamic and amazing. I started to build my company, like building a wall brick by brick, until miraculously, I was ready to launch The Glass Slipper – the name I've chosen for my own personal styling business.
In three short months Mike helped me turn my vision into reality - I know it's a cliché, but that is what happened.
Now I don't even question being the front man (or woman!) within my company; it just feels entirely natural and right. Looking back at my journey, I'm amazed how much I've changed these last months. Nowadays, I'm more positive and view situations as challenges rather than problems.
If I can do it, anyone can. I've always been a bystander, watching enviously as people go for their dreams. Now it feels good to be joining them."
Nina Cooke, The Glass Slipper
...and a few final words from Mike
Make no mistake, Nina worked hard. She got focused, took action and is now on the threshold of launching her new business. She deserves all the success that comes her way! Take a look at her site yourself by following the link above. The Glass Slipper is cool, chic and a fabulous place to get that "one stop star treatment." Simply, enjoy!
