How I became a Transition Coach for women over forty

Looking back at the many jobs in my professional life I realise that my other favourite job was also coaching women. In my mid-twenties I trained as a midwife and loved it. I hadn’t expected to. I’d only taken the training because it was the next step in professional development and it was a surprise to find that I loved the role! I wasn’t particularly maternal. It wasn’t the babies that delighted me (although the miracle of birth is beyond words to describe – having it as part of one’s everyday experience is joyous!). It was being with women and their partners on a tough and challenging journey that was so fulfilling. Offering support and facilitating empowered choices.

After midwifery, I followed a raggedy trail of professional life, always surprised at where I’d got to and mostly feeling under-confident about being there. The trail took me through setting up and coordinating community mental health provision in North London, to studying for a BA in social research (including a year in the UK Parliament as a researcher for the Shadow Minister of Women), to Quality Manager of a teaching hospital in East London. I had the privilege of working with passionate and committed people wherever I was; colleagues who brought their best to deal with social inequality interlaced with the complexity of diversity and difference.

Work was a crucial element of my sense of self, but after moving countries again in my late forties – this time with children – my options became limited and I wasn’t able to work professionally. This left me stuck. I’d got myself into a situation where I spent all my time and energy looking after others at the same time as feeling useless. I remember at one point realising that I’d let go of a fulfilling vision for myself and my future. I told myself that I just had to settle for this. That keeping things stable and happy around me was what I needed to do. So that’s what I did for a while. Derailed and still chugging along; unable to connect with a thriving vision for my future. 

Until one day, conscious that my marriage may be about to end, I woke up and realised with dismay that I’d fallen asleep on my needs and lost myself in the process. This was the turning point for me to change my story. My fifth decade was extraordinary in terms of personal growth and connecting with myself and my power. It brought changes that have opened me up to fulfilment in a way that I would never have anticipated earlier in my life.

Why I work with women over forty

For several years I’ve worked as a Leadership & Management Coach and also a Life Transition Coach. Now I’ve decided that it’s time to focus on working with women in their forties and fifties. I know from my own experience, and the experience of others I’ve worked with, that this is a dynamic and powerful phase for women. Yet, there is a strong cultural myth that tells us that women decline as they get older. That after you reach forty, or fifty, or sixty, it’s time to accept a more passive role. Yet many women report a new and different energy, clarity and determination that kicks in at these years. I want to help women connect with this. The world needs wise and experienced women to bring their energy and power to the fore.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

• My coaching journey started when I discovered the Enneagram Personality Typing System. I found that it offered extraordinarily rich self-awareness strategies for my personal development and I felt compelled to understand it better. I qualified as an Enneagram Teacher after following the Narrative Tradition Enneagram Professional Training Programme. I continue to learn through the Enneagram and it’s proven to be a powerful perspective for my coaching.
• Next came coaching training with Robert Holden when I received a Certificate in Coaching Happiness. This was the foundation of my extended studies of Positive Psychology which continues to shape my work.
• Then I qualified as a Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). I use NLP strategies regularly in my coaching.
• I completed my certified coach training with the International Coaching Academy. The skills I learned provided additional layers to the expertise I was able to offer to clients.
• In 2017 I was honoured to be recognised as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). The ICF is the leading global organisation governing coaching. It works to ensure high standards for the coaching profession and the clients it serves.
• I love learning and have gone on to take certified training in: Mindfulness and Character Strengths in Coaching; Brain Science and Wellness; Transformational Coaching; and Object Relations & the Enneagram.
• I certified as a Mentor Coach in 2018 which means that I’m recognised by the ICF to offer mentoring to other coaches fulfilling their practical training.
• My Leadership & Management Coaching had its foundation in an MSc in Health Service Management from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an MA in Consultancy and the Organisation: Psychodynamic Approaches from the Tavistock Clinic.

When I’m not coaching…..

 (Or taking even more coaching training….!) I love to spend time at home with my family and have time with friends. More and more I love to be in nature. I’ve always enjoyed walking and now it feels as though it’s become a necessity as well as a great pleasure. This is also true of yoga. Other things that bring me joy are gardening, reading, online scrabble, watching good movies, and dance.  

Exploring possibilities for you 

Thank you for taking the time to read about me. If you are interested in exploring changes that you’d like to make in your life then let’s talk. You can do this by booking a free Coaching Discovery Session here.