I just can’t believe how quickly time has passed since I set up SimplyPositive in January 2014. It has been a fantastic two years and I am amazed at how my coaching business has developed and grown. Thank you to everyone on Linkedln for all your lovely congratulation messages on my two year anniversary which brought this to mind for me.

My journey began when I signed up to do my Life Coaching Diploma with Achievement Specialists and met an outstanding coach in Curly Martin. I am so glad that I chose Curly – she has fantastic skills, knowledge and experience which enabled me to become the coach I am today. We now work together regularly throughout the year coaching new Diploma students, have become close friends and  have had lots of fun in the process.

I obtained my Life Coaching Diploma in July 2014 and then went on to study Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and become an NLP Practitioner later in the year. Cognitive Reprogramming studies then followed for me and I passed my Diploma in July 2015. I am currently studying for an Autism Awareness Diploma and my journey of learning still motors on to include Neuroscience and Mindsets.

Coaching young people of various age groups is amazing. It can be very challenging and very rewarding and it regularly takes me on a  roller coaster of emotions. I work both privately and in local schools and provide some voluntary coaching for deserving organisations so that I can give something back to my local community.  Most of all I feel constantly challenged to make a difference in the interactions I have with young people and get a feeling of real achievement when it works.

After working for many years in the corporate IT industry where I was just another employee in a large organisation, it inspires me every day to work for myself and really see the difference I can make to people and their lives. Job satisfaction and a sense of achievement now play a huge part in my career and it is such a lovely feeling.

My goals for this year are:

• To work with more young people to develop their life and soft skills, enabling them to be more happy and contented
• To increase my work with teaching staff, helping them to build a  coaching environment in their classrooms – by developing their communication, listening and rapport building skills
• To enjoy my year, have lots of fun, be happy and make a difference wherever I can

If you have any questions regarding what I do or know of someone that would benefit from working with me then please do contact me.

Signing off a student knowing that I have enabled them to make changes to their life, grow their confidence and self-esteem is an amazing part of my job. I feel privileged to be part of their journey and it is very satisfying to see them go off happier, more contented and armed with a toolbox of skills and strategies.

With most students it takes 6-8 weeks of life coaching to obtain results. Some students need coaching over a longer period depending on their situation. The aim is to build confidence, emotional awareness and understanding. During the sessions I cover:

• Their beliefs of who they are and who they want to be
• Understanding that they do have choice and control and that they can take responsibility for themselves
• Core values and what is important to them in life
• Goal setting around what they want to achieve
• Mindfulness
• Reflection of the previous year regarding what they have achieved, what disappointed them, the roles they played and what they have learnt about themselves
• Focus for the coming year, what do they want, what do they need to do more of, who is their support network and how are they going to achieve it

In my experience of working with young people I have noticed that what they actually come to address in the sessions is not usually the main issue. By taking a holistic approach and looking at all areas of life, it is often something else that is having an impact and so by shifting the focus elsewhere then progress starts to be made.

Take Trichotillomania as an example. Young people with this disorder pull their hair, eyebrows and eyelashes out, sometimes in response to something that distresses them in life. Uncovering what distresses them and what areas of life they are struggling with can assist them in understanding where the root of the problem may be. With that area identified we can then work on building a toolbox of coping strategies around their specific needs. Addressing the root cause and dealing with it usually means that Trichotillomania starts to decrease and eventually goes away, at which point hair regrowth occurs.

If you know of a someone who is struggling in life and would benefit from life coaching then please contact me.

A personal post from me…

I have finally gone and done it! I have registered to do the Moonwalk in London on the 14th May 2016 to raise money for Breast Cancer. I will be walking 26.2 miles through the night along the London Marathon route with lots of other ladies, whilst wearing our bra on the outside of our T-shirt.

With the easy bit of signing up out of the way, now it is time to get down to the real work of planning and preparing for the big event so that I achieve my goal and get to the finish line 26.2 miles later.

I am currently investigating suitable footwear and clothing and reading all the training information on the Moonwalk website. I have also started to set some daily goals on my Fitbit to build up strength and stamina over the next few weeks. Yesterday I walked 29,241 steps and I will be walking at least 10,000 steps each day next week and increasing it again next weekend. I attended a hot Yogalates class today to increase my strength and muscletone. I will continue to attend the gym three times a week and go to my regular Yoga and Zumba class as well.

By being specific and realistic with my goals and tracking my progress I can measure what I am doing and make sure that what I am doing is achievable and within the timescale that I have set myself.

I also intend to increase my water intake, reduce alcohol and structure my meals around a clean and healthy eating regime. If I am putting in lots of hard work I do not want to ruin that by eating and drinking rubbish.

My motivation and determination levels are high at the moment and as the weeks go by and it gets harder that is where my positive attitude and growth mindset will be required. I am looking forward to finding out more about myself as I move along my Moonwalk journey and find out what I am really capable of and who knows I might even lose some weight along the way.

I will keep you updated on my progress over the coming months.

If you are having trouble achieving your goals and would benefit from life coaching then please contact me.

My first week of 2016 has been very interesting and exciting particularly with regards to working towards one of my goals. My aim for this year is to develop my coaching practice further and work with more young people of different ages.

For the last few years I have been fortunate enough to work with  amazing secondary school students, enabling them to achieve some fantastic results and make significant changes in their lives. I want to continue to grow my work with the secondary schools and also develop my skills by working with primary children and young adults.

This week, I was asked to work with young adults from a well known Reading youth organisation regarding panic and anxiety. The session went well and they have asked me to come back next week and work with them on building confidence and self-esteem. Next week I have also been invited to attend a meeting with several primary schools to discuss the benefits of life coaching and mindfulness and how it could be effectively used with younger children.

I am really looking forward to the coming week and the new experiences it will bring as well as moving me towards achieving my goal of making a difference to more young peoples lives. It is such a privilege to be part of a young persons ‘journey of change’ and to experience their success. There is no better feeling for me and it is the reason why I do what I do.

If you want to know more about my work or know of any groups or individual young people who would benefit from coaching/mentoring then please contact me.

Happy New Year to you and I hope you have had a fantastic festive holiday. I had a super time catching up with family and friends, having fun, playing games and relaxing. What more could a girl want?
As usual I have overdone it a little with the rich food and fizz so my goal for the first half of the year is to focus on a clean eating plan, take more exercise and do the Moon Walk in London in May.
If you are setting goals remember to be specific, make them measurable, achievable, realistic and set a completion date.

I am looking forward to seeing what I can achieve in 2016 and enjoy some new experiences along the way.
If you need assistance with setting some goals and need coaching to success then please contact me.