What is it really like to be coached by someone who fuses practically with spirituality?
Let me start off by saying that I don’t consider myself to be spiritual or in to the whole ‘woo-woo’ thing, as Caroline would call it. I’m super practical and like to see how I can get from A to B, but during the middle of last year I began to feel a little lost.
On the surface it looked like everything was great. I ran my own virtual assistant business which I absolutely loved, I had a beautiful baby and a lovely partner. But inside I had a creeping anxiety about almost everything. I took on too much work and committed to too many things. I felt like I wasn’t spending enough quality time with my daughter, who was around 14 months old at the time. I felt like I had more to give but didn’t know how I could possibly do more with the time I had, and I had a burning desire to do something with my teaching degree. But seeing as I really really didn’t enjoy teaching in a school, I didn’t see a way to use it. I had a vague and secret plan in my head of creating a VA training programme and thus combining my two passions of the VA business and teaching, but it was no more than an idea at that point.
One day during this time I had a message from Caroline asking if I was interested in a new programme she was putting together, From Fear to Founder. To be honest I didn’t think I had any fear at all, but I thought I’d benefit from Caroline’s strategic support in growing my business as I knew she was enormously successful herself. I’d signed up to so many free webinars and email series from various
business owners and made minimal progress, so I knew I needed to bite the bullet and get the support I needed from someone who had already been there. Weirdly it also felt like Caroline had popped in to my inbox at the exact moment I needed her, so I took a deep breath and dived right in.
During the programme, our 1:1 calls brought up mindset things I didn’t even know I was carrying around, and sometimes I came away from my computer feeling completely emotional. Caroline insisted on working through these things even when they felt uncomfortable, and I began to feel my confidence grow and focus sharpen as the weeks went by. Caroline seemed to intuitively know when I needed to step back from work and do something just for me and also when I needed to just take action before I felt ready. Coupled with the practical advice and accountability (and the odd kick up the backside when I was procrastinating out of fear), Caroline helped me reach and then massively surpass the modest goals I set myself at the start of the programme.
In fact I benefited so much from her support that I decided to continue working with Caroline for the next year. On our most recent Zoom call Caroline asked how I was doing. I knew I was coming to the call with a bunch of mindset stuff, but I dutifully tried to ignore them and think about what I could do practically to move forward. As I mumbled away and avoided eye contact, I could see Caroline quietly looking at me. When I looked up it felt like she was reading my mind, which was weird to say the least. She asked me to take three deep breaths with her, and then she asked how I felt. I immediately burst into tears and out flooded a load of fears and blocks that I was carrying around as I was trying to move my business to the next stage. Caroline listened and told me the things I really needed to hear, both from a supportive point of view and from a boosting point of view. She pushed me forward when all I wanted to do was sit down, and I came off the call with a list of things to do and renewed energy to carry it all out. I feel a little emotional as I write this now – the support from someone who intuitively knows what I need to hear is beyond priceless.
Joining the programme was by far the best business decision I ever made. Financially I made my investment back within two months, and I surpassed it by month three. But to me Caroline brought more to my life than financial gain. I listen to my thoughts and feelings more and take a pause when something feels off, instead of ploughing through it like I used to. I have someone to turn to whenever I need emotional or business support, and I have a solid plan in place that I finally feel confident I will achieve.
Looking back now, I can’t believe I’ve come this far in six months. And quite frankly I know I couldn’t have done it without Caroline, my wonderfully woo-woo-kick-butt coach.