Over the last few years something felt ‘off’. The long hours, increasing pressure, constant change, lack of progress and increasing frustration was taking its toll and I was approaching burnout.

I no longer felt I had real purpose and didn’t feel I was making a difference to young people like we used to be able to do. That’s when I ventured out into the charity and private sectors, like an adventurer looking for ‘the’ rock, place or piece of treasure. But, still, something was missing. I ended up back in the comfort zone of higher education and some fabulous teams and institutions but, as we entered the third round of voluntary redundancies (and not convinced it would be the last one), I knew I needed something else but I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do or how to do it. I felt a bit stuck and a bit lost.

So, I secured some coaching of my own as I knew this was a helpful way to explore these types of challenges. Through this I explored my strengths, values, experiences, perspectives and limiting beliefs and realised the one consistent element I’ve genuinely loved, and received consistently positive feedback about, has been developing individuals and positive team cultures. In that moment I realised that I wanted freedom, less frantic energy and greater work life balance to nurture those things that were most important to me (friends and family).

All this exploration highlighted I wanted to be self-employed where there are still challenges and pressure but I have more choice and that coaching really is my true passion, it lights me up, it energises me, it’s what I’m good at and I want to do it all of the time.

When I compared how I felt looking at coaching and self-employment as my ideal future, versus doing what I’d always done for another few years, it was a no-brainer. I emphatically did not want to progress any further up the greasy pole to get even more stress and pressure and friction (and, through reflection, realised I’d actually turned down opportunities for Director level roles a few times in my career). It’s not for me.

Getting that clarity that I needed about who I am, what I really want, and why, then enabled me to explore ‘how’ do I make it happen.

And this is where I am now - a self-employed, professional mindset and career coach. I support ambitious and courageous mid-life professionals who want greater fulfilment to step into the next stage of their career, health or business with clarity and confidence.