Why I hired a life coach

Okay, so I could talk forever about the benefits of hiring a life coach. The issue with that is the statement that's probably already on your mind: "Well, you're bound to promote life coaching if you're a life coach".

There are many coaches out there who have also had coaching themselves, and many whose only capacity of coaching experience falls within the clients they have worked with. I suppose the one thing I can say to you with absolute certainty is, I know how you feel.

I've been there. I've felt lost, I've felt as though I have no purpose, I've compared myself to the successes of others and thought, "Why doesn't my life look like theirs? Why is all of this crappy stuff happening to me when everyone else seems to have their life together?"

I've had many failed relationships, many attempted careers that haven't ended up being for me, and many other life lessons than I have the time to talk about in just this one blog post. Now, your experiences in those life areas will most likely be different to mine as we aren't the same person, but I tell you my stories in the hope that my experiences resonate with you in whatever way you see fit and supports you in knowing that you're not alone with what I'll call this 'pit stop' in your life, and show you that you can overcome this.

Why I decided to hire a life coach

So why did I hire a life coach? Let's go back around four to five years. To summarise where my life was at this point, I came to the conclusion that I no longer wanted to be a primary school teacher (after just four years of being in the profession). I knew this wasn't how I wanted to spend the rest of my working life, and I just quit, with nothing else lined up.

At the time, I was also a country singer and gigging quite often with the band. I did think this was the dream I was hoping to pursue by this point, but as time went on, I realised that the lack of job security and financial stability with this career direction scared me. Now I was caught between doing something I loved or having job security.

Also during this time, I'd been in and out of my relationship with my ex of around five years. As much as we tried to make it work (numerous times), the relationship was so toxic and we knew it was never going to work. I also sadly lost my Grandad, who was my father figure growing up and the most important man in my life. So, not only was I at a complete standstill with my career, my relationship had also broken down for good and I'd lost my hero. It's safe to say at this point that I'd completely lost all direction in my life and I felt completely helpless.

Working with my life coach

I went on to have three sessions with a life coach, and here's a brief overview of what happened. I went to the life coach with the intention of just discussing what my next steps would be in my life. Turns out, my ex still had a huge hold over how I perceived and approached many aspects of my life. My self-concept was completely knocked and I'd lost who I was as a person.

A lot of the sessions focused on me revising situations from my relationship with my ex and being able to let go of the past with a stronger, more positive, self-concept.

With the help of my life coach, I was able to identify my strengths, my skillsets and the resourcefulness that I'd accumulated throughout my life without even realising it. I'd identified my love for studying and academia, and this encouraged me to go back to university to get my Masters degree. I now have a career in academia (which my grandad always wanted for me), and even though I always turned my nose up at this career move when my grandad spoke to me about it, I am happier than I've ever been. My one regret is that I didn't start it sooner so my grandad could witness me achieve this dream he always had for me (I'm sure he's watching over me).

How coaching helped me

My experiences of coaching completely changed my life. I found purpose, direction, and most importantly, I found myself again. From that point on, I knew that I would one day train to become a life coach and support women in the same way that my life coach supported me.

If my story has resonated with you in any way, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you! As always, I am here to chat and if you would like to book a free discovery call with me to find out how coaching can help you.

Love Kalli x