"It's like comparing the difference between night and day."

I'm sharing some takeaways from a client that I have been coaching in my internal coaching role; some of you may be aware that, alongside my independent coaching practice, I have an internal coaching role in a large organisation.

This client has kindly agreed for me to anonymously share their coaching journey.

To provide some context, this individual came to coaching to support their wellbeing around a significant, long-term goal they are in the process of achieving.  They were experiencing feelings of stress and pressure around how to manage, and achieve, the workload associated with it, and lacked the confidence and self-esteem to trust their abilities and decisions. 

In the early stages of their coaching journey:

*They felt that their life was chaotic and unorganised.

*They felt lacklustre, lacking energy, motivation, and momentum.

*They consistently ignored their core needs.

*They constantly doubted themselves.

*They felt powerless within their story.

*They believed that they wouldn’t achieve this long-term goal and that it was always going to be an uphill struggle.

*They often missed the deadlines associated with this long-term goal, which exacerbated their feelings of stress and panic and fuelled the self-doubt - what they would come to name as the ‘devil’ on their shoulder.

A point to note here is that this individual had also received counselling support, prior to coming to coaching, and had reached a point where they wanted (and needed) to be more forward-looking; they wanted to imbed some positive changes in their life, as a way of supporting and managing their wellbeing.

Over the last few months, we have:

*Worked together to raise awareness to what’s getting in the way, and what needs to change. 

*Explored the limiting beliefs that leave them feeling stuck and debilitated. 

*Connected to how they want to be, and feel, in relation to this achievement. 

*Implemented practical, achievable strategies to support them to continue taking action, especially when the limiting beliefs or the ‘devil’ on their shoulder pops up.

Embedded within my coaching practise are opportunities for the client to reflect on how their coaching journey is progressing and, in our most recent session, we took stock of what progress they feel they have made.

They reflected on how:

 *They feel more self-assured.

*They have more awareness about themselves, particularly what serves them and what doesn’t.

*They acknowledge and value their basic needs - they recognise the importance of meeting these and notice where they might not be being met and implement the necessary change. 

*They have more self-efficacy – they trust their judgement more and feel they can rely on themselves to make the right decisions.

*They feel a sense of calm around their deadlines and are meeting them ‘in comfort’, without lots of stress or pressure.

*They have developed strategies to interrupt the cycle of self-doubt – knock the ‘devil’ off its perch!

*They reflected how they now feel like “it will be tough to fail” and how achieving their long-term goal is “well within their power to manage”.

It’s no over-exaggeration to say that the progress this client has made is amazing!  They have given their all to coaching and have become much more invested in themselves and their future. 

Their level of self-awareness has increased significantly and they are feeling so much more in tune with what they need to feel good; they now reflect on what is, and isn’t, working for them and possess the self-belief to make the decisions - and take the action -they need to thrive.

How they feel today, compared with how they felt at the beginning of their coaching journey, is like - in their words: "comparing the difference between night and day".  They are working so hard to ensure they achieve this long-term goal in a way that that feels good for them, and it is a privilege to witness them thinking - and acting - in the way they want, and need, to live.

Their coaching journey isn’t over, and we will continue to work together for as long as they wish to - a perk of being in an organisation that values and promotes coaching!  As you might expect, within my internal role, I coach a diverse range of individuals and I LOVE it.  I feel very privileged to be able to do what I love, and what gives me a strong sense of purpose, every day.

If any of the above resonates with you and you would like to find out more about how coaching can support you, please contact me for a free no-obligation chat.

Laura x

Email: laurahuntercoaching@gmail.com

Socials: @laurahuntercoaching