Sarah & Rebecca

Rebecca:   I’ve had a diverse career starting off as a journalist working in both the print and broadcast industries before embarking on a career in the education sector. After a twelve year career as an ex-middle leader and teacher of English, Literacy and Media; I left the classroom after returning from maternity leave with my first child. I knew I wanted to have more freedom and flexibility to spend with my daughter and be the mother I wanted to be whilst also being successful in my career. Coaching really helped me when I was pregnant with Hyperemesis and it had a profound impact on me when I returned to work. Without even realising it, I had been coaching others for most of my professional life which led me to deepening my skill, knowledge and understanding. I trained to become an ACC accredited coach with the International Coaching Federation, I qualified as a Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner and now train others to become ICF coaches as a trainer for Optimus Coach Academy.  

I now have the balance or integration that I craved; I am present for my daughter, my family and friends and also able to build a successful business alongside these commitments. 

The Coaching Catalysts

Sarah– Rebecca and I met in 2018 and were instantly drawn to each other. We were paired as accountability partners on a coaching programme and continued to stay connected once that ended. In 2020 we decided to partner in business, initially to support teacher wellbeing during the pandemic and in 2021 we took the decision to merge our existing coaching and training businesses, starting with our membership communities to form The Coaching Catalysts. We are incredibly proud of our wonderful community of female professionals and entrepreneurs

Being self employed can be wonderful but there must have been challenges along the way, can you share any and your learnings from these?

Sarah: Yes! The pandemic was a huge shock- I had only been running my business full time for 6 months and a lot of my client and training work was in person. Like so many businesses, a lot of my work disappeared overnight.  In addition my husband was under huge pressure as an ICU consultant. I realised I was going to have to fight hard for my business while taking care of my family. I launched an online course called “Find Your Calm: Mindset Management for Challenging Times” and this really helped me dig deep into my own wellbeing while supporting others. 

Rebecca – OMG! There have been many challenges along the way; I would be lying if I said everything was perfect, and full of sunshine and rainbows. Life wouldn’t be life if there weren’t challenges – and that’s the beauty of it. However, the most important learning is that we find a way to navigate a way out of these rollercoasters when we need to and get back on track, both mentally and emotionally. At the beginning of my business things didn’t move as quickly as I would have liked it too. I take action, but when you have to rely on others to get back to you, or make decisions etc, it can be frustrating. So, how did I overcome this? I had to remind myself that we can only control our actions, and sadly not the actions of others. However, we can influence others. Instead of waiting for others to respond and engage I would set reminders for myself to chase, or prompt prospective clients to reply to emails sent etc. I would also consider alternatives and have other streams of income building in the background so I didn’t feel reliant on the responses of others. Finally, I was kinder to myself – it’s easier to be hard on ourselves but once I had reminded myself of the wins for the week or fortnight it gave me the ability to express gratitude rather than focus on the “failures.”

What keeps you energised during the difficult periods?

Sarah – I make wellbeing a non-negotiable. For me this means sleep, exercise and meditation. I also practice Kundalini yoga, which helps me to stay grounded in challenging times. 

Rebecca – Doing something for me keeps me energised. It’s easy to be consumed with work, or family life that we tend to forget to focus on ourselves. However, as I am sure you know, self care is very important. Scheduling a “me” day or “me” activity keeps me energised as it acts as a reward but also gives me something to look forward to. We don’t need to wait to be gifted – it’s ok to give ourselves.

Is there anything in particular you love most about running your own business?

Sarah – I love the opportunity to work with incredible women- who have so much to offer the world. Helping them to unlock their purpose and potential is absolutely amazing. 

Rebecca – I love, love, love the flexibility running my own business provides. This means that I can choose my own hours, working days and even non-working days. I can choose how much or even how little I do. Understanding that I am in control of my success is really empowering and it’s a great reminder that we don’t need to wait for others to confirm or deny our accomplishments. We can do this for ourselves.

What would be the one piece of advice you would give someone who wants to follow their passion?

Sarah – Do it- One of our mentors Shaa Wasmund says “Regret weighs heavier than fear”. Life is precious- don’t sell yourself short by playing small. 

Rebecca – “Go Big Or Go Home.” Sarah and I laugh about my phrase but in all seriousness, life is for living. I honestly believe that we all deserve to do what we love every single day and live happy and fulfilling lives. Some of us spend more time at work than we do at home, so it’s so important that we absolutely love and feel energised by what we do. Be bold and brave. You’ve got this!

To find out more about the Coaching Catalyst follow their social media or visit their website below. 

EMAIL: [email protected]

WEBSITE: www.thecoachingcatalysts.com

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TWITTER: @coachcatalysts / https://twitter.com/coachcatalysts

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