My Coaching Journey – The Pathway to Becoming a Coach

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

My First Coaching Experience

I discovered ‘coaching’ in my early 20s (around 21 or 22 year old) when I was working as an Office Junior (!) in London, which was my first permanent office job.

After studying photography and media studies at college for 3 years (higher education, not a university) whilst working in the restaurant to pay the rent, I found working in an office as an Office Junior rather uninspiring and soulless…

I had chosen to work full-time after college because I couldn’t afford to pay the overseas fee for university (as I was classed as an overseas student then). But the only job that I could get at the time was an administrative role because I had no qualifications or experience.

I was feeling really depressed and miserable everyday. But I was on the internet one day (to be honest I can’t remember what search terms I used!) and discovered coaching!

I met this ‘coach’ in the hotel lounge in Central London and I had a couple of sessions with her. Coaching was a complete new concept for me, and I honestly can’t remember what we discussed but I remember feeling lighter after having a coaching session with the coach.

Then I had a light-bulb moment!

I would love to become a coach myself and help people! That’s it – this is what I’ve been searching for…

But then soon my critical voice started telling me that I’m too young to become a coach. I don’t have any life experience to be able to coach other people. So I decided to park the idea of becoming a coach and just continued working… as an Office Junior.

Starting My Yoga Business

Fast forward to 2014, after changing jobs multiple times (from working in a Tax compliance team in a global firm, to a finance role in another global firm to working in a debt investment company!), I decided to enroll into a Yoga teacher training after practicing Yoga regularly for a couple of years prior.

I was still not enjoying the job I was in, in fact I never fully enjoyed any of the jobs I had in the past.

To fill my emptiness, I was drinking alcohol almost everyday and smoking heavily. But my one joy in life was my regular Yoga practice.

After completing my Yoga teacher training, I started building my own website, blogging, running and marketing my private Yoga classes.

I then discovered a whole new world of online business and coaching!

I worked with several business coaches over the years and experienced good and bad coaching. I also coached clients myself in both health & wellbeing and business.

A Light Bulb Moment

But I never thought about getting a proper coaching qualification until earlier this year when I was creating my new online course – Pathway to Dharma.

I was writing content for one of the lessons in Pathway to Dharma. It was about finding and fulfilling your dharma – life purpose.

As I was writing content for the lesson, I felt joy and the sense of fulfillment – the words just came out naturally and I was in ‘flow’ and completely in the present.

Then I had a light bulb moment! This is it! This is my passion – helping others discover their true self and true purpose in life, and support people through career change… which has been a huge struggle for me throughout my working life.

And I realised this had always been my passion from the moment I had my first coaching session in the hotel lounge in Central London.

I lived my 20s getting the jobs that other people thought I would be a good fit for. I let the external world decide my job and career.

Because I decided I wasn’t good enough for the job I actually really wanted after experiencing hundreds of rejections. I decided to choose the easier path – to let others decide what I’m capable of doing.

On the second day of my coaching training, I had an opportunity to practice coaching with my peer group.

And I’m so pleased to say that… I absolutely loved it!

It was a big relief and reassurance that I had chosen the right path.

So if you are reading this, remember that you are more capable than you think you are. I believe that we just need a little guidance and support along the way, so that we can re-discover who we really are and our unique gifts and talents, and express them in a way that serves the world.

You just need to believe in yourself.

If this has got you thinking and want to (re)discover your True Self and purpose, but you need some support and guidance, I invite you to check out my brand new 1:1 coaching program Pathway to Dharma. Or find out your unique pathway to self-discovery.