"If I had been told 2 years ago that aged 27 I would have a life coach, I would have laughed. Firstly I wouldn’t have really known what one was, but secondly I thought, as most people do, that you ‘sort yourself out’, ‘get over things,’ ‘cope’.
But in reality this time 2 years ago I wasn’t coping, and when I look back I have never really coped with life and the things that it throws at you. I had been in my second violent and destructive relationship. I was internally and externally bullying myself the way that girls at school had bullied me. I saw myself as a fat pig and was binge eating and then making myself to sick afterwards. I had successfully passed my teaching degree, but was working as a supply teacher with no prospects of the permanent position that I longed for.
Nearly two years on, I am now in a happy, stable relationship looking to buy a house with someone that I love and who I know loves me. He does not call me names, make me feel bad about myself or hit me. I have a full time permanent position at a school that I love and we have just had an ofsted inspection and been graded an outstanding school. I can not lie and say that I am now one hundred per cent happy with my body image, or that there aren’t occasions when I begin to speak to myself in an incredibly negative way. BUT I do now have ways to deal with things. In the time that I have been receiving coaching from Jadzia, my life has completely changed. I have come to learn the importance of positive thinking, of dreaming of what I want, writing it down and making it happen myself.
When I look back at the things that I wrote during my first few sessions with Jadzia, I can see that with her guidance I have achieved almost every one. I wrote down key aspirations for a year ahead, things that I never thought were actually possible, but it was fun to dream them, and they happened. I made them happen. And most of them happened within 6 months!
Jadzia has made me see the importance of me and my control on my own life and future. I can now understand good, positive, loving relationships and can say that I deserve to be in one. I have learnt to not put myself down, I wouldn’t put anyone else down in that way and so why should I do it to myself. I have begun to wholly recognise my own achievements and to celebrate them. I now know when I am unhappy about something and instead of getting angry or upset with myself I now talk about them and ask for what I need. I have techniques to help me deal with situations and turn them to my advantage. I know what my good habits are and what happens to me when I let these slide, I know what I can and can’t tolerate and what needs to be done to reduce my tolerations. I know how to write and release feelings that are much better on paper than in my soul.
I had tried traditional counselling about 9 years ago after a different violent, abusive relationship but this did not work for me. I sat there pouring my heart out while someone nodded and asked occasional questions, offered me anti-depressants and told me I then had to wait another 3 months for an appointment. This is not life coaching. Jadzia does listen when I need to pour my heart and will ask the questions or notice things that I do like the way my breathing changes, she may just remain silent for what seems like forever, but its during the silence that what is being said actually begins to make sense. Life coaching is far more practical than counselling. You have to do the work, you have to make the changes, you are encouraged in an indescribable way to live your life the way that everybody should, happy, confident, and successful in everything that you want to achieve.
Thank you Jadzia and I look forward to our success in the future."