A Mum changing her career at the end of Maternity Leave
Making the decision
My amazing client (let’s call her S!) was approaching the end of her Maternity Leave. She now had two children and absolutely loved being a Mum. She was really passionate about her job as Senior Project Manager too. But due to the travel and the long hours involved, she realised that role wasn’t going to work for her anymore.
“I knew that going back to my old job simply wasn’t going to make me happy. I wanted a role that fitted around me and my family, but still allowed me to use my skills and experience. It was so important, that this part of me wasn’t lost. I’m pretty good at it!”
Hiring the coach
S was referred to me by a friend who I had helped as a Career Coach for Mums. We had a great chat during a free Taster Coaching Session and hit it off straight away. We agreed we were a good fit and she asked me to help her. I was so thrilled, as I could see (even though she couldn’t at the time) how incredible this journey was going to be for her. My own mind was almost exploding with the ideas about potential ways to help get her to where she wanted to be!
“I knew I definitely wanted to carry on working, and I wanted to explore what else I could do and how that would look. Maybe part-time for someone else or maybe self-employed. I just didn’t know where to begin.”
Setting the goals
During our first session we set 3 ‘simple’ goals:
· Decide which path to take
· Make a plan to make it happen
· Build confidence along the way
These goals would be the foundation of everything we did from then on.
“I asked Laura if we could have a coaching session using FaceTime every fortnight as this worked best for me. She was really flexible. We then had six sessions where we brainstormed ideas, worked out what parts of my experience to take forward and discussed how each of them make me feel. This was key in making my decisions.”
Smashing the goals
During our sessions, we gave some real thought to how she would be helping her potential clients, we worked on confidence and had conversations that pushed her out of her comfort zone. S also gave herself actions to complete in between each session.
“During week 4 of my coaching with Laura, I made an introduction call to a potential new client and got a meeting. I rang Laura straight away! That feeling was incredible.”
By the end of her six sessions, S had set up her new business, had her website in the planning, had started working with new clients and was also feeling much more confident.
In the final session, we set goals for the next three months and booked another session to review them all. I’m delighted to say she smashed them all.
“I didn’t think that it was possible to do all of this so quickly! I was in a complete spin before I worked with Laura. I felt panicky and overwhelmed. Confused by the advice I was getting from friends and family. Now I have a life and a career that works for me. I haven’t felt this happy and fulfilled in so long.”
S represents the feelings and fears a large number of my clients express when we first start working together. It’s exactly how I felt too – when I left my own career in HR to become a Career Coach for Mums.
My passion is to grab the hand of the client and guide them towards their goal. I help bring out their confidence, give them clarity and focus and ensure they achieve everything they want and deserve – a happy life as a Mum with a successful career.