Suzi started her coaching programme with me just before returning to work after having her second baby. This is her story of how that support helped.
I’d really struggled after returning to work after having my first child and was determined to make it different this time. There had been a lot of change at work while on maternity leave (new team and new job role as an Internal Communications Officer), that coupled with some huge personal changes for me outside of work, meant that the help was extremely welcomed.
Laura gave me the space I needed to explore my thoughts and feelings around returning to work. She asked me simple but effective questions which prompted me to reflect and tackle ideas from a different perspective.
One of the most useful learnings for me was the notion of listening to my inner critic and understanding when to follow it. Sometimes that inner voice that tells you what you should or shouldn’t do is fuelled by fears and anxieties and not fact. Being able to untangle this can be difficult and acknowledging that what you’re feeling isn’t always a true reflection of how it is, is a huge step forward.
Laura helped me to uncover what was really important to me, which was to achieve a well balanced life.
In the past I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself, always thinking about ‘what’s next’ in my career. This time, I knew that this wasn’t the right approach for me, but for some reason I felt guilty for it.
Laura helped me to understand that accepting where I was career wise, didn’t mean I have to stand still. Concentrating on personal growth was the right thing for me to do at that time and has had enormous benefits for me. And actually, by doing this, the rest has taken care of itself.
I’ve been back at work nearly a year now, my confidence has grown and is continuing to grow each day. I’m enjoying my work and being a mum of two beautiful children. Although I must admit I can still be hard on myself at times, I’m so much better at not putting too much pressure on myself!
As a result life is so much more enjoyable and I am extremely thankful for what I have! Laura’s kindness and genuine desire to help made the experience so easy at, what was for me, a very difficult point in time.
I was asked for 3 words to describe working with Laura, but I’ve found it hard to keep to three! - Enlightening, refreshing, kindness, safe, belief, self-belief, tears, smiles, breakthroughs.
If you’d like to explore how I can support you through a similar situation, feel free to e-mail me at lauraduggal@outlook.com or book in for a complimentary call using this link to my diary: https://calendly.com/lauraduggal/exploration-call
Comments