CREATE What’s next

DON’T PANIC*

Heading into the unknown can be exciting. It can also be terrifying.

Since leaving the corporate world in 2013, I’ve headed into the unknown.

I’ve explored who I am when I don’t have a job title and am not on an organisation chart. I’ve explored what’s important to me. I’ve made some changes and am finally feeling much closer to my authentic self. (Which is a sentence you never would have caught me saying back in the day.) It started with my first ever mini “gap year” in my 40s, then I moved to a new city, and started doing some volunteering and an eclectic range of personal development activities and coaching courses. Quite a transition!

And now I help other people do the same:

If you’re about 50, working in a large organisation, and want to make some changes but aren’t sure where to start, read on.

My “Create what’s next” coaching programme includes the following steps:

Step 1: A bespoke “audit” to take stock, help you identify your priority/priorities and set the direction

Step 2: Build your mental fitness foundation (7 weeks)

Step 3: “Deep dive”/career coaching - identify what kind of transition is right for you - read on for more details

Step 4: Build and implement a plan - we continue to work together as you begin this new chapter of your life.

Within less than 6 months of starting work with me, you will be on a path which feels good. You’ll have done some transformational work on yourself and will be pursuing an exciting new idea.

You’ll be able to see that there IS more to you than your job title. You’ll know that you’ll be able to look back in 10 years and have no regrets. You’ll have a broader set of tools in your toolbox for enjoying life more and handling the challenges it throws at you with more confidence. And, if this is something which is important to you, you will have identified what role you can play, however big or small, in making the world around you a better place.

When I work with you, I help you bring all this together. I am your thinking partner. Someone who believes in you. I won’t tell you what to do. But I WILL help you find your own answers.

It will be fun and it will be worth it!

If you’d like to know more about each step, get in touch. I can email you more information and/or we can set up a call. Check out the FAQ for more details on what coaching is.

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“Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.

Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

(Howard Thurman)

(Thank you to Carlos and Laurence at the Happy Startup School for bringing this quotation into my life, and for all the wonderful work they do!)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.”

(Mark Twain)

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BOOK A CALL

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Step 3: “Deep dive”/career coaching

The 3 step framework - Explore, Dream, Discover - is inspired by the above Mark Twain quotation. It’s a proven framework, created by career change experts, and it takes you from confusion to clarity:

Explore: First of all, you build up a picture of who you are - at work and outside work, as a human being. You also get a clear understanding of which parts of you might try to convince you to make career choices which aren’t in line with what you really want deep down.
Dream: Then we get creative, looking at options which light you up!
Discover: And finally, we narrow it down to a choice which feels right, and build a plan.

It’s amazing what can happen when you get some clarity and start putting it out into the world.

A personal story: When I did some coaching exercises during a course back in 2008, I came back to work and told my boss I’d realised I wanted to do something to support the environment. A couple of weeks later, as if by magic, he was asked to identify someone on the management board to run a sustainability awareness programme. This set me on a new track, being able to pursue something more meaningful whilst staying in the same job. I’ve continued to work and volunteer in this space ever since and have also made new lifelong friends as a result.

This programme is for you if...

You’re in employment and want to make a plan for what’s next, which is more aligned with your values and who you want to be/who you REALLY are.
This might mean moving, or it might mean you stay where you are and make some changes to bring things in line with your values and who you really are, if you’re in a position to do so.

There are different types of career coaching and advisory services. This one is suitable for people who wish to take the time to do some exploration. If you have a more immediate need, e.g. you are being made redundant and your main priority is to find another job quickly, this programme is not the best one for you. If you wish, I can connect you with a professional CV writer who offers career support advice.

Duration: The process typically takes 3-6 months if you are in full-time employment. It includes 12 hours’ coaching plus exercises for you to do by yourself and bring to our meetings to discuss. You choose how often we meet for our 1:1 coaching, to fit in around your schedule and allow you time to reflect and do your homework.

Shorter option: If you already have an idea of what you want to do and would just like to test it out a little, we can do a shorter version of the career coaching programme. We’ll discuss your situation and I’ll share the options so you can decide what you want to do.

*DON’T PANIC!

Just to explain the reference… If you’re a similar age to me, or just like this kind of thing, you may be familiar with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. It says “DON’T PANIC” on the cover of the book. It really appealed to me when I was younger. The opening scenes include a very confused man in a dressing gown having to hitchhike onto a passing spaceship as planet Earth gets destroyed to make way for an interplanetary bypass. Anyway, now that I’m older and a bit wiser, I know that if you panic, you lose the ability to connect with the most resourceful part of your brain. The mental fitness programme - which I now offer to clients - has been life-changing for me in helping me notice that moment where panic might ensue, and making a different choice.