With thanks to Susan Pye who shared her coaching experience with me.

When you feel the energy and enthusiasm radiating from someone through TEAMS, you know they have been deeply affected by something. In this case, it was the result of attending the Power of Coaching programme that had impacted Susan from Samuel Barlow Primary Academy so positively and resulted in her saying, ‘I feel privileged to have completed this course. It has changed my mind set and my life.’ Before I could even put pen to paper, I was drawn enthusiastically into a conversation with Susan about fried eggs, all coaching related of course and ironically, the very model that gave her confidence to reflect on her current job role and stretch beyond the comfort zone that had been limiting her progress for a good number of years. We can all relate to being so comfortable in a job that we don’t have the inclination or motivation more often than not, to push ourselves out of it. However, the coaching programme challenged all of that for Susan and within a few weeks of completing the programme she had secured a new position in her Academy that provided a sense of newness, excitement and re-invigoration in her work. I asked her what had happened during the POC sessions to question her current practices so significantly. Susan explained that it was the effortless approach of the POC facilitators that kept drawing her back to what she was most proud of in her work or personal life, the opportunity to ‘park work’ and use the time for self-reflection and personal discovery and the time to immerse herself into the coaching mindset that contributed to a noticeable confidence boost throughout the programme.

Prior to attending the Power of Coaching, Susan openly admitted to questioning the reasons for being coached, particularly at her PDP, but now rationalises this to having a limited understanding of the coaching concept and the value it can add to help enrich your work and personal life. She spoke honestly about turning up to her first session not really knowing what to expect, feeling a sense of trepidation that soon settled when the cohort were offered an open space to directly explore their current understanding of coaching, share their own personal practice of coaching and enjoy the opportunity to experience personal validation and recognition against the principles that underpin the coaching ethos.

As to what the coaching future will look like for Susan, she is keen to focus her efforts on developing her current set of coaching skills and is happy to utilise these in her new role as Family Support Advisor. However, she feels she needs more experience in the role of coach before she attends the Advanced Power of Coaching. That aside, Susan has clearly been inspired by the ‘power of coaching’, that has instigated such a positive and powerful change in her life. It is my absolute privilege to share her experience in the hope that it encourages anyone who is a little uncertain about coaching, to embrace it for what it is. It could make the world of difference!