My Journey Into Coaching

The desire to connect, to support and be with others during times of need is something I was drawn to since my early teens. 

At the age of 15 I began working for a counselling charity for young teenagers. I will never forget my silent caller; the 13 year old girl who called every week for 3 months without saying a word, simply breathing deeply into the phone. Each time reassuring her; “You are safe, It’s ok, I’m here to listen and support you when you feel ready”. 

The memory of the evening when she called and muttered her first soft whisper “Ali? Hello”, will never be forgotten. I felt so grateful and honoured that she had developed enough trust to feel safe enough to speak and ask for help. As she revealed her abusive living circumstances, we worked together to build up the courage to voice what was happening and was able to move into a safe household with her other parent. 

The feeling of this experience still resides in me today. It was the first time that I realised that my purpose was in serving others; in being with them in their vulnerable states, enabling them to feel heard, to be seen and held in a safe place. Enabling others to re-discover their voice, express their truth and seek what they truly need.

After completing my Psychology degree and continuing to gain experience in charities and working in NHS therapy centres in London, I had learnt so much… and yet something hadn't felt right. 

Firstly, the treatment of the patients felt cold, clinical and manualised. Every patient was assessed, labelled with a score, diagnosed and given a pre-determined treatment plan to follow. While these methodologies benefited some, I felt a deep sense of disconnection from the true being sitting in front of me. We were not encouraged to see them as the true , full beings they were. Unable to embrace their shadows alongside their light and give them the space and tools to truly heal and move forward. We lacked the time and holistic measures to serve the patients with what they truly needed. 

At the same time, I was also in a big personal transition myself. I had left university, split from a 7 year relationship and was in the process of figuring out who I was and what I really wanted in life, independent of any institution or relationship. Experiencing bouts of depression, anxiety and confusion, I knew I needed to do my own work before I could help others. 

This ignited my personal journey of re-discovery.

As I jumped on a plane to Spain and began my life away from home, I was unbound from the place I had always lived and the people I had always known.

While the beautiful city and weather had filled me with such joy, after 2 years the external gratifications began to fade. I knew I had to dig deeper to re-discover who I really was, what fulfilled me on a deeper level, and how I was going to get there. With my own incredible coaches and mentors, I was able to let go of limiting beliefs from the past, release the thoughts that were holding me back and embrace my joy and my truest self. Through this I was able to connect to what was most important to me and fall back in love with my passion and my purpose; serving others.

Consequently, I realised that a more heartfelt and humanistic approach was needed in order to help others. As a passionate dancer, in love with yoga and artistic expression, I began my qualification in Creative Arts therapy. I was in awe; the in-depth, inspiring and heartfelt techniques fostered a deeper connection to one’s own truth and elicited more profound changes than I had imagined.

While I had previously struggled defining what “type of coach” I would be, I came to realise that the beauty lies within the fusion itself. Drawing from science, investigative research, the physiology of the brain and combining it with the deeply profound benefits of Mindfulness, Yoga, and Creative Therapies, I knew the beauty was in embracing them all. 

So as a personal life coach today, I do not believe in the one size fits all approach. Yes there are techniques that have been proven to be most effective, but only by truly understanding and connecting to the unique being in front of us, can we see their true needs and hand pick the most effective tools for them. 

For me, there is no greater gift than being able to support an individual in this beautiful process; learning to let go of what is no longer serving them, listening to their own voice, embracing and honouring their true self so that they can live a life of real meaning, fulfilment and joy.

So thank you to all of you courageous clients, for stepping in and allowing me to be part of your own beautiful journey.