It Sparked a Little Something in Me!

“AT THIS TIME WE ARE NOT LOOKING TO COLLABORATE WITH LIFE COACHES”

This was a response to an email I sent last week.

It sparked a little something in me.

Now I want to be clear, this is not a rejection reaction, poor me pity party. I am always grateful to receive a response and am grateful to the professionals who do take the time to do so.

However it did make me think.

This was not a personalised reason for not working with me, it was a generalised response which seemed to me to read to be ALL Life Coaches. 

Full transparency, I too was a bit of a cynic when it came to this ‘life coaching’ stuff! Felt that a lot of it was praying on people when they were feeling vulnerable and charging them shitloads of money to “help” them!

Promises of solutions, cures, ground breaking techniques and breakthroughs! Which seemed out of reach without the “accountability” only achieved by signing up for lengthy courses or programs and paying top dollar for it.

This was my overall view of the Wellness Industry until…………..

I needed help and I didnt know in what shape or form that came in but I knew I needed something as  Post Partum Depression was enveloping me and had been for 18 months!

A beautiful trio consisting of a counsellor, a doctor and…..yep you guessed it, a life coach changed everything for me!

So much so I changed my career and went on to study gaining a diploma in lIfe Coaching and a diploma in Post Partum Depression Awareness. I then began helping others using these learnings, experiences and implementations that had given me a lifeline when I needed it.

I now collaborate with others, speak at events, write articles, appear on podcasts, conduct online sessions and have a digital course to help other families who may be feeling like I did six years ago.

But…….

It is still not enough!

People are still struggling with Mental Health and one of the reasons I believe this to be a reality is because Health Care providers are at capacity, funds are not always available to provide support and resources are not always being made accessible by the workplace.

Employers, social prescriptions, shared resources, affordable support and a marriage between medical, clinical providers and holistic or alternative therapies may help bridge the gap.

It often feels like a “them and us” when it comes to the world of supporting Mental Health.

Many coaches have had an experience in their own lives that has been the catalyst for them becoming a support for others. Empathy and compassion and a gut felt need and drive to help others make them people you want in your corner.

Doctors and clinically trained care providers have the academic, biological knowledge and training to diagnose and prescribe medication to support.

But there is a narrative between the two that can be dismissive and at times judgmental……from both sides!

The Wellness industry deemed to be “wooohoo” whilst the clinical side are being demonised as “big Pharma”.

What if we all got together…..reminded ourselves as to what our main objective is (to help others) and then left our egos at the door, worked together and actually provided a more encompassing foundation of support??

I now know that in my case, the medication on its own was not going to cut it but I believe I did need medication at that time(thank you doctor), I also needed to understand myself a little better and required some perspective from someone outside of my family and friends (thank you counciller) and I needed to explore moving forward and tools to help me do so (thank you life coach)!

In the last four years I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the most amazing coaches! Myself included…we have studied…created a business model….advertising….pr….marketing….social media management…..supported others and each other and without a steady salary…without colleagues…..in the face of adversity as others mock “oh everyone is a life coach these days”.

None of us have taken the easy road and the simple reason for that is because we believe to our very souls that what we bring to the table is important and valuable!

Of course there are the dodgy ones, exactly the same as there are dodgy tradesmen, dodgy doctors, dodgy teachers…….every industry has some bad eggs….but there are always the diamonds too!!

Let's get all those diamonds round the same table and change the landscape of Mental Health…together.