One of the best investments I have ever made is in myself with life coaching.
I first came across The Life Coach School Podcast by the amazing Brooke Castillo in 2015. I remember listening to a few of the podcasts, particularly episode #58 on Self-Confidence, which resonated with me, but it wasn’t until mid-2017 that I really clued into the valuable content available in this podcast and I became a big fan. I remember distinctly sitting down on my balcony that August, upset at the time about a relationship and deciding to listen to episode #25 – Emotional Adulthood. That one episode changed me immediately. I subsequently started to listen to all of her other episodes and I haven’t stopped since, sometimes listening to a single episode upwards of 5 or 6 times.

At about the same time, Brooke started offering Self Coaching Scholars (SCS) – a monthly subscription which gives you access to all of her teaching, videos, webinars and coaching calls, as well as the opportunity to receive 1:1 coaching. The amount of information contained in SCS is amazing. While I first started because I wanted to work on my relationship, I’ve subsequently been able to work on money, relationships with my family, weight, time management, boundaries, etc. Most importantly, I learned how to manage my mind and my emotions. I am living more consciously and setting bigger and bigger goals for myself.

When COVID-19 hit last year, the private coaching sessions were invaluable to me as I found myself isolating alone in my apartment in north Lebanon and spending a million hours on Zoom in work meetings, with little else to occupy me. These sessions were and are an excellent opportunity to talk about what I am thinking and how I would like to think. They also help me to process my emotions and to get some perspective on my issues and life. They’ve certainly helped to keep me focused over the past 15 months of the pandemic.

It was also during the pandemic that I enrolled in the Coach Certification Program (CCP). The Life Coach School, as the name implies, also offers certification. Brooke makes an excellent case as to why becoming a Life Coach is a great career option and it was something that I always found interesting as a possible second career in 10 years or so, once I was ready to move on from the Humanitarian Aid world. However, given that I found myself with a great deal of free time on my hands, I decided not to wait and I signed up for the 6 month program in September 2020.

At first I thought it would just be interesting and useful without any serious consideration to becoming a coach anytime soon, let alone starting my own business, but that had pretty much changed by the beginning of December. There isn’t a particular moment or thought I remember having when I made this decision but suddenly I couldn’t wait to get started. I never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur and it’s been a pretty steep learning curve, but I am having a fantastic time. I continue to work my day job and I’m fortunate that I can do both and love both!

Becoming a coach is one of the most exciting things I have ever done. Coaching changed my life. I have become more of who I am. I have up-levelled my life and I continue to evaluate how I want to approach my life and to make conscious decisions as to what results I want to achieve. Anything is possible. The fact that I can now help other women do the same is such an honour and a privilege. I am thrilled that I can provide value and serve others so that they can also experience some of the same changes I have. I chose to work with expat women, or women who are thinking about becoming an expat, as my niche.

While it took me a while to decide on this niche, it now feels so natural and so right, I wonder why it took me so long to make this decision in the first place. I know exactly what it is like to want to live and work abroad and how scary yet exhilarating it can be. I know how much work goes into preparing to make this huge change and the anxiety and excitement that goes with it. I continue to live and work abroad and face new challenges every day. I know it’s a fantastic way to live, but I know that it’s not the easiest. But now I know how navigate those challenges in a way that builds my strength and resilience and that makes me excited for each day, no matter where I am.