Laura Randall

For me, coaching felt like a natural 'next step' on my mental health recovery journey, having spent many years engaging in various psychotherapies. I felt that I had spent adequate time focusing on and working through really heavy issues from the past. I now wanted to start looking forward, to start putting into practice all that I had been working on, to start implementing ideas that had been growing in my head and to start living life in a way that felt more authentically me. 

When I began coaching with Charlotte, I was at a stage in my life where I felt like I had come face to face with a very high brick wall. A lot of positive change had been taking place up until this point, but I was finding myself feeling increasingly 'stuck'. I was at a stage where, after feeling pretty shut down inside for many years, I was starting to feel myself coming alive again and I was slowly getting back in touch with my creative side.  Ideas were starting to flow through my mind about the possibilities for my life and I had feelings of excitement about what the future held. The problem was though, I felt like I had a whole host of new knowledge, ideas and inspiration swimming around in my mind but I had no idea what to do with it ... to the point that I eventually started to feel like I was drowning in it all. I found myself starting to lose hope about being able to  genuinely move forward. I felt concerned that I'd  be  stuck in this place forever, knowing what I wanted and needed, but not knowing how to get there.

By the time I came to my first appointment with Charlotte, I was overwhelmed and utterly frustrated by what felt like an enormous block in my mind. I was relieved to discover though within the first session, that what I was experiencing was actually very common and that with the help of a coach, practical steps could be taken to help overcome this block! It felt such a relief to finally start talking to someone about how I had been feeling and to know that I was not alone!

I instantly felt at ease talking to Charlotte and knew that I had made the right decision to begin coaching with her.  From the get-go, I appreciated her fun, efficient and caring approach to coaching. From the start, everything was laid out clearly for me, the boundaries were clear and I felt very well informed about what to expect from coaching and what was expected from me. 

Coaching with Charlotte has bought enormous value to my life. The process is a challenging, exciting and enlightening one and I am at a point now where I am starting to see how the 'pieces' fit together. In each session I am focusing on different areas and setting different goals, but as the weeks are passing I am beginning to see the bigger picture and how everything is relative. Coaching has helped enormously to clear the fog in my head and to unravel the mass of ideas that were just sat there, driving me to distraction! As a result I am feeling calmer, and have gained more clarity. It's so helpful having Charlotte walking alongside me supporting me though this and helping me in a really practical manner. She is completely professional but feels like a friend and I find that her down-to-earth approach really helps me to feel more at ease in situations that occasionally can feel quite vulnerable.  I feel safe with Charlotte, which is so important to me on this journey.

Coaching has frequently moved me out of my comfort zone, but I see the value in this and am feeling more and more empowered as the weeks go by. I have noticed some positive shifts starting to take place in my behaviour and outlook on life, and this is helping to propel me forward in such a positive way. The greatest change that has taken place for me from coaching is that I now genuinely believe that the pen is firmly in my hand for me to write the story for my own life, and that I have the power to turn my visions into reality.