I wasn't always a life coach.
Long before this became my work, I was the acquaintance, the friend, the listening ear on the school bus. The person people somehow ended up sitting next to when they needed to talk something out or get something off their chest.
It was usually about friendship dynamics, family tension, relationship drama, feeling overwhelmed at school, saying "yes" to too many things, the guilt of saying "no", or not knowing what to do next. I was the one helping them untangle their thoughts and figuring out their next step. I didn't know much about their lives and I only had my own very narrow perspective, so I would ask them questions that would make them think, find their own answers and empower them to move ahead. Whatever it was that I was doing must have worked. They kept coming back.
I think part of that was because I was a bit misunderstood myself.
I didn't always fit neatly into boxes, and I definitely didn't have everything figured out. But, even then, people could see that I was coping and in some areas, I was even thriving despite things being messy behind the scenes. That seemed to have made me a safe person. Someone who wouldn't judge. Someone who would listen, reflect things back and help make sense of what felt overwhelming.
But at that same time, I was growing up without much structure or guidance. As a teenager, that lack of direction showed up in ways I didn't understand at the time.
- I pushed people away because I didn't think they'd understand me.
- I assumed opportunities weren't meant for me or that they were "too good to be true."
- I isolated myself and tried to handle everything alone.
- I focussed on external things I could "fix" instead of looking at what was actually going on inside.
- I went against the advice I gave to others because I constantly questioned my own knowledge and capabilities.
It wasn't that I didn't care, or didn't have potential. I just didn't have positive role models around me and I didn't learn how to better understand myself.
I had to learn that the long way around.
As I moved into adulthood, I reached a point where I knew something needed to change. I knew it wasn't a quick fix, or an online self-help guide. I had to actually put in the work. In a grounded, practical kind of way.
So I started paying attention. I learned about discipline, self-awareness, emotional regulation and structure. The things most people are magically expected to know. I tested what worked in real life and dropped what didn't. Slowly, things became clearer, steadier and more manageable.
Along the way, a pattern kept showing up.
People around me, whether at work, in friendships and passing conversations were exhausted. Overworked. Time-poor. Carrying everything alone. They didn't need motivation or another pep talk. They needed someone to understand what they were juggling and help them figure out what actually mattered next.
That's when it clicked that this wasn't just something I was naturally drawn to, it was something I was meant to do. So I took the time, I studied, got qualified in Social Services.
Though hard work, discipline and implementing boundaries, I became the coach I wish I had when I was 18.
Today, I work with people who feel stretched thin and unsupported. People who are capable and doing their best, but feel like no one really sees how much they're carrying. People who don't want fluff or pressure, just clarity, direction and steady support that fits into their busy lives.
You don't have to do this alone.
And you don't have to have it all figured out before you ask for help.
That's what I'm here for.
