Amalfi Calling!

Like many people who had achieved success in their career choice I had come to the realization that something was missing

Bernadette Durrell

Diploma of Life Coaching

In my role as a Regional Manager with a large not for profit health provider I enjoyed the challenges of problem solving and assisting clients to receive services and staff to deliver them, and yet I still felt I wasn’t using my skills to their fullest capacity.

I was fortunate to have a manager who recognized my dissatisfaction and pointed me in the direction of a career coach. Exploring my values, talents and what was important to me started me on my own personal journey of coaching. Having realized a 5 year goal to complete a 750km walk in Spain (The Camino de Santiago) in June 2012 and spending time on the beautiful Amalfi Coast, I was ready to take the next steps in my personal and work life.

I joined TCI and completed Foundations weekend in November and what a journey it has been. I have been blown away with the level of support and information that is offered – everyone within the community is so willing to help or refer you to the relevant person.

“The triads with fellow coaches and the amazing mentors provided by TCI have been an invaluable learning experience. ”

I started my pro-bono coaching in January

The response from the clients was very positive and since then I have competed close to over 30 hours of coaching. The triads with fellow coaches and the amazing mentors provided by TCI have been an invaluable learning experience. I started taking small steps to start my business in January while continuing to work full-time, travel and study for my diploma as well as Masters in Business Leadership. I finally took the big step of committing full-time to my coaching business “Amalfi Coaching”, in April this year. The name of the business reflects my goal to live in Italy for longer than a couple of weeks and enjoy the beauty of the Amalfi Coast while coaching clients.

Since then there have been a number of firsts. My first paying client on a recommendation from a fellow student; my first workshop with another fellow coach – not many participants yet the feedback of the value we had provided was worth 100 participants; my first networking meeting where I spoke proudly about my new venture.

While working in the business has now become my full-time role I am also stepping out of my comfort zone in so many ways as I work on my business. This has been my biggest challenge. Following the steps and advice outlined by Sharon and Joe has helped me to stay focused. Setting goals-some, big hairy audacious ones and some not so big as well as continuing to just “do it” whether I feel like it or not have been critical in getting results. I have also applied much of what I have learned to all other aspects of my life including health and relationships.

The focus of my business is working with people who want to further develop their leadership skills. Many people in leadership positions don’t see themselves as leaders and find it challenging both personally and organizationally to achieve the results they are looking for. I am passionate about helping them to gain clarity about the person they need to be so they can provide positive and empowering leadership to their teams. My clients have included, teachers, health care staff, managers and business owners.

What is the most enjoyable bit about my business?

There is more than one! I get to spend time with people who want to make a difference in their life and are willing to do something; I get to see people transform into the person they most desire to be; we have a laugh along the way and most importantly I am contributing to and living my own ideal life.

In the future I see my business providing coaching services to individuals and organizations who value themselves and their staff and are willing to invest in their personal development. As I enjoy working with others then partnerships and collaborations with other coaches will also be a feature of how I progress my business. And improving my Italian will be right up there!