Second careers

Jenny had set up and run her own successful law firm for over 30 years and was one of the first women to be a managing partner in the legal profession. She heard about Energise as a result of reading one of our articles.

Ready for a change, with the legal profession becoming a legal market, and a different outlet for her many talents and interests, including public speaking and learning, she far from wanting to retire but ready for a new challenge, the question was what. 

Like many lawyers, she had only ever known the law, and so the prospect of doing something different was daunting. Like many lawyers, she found it hard to see her skills, qualities and experience and where they were transferable. We shared ideas for new ventures – being self-employed all her life; Jenny knew that employment was not for her.

We helped her to identify her values, what motivated her, her needs and wants. Together we identified a broad range of second career options from evolutionary to revolutionary, and how to screen them. We also helped Jenny think about her unique brand, how to market herself and introduced her to useful contacts, resources and networks.   

Jenny found coaching gave her an invaluable supportive and confidential sounding board to think through her options and become more confident and competent to create the changes she sought. 

Like many clients, coaching gave more than anticipated. After many years in the law, with the pressure and measurement of fees that come with the role and leading a firm;  Jenny also uncovered a desire to enjoy creative pursuits and enjoy the journey as well as focusing on the destination

“Working with Rachel has given me the opportunity to move forward and the support to look at all the various options that are available.  She has also given me the tools to work on myself in the future when change occurs. Thank you for your work which has been very valuable”

Jenny Betts

Mary had already changed career several times but her latest transition was by far the most daunting and she needed help to keep on track and push through the numerous challenges that cropped up along the way.  Here’s how we helped her.  

Although Mary had changed careers several times, this was a huge leap and she needed help.  She was a psychotherapist specialising in eating disorders and saw young women and teens whose lives were being torn apart by under-eating, over-eating, purging and compulsive exercise. 

She desperately wanted to help all those who couldn’t afford to see a therapist and who had slipped through the NHS net.  It was very important to her to make a difference in preventing the disorders from taking hold before they started to destroy lives.

Starting a charity and managing all the aspects of a start-up organisation was very daunting. However I helped Mary to focus on the important tasks, understand how to get supporters on board and connect to resources that she needed.  I helped her to move through her frustrations and see positive solutions, providing her with a means to examine the feelings that were holding her back.
 

The charity is now going from strength to strength and helping many of the people who originally inspired her to set out on this path.
  

“I always left my sessions with Rachel feeling that I had had an injection of energy straight to the blood stream.  I found Rachel was a rudder when I wanted to abandon ship, hit a storm or lost focus.”

Mary Wood 

Anna, in her late 40s, had wanted to be a teacher all her life, but lacked the confidence to tackle the barriers that stood between her and her objective. This is how we helped her.

Anna got in touch following her withdrawal from a Master’s degree course due to ill health. She was working in Human Resources, but her job had been just a ‘means to an end,’ something to keep her earning while she finished her degree.

Having to end her studies prematurely made Anna realise just how much becoming a teacher mattered to her. However whenever she thought about what was required to achieve this goal; sourcing a qualification certificate from school days in her native Italy; obtaining entry qualifications in Maths and Science; writing an effective personal statement; being successful at interview, she questioned whether she had the ability and confidence to succeed.

Coaching with me helped Anna understand and find renewed confidence in her strengths and abilities, and together we prepared an action plan that led to her ultimate goal of becoming a teacher. The step by step plan reduced overwhelm and enabled Anna to tackle each barrier one at a time and obtain the qualifications required.

A further session helped Anna to develop effective strategies for coping positively with the interview process and Anna successfully achieved her goal and is due to start her post-graduate teacher training course in the next 2 months.

“With absolute calm, respect, understanding and empathy, Rachel guided me to think about the obstacles that stood in the way of my chosen career and to reflect on how to overcome them, something I had been unable to do by myself, mainly due to a lack of confidence.

Rachel gave me back my confidence in my ability and in my chosen career, and inspired me to do all I could to achieve my goals. Immediately after our meeting, that is exactly what I did , and I am now on track to achieve my professional goals. Thank you Rachel!”

She is a great example of someone with a clear vision and how important it is to keep going, get support when stuck to identify the obstacles and overcome them to achieve success. Passion about a career vision plus persistence pays off!

Anna Colgan

This is an example of someone who originally chose a career that wasn’t ‘her’ and is now doing one that she chose – her talents are finally being hatched which is very exciting!  

Pippa came to us ready to create a new career she was passionate about. Her career and next phase of life started together.  

Pippa had worked in insurance all of her working life. She was recommended to me by a personal trainer I knew well.

She had chosen insurance as a steady profession to enable her to support her parents. Once they had passed away and she was in her mid 40s, she realised that it was her time to do what she wanted and put her needs and wants first.

She was an accomplished piano player, tutored children in the piano in her spare time and was also an active member of the church. She had many skills, including secretarial, with the potential to have a portfolio career that would serve her well while becoming self-employed in a downturn.

Like many people who have been employed all their lives, she had never had to think about what she might market, who she might market herself to, and how to set up a business.

I helped her to see that she could make a living out of teaching the piano to children as well as other ideas such as summer schools. We considered which target audiences to focus on, who specifically she was passionate about teaching, what their needs were and what made her unique – her features and benefits – plus pricing, brochures and other aspects of marketing.

With my help, she spent about 8 months planning her own business and then resigned, quite shocking her colleagues and being the envy of many! 

Her previous employer left open the option of her doing insurance contract work, which is quite a seasonal market with peaks and troughs, and she also had an offer of part-time PA work for her church.

I helped her to think through and structure her commitments so that she had time for herself, and encouraged her to consolidate her finances so she had a financial cushion to give her peace of mind.

“You have an amazing ability to help me believe in myself and my abilities – priceless, and a huge motivator to keep going.”

Pippa Fernee