This is part 1 of a 2 part blog by one of our clients. Jonathan Green. We coached Jon to create his second career – a portfolio career. The rest of this blog is in Jon’s own words.
My current portfolio career
I am a musician, a writer, a speaker and I also work for a national faith based organisation on a part-time basis. When I met Rachel in 2007, I described myself as a “songwriter trapped in a church planter’s body” and the songwriter in me didn’t know how to escape! Even then, I instinctively knew that a portfolio career would allow my various “vocations” to dance together rather than constantly fight for position, but I was stuck; I didn’t know how to move forward and make that dream a reality. Eight years later and I am finding my groove and learning how to flow with a portfolio of meaningful work.
Before my portfolio career
Back in 2007 I was working 65 hours a week doing the thing I had felt called to do for such a long time. However, I had a problem, I had many things I wanted to do and I didn’t want to wait until this work was over to begin all of the other things! My job, the thing that paid out money and provided a house in Central London was developing fast – some might say too fast – and although it provided some space for music and writing, it was all connected to that role and the role was all consuming.
How coaching helps
Coaching provided me with the space to reflect and think, it gave me time to articulate things that I didn’t even think I was allowed to say, to want, to desire. Coaching gave voice to the writer in me and helped me to formulate a plan to break the songwriter out of prison. Rachel helped me to focus upon my deepest values and to see myself from many different perspectives – all of which were valid and needed to find an expression if I was ever to feel whole. For instance, one of my core skills is knowing how to start with a blank sheet of paper and create something meaningful which has the potential to change the world for good. I had confused that gift with church planting and severely restricted myself in the process. ‘Church planting’ means starting a church in a new community by the way! As I have worked with and understood that specific talent, I have realised that it works brilliantly far beyond just starting churches and this insight has served me well in recent years and made me more flexible, versatile, dynamic and responsive.
Career transition
18 months of coaching sessions helped me to set some firm boundaries which allowed me to scale back my paying job in order to write more and record and release my songs – this involved some conflict with my boss which coaching also helped me to navigate successfully. The money that I was going to spend on a PhD – the obvious “next step” for me, which would “open doors” – was shelved and I set up a recording studio in a spare bedroom instead. I submitted a song to a national song writing competition and ended up winning it, which led to the song being played on the radio.
Keep an eye out for part 2 of Jon’s story.
You can listen to lots of my music over at www.soundcloud.com/recreativemedia for free and you can buy my first Single – Rest in My Love from every online store and streaming service in the world! I live on Twitter @recre8ivemedia