Why coach rebels?
I want to see more heart-centred rebels speaking up and changing the world. We need them now more than ever.
Apart from the fact that my mission is to amplify the voices of alternative thinkers, I was struck by the need to revolutionise accountability in coaching. One of the central themes of coaching is that people make change when they have someone to hold them to account. Coaches are urged to get full commitment upfront that the client is looking for change and is willing to do the work required.
But even with that commitment, lots of people don't respond to standard accountability strategies – the harder someone pushes, the more the client pushes back. And if a coach doesn't understand why this is happening, it can seriously undermine the relationship.
Gretchen Rubin calls those who resist expectations Rebels, and I'm one of them.
The word 'rebel' may make you think of a dyed-haired anarchist who is happy to live on the fringes of society. That's not me, and it's probably not you. It's the stereotypical rebel - the archetypal rebel is richer, deeper, and infinitely more valuable to society. For example, within the rebel archetype there are many forms: the revolutionary, the reformer, the maverick, the free spirit as well as the provocateur, the outsider and the troublemaker. So thinking in terms of stereotypes is limiting our ability to see the positive contributions of the Rebel. And it's these unique, essential traits that I'm nurturing through my coaching programmes.
Rebels without a cause need not apply. If you're a happy anarchist – rock on, coaching is probably not for you. I'm for rebels who have the greater good in their hearts, who find themselves getting in their own way – resisting something they would prefer to be getting on with. People who know they have the potential to be doing so much more with their gifts, but find their spirit of resistance blocking their progress. If this is you, I'm happy to meet you. You have so much to offer the world, let's work together to own your value.
About me
I'm Janice, and I am lots of things to lots of people (aren't we all?). I discovered coaching when I felt stuck, out of flow and lost. I knew there was more to life than the sheer volume of monotonous tasks that lay before me, and I wanted more. I tried to chill out and go with the flow, but really I'd lived with an underlying dissatisfaction for years - and spent my time reading about philosophy and meditating to ease the pain! I was confused, how could I bring this ancient wisdom into my ‘real’ life? Where did I fit? All I could think was “I feel like a square peg in a round hole”.
At work I had big ideas, but people didn't always see my vision right away. In my job as a hospital pharmacist I was frustrated at the pace of change and I lost motivation and self confidence; I seemed to be unable to communicate my ideas and as a result I felt I was surrounded by people who didn't really believe big change was possible. Status quo ensued. Not because I didn’t want change - because I didn’t know how to change. I wanted a real life….. but what was that?
The first time I felt I was really living my philosophy was over 10 years ago, my dad was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour that would take his life within 15 months. Receiving that news with him, and watching him living his last days I knew, powerfully, that there was no time to waste. It was mindfulness in motion - all that mattered was the here and now. But I found it nearly impossible to sustain once things returned to normal, going back to life as it had been seemed so superficial. I had the urge to run away - to travel and live an engaged life every day, away from the routine. But responsibility called, and I returned to it like the dutiful child, again repressing my need for more. I didn’t know what else to do.
The final catalyst for action was becoming a mother. I looked at these little beings and saw once again 'life's longing for itself' as Khalil Gibran so beautifully put it. I saw their joy in the present moment and wondered how to uncover mine, amongst the chaos and joy that so often left me filled up and running-on-empty at the same time.
Because I have a love of the dramatic, I decided that the only way things would ever be different was if I invited change by making a space in my life. I had been waiting for a clear path to appear before I jumped. I’d done all the preparation. But I couldn’t imagine my way out of this one, I had to be bold.
I quit my well paid, part-time professional career as a hospital pharmacist, and waited for life to show up. And so it did - a few months later, through coincidence or fate, I found an organisation I immediately clicked with. They were holding a coaching certification training the following week. I’d quit my job and had no saved cash, I had no childcare arranged and had never spent a week away from my kids, all the other trainees had completed months of preparation, and it should have been scary. But I knew I had to take that chance and jump for it. If you ask the universe to provide and it does, you need to go for it!