I am delighted to be able to share Steph’s story and journey with you which I know you will find inspiring.
Who is Steph?
Steph is a midlife woman, married with grown up children, who is enjoying being nanna and supporting her children’s families as they grow. She works full time as a civil servant in a highly demanding role and is currently studying towards her MBA in her spare time. Steph has recently moved home and taken on a new puppy, so dog walks and puppy training classes are helping her to stay fit and ensuring she finds some downtime in her busy schedule.
Steph joined the Phoenix Rising Mastermind with two clear goals she wanted to achieve. She wanted to develop coping strategies to help manage her menopause (although post-menopausal, like many women, Steph was still experiencing some symptoms). Plus she wanted support to help her stay focused and motivated to achieve her goals. Steph openly admitted that she could have a tendency to set herself up to fail at the outset, by setting goals that were so ambitious she felt couldn’t achieve them. This then led to her loss of motivation and ultimately she would give up on even getting close to her goals. I knew the Phoenix Rising Mastermind would definitely help her:
“I have learnt about the stages of menopause. I have learnt about my own journey, where I am and how to move forward. I’ve learnt lots of techniques to help me not only transition successfully through this journey, but to become more successful in my life goals.”
How did the Phoenix Rising Mastermind help Steph?
Steph was a great member of the group and one of those clients a coach loves to work with! She came to the Phoenix Rising Mastermind with an open mind and a can do attitude – it was clear she wanted to challenge herself and achieve her goals.
Steph played an active part in both the masterclasses, but particularly the action learning group coaching sessions. She listened to the stories and concerns of her fellow participants, asking those searching questions and offered her own experience to support them to move forward. This is just what I was looking for in these sessions. The power of these sessions is in the collective knowledge and support of the participants as they all develop new communication and problem solving skills.
Steph had also joined the free Phoenix Rising Retreat which is a short programme held the week before the full Mastermind programme, helping ladies who are interested in this style of coaching to decide if it is for them. During the Retreat, I added an additional masterclass which was gifted to the group based on discussions from the previous days. At this point we looked at the psychological impact of loss as we journey through menopause – something that personally hit me, but which many women don’t often consider.
For Steph this was pivotal and she told me that during that discussion she felt very emotional as she suddenly realised loss was exactly what she had been experiencing. It was great that she was able to make that breakthrough and that it was this feeling that drove her loss of motivation to achieve her goals. This is the beauty of coaching – the problem you present is rarely the problem to be solved, the reason behind the problem is what we need to tackle.
What did Steph gain from being part of the programme?
Apart from supporting the entire group, Steph launched herself into the programme and it was a pleasure to see her start to galvanise behind her goal. In particular the sessions where we tackled self-limiting beliefs around menopause and visualising her future, really resonated with Steph:
“I will take forward the knowledge, techniques and skills I’ve learned from the masterclasses to unblock my fears, to improve my self-belief and commitment to my future goals.”
Week four, Inspiring Your Future, where we started to look at our purpose post-menopause and onwards into the second half of our lives, was a big light bulb week for Steph. When we held our initial connection call and Empower Hour (another product I offer), Steph talked about wanting to do something different and become an entrepreneur but her ideas were not at all ordered at that point. During week 4, with the conversations and exercises we undertook, Steph was able to fully articulate her vision to become a parenting coach.
Steph still had some fears around her ability to pursue her dream – she felt she didn’t have the right qualifications and wondered why anyone would listen to what she had to say. Together with the other ladies we were able to help her to overcome these fears by looking at things differently, focusing on all her life experience of being a mum and now a nanna. Crazy thinking but born out of a fear that if you don’t have the right training and qualifications then you wouldn’t have anything valid to say! One of the participants openly said she would rather go to someone like Steph with all her life experience than a younger coach!
“I have started to be much more intentional with the personal choices I make. I’m holding myself accountable for the goals I set for myself. I have started to plan my future journey.”
What now for Steph?
Steph is clear now on her goal and has a plan to help her to achieve it. She has resumed her MBA studies as she sees how these will benefit her right now, but more importantly as she develops her own business.
She continues to use the techniques she has learnt through the Mastermind programme and I have no doubts that she will be able to stay motivated and achieve everything she desires.
“Some of my goals are longer term. The 1:1 coaching with Jeanette has helped me to visualise how I will achieve these goals, and set out a longer term plan.”
Steph has learnt so many new skills which she is now using regularly and building into her daily routine. In particular she has taken up using positive affirmations, visualisation, and self-reflection through journaling. All activities that Steph was sceptical about previously, but now recognises are valuable tools that can help her to manifest everything she wants as she transitions into the second half of her life – Steph is definitely headed for a magnificent midlife.
So would Steph recommend the Phoenix Rising Mastermind?
“100% yes she would! But don’t take my word for it, here’s what Steph had to say:
“I enjoyed the whole Programme. The group ALS sessions and the 1:1 coaching have helped me to triangulate the learning.”
“Jeanette has been extremely supportive and her 1:1 coaching sessions are amazing. Thank you”
For more Information
If you would like to learn more about the Phoenix Rising Mastermind, you can do so direct from my website. Alternatively why not consider joining the next cohort that will start in early May, with a free three day Phoenix Rising Retreat at the end of April. You could also consider joining me for a connection call, where we can discuss your goals and think about how the Mastermind programme may help you. Please email me to book a call – links to the programme and other resources we provide can be found in the link below, together with how to contact me.
https://linktr.ee/phoenixwellness