Where do you live and how old are you?
I live in Remuera, Auckland and I’m 38 years old
Why did you choose to see a life coach, for what reasons?
I’ve worked with Tracy twice, and in both instances she’s helped provide me with immense clarity and also helped me work through some very challenging emotions. The first time I worked with Tracy was about 7 years ago. I had reached burnout, was pushing myself very hard growing my business and training at the gym as a bodybuilder and had subsequently developed adrenal fatigue. Tracy helped me change the way I essentially saw and spoke to myself, we rewired my “inner voice”, worked on a lot of self acceptance and self love practices, and she helped me release the intense masculine personality traits that I was using to constantly drive and push myself, and take a seat within my aligned feminine self so to speak.
Basically I let go of the hustle and grind, ‘more, more, more’ mentality, and instead started living in the place where I honoured myself and my own needs first, setting boundaries, saying no more often to things that didn’t feel right for me, and releasing the guilt around doing so.
The second time we worked together was last year. My husband died of cancer the year prior, and I was trying to find my feet as a business woman, widow and a single mum to our little girl who was just 1 when he passed. As with any grief journey there are a myriad of complex emotions that arise, anger, abandonment (which I really suffered from due to the first lockdown period, I found it extremely isolating and very challenging to navigate), trauma, guilt – it still astounds me how painful and complex the grief process is. This time I worked with Tracy to identify all of the things that were keeping me in this type of closed loop circuit I guess you could call it. We did a lot of work talking about the trauma of what I witnessed my beautiful husband go through whilst he was navigating cancer treatment, and the trauma of watching him die when it proved unsuccessful. Processing the guilt that arises when you assess every aspect of your marriage (which was a very happy one), but as is a part of the grief journey, I was plagued with guilt about where I could have been better or done better, and it’s a very deep process to identify and release that. Tracy helped me navigate that pain and suffering in the most beautiful, loving and kind way – and for that I am eternally grateful.
Did you know much about life coaches beforehand?
I know a few wonderful life coaches, I think it’s important that you find one who resonates with you. Read their website, their social media, get a feel for who they are as a person, the type of clients they typically work with, read the testimonials on their websites from previous clients, and get a real feel for them to establish whether they are a fit for you.
How long and how many sessions approx did you have?
Three months worth of weekly sessions in both instances. Last year we conducted the whole three months via zoom – and it made no difference at all to the experience, it was just like the one on one in person sessions that we had had prior.
What did you get out of it?
Working with Tracy also provides me with an opportunity to really deep dive into the tough stuff. The things that I’ve been suppressing that I can no longer suppress any more. She creates a safe place to explore and investigate whatever is bubbling under the surface. She helps navigate me to those ‘aha’ moments… where all of a sudden my feelings, or motivations or fears make sense. By identifying them it’s easier to put things in place to release them.
How did you change your life if at all?
Tracy has changed my life twice now. I cannot give enough thanks for the space that she holds for me, the safe place that she creates for me to work through complex and challenging emotions and help provide me with clarity and direction and the inner knowing and confidence to move forward.
Would you recommend her to others?
Without hesitation.