Cath Watkin - Coaching Ambassador
I’ve always been fascinated by what makes us tick, and been drawn to the ‘helping professions’ and this led me to study a Degree in Psychology. However, by the end of three years I was disillusioned with what felt to me to be the lack of real lasting impact the ‘talking therapies’ made on people’s lives and overall sense of happiness – it was not until much, much later that I discovered approaches that resonated with me such as Martin Seligman’s Positive Psychology, and Coaching with it’s positive solution- and future-focused approach.
So instead of becoming a therapist I spent a few too many years travelling and working abroad before falling into a career in the travel and recruitment industries, where I spent a number of years very highly paid and materially successful yet utterly unfulfilled and constantly feeling there must be more to life.
I finally found the courage to make the leap and embarked on a journey of self-discovery and learning that took me to India to study yoga and meditation, then back to the UK to study nutrition, hypnotherapy and NLP. I started working as a therapist but quickly found that helping people overcome deep rooted issues and negative emotional states didn’t feel like my calling. I felt more drawn to working with either the “healthy stuck” or people who just want to make the most of their lives and potential.
In fact I’d dreamed of becoming a coach since I’d first read and been inspired by Fiona Harrold’s book “Be Your Own Life Coach” in my late 20’s but I didn’t pursue it because I lacked both the self-confidence to be a coach and the courage to leave my job. (I now know that if I’d actually embarked on the journey the training itself would have helped me overcome both these issues). And then later, when I finally felt ready and researched the available courses I failed to find one that seemed to offer quality training at an affordable price so I gave up in frustration – that is until I met Nick Bolton and allowed myself to be persuaded that the Smart School offers the best coaching training in the country (luckily I now agree with him, or I wouldn’t still be hanging around!)
I now run a business supporting heart-centred business owners in creating a business from their passion. But with my belief for Nick's vision of the Smart School, I act as the Smart School’s Ambassador for people thinking of joining the school. I am passionate about communicating just what it is we offer that other schools don’t – I want to help others make the right choice and embark on their journey of coaching and self-development rather than get stuck too long in the confusion of choices like I did.
