How it all began: The story of Dot Dot Dash
STUCK!
Rewind to a year ago I am sitting in my kitchen stuffing rice cakes in my babies mouth frantically googling job sites; flexible jobs / part time jobs / jobs you can bring your baby to / jobs you can fit in to that tiny window of time you have in your day....
I had two months until I was returning to work.. a 4 day a week position I loved in the arts. It was my second maternity leave - so I’d done it before. I’d managed then. I’d manage now…right? Hmm Wrong... to be totally honest the first time was a hot mess of chaos; the nursery run, the mum guilt, the extra load, the loss of confidence, the money, the lack of purpose and so on, and so on.. This time I was even more anxious and afraid history would be repeated. I wasn’t sure where to turn. Work offered no support, my family and partner were busy with their own jazz… I WAS stuck.
“Instead of getting bitter, I got better”
GETTING OUT THE JAM!
I then remembered a time I felt clear, in control, confident and excited about the future – it was when I’d been coached. So this is where I headed & this is where my coaching journey began.
Becoming a coach & having been coached got me through a tough year and back on track. Instead of getting bitter, I got better; back to me. Allowing time to work out my mind muddle and listen to myself away from helpful suggestions and advice, helped build my confidence and find my strength within instead of being reliant on others. So with my new box of tools I prepared myself to go back to work and then prepared myself to follow a new dream...
Through sharing my experience, I found I was not alone - people I spoke to were also feeling stuck or just yearned for something different. I noticed the same pattern of thought in my newly retired Dad, my ‘highly successful’ friends and the young people I worked with, which drew me to conclude ‘stuckness’ is something everyone, everywhere is faced with at some point in their life.
I now want to work with people at the crossroads of their lives, whether it's; renegotiating work after parental leave, finding or regaining lost confidence or direction, helping with the stresses and the anxiety of life or tackling that block of 'I just don't know what to do'. To be alongside people at moments of realisation, watching the sparks of discovery, and seeing others realise their potential is a joy and a privilege.
So come connect your dots, live your dash, get out of the jam & fly