Expect a mix of tips, rambles and general wonderings about life
My very first blog post! This feels very exciting because it's been something I've been putting off for a while. Even after all my years of coaching and mindset work, I still struggle with perfectionism in some areas. Particularly this one, because it's so important to me. I am so obsessed with the world of Life Coaching and Hypnotherapy that I have poured an immeasurable amount of time and money into it over the last few years.
To give you context, I'm a Life Coach & Hypnotherapist based in beautiful Newquay, Cornwall. I'm originally from London but definitely feel more at home with my toes in the sand than in the hustle and bustle of city life. It's been a journey though! Here's how I ended up here:
I quit my job in London
It was November 2019 and I'd just quit my job as Head of Design for Publisher Hearst in London. Something I would've previously described as my dream job. But I wanted something more. I'd dipped my toe into coaching at this point and had already had quite a few major mindset shifts around what could be possible for me and my future which felt exciting. I didn't know exactly what or how I was going to change my life, I just knew I wanted to. This coincided with a life-changing trip to see my best friend who was working from a co-living in La Orotava, Tenerife where I saw how digital nomads lived and I was convinced. I wanted the kind of freedom and lifestyle flexibility they had (you can find the whole story here).
Then came the pandemic...
Just as I was coming up to the last few weeks notice of my flat and job in London, I was getting ready for an epic trip to Costa Rica. I was buzzing with anticipation, ready to travel and start my nomadic lifestyle! Then, Covid hit. Suddenly I had no home, no job, no partner and no idea when normality would return. Eep... Luckily I could move in with my parents and I ended up really enjoying spending some quality time with them again. But I also felt very hopeless and lost, feeling like my life and future was on hold.
I decided to do something about it and got myself a Life Coach hoping that she'd advise me on what to do next. Instead, she worked her coaching wizardry on me and rewired my brain for self-belief. I changed my morning routine, I started journalling, I was suddenly so inspired and excited about all the things I could do to prepare for future me. She helped me work through limiting beliefs that I didn't even know were there and replaced them with positive affirmations and an incredible sense of self-confidence that I'd never experienced before. It changed everything. A few months later I decided to train to be a Life Coach myself as I found it so incredibly profound. I wanted to help others have the same shifts that I had. I trained in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Life Coaching and Hypnotherapy. I've always been fascinated by Psychology so I loved every minute of it.
While things were still settling back to 'normal' after the pandemic, I moved to Bristol for a year where I started to grow my design freelance business alongside getting my first coaching clients. I loved having a change of scene to London and enjoyed having more of a community vibe in Bristol. But after a year, I got itchy feet and that call to travel returned. So, I packed up ready for my traveling adventure, but right before I left Bristol, I met my now partner, who decided to come along on the trip! It was very spontaneous and felt like a why not moment after the doom and gloom of the pandemic.
I had the travel adventure (finally!) but it wasn't what I expected...
We explored Lisbon, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico over 7 months and I picked up bits of design work and coaching clients along the way. But, to my surprise, by the end of the 7 months, I was done! I thought I'd want to continue travelling for a few years. But I found it surprisingly tiring not having a sense of 'home' and moving around all the time. I missed the every day routine, having my own base and long-term friends. So when I came back, I felt a bit lost as I had no home and was really confused about where I wanted to live.
Then, the sea called me
I looked in Bristol but it just didn't feel the same any more after months living by the sea and close to nature. It suddenly felt really odd being in a city and I just couldn't picture my life there. So I did a coaching workshop on myself. Yep. I wrote down all my values and the things I wanted from where I lived, which included nature, a sense of community, having a space to hold coaching and hypnotherapy sessions and being by the sea. That really helped narrow it down and I eventually felt really drawn to Cornwall. Even though it felt so far from friends and family and my only experience of it was from family holidays body boarding rain or shine every summer, so I had no context about what an adult every day life looked like there. But I wanted to find out. I didn't have any family or friends here but had a strong gut feeling paired with how closely linked to my values it was. Luckily my partner agreed to the move after a lot of convincing and pointing at pictures of sea and surf!
We packed up our lives into my partner's VW campervan (which seemed very fitting) and started the long journey down (really far down...) to Cornwall. I had no idea what to expect and the uncertainty felt huge and scary. But as soon as we arrived and saw the sea, it felt like home.
We've been here for a year and a half now and I've made a beautiful studio from my home where I can hold coaching and hypnotherapy sessions. It feels so special to have that space and see people face to face after holding most of my sessions online in the past.
So that's where we're at! I absolutely adore my life here and I honestly owe it to all the coaches and hypnotherapists along the way that supported me and helped me make the decisions that lead me to where I am now. I can't wait to use this blog to share useful coaching and hypnotherapy tips. I really hope it's as helpful to you as it has been for me on my journey. For now though, I'm off for a swim...
I'm so happy you're here.
Thanks so much for dropping by to learn about my journey and what brought me to this work and where it has lead me. Until the next post!
Sarah x
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