Helen Speedy Coaching

29/01/2022

For the past eight or so months, I have been coaching an amazing cohort of 30 or so young people aged between 16 and 24 on the Kickstart scheme. I am so proud of them all.

They have had to start new jobs or enter the workplace for the first time ever remotely, often from their bedrooms. We all know how much harder communication and learning can be when done via a screen, but they have risen to the challenge, used their initiative to make things work and shown an amazing resilience, self-knowledge and maturity.

It has been a pleasure to support them on their journeys and I wanted to share this article written by one of these amazing young professionals, Emily, because I think this generation can teach us a thing or two about coping with disappointment:

"We may not have had the chance to live out our last few carefree years, but at least we’re fully armed for adulthood. We have strength and resilience and will overcome whatever life throws at us next."

https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/voices/young-people-pandemic-university-trauma-b2003454.html -area

(You have to register to read this, but not pay.)

The pandemic has created a generation of young people forever changed by the loss of their formative years, writes Emily D’Souza

20/11/2021

Is the dread of updating your CV or writing a covering letter holding you back from your dream job?

As a careers coach with a background in recruitment, I am here to help you to craft the strongest application and take that millstone from around your neck.

"I had my meeting with Helen on Wednesday. She was really helpful and gave me so much advice with my CV! The CV advice I’ve had previously has been so vague and not very tailored to me, so thank you so much for putting me in contact with her!"

08/10/2021

Happy client! Happy Friday!

“I recently arrived at a career crossroads but lacked clarity on which direction to pursue next. Helen’s invaluable and unique ability to provide both coaching and career advice empowered me to move forward with a confidence that would have been much harder to find without her help. As a highly accomplished coach, with very extensive industry recruitment experience, I would highly recommend Helen’s services!”
Mark K, Publishing Professional

If you're at a career crossroads or feeling stuck in a rut, get in touch and I'd be pleased to chat about how coaching with me might help. Drop me a line on [email protected]

28/08/2021

Today is my last day of dog sitting this gorgeous girl. We've also been taking care of chickens and a lizard! Changing my routine has brought some unforeseen benefits; having been forced off the usual path, I've made an important breakthrough, where I had got stuck and failed to recognise the windy route might be the more successful way to my desired destination.

If your one track thinking is holding you back, what could you do to try to explore alternative paths? Just taking a walk somewhere new might do the trick! I also currently have space for one new client if you'd like to walk and talk.

13/08/2021

I came across this, perched on a wall, at a ruined abbey we visited on holiday. A great reminder and made me feel excited to get back to work coaching on Monday.

19/04/2021

Robins fledge before they are ready to fly. This robin took a leap from a great height and quickly recognised it needed to stay still and hide from predators, whilst building the strength and skills required for flying. There was no frenzied flapping, which would have tired it out and attracted unwanted attention. Instead, it just sat so still that I lost sight of it several times. Suddenly, two days later, it was up and off and over the garden wall. Mission accomplished.

Watching the fledgling, in my garden this weekend, reminded me that sustainable progress often comes through careful planning and is rarely the result of frantic doing (or flapping).

For me, coaching provides a valuable and regular way to stop distracting myself with tasks and make space and time to do good thinking, ready to move forwards.

If you're facing or planning a change:

1) Make time to stop and think
2) Define your goal
3) Take stock of where you are now
4) Work out what might be in your way and how to deal with that (for the robin it was the wall and the neighbourhood cat!)
5) Now you can start planning
6) Get moving, but don't forget to take regular breaks or you might end up flapping around in circles again!

24/03/2021

I am a careers coach with experience helping people to progress in their careers and secure jobs in which they will thrive professionally and personally.

I have space for new one-to-one clients and would like to offer a special package to anyone currently out of work or whose job is at risk of redundancy.

I will work with you to create a bespoke programme, which may include focus points such as confidence building, clarification of career goals, CV surgery, and interview coaching, depending on your situation and experience.

Fees will be split half payable during the coaching programme and half due within a month of your first pay cheque in a new job. For more information and an informal chat, please get in touch with me on [email protected]

With a background in recruitment and as a hiring manager, I bring extensive knowledge of hiring and interview processes. Having made a number of successful career transitions myself, I am passionate about enabling career change and offer experience across a wide range of sectors, including publishing and not-for-profit.

I am a certified coach and member of the Association for Coaching.

Testimonials are available at https://www.helenspeedy.co.uk/testimonials

12/03/2021

Are you struggling to make progress or take steps towards a change?

Holding ourselves accountable for our own ambitions isn't always easy, but you are not alone.

I'd love to hear from you if you are interested in finding out how coaching can provide you with the accountability you need.

28/02/2021

Feeling stuck? Many of us are feeling some sort of "stuck" or fatigue at the moment. Stuck at home, stuck alone, stuck with children home from school or nursery. On top of that, we might feel stuck, because we're out of work with few opportunities for employment or stuck in a dead-end job at a time when stuck feels safer than risking something new. It is very easy to let the stuck creep in and immobilise us.

This week, I thought I was stuck: instead I experienced a small epiphany, a moment of relief and liberation. On my carefully planned route to a long-term goal, it seemed that no matter how long I left it between attempted journeys, I kept showing up to find the road closed. Sometimes when we have a dream or a goal, we are so determined to reach it as quickly as possible, we forget that the most direct route is not always the best option. This time, on arrival at the familiar stop sign, instead of the usual frustration and disappointment, I sensed a surge of relief; I finally noticed the arrow pointing to a diversion. Who knows what I might discover on the long way round. I may even stop to explore a new and exciting place along the way.

As if to confirm this realisation, last night, I stumbled across a wonderful poem by Mary Oliver, Dogfish. The poem describes a large and menacing black dogfish "bulging toward" some smaller fish that are swimming on the surface. The poet realises that, if the small fish "wake up and dash themselves away", they can escape the smiling jaws of death. The opportunity is there for the fish to change the direction of their future, but only "if they don't waste time/ looking for an easier world."

There is no easier world, but sharing and talking about your "stuck" does help. If you are splashing around in circles or staring at the stop-sign to nowhere, the first step on your diversion may be to find someone to whom you can talk about the stuck.

Good luck on your adventure and don't forget, it pays to keep looking left and right as well as straight ahead.

Photo credit: Ben Wicks on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/

16/02/2021

I've been thinking about "point of view" recently and how self-limiting it can be to adopt a fixed view of anything. I was mulling this over in the context of listening to others more fully, but then I stumbled across this series of Podcasts and was fascinated by this episode on The Eyes and how our physical vision influences our psychology. It is amazing to what extent how and what we see physically influences our mental perspective (did you know that nobody born blind has ever been diagnosed with schizophrenia?) and equally mind blowing that the brain can be reprogrammed to find a way to reinterpret dots of light and give a blinded man sight. I recommend listening and pondering how your point of view affects your vision and vice versa! Maybe we all need to think about reprogramming our way of looking and seeing from time to time!

Kimberley Wilson and Xand van Tulleken ask – one body part at a time – how we can change.

04/02/2021

Gravitas, credibility, legitimacy...is this triumvirate the elusive key to success? Are these concepts the holy grail of true leadership that you never seem able to believe is in your possession? Change your perspective and perhaps they are simply three dirty words that need banning from your internal vocabulary.

So often we hold ourselves back from our ambitions due to a form of self-doubt, sometimes referred to as imposter syndrome. If you are struggling to move forward with a career goal or life dream, could it be that your own thoughts are the unwanted imposter, lying in wait to ambush progression?

Coaching can help you to identify what it is that is holding you back from your goals and can provide you with the tools you need to banish that imposter. If you would like to find out more about how coaching can help you to achieve your ambitions, do get in touch for an informal chat.

"But why the stick insect?", you ask. Well, to cut a long story short, when I'm hesitating to write a post like this or to press "Join" on a video call, I send my inner imposter off to chat with my confident, stick-insect-breeding, seven-year-old self, take a deep breath and quickly go (before she can come back and stop me)!

Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/

30/01/2021

Hello. I'm excited to welcome you to my page and to introduce myself and my coaching practice.

Whether you are ready for a change, struggling to unlock your potential or simply looking for space and time to think, coaching can offer you the key.

I have a particular interest in career change, transition and development, relationship management, and team dynamics, but above all I am passionate about enabling change and providing people with the support and self-knowledge that they require to achieve success.

If you would like to find out more, please do get in touch and take a look at my website for more information and testimonials www.helenspeedy.co.uk

I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Helen

Whether you are ready for a change, struggling to unlock your potential or simply looking for space and time to think, coaching can offer you the key.