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For reasons of confidentiality, all names have been changed. If you would like to contact any of the following clients please contact me in the first instance and I will forward your request. Happy browsing! Sandy At the beginning of 2001 I felt the need to formally reassess where I was going in my life both professionally and personally. As a single woman in my late 30s I realised that I was at a career crossroads. I was feeling stifled by my job as an environmental waste management officer, with no indication of promotion after 16 years of loyal service. I was introduced to the concept of life coaching by a friend who had been surfing the internet. She has come across the WLC site and felt that I could benefit from coaching from an objective outsider. So I made the first of what were to be many weekly calls to Jenny. What she was faced with was a thoroughly angry individual who felt trapped and had lost confidence in herself and others. I spent several sessions ranting for the first 30 minutes about some or other incident in the office where I perceived yet again that I was being misused and unappreciated. I had been feeling this way for 16 years. At the beginning of our sessions I felt it was impossible to break out of this situation and believed that I was doomed to repeat these experiences, with my workload steadily increasing and no hope of concrete advancement. The mix of telephone contact and e-mail feedback was particularly illuminating. The more I talked the more I was able to reflect and uncover unhelpful patterns of behaviour in my professional and personal life. I had frequent a-ha experiences and for the first time was able to stand outside myself and hear or read what I was saying and what I really felt. Slowly I began to realise that I wanted to return to some form of writing as a career. Previously I had worked as a newspaper journalist. As a creative person at heart I realised that my soul would shrivel up if I didn’t pursue writing with seriousness. As a result of the coaching I have started writing part time and have begun to build up freelance contacts once again. I also aim to resign from my present job in 2002 and intend to travel and possibly emigrate - something I have been intending to do for years. Helen I began coaching with Jenny because she was recommended by a friend and I felt that it would be useful to have an objective perspective on my life. For me the initial discussion was of utmost importance. Jenny began the session by asking me to tell her how much or how little I would like her to intervene. This was important to me because it gave me a direct say in how I wanted the sessions to be conducted. Soon after I started, my secret issue, the issue I thought I could handle on my own came out. I developed an eating disorder many years ago and thought I had overcome it, but simply had replaced it with another crutch smoking. My bulimia was one of the main issues I chose to work on over the 3 months of coaching. In the time that we worked together I managed to do so much towards overcoming my problem. Jenny gave me practical tools that I am still using 3 months later. The coaching was so constructive that towards the end I was more concerned with other ‘normal’ issues like my pending marriage and issues with my in-laws. Throughout Jenny has been a kindred spirit. She was gentle yet direct and didn’t let me get away with glib responses to questions. She also helped me to come up with my own conclusions and solutions and trust myself more. I would recommend Jenny highly as a life coach and can honestly say that coaching has been the greatest support I’ve had and one of the most enriching experiences of my life. Moira Work Jenny’s coaching has really equalled change in my career. When I started I felt stuck in an unalterable job situation. When I ended I was in an exciting and challenging new job. Not only was I in a new job but I also felt on top of all its demands and complex organisational relationships. Tips, tasks and positive feedback helped me take control of my workload. Coaching also taught me to identify my boundaries and steadfastly stick to them, even in tough negotiations. The consequences of this have been farreaching. My colleagues don’t expect me to do their work for them anymore. My manager has been pleasantly surprised by my increased confidence and willingness to take risks. Most importantly I am happier and more in control at work. Moving countries At the beginning of the coaching I set a goal to move from South Africa to the UK. Jenny started to coach me to be strategic about this move. At work I began to focus on what would make me marketable in this new context. I stopped buying things that I wouldn’t be taking with me. At the same time I began to focus on what I stood to gain from this new chapter in my life. It was an incredible asset being coached by Jenny on immigration issues because she has had first-hand experiences of moving countries. This meant that she had a wealth of practical tips plus she personally understands the emotional impact. If it wasn’t for the coaching I seriously doubt that I would be taking this risk and daring to reinvent myself in a new place. Relationship Jenny’s coaching helped me to think through my long-distance relationship. It has given me space to let it be and stop wanting it to be something that it isn’t. I have also learnt to stop second- guessing a relationship that is yet to unfold. Coaching relationship I was delighted to experience how warm, easy and engaging telephone coaching could be. Our conversations were very focussed and the honest feedback helped me to keep an eye on the future I wanted to create. Sessions were accompanied by tasks which were mutually agreed. The weekly written check-in provided a useful way to keep a track of my progress. Long Term Impact Jenny’s dynamic and professional coaching has had a positive and lasting effect on my personal and professional life. I ma delighted to recommend her services as she has been instrumental in development of a clearer personal vision and a greater mastery over my attitudes, feelings and behaviours. Coaching came at a crucial time in my life and the lessons I have learnt will continue to shape how I think and behave in the future. Dr Roberts Jenny was recommended by a former colleague of mine for whom I have a lot of respect. I was standing at a career crossroads and was unable to make a decision about which direction to pursue. During the first conversation with Jenny what struck me most was her positive and caring approach. For someone I had just met she was very easy to talk to. In the first coaching session I outlined my career background, the various problems I was having at work and that I needed to change career focus. It was very helpful to talk through these issues because during a busy week I don’t usually take the time to think through problems and kept putting off the need for change. Throughout the coaching Jenny acted as a sounding board, listening to undertones and nuances, asking questions and assisting me to look at choices more critically. Questions that needed further work were assigned as tasks for the following week. After each session Jenny documented the discussion and tasks and e-mailed them to me. The task list committed me to taking action and focussed my energy on changing my career, rather than letting it drag on. I am now heading down the next exciting road of my career path. I would like to thank Jenny for helping me gain clarity on a very muddy picture. Julia Jenny was my life coach over a two month period during which time we had weekly telephone sessions. I received excellent coaching on interview skills, writing covering letters and CVs. In addition the coaching made me action orientated and helped order my thoughts and persevere in looking for a new job. Each week we set achievable tasks and after each session I was sent a very good summary which put issues into perspective and gave me greater clarity. Jenny was skilled at reflecting and very thorough and articulate. She is a warm, friendly person and easy to talk to. I highly recommend her to anyone who is wanting to make important life changes. Cynthia Jenny coached me from April to October 2001. I work in a training organisation and when I started coaching I had been in the position of Senior Training Officer for a few months. Although I had experienced therapy and mentoring before, I did not know what to expect from coaching. I was just conscious of the fact that I was not managing my work well both my own tasks and my management of staff were overwhelming and chaotic. When Jenny started coaching me my initial experience was that I felt less alone in my professional struggles and dilemmas. After a few sessions when I had begun to implement some of the practical solutions that we had agreed on I began to see and feel changes in my direct working environment and in my relationships with colleagues. One of the significant changes was that I began to supervise my staff far more consciously. With each of my staff we agreed how often we would meet, what the format of the meeting would be and what form the records of the meeting would take. This fairly structured approach was initially quite difficult for me because I was used to an ad-hoc style of managing a team. But after speaking to my staff it became apparent that this new system was far more constructive and useful to them. Jenny’s questions were a central part of the coaching sessions and helped me to reach conclusions that fitted my own situation and my personality. This was important as it allowed me to establish a management style that I felt comfortable with. Somehow the changes I made at work had a knock-on effect at home and I suddenly realised that I was living a more balanced life. I found myself leaving the office at a normal time and getting home with enough time to have a home life as well. I spent much less time worrying about work because I felt more in control. This has been a big shift for me and has contributed enormously to the improvement of my quality of life. I can say without hesitation that my coaching with Jenny has been one of the most significant professional experiences I have had. I am enormously grateful for the role she played in my professional and personal development. I hope that many other women will also benefit from her very level-headed, practical, clear thinking and insightful coaching.
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