What 3 Years of Coaching with Rachel Hill has Done for Me
Updated July 30, 2021
One of the things I struggle with most is getting testimonials from clients. It's understandable. For many, coaching is a personal challenge and not something they wish to tell every Tom, Dick and Harry. There's a certain stigma to it.
Recently, a long term client of mine agreed to write her story of coaching.
This client’s experience illustrates how truly personal the coaching experience is. It’s one way to make a real investment in yourself, to move forward in your work and personal life in ways that are almost impossible to do alone.
When Rachel asked me to write a testimonial for her website, I was apprehensive. How could I put into words the multiplicity of ways she has transformed my life? I didn't ever feel I could do it justice. But I did know where to begin.
How do you remember your 25th birthday? I remember mine vividly. Depression had hit me sideways. Suddenly, basic tasks like getting out of bed were the hardest thing for me. Even getting up to walk felt exhausting, like I was running a marathon. I'd always heard that this is what depression was like, but I never realised how debilitating it was until I started experiencing it.
At that time I was working as a marketer for small businesses. It was a challenging environment, to say the least. I struggled with my boss's erratic behaviours, I felt bullied, helpless and most of all, like I was failing. I met Rachel by chance whilst working there, she was a new client I had taken on. When I first learnt about her business, I was more than a little sceptical. I'd heard about these life coaches and it all seemed to be like fluff to me. But as it turned out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
When I first learnt about her business, I was more than a little sceptical. I'd heard about these life coaches and it all seemed to be like fluff to me.
The mental struggles I was experiencing were seeping into my performance at work. On the day of my 25th birthday, my line manager told me to go home and see a doctor. Surprisingly, that same month my boss did something amazing. He negotiated a deal to get me some free sessions with Rachel.
And so began weekly, then fortnightly, then monthly and now whenever-it's-needed coaching sessions. When I first started these sessions, we worked mostly on my ways of thinking. The cause of my depression and anxiety.
When I started coaching, I was also trialling counselling, as prescribed by the doctor, and it had been recommended that I begin taking anti-depressants. After some experimentation with both, I found coaching suited me a lot better. For me, counselling felt like re-living and re-hashing my problems and challenges. Whereas coaching taught me how to overcome them. How to build my resilience, improve my relationships and, most powerfully, to truly start living in the present.
Only a few months after that difficult period, Rachel helped me to get a new job that paid double my salary. A job that led to another opportunity, and another after that. All because of what we were continuously working on together.
And this is where it gets difficult to write. We have covered so much since those first few sessions, it's hard to convey everything I have learnt. My life now is incomprehensible to where I was 3 years ago.
We have covered so much since those first few sessions, it's hard to convey everything I have learnt.
After helping me find a new job, Rachel helped me navigate bullying in the workplace, teaching me that I had a choice on how I responded to it. She taught me that we always have a choice, we choose where we work, live and how we respond to life's challenges. It's powerful. And once I had grasped that, we began identifying what it was that I truly wanted out of my job, working environment and career.
I've recently started a job at a new organisation and I feel confident and excited about the possibilities in my future. Building relationships with my colleagues is second nature to me, I can negotiate, manage upwards and handle my workload during stressful periods.
Applying for jobs is a process I now understand well, whilst applying for this opportunity I found the process was a breeze to me because I'd been through it so much with Rachel! Not only has she helped me get new full-time work, but she’s also helped me start running my side hustle. It's a million miles from where I started.
It took a bit of work, but the techniques we have practised over time have helped to re-wire my brain. Helping me manage those unrelenting, depressive thoughts. The work we have done using NLP techniques helped me overcome what doctors diagnosed as PTSD. Since building up this toolkit of mental techniques, I haven't experienced depression. Managing my thoughts has become to happen almost unconsciously, allowing me to focus on more helpful thoughts and stay present in the moment.
The unbelievable thing about what Rachel does is truly how multi-talented she is. It's crazy to think one person can challenge and change so many different areas of your life, yet she has done exactly that. Sure, it takes work. It's not worth coaching if you aren't willing to come to the table. But if you do? Your life will never be the same again.
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