I really understand what it means to not want to get out of bed somedays! Having gone through various serious bouts of depression and being hospitalised twice in my past...I understand first hand how hard things can sometimes be if you are faced with trauma. 

Yet, when it comes to working with children there is a certain code of ethics and principles of child safeguarding where we need to CHOOSE to show up professionally. This is despite how lousy you may be feeling mentally, emotionally and physically...

Now this may not be you...perhaps you are one of those Kids Life Coaches who consistently has good days and never has wobbles. You get everything right and your clients are flowing towards you steadily and consistently. You are always healthy. Your mind is always strong. You are always emotionally stable. 

However if this isn't you...don't worry...that is not me either!!  I am perfectly imperfect and still navigating the ups and downs of life just like you....

Let us iron something out with you. You may have been wondering about the notion that Kids Life Coaching is becoming a very popular 'niche'. For some...who may never have heard of coaching for children before now...possibly this may be the case. 

However, considering the fact that I have been coaching children since 2003, I don't see this as true. Coaching children isn't a niche within life coaching. Rather I see specialising in a particular area pertaining to children as the actual niche.  

My Therapeutic Play Based Coaching Model® allows any student who certifies with us through our Level 1 & 2 Kids Life Coach Training to adapt and apply our 5 tools and 7 ingredients to target a specific area of need in a child's life. 

Take Monique in South Africa for instance. She certified with us and has specialised in divorce and family dynamics. Or Aurelie in Switzerland is a specialist in technology. My area of passion is family resilience and leadership. 

Our...

So often, we get asked "is coaching children" the same as "coaching adults". The answer is N....O....that spells NO....with capital letters.

The biggest 3 mistakes (albeit unintentional) that adult life coaches make who want to transition to working with children is this...

1. They have been led to believe that you need accreditation from the ICF to coach children. The truth is that there is no regulatory body in the child coaching space and our organisation The Kids Life Studio® and our Kids Life Studio® Coach Academy School are the trailblazers in setting the standards. Any organisation that says they have ICF accreditation for kids coaching is actually just "adult coaching" in disguise...so in our humble opinion...whilst regulation is important...it really doesn't count for much when it comes to coaching children...since it it so completely different from coaching adults.

2.  Our Kids Life Studio® Coach Academy is a certification geared specifically to children....

I have been in my own “business” for 17 years...I turned my passion for helping children into an income. It hasn’t been easy. It has taken lots and lots of resourcefulness because I have had to learn a LOT along the way!

When this video* popped up on my You Tube feed this morning I had to share the inspiration.

(^Disclaimer: Only watch if you want to take accountability for where you find yourself in your life)

At times I have wanted to give up because I was lacking in resources but something kept me going when the going got tough....this video reminded me what I have sacrificed and achieved in the process. It hasn't been easy but it has been very much worth it!

As we end 2020, will you keep making excuses as to why you can’t enrol in our Kids Life Coach Training or that you don’t have time or as to why you aren’t getting clients or as to why you need to stay in your disappointing job or as to why you aren't a team player or why you are feeling...

I have been coaching children for almost two decades. I used to have a habit of always putting myself last. In my mind, the children always came first and I was willing to sacrifice my own time to support children no matter the consequence for my mental health.

My advice after many years of this yo-yo faulty thinking is that if you are doing the same thing, you are heading for burnout....just like me...

So just stop it!! That's what I had to do but I learnt the hard way. It took me hitting rock bottom in terms of my health before I realised that I needed to practice self care first over and above anything else. I was getting my priorities all wrong!

When your mobile phone is flat you charge it.

The same goes for you!

Every single day you should be doing something relaxing to keep your “battery trickle charged” I make time for myself everyday now. I start my day with a little yoga...and I have a walk at lunch time whenever I am able to. I go to bed every night reading a...

A decade ago...when faced with residual trauma...I threw myself into my work and lost sight of who I was and why I was doing the work I was doing....I burnt out! As a Kids Life Coach this is not a good place to be!

I lost the essence of me...

It has taken many years of personal development work and inner resourcefulness and changing belief systems that were not serving me to get to the space where I am now.

A space where I am still healing but where I feel strong enough to face life’s challenges with confidence.

Although I LOVE my work as an authority in the field of peak performance, leadership and resilience in children...how could I possibly give of my best if I wasn’t looking after me?

I have dealt with my trauma and still continue to work on things when the “gremlins” rear their heads. You see life has a way of sending us the exact lessons we need to heal and grow. When we ignore them...they will keep coming...this doesn’t make us victims...

A big...

I have been unapologetically quiet!! ....I get like that when I am in “new” mode!! Are you the same?

Whenever I start a new project, I like to put my head down and stay focused!

I have quietly been working behind the scenes to continue making Kids Life Coaching an acceptable mainstream intervention. This has meant taking a BIG scary step that has pushed me waaaaaayyyyyy out of my comfort zone!

I was told a short while ago

“To change the system you need to be part of the system”

So with this incentive in mind....I have gone back to school and I am a University student again, doing my MSC in Clinical Child Psychology in Cambridge, England. The last time I studied was 15 years ago when I did my Honours Degree and boy oh boy how things have changed! I am loving the new journey despite feeling rather overwhelmed at times! I guess this is very much how some of our students enrolled in our Kids Life Coach Academy training feel!

As the founder of The Kids Life...