FIND THE RIGHT PATH FOR YOU WITH MATERNITY COACHING
I am based in Cambridge, UK, and I work with organisations, schools and individuals, to provide coaching for those on maternity or paternity leave.
Becoming a parent is a life-changing experience which raises many questions about your identity and your career.
My role is create a transformative space in which you gain perspective about your situation, clarity about your next steps and the confidence to follow the path that is right for you.
WHAT DOES THE COACHING PROCESS INVOLVE?
Coaching is about you deciding what you want, so you always determine the topic for the sessions. During each session, my role is to listen non-judgmentally, ask you questions and perhaps provide tools and exercises that help you get from where you are now to where you want to be. I help you to see your strengths and embrace your own resourcefulness, as well as helping you become more aware of and challenge self-limiting beliefs that might be holding you back. Our initial session will always give us both the opportunity to check that coaching will be the best option for you before you commit to further sessions.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MATERNITY COACHING IS RIGHT FOR ME?
If you are thinking about any of the following questions, these are just some of the areas that maternity coaching can support you in:
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Are you considering your career options during maternity leave, or after a period away from work?
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Are you craving space to consider how becoming a parent has affected your identity and ambitions?
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Are you weighing up if or when to return to work and in what capacity?
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Are you seeking a promotion, career change or a new challenge?
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Are you looking for ways to balance work life and home life that are right for you?
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Are you considering how time away from the workplace might impact your career progression?
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Are you craving support through challenges associated with becoming a parent, such as IVF treatment, baby loss or the adoption process?
WHERE AND WHEN WILL COACHING SESSIONS TAKE PLACE?
Coaching can take place in person or over the phone via video or voice call depending on your preference. I am happy to facilitate calls where babies are present, too, and my aim is to be as flexible as possible to work around you. Dates for a block of coaching sessions can be booked in advance or on an ad hoc basis.
If you have other questions about how maternity coaching might work for you or your organisation, I'd love to hear from you, so please get in touch.
BENEFITS OF MATERNITY COACHING
FOR INDIVIDUALS
CLARITY: Clarity and perspective about what you want from your career and family life.
CONFIDENCE: A supportive and empowering process which builds confidence, so that you make the decisions that are right for you and feel ready for the next steps.
CHOICE: The opportunity to explore your options for career progression.
CHALLENGE: The right level of challenge and accountability to ensure you achieve what you want.
COMMUNICATION: Time and space to articulate your thoughts and be listened to.
FOR ORGANISATIONS
Increased retention of employees, and your investment in their knowledge, skills and experience, following leave – with the associated financial benefits.
Employees who feel more valued and engaged whilst on leave.
Employees who return from leave feeling more confident, more motivated and more prepared for the impact of the changes to their personal life.
An important way of promoting gender equality, closing the gender pay gap and minimising the impact of leave on career progression.
A way of promoting well-being at home and at work, which positively impacts on performance.
To read about how maternity coaching has benefited clients I have coached, take a look at some of my testimonials.
MATERNITY COACHING PACKAGES
My coaching packages are flexible and can be tailored to you or your organisation's needs and requirements. They range from one-off sessions (for example, to help you feel prepared for specific events like an upcoming meeting or interview), to a comprehensive range of sessions which begin before maternity leave and end up to 18 months after your return to work.
Here is an example package as a guideline:
Before maternity leave begins: One or two sessions to help you feel prepared for maternity leave.
During maternity leave: Two or three sessions to help you plan for the next steps, both emotionally and practically.
Shortly after you return to work: One or two sessions to support the transition back to work.
6 – 18 months after you return to work: One or two sessions to review the return to work and consider future aspirations.
For men choosing to take a period of paternity leave (or a number periods of leave), paternity coaching can support you in the practical considerations transitioning between time at work and time at home and between your professional identity and your identity as a father, so that you strike the right balance for you.
If you are a teacher on maternity leave, you may also be interested in the work of the MTPT project, which is supported by a fantastic team of qualified coaches (including myself!). The project offers 3 coaching sessions to teachers as part of their mission to inspire, empower and connect teachers choosing to complete continued professional development whilst on parental leave. If your school would like to know more about supporting teachers on maternity leave, take a look at my article for the TES or read this book written by the MTPT Project.
If you have been away from the workplace looking after your family for a longer period, I also offer return to work coaching.
To discuss the ways I can support you or your organisation, please get in touch.