The name of my business

From the moment I started coaching people, I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. I got a buzz from it, the way I used to get a buzz when I first started teaching. I love to see the difference coaching makes to people’s lives. To give up teaching was one of the most courageous decisions I have taken but I knew something was calling me to do this to set up a coaching company. I had worked at the school I was in for 30 years and in my head, I could see my retirement from there, so to change careers was something quite scary and out of character for me (I don’t do change).

Once I decided to take the plunge and start doing this thing I loved, I had to think of a name for my new venture. This came to me, strangely enough in a dream. I had a fever at the time, so don’t know whether it was the high temperature or a divine intervention, but when I woke I knew I had to call my company, Windmill Coaching.

My dream reminded me of a real event that happened when I was in the Infant School in the 1970s. I was always a shy little girl (to the point that I would only speak when asked a direct question). In the summer term, my school put on a play for parents and I was given the part of a windmill (don’t ask - I really can’t remember what the play was about) and I had to stand on the stage with a box over my head with 4 sails on the front! I can remember being in the box peeping out of the rectangular spy hole and, because my face was covered, I was able to speak all the lines in the play.

Thankfully over the years my confidence increased and I haven’t needed a box over my head to talk to people! However, speaking to large groups or to new people has always felt a bit of a challenge. That is, until I received coaching around this. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t suddenly become this big extrovert who likes to be the centre of attention and hold everyone’s attention in the room; but the coaching did help me to gain confidence in myself and my ability to the point that I enjoy telling my story at conferences and to groups.

I feel that coaching was a bit like the Windmill box for me at Infant School. It’s a confidence boost; a support. A coach is there in your corner, cheering you on and believing in you. The strength is inside you; the coach just helps you to see it for yourself.

As soon as I awoke from my dream, I knew that I had to call my company Windmill Coaching. I keep a notepad by my bed (I think a lot of teachers/headteachers do that) and wrote down “I have to call my company Windmill Coaching – turning lives around”.

After that, I started to see Windmills everywhere – but that’s another story……