Polly shares with us how important coaching was to her at the beginning of the pandemic. She explains how coaching worked for her and how her coach, Yasmin, helped her to see that opportunities will come along.
During March 2020 and the start of the coronavirus outbreak, I was uncertain what would be happening for my career. I sought advice from my previous workplace and they told me about Young Women’s Trust and the Work It Out service.
They explained that Work It Out offers free coaching sessions for women aged 18 to 30 living in England and Wales. The sessions are tailored to key topics and are led by an experienced Coach who help young women reach for a better future.
Coaching worked around me
When I received the first introduction email from my coach Yasmin, I discovered that you could organise and schedule your sessions according to your available time. She also informed me we could communicate in the way which worked best for me. It put me at ease knowing that you can keep in touch with emails. This gave me time to think and listen to my coach’s suggestions on the areas which I can improve to help me prepare for the future.
I could choose a range of topics which I wanted to cover which included professional skills as well as personal development. We used the sessions to focus on how I was managing during the pandemic and other projects which I undertook during that time.
For example, I planned to take part in the 2.6 Challenge charity fundraising activity. I initially discussed this with Yasmin, where she gave me suggestions on how to complete the challenge virtually with my friends. We decided to raise money by completing as many origami hearts and butterflies as we could in 26 minutes.
Appreciating my coach
I felt that Yasmin understood my individual journey. She explained to me:
Understanding that you are not the only one struggling, with guidance and time you will feel more assured that every individual in life takes on a different journey.
Yasmin is an inspiration and I am grateful for her courageous support throughout the past year. She assured me that opportunities and experiences will come along.
Work it Out is an inspirational journey for young women to take on, especially during a pandemic. You will have a wide range of support which you will be able to develop from, just like I did.
By supporting Young Women’s Trust, you could help provide guidance to more young women like Polly as they continue to navigate the pandemic.
If you can give a little bit this summer, your donation could empower a young woman to see the possibilities ahead of her.
