The Coaching Academy Blog

My name is Careeta Robert-Green; I run empowerment workshops for young people aged 11-30 years and also raise the awareness to the benefits of coaching amongst this age group.

I believe that there are a large number of young people drifting through life, following a routine that has been set and not challenging it in anyway. Suppressing major talents; skills and abilities in the name of fear and self limitations. One of the major reasons for starting up with this group was determined at my live training days with The Coaching Academy.

Most people I met were older than me, had spanned a whole career just drifting through life without having any self fulfilment in what they were doing. Some were ex Directors, Teachers, Police Officers the list goes on but we all had one thing in common and that was coaching. The belief that we can have more control over our life than many of us believes. Whenever I mentioned my target market and what I had visions of doing people’s eyes always lit up in amazement that I was so young and had learnt something they wish they knew when they were my age.

Aged 24 I started to realise that this was something that not many people were aware of, the ability to set goals and work towards achieving them consciously.

As my journey continued and I started to research it became apparent that many organisations had not even mentioned coaching as a service that they offer to people trying to succeed in life. Could I have found a niche market that was completely unsaturated with the main reason being that people were unaware of what coaching could offer them? With other disciplines that have been around for years there is not often any explanation needed as to why they exist or why people would need them however with coaching it is a relatively new discipline in comparison and it should be seen as a life toolkit. I started to have visions, imagine if people were aware and could see the benefits that coaching had to offer then maybe they would take it more seriously. Images of everything that has ever been created probably came up with some resistance e.g. The world being seen as round instead of flat, Videos converting to DVDs and any other revolutionary change.

Taking all of these things into consideration I decided that it would be a great reason to start a business as a coach! You eventually get used to the raised eyebrows when you say “I’m a Life Coach” and await the next question which is usually “how old are you?” It is all part of the process. I could have used my age as a reason why I should not be a life coach however instead of me seeing this as a negative I turned it into a positive.

Throughout my life I have had many life experiences good and bad that have enabled me to realise that all we want is usually on the other side of fear and what people might say. Some people have lived their whole life and had no real life experience whilst others have lived years in a couple of months.

I am so glad that I choose to follow my passion and help other people follow theirs.

Since launching the business at the beginning of 2010 I have been featured in national newspapers and radio stations such as The Voice, The3rdi Magazine and Kingston University website. Currently I am a Progression Mentor with the Princes Trust and recently received a Kingston University Graduate Enterprise Award. I was also a finalist for PRECIOUS Awards in two categories “Young Entrepreneur and Start up Business of the Year 2010!” In addition to this I am a Vlogger for Virgin Media Pioneers and have video blogs that have attracted hundreds of views on their website. My passion and energy is evident in my work and I will continue to grow and empower others to achieve their dreams.

Coaching is a new and condensed way of empowering people to achieve their goals and dreams with the key factor being in the individual’s belief that they can achieve. If every young person saw a coach and understood the basic principles of goal setting and positive thinking then we would all be much better people! Reality is that not everyone wants to fulfil their dreams, they are happy just working and being comfortable and that is their personal choice. But if one day they decide that they would like to achieve something they have been putting off for a while they should be aware that coaching may be the special tool that can enable them to achieve that goal or dream. We do not have to be passive observers of our own life it is something that we choose to do when we believe there is no other options. I believe that one day Coaching will be viewed as a profession that is known amongst all age groups as a helping hand to a life lead without restrictions. “Leave your fingerprint in the world”.

What was the most rewarding part of the training/journey?

The most rewarding part of my journey was the live training days. I really enjoyed meeting like minded people who shared a passion for personal development. The days allowed me to be inspired and put my theory into practice whilst learning new material that could benefit my coaching sessions.

What is your favourite coaching question?

My favourite coaching question is “How do you feel about that?” it is a very simple question but people usually never stop to think about how they feel about something.

Usually things happen and we react to them straight away without thinking well actually how do I feel? This allows deeper reflection and analysis about a situation so that positive changes can be made.

What do you enjoy most about being a coach?

I love to see the smile on people’s faces when they realise that they have stopped themselves from achieving their goals. It is a Eureka moment in which they are then able to review how they previously made decisions and then choose if they want to continue or change. I always use the quote “If you keep doing what you are always doing you will keep getting what you have always got!”

For people who are looking at coaching, what would be your top tip?

I highly recommend coaching to people who have a passion to pursue it. Do what you love and if that is coaching then follow through on it. My top tip is to get coaching yourself before you coach anyone, the more you know about yourself is the better coach you can be for someone else. Believe in yourself, get practice and never stop learning as they say “readers are leaders”.