How decluttering led me back to coaching

New year feels like a great time for re-introducing myself and my work… 

My name is Sarah, I live in the beautiful Ribble Valley in Lancashire and I love the power of creating headspace, whether that’s physical, mental or emotional.

I love my cats, being by the sea and chatting to my garden over a cup of tea. And I still can’t believe I’m old enough to have a fifteen year old son.

In my coaching practice I work with business owners who are ready to reduce the overwhelm and create the head-space to get clear on what’s important. In a beautiful circular way, I began my coaching work as a direct result of decluttering… let me share a little of how that came about…

My background before I got to here

I spent most of my early career in a small creative business.

As a mostly-introvert, with a rebellious streak masking my fragile self-esteem, it suited me perfectly; I loved the variety of roles I could play, the way I could demonstrate my own value and the huge range of skills I learned on the go as part of a small team.

However as the business continued to grow beyond a size that worked for me* I found the faster pace and bigger teams uncomfortable, and began labelling myself, rather than the situation, as the problem. 

* Reading Paul Jarvis’ book Company of One recently has only just made sense of this for me, I figured I was somehow weird to want to keep things small!

The turning point…

Wasting opportunities and playing the victim at work led me to depression, anxiety and disconnection.

Looking back, it was a dreaded knee operation that became the turning point. During my enforced, crutch-hopping six week absence from work I was noticeably happier and healthier, the anxiety all but gone and the clouds starting to lift; I couldn’t see it before but…

maybe it wasn’t me that needed to change after all, I just needed to change where I was.

The opportunity came soon after for a family move to the Ribble Valley, and I jumped at the chance to escape the day job, project manage our new house-build, be outdoors every day and, en-route, discover my own space in the world.

Unexpectedly, decluttering created the headspace I needed next…

As we moved, and began to design our new home, I was hugely inspired by Marie Kondo, and hurtled gleefully into what became affectionately known in our family as “The Process of Joy”.

It was eye-opening and life-changing, calming and exhilarating at the same time. We quickly and easily shed at least half of our belongings as a family, and found ourselves suddenly living in a much lighter home, with – unbelievably – more time on our hands and very necessary head-space.

It was this head-space that allowed me to uncover an old, abandoned dream of mine to become a life-coach. I completed my training in early 2018, and in a beautiful circular way, I now coach others to clear the clutter and find their head-space! 

You may wonder if I’m talking about real clutter, or head clutter? The answer is either or both; in my experience they’re usually linked! The people I work with now are often:

• overwhelmed by too much physical stuff with no idea how to start dealing with it
• stuck in the same-old patterns of thinking, filling their heads with mental clutter
• struggling to make decisions because nothing feels quite clear enough and there’s not enough time 

And after working with me? I have clients who are now…

• uncovering forgotten or neglected passions 
• freeing up time for thinking and planning
•  changing their thought patterns and therefore their view of the world
• getting really clear on what’s important, and what’s next

Decluttering is a practice

Like most practices that are good for your soul, retaining a clutter-free space is a regular practice and my weekly-ish emails often include a gentle nudge, an invitation, sometimes a challenge, to simplify, declutter, look up and look around, think a little differently and get really clear on what’s important to YOU. 

And you’re ready to declutter now, check out my free Creating Space email flow, a spacious five week guide to discarding what you no longer need and making space for you.

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