Empower World Coach Training participant and now ACC certified professional coach, Tara Maxamed, shares in an audio interview with Empower World what has supported her success as a coach, and her other roles in life: investing in herself.  Below is a transcription of the interview.

Jeanine: I am so pleased to bring Tara (Maxamed on our podcast) today as she's been one of our coach training and mentoring participants and has gone on to become a certified coach. And she's gone on to do some amazing things and really stepped out of her comfort zone to create her business, and along with that, move countries and so much more. Tara, welcome to the show!

Tara: Thank you. Great to be here, after such a long time, I am very honored to be on your podcast.

Jeanine: I am so pleased you said yes. Tara it would be great if you could introduce yourself to the listeners as to who you are: what you doing, and where you are right now.

Tara: Okay, so I trained with Empower World about, I think ... roughly three years ago.

Jeanine: I think it was.

Tara: And since then I have gone on a coaching journey and I have recently gone back to UK with my children and I am now starting my business online, and now trying to settle in back to the UK, where I am focusing largely on mums who are starting a new adventure in life. What does that mean? Like moving countries or setting up their own business. 

Jeanine: Fantastic Tara and what was it that took you this journey of becoming a coach: what was the inspiration?

Tara: Well, three years ago, I was staying at home with my children and I had been doing that for seven years and I left my career very happily and I was really enjoying playing and being with my children. I was really grateful as I was able to be with my children because that is exactly what I wanted to do, but as the children started going to school and started to grow up, I knew that I wanted to do something else for myself. I wanted to get back to work, but I also knew that I really wanted to be with my children when not in school and take them to and from school. And I wanted to be available for them. So I tried a couple of different things, I tried selling and I was looking online to see how it could work. 

Then my husband came home one day and said I just have been on this amazing training at work through this coaching company called Empower World. He was so inspired  by it. And he said I think you will love it, I said okay cool, I will give these people a call and see what this is about and then the journey started. My first call was with Marie and I was hooked, I knew this is what I wanted to do. There was where the journey started.

 Jeanine: Wow, we can’t see each other right now as we have got band with issues (with the internet) but if you could see me, I have got the biggest smile on my face since. I can recall Kali in the room - an amazing man - and of course it was to do with coach training at work. 

What Marie and I do in the work place as well is to support people to really go on a journey of self discovery and that we are working with the whole  person even when we are focusing on work objectives. So it’s wonderful that Kali stepped into that place, a journey for himself and we are delighted that he inspired you to come along. So, thank you.

Tara: Yes it really was, I could see that he really got so much out of it, and I said I was going to try this; this looks exciting

Jeanine:  Fantastic, so it’s probably around three years ago you started this journey, so from there, what have the challenges been for you Tara, and the opportunities that opened up for you?

Tara: ...There's been a lot of challenges and opportunities along way. So I did the coach training and I knew that this is what I wanted to do. But I had no idea how to make it work. So what I did when I came out of the coach training is - I completely amazed myself - was to invest in anything that was to do with personal development. I'd put my headphones on and listen to something inspirational and related to personal development. I just got hooked on these videos and thinking that I can actually have my own coaching business to a point that it was fulfilling. I got myself really excited about it. 

I then did coaching - that was one of the first things I did. I did coaching at any time my daughter was sleeping and was at home or at school or in the evening when the children were asleep. So it was really hard work. It was a master challenge. It was amazing when I completed my 100 hours and then I realised that actually now I have got the coaching practice: it felt amazing. 

I also read lots and lots of books and eventually I came across a book called the Prosperous Coach. That book changed my life! It completely changed the way I thought about coaching, because it was at that point that I knew that it was something I really wanted to do. And I knew that there were people making a good living from coaching but I have no idea how I could actually make a really good living from it. 

I knew getting my mindset in the right place could actually make money from it. That was kind of a big challenge for me, so I read this book, it basically showed me that i could make money from a coaching career, can help people and enjoy it. And then I really started to change the way that I was approaching what now I call creating clients instead of attaining clients and it gave me a whole perspective on how I could fill my practice.

Another thing that I did: I hired two coaches, the first coach that I hired was an Empower World trained coach and she was amazing and she supported me to do lots of things outside of my comfort zone.

My next coach was way more than I can afford. I knew that coach needed to stretch me beyond anything I had done so far. So I found out how much I could really stretch myself and she challenged me to do things like run my workshops and set up my meet-ups and set up my Facebook group link with my page and do lots of videos - that I need to continually stretch myself. Continually learn.

Importantly, I learnt confidence is not something that people are born with, like I previously saw - having gone through this process, I now know confidence is something you learn when you are doing and stretching. And when you are doing something that you really love, that’s taken me to how I am today!

Jeanine: Thank you so much for sharing your journey Tara and I am sure new coaches and people that are thinking about coaching, will be inspired by your story and what you have shared. 

Tara: It’s a great learning to share with clients you know people hear lacking confidence in them - and I know if they keep challenging themselves to do the same step, stretching themselves, I know that confidence will grow and its great 

There are lots of things that supported my journey, but for me it was hiring a coach for me that was outside of anything I knew. I wanted to go completely outside of everything I thought I had come through and I hired a coach which stretched me financially and stretched me to do things that I haven’t even thought of.

Jeanine: And its definitely, definitely paying off and I have no doubt that it’s going to increase, so much that the investment is going to keep paying back tremendously as you do what you love.

Tara: And serving others.

Jeanine: Yes! And serving others that you love, people that you haven't even met yet.

Tara: Yes

Jeanine: Beautiful! Thank you Tara, Wishing you all the very best.

Tara: Thank you so much Jeanine!

Jeanine: You are very welcome, looking forward to connecting with you soon and look how it’s all folding

Tara: yeah right

Jeanine: And Congratulations!

Jeanine: Thank you listeners and look forward to you connecting with us next time.