Coach in the Spotlight: Hazel Martin

How did you get into coaching?

I was looking to learn something new at work and was nominated to participate in an Advanced Coaching Programme to recruit internal coaches.

The coach training was rigorous and intense. We learned the core coaching skills through a range of different scenarios, coaching in schools, prisons and sports teams.

When I began practicing my new coaching skills, I found it exciting helping people take a step forward or identify a negative habit.

I loved the interaction with others and learning all the psychology behind coaching – human behaviour and unconscious bias.

This coaching programme challenged my own habitual thinking patterns too and made me reflect a lot on myself, which was a huge thing for me.

I then decided to do a Level 2 and 3 Counselling course along with coach training with CTI, which is widely recognised as the most rigorous professional coach training and certification program in the industry.

It got to a point though where I couldn’t continue investing in both counselling and coaching so I had to make a decision about which one to pursue.

I felt overwhelmed but ultimately the decision was an instinctive one. Coaching simply fulfilled me more and gave me more energy.

Since then, I’ve completed many training courses to build on my existing coaching skills and knowledge, and gained some formal coaching qualifications.

I became a CPCC and an ACC with ICF and was the first UK Certified Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness Coach. Having these professional coaching qualifications is hugely important to me.

 

I found it exciting helping people take a step forward or identify a negative habit.

 

Why did you decide to become a Firework-licensed career coach?

I’ve always been fascinated with people and what they do for a living.

Right from when I graduated from university I knew I'd be a 'career shifter'.

I was always nudging in different directions, always looking at developing my skills and ensuring whatever I did was in tune with my strengths, interests, values and what gave me most energy.

Because of my own career change journey, I'm passionate about helping people find work that’s right for them.

Work consumes such a large chunk of a person’s life. If it’s not the right career, then so many other elements of life become affected.

It’s not surprising that if you show up to work feeling happy then you’ll be more productive. You’ll have better relationships too.

People need guidance and support when it comes to navigating a change in career. They can read all the self-help books but it won’t make a difference unless they’re able to get into action. For some people this is a real challenge.

I’ve had first hand experience of the impact that coaching had on making a successful career change.

Whatever label you want to use, whether it’s ‘coach’, ‘challenger’, ‘accountability partner’ or ‘trusted adviser’, it’s about helping people find work that fulfils them.

It’s about being by their side as they navigate their way through the chaos.

I love being able to help my clients get out of their heads and operate more intuitively.

The Firework programme and tools are great for that. They help the client explore their interests, skills, strengths and what’s most important to them. Through this framework, the client becomes more curious and creative about how to find work that’s right for them.

I particularly love the visualisation techniques. Through a dream-like state, the client's imagination is re-awakened and this helps them generate lots of new possibilities.

The Firework programme is structured, which many clients really love.

I’ve brought elements of Firework into all my coaching work – even those who aren’t looking for a career change.

I love using the Ideas Bank in particular. Some people struggle to get in touch with their imagination and this is a great tool to stimulate their curiosity and creativity.

 

Whether it’s ‘coach’, ‘challenger’, ‘accountability partner’ or ‘trusted adviser’, it’s about helping people find work that fulfils them.

 

Who do you typically work with?

My clients are predominantly people in their 40s who have reached a point where they’re asking “what’s next for me?”

They know they’ve got another 20+ years of working life ahead. They’re unhappy in their job or industry and they don’t know how to change things.

Some clients want a complete career change, but others may want to focus on how to be better in their current job.

In my existing role at work, I also coach people leaders and managers.

A whole range of challenges arise, including issues with confidence, raising visibility within the organisation, working effectively with colleagues and how individuals show up in their roles as people leaders.

I love being able to help these people leaders grow and shift their mindset from that of an employee to a leader.

I also lead and facilitate Shirzad Chamine’s Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness program and draw upon this when coaching clients. After all, our mental fitness is critical when looking to improve our performance, wellbeing or our relationships.

 

Our mental fitness is critical when looking to improve our performance, wellbeing or our relationships.

 

How have you built your coaching practice? How do you source your clients?

Initially, I wasn’t completely clear about who my target audience was, and it took a while to figure that out.

So, I decided not to build a website straight away.

Most of my clients have come through my own network. This means they often have a Tech or Legal background, or work in Financial services, banking or the not-for-profit or charity sectors.

My business development experience means I enjoy connecting with others and getting to know people.

Rich Litvin talks about having one powerful conversation at a time and that really resonates with me. I believe strongly in the power in conversation and connection as a means for building a business.

Rather than relying on other marketing strategies, I’ve focused on networking, and this is where I’m most “in flow”.

I know not everyone likes the idea of networking but when you consider every single person you've known in your life, your network is massive. Your network also has a network, and their network has a network. There are a huge number of people you could reach!

LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with individuals who are likely to want what I offer.

Networking takes time though, so associate coaching can be a great alternative.

It’s nice to collaborate with others and be part of a team. A lot of coaching companies invite associates to group supervision and development sessions where you can learn from each other.

I love being part of a community and feeling part of something bigger.

I recently started a local meet-up group for coaches and it’s been wonderful to see the response. When you start reaching out to people, you realise how big your coaching network can be!

 

I believe strongly in the power in conversation and connection as a means for building a business.

 

How do you use the Firework programme with your clients?

For those career changers who want structure, I’ve used it as an end to end programme over 12 sessions.

I’ve also used parts of the programme with clients who haven’t come to me for a career shift but there’s something else they want to change. For example, they might feel like they're stuck in groundhog day, or they don’t feel content at work. They feel something’s missing and are trying to work out how to get more fulfillment from work.

 

What other resources have you used to enhance your coaching skills?

Building a strong mindset and resilience is an important part of shifting careers.

The Shirzad Chamine Positive Intelligence Mental FItness training course has been invaluable for this.

Positive Intelligence is a synthesis of recent breakthroughs in neuroscience, cognitive and positive psychology, and performance science. The research shows that we can literally alter the wiring in our brain and improve mental fitness. This helps us to stay in a curious, playful, calm and creative state throughout the career change process.

The books Designing Your Life and Designing Your Work Life have also been excellent resources for me. They explore how to design and build a life in which we can thrive.

Clients generally don’t know if they're going to enjoy something until they actually do it. It’s so important for career changers to take a playful approach and be prepared to try new things, without knowing what the endpoint is going to be.

 

It’s so important for career changers to take a playful approach and be prepared to try new things, without knowing what the endpoint is going to be.

 

What results have you helped your clients achieve?

Most clients come to me feeling very stuck, without much idea about what to do next in their career.

It’s important to set the foundation for clients to understand themselves better. In my experience, people don’t tend to have explored themselves in this way before and they need someone to facilitate that process.

I worked with one client who wanted to get out of her corporate career and find work that was more in tune with her values, interests and strengths. As she was interested in all things related to health and wellbeing, she decided to retrain as a masseuse and now wants to set up her own practice.

I worked with a lawyer who had tried to shift careers multiple times over the years, but would end up getting stuck. Encouraging him to get out there and talk to people made all the difference. He surprised himself with the real-life possibilities that opened up as a result.

It comes back to peeling back the layers and encouraging the client to get in tune with their most powerful self or inner champion.

Ultimately my clients get unstuck, take action and find more fulfilling work that is more aligned with their values, strengths, interests, motivators and work preferences.

 

It comes back to peeling back the layers and encouraging the client to get in tune with their most powerful self or inner champion.

 

What do you find most challenging about being a coach?

In the early days, I found it hard to believe that coaching was something I could shift into and away from my existing corporate career. When I reflect on my confidence levels now versus back then – it’s like chalk and cheese!

I've found that each small step has led to a big change, given time.

My niece is on the Olympics GB rowing team and she reminded me of this concept recently.

There are often only seconds in a rowing race between the winner and the boat behind.

I had to ask her, “How do you knock seconds off your time so you can win?”

She told me that her coach will show her the footage of the race but slow it down and unpick it, frame by frame.

They’ll focus on one small thing to change and keep practicing until that new habit becomes instinctive.

Making small changes and creating tiny new habits, results in a huge improvement over time.

There’s a lot of this in coaching.

Having my own coach supervisor helps me to unpick and change habits and helps me become a better, more masterful, coach.

 

Making small changes and creating tiny new habits, results in a huge improvement over time.

 

What do you find most rewarding about being a coach?

It’s when I can hear the clients noticing the small shifts – even the tiny stuff.

The feedback can touch me deeply and often makes me feel very emotional.

It’s a privilege to be part of such a huge change for another human being.

 

It’s a privilege to be part of such a huge change for another human being.

 

How do you see your work evolving in the future?

Learning is hugely important to me.

I will continue investing in myself and building on my skills – not only because I enjoy it, but because the people I work with benefit too.

I’m loving what I’m doing so I will continue putting into practice what I’m learning and refining the tools I already have.

My work has been a journey so far, so it’s hard for me to plan too far ahead.

I’m just following my curiosity and doing whatever brings me fulfillment.

As long as I remain true to my values I trust that I’ll go in the right direction.

 

Hazel is a Firework-licensed Career Coach and has a vision to empower hundreds of people to do what they love and love what they do. Hazel works at Virgin Money Giving within the Commercial Team and as an Executive & Leadership Coach. She's also a Certified Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness Coach, passionate about helping clients take action to improve their work performance, relationships and general well-being. Originally from Scotland, Hazel now lives in South West London with her husband and two children. Find out more and connect with Hazel on LinkedIn.