Coach in the Spotlight: Mary Wilson

What was your journey into coaching like?

My first jobs were in welfare rights and training people on employment and maternity legislation.

Because of my background in social anthropology and psychology, I got involved with an organisation focused on delivering courses on assertiveness and personal development, which lead me towards coaching.

This was before coaching had a name really, and I was actually already doing strands of this type of work – going into organisations, working with different individuals, identifying what motivated them and what their training needs were.

I’ve always been fascinated with understanding who people are and why they get stuck in their career.

I trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to develop my understanding of the complexities of how people feel about their work and apply that knowledge in an employment field.

I’d also done some training with John Lees (the career strategist, author and now part of the training faculty with Firework) and so when I came across Firework, this seemed like a natural continuation for me. 

 

I’ve always been fascinated with understanding who people are and why they get stuck in their career.

 

Why did you decide to invest in becoming a Firework career coach?

I was curious about doing the programme because those who'd gone through it and used it had talked so passionately about it.

Firework fitted with my interest in coaching and CBT, but it was also a practical course to support people in career transition.

It encourages people to get in touch with their imagination, come up with alternative possibilities and help them build the confidence to move out into the workplace again, and I liked that.

I already had the experience of running workshops, knowledge of CBT and the things I learned through John Lees, but what I really needed was the right package and a structure to offer clients.

As soon as I finished the training day, I had a ready-made, tried and tested package ready to use with clients in a very creative way.

The materials are very well thought through, and all the tools are easy to send out to clients.

It really helped me to get organised and offer a way of communicating with an individual client in a structured way, with a rich set of materials.

I met some exciting people too – Firework definitely gave me access to a bigger network.

 

How did you implement what you learnt?

It was recommended that we find two guinea pigs to coach through the Firework programme immediately after the training day.

I found a neighbourhood friend who found it to be a powerful experience in terms of reorienting himself and building the courage to venture into the freelance world.

The experience of us working together has really endured – what we did together has transformed what he did in his career.

I often wonder had he not gone through that programme with me, would he have gone back into a “normal” job?

 

I often wonder had he not gone through that programme with me, would he have gone back into a “normal” job?

 

What has been the return on investment for you of becoming a Firework coach?

For me, the course paid for itself very quickly. I made my money back within 9 sessions of working with a client.

My advice is this: if you’re already going in the career coaching direction, then you’ve got nothing to lose by investing in Firework.

It can only enhance your confidence and your offering as someone who can help others with career transition.

I’m so glad I became a Firework coach. It will always be something I know I can draw on and has been the icing on the cake in terms of my interests and expertise. 

 

What does your work currently involve?

I have a hybrid way of working now and describe myself as a portfolio careerist – I’m a trainer, a coach and a musician. 

I need to have that variety and don’t like to do just one thing.

People might picture coaches working alone, but this has never been the case for me. I’ve consciously put myself in situations where I’ve been able to collaborate with different people.

You can feel lonely as a coach and so even though I tend to work one on one with my private clients, I’m always collaborating with others.

I love sharing ideas and work best as part of a team. This is across all my disciplines – coaching, training and even with my band.

 

Who do you typically work with, and how?

I'm drawn to working with people who want to have a creative output in the world – artists, writers and musicians mainly.

This isn’t exclusive, but my clientele has evolved through the connections I have, which tends to be those from creative industries.

It’s a challenging, intense and exciting mix.

The most fascinating thing for me is exploring how people can engage with their creative side as well as have a good work structure. 

The more coaching I've done, the more I've discovered the types of people I most enjoy working with. 

But actually, I will happily work with anyone from different career backgrounds to my own. As a coach, you learn so much about the world of work when you’re open to this.

I do a lot of career coaching over the phone with people I often never meet in real life.

Maybe it’s something about being musical, but I find I’m more tuned in to a person’s energy level through their voice.

The phone also helps to cut out distractions. I know others who coach very successfully over Skype or Zoom, but it's not my favourite thing.

My performance background generally means I prefer real rooms and real people, so choosing to work with clients face-to-face feels very familiar to me.

I might work with a client for five sessions, but sometimes it can be more like ten or twelve. I occasionally find myself working with someone for a year or more.

 

I’m drawn to working with people who want to have a creative output in the world – artists, writers and musicians.

 

What results have you helped your clients to achieve?

When a client goes from feeling really stuck to being able to identify with their values, gain insight into who they are and express themselves in a more connected way with the work they do, then that’s a good outcome.

I think when a person goes through that coaching experience, it's not something they can erase.

They don't go back to having a more blinded view of themselves.

The challenge is then how they take what they’ve learned into the world and use it to make the necessary adjustments they need to be happier.

 

How have you grown your coaching business? What have you found to be the most effective ways of attracting clients?

Initially, I launched my coaching business with my sister (who works in HR and is also a Firework coach), which made it far easier to get going.

It felt reassuring to have her complimentary voice and skills working alongside mine.

Word of mouth has been very effective in terms of building a client base, but this has happened gradually and naturally.