Coach in the Spotlight: Juliette Dyke

How did you get into coaching?

Before I became a coach, I’d worked in a variety of industries. I was a ski journalist, worked in TV production, and by 2014 was working in social media marketing in London.

They might sound like creative or glamorous jobs, but each one never felt quite right – they never ticked enough boxes for me.

By my mid-thirties, I’d matured as a person and I realised I’d been caught in the rat race. I was feeling increasingly unhappy with my long commute and stressful lifestyle.

But, there were still decades of my working life ahead of me.

My priorities had changed. I wanted to start a family with my partner.

I wanted a job that would give me more flexibility and the ability to work remotely.

Ultimately, I was desperate to find a career I loved.

It was at that point I hired an amazing career coach who helped me to get clear on what I really wanted and introduced me to some tools to help me achieve my goals.

Being coached was a magical experience. I’d had some counselling before and whilst there are many similarities between that and coaching, there are also some exciting differences.

Coaching was so positive and empowering. I enjoyed coming up with a plan of action, which I’d not experienced in counselling.

What I particularly love about coaching is that it’s always assumed that the client is creative, resourceful and whole. They have everything they need and they aren’t broken. That was a revelation.

The coaching experience made such an impact on me that I decided to re-train as a coach.

I’d often been told that I’m a good listener. I’m curious/nosy about other people’s lives and people seem to enjoy opening up to me.

A deep and meaningful conversation is my favourite kind of conversation.

This career change was a bit of a leap of faith but I had a pretty strong instinct that becoming a coach was the right thing to do.

 

A deep and meaningful conversation is my favourite kind of conversation.

 

What led you to train with Firework?

After my initial coach training, I was working with people on areas like career development, interviews and how to start a business.

Career change was an obvious coaching niche for me as I’d had some first hand experience.

But it is a process. A journey. Career change isn’t something that happens after two or three sessions. And because it isn’t straightforward, I knew I needed to develop a programme that was really in-depth and substantial.

This is when I decided to become a licensed career coach with Firework.

I now coach my clients through the Firework programme end to end, across 12 sessions. I get to know the client really well and over the months, we build a strong rapport.

Some of the Firework exercises are particularly exciting and tap into the unconscious – the powerful self or inner mentor.

A lot of clients tell me they continue to return to their inner mentor when they’re faced with a difficult decision.

These tools help them to trust their instincts and recognise that they don’t always need to consult others for advice, often the answers are already within them somewhere.

Having knowledge like this is a real game changer for many people – both reassuring and empowering.

 

A lot of clients tell me they continue to return to their inner mentor when they’re faced with a difficult decision.

 

What kind of results have you helped your clients achieve?

The wonderful thing about Firework is that clients finish the coaching programme with a really clear picture of what they want and a solid plan of how to get there. This usually includes some viable career options and an action plan, or a new business idea.

However, the most meaningful results for me are when clients have gone away for a while and worked on their career change and I get an excited email saying “guess what!” or “something incredible has happened”. Perhaps they’ve been offered a role that they previously didn’t have the confidence to apply for, or they’re starting a business and their new website is live.

The tone of those emails is often one of surprise. They tell me they didn’t feel confident enough to achieve these things before.

This is why the coaching programme is so effective. It really empowers the client to achieve their potential.

 

Clients finish the coaching programme with a really clear picture of what they want and a solid plan of how to get there.

 

Who do you typically work with?

It’s not a great surprise that clients often want to see themselves reflected in their coach and are drawn to working with someone with similar life experiences.

I gradually noticed a theme with the type of people who were reaching out to me. They tend to be mid-careerists and often mums, who are struggling with their confidence.

The way I communicate with my audience means I tend to attract people who are keen to find more meaningful work, make a difference or want to give something back to the world.

The clients who choose to work with me are thoughtful, reflective and have the energy to complete the assignments.

They recognise that the career change challenge isn’t something that can be solved overnight.

 

Clients often want to see themselves reflected in their coach.

 

How did you build your business? How do you source clients?

Following my initial coach training, my cohort were encouraged to refer coaching clients to one another on a pro bono basis. This was a great starting point for me.

Then word of mouth began to spread, so I was able to start charging clients and build my business from there.

Initially, it was a case of throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what stuck. I had to try everything. Both in terms of marketing and working with a variety of clients before I decided what and who suited me best.

I had some experiences early on where I worked with people who weren’t quite ready or might’ve expected something different. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, so I ended up working with a huge variety of people, but not all of them were the right fit.

As I got clearer with my marketing message and running my discovery calls, I found I was attracting more of my ideal clients and people who were ready to jump in feet first. There wasn’t an easy way round it – I just had to go through it!

Social media has become a key part of my business strategy. I’ve worked hard on my Facebook and LinkedIn presence. Because of my background working social media marketing, this isn’t something I find scary.

I run online ads too. I learnt a lot of the more technical aspects through watching youtube videos and doing online courses.

Marketing my business online has helped me to build an audience and an email list.

What’s interesting is that in some instances, clients will sit on my email list for a year or more before they finally reach out to me for help.

So the lesson for me has been to keep up that conversation and that connection and when they’re ready, they will get in touch.

It can be a very long game, but the majority of my clients now come through online platforms.

 

There wasn’t an easy way round it – I just had to go through it!

 

What resources or tools have enhanced your business or your coaching?

Coaches are addicted to learning and I’m no different.

I have a Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills which provides an extra dimension to my coaching sessions. Coaching and counselling can work well together side by side.

I'm also a certified Positive Psychology Practitioner (known as 'the science of happiness') and weave these exercises into my work with coaching clients.

Practical tools like writing a gratitude journal have become mainstream and can be useful for managing stress or coping with the emotional challenges of change.

 

How do you see your work evolving?

I'd like to start working with small groups of clients. I’m a bit of an introvert and enjoy the intimacy of working one to one with clients so this will be a new challenge for me.

However I think it’ll be really rewarding for my clients to share the coaching and career change experience with others.

I also want to revisit my counselling training and complete the next level of my certification.

There are a lot of different aspects to what I can do as a coach and the diversity really excites me.

I love that I don’t have to keep looking for a new career or role anymore.

It took me many, many years to find it, but I’ve finally found my thing.

It’s a bit like searching for ‘the one’. I can stop looking now and it’s a really nice feeling.

 

It took me many, many years to find it, but I’ve finally found my thing.

 

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a coach?

It’s such a privilege that my clients allow me into their lives at what is often a difficult time for them.

I really admire their bravery in opening up to me and allowing themselves to feel vulnerable in my presence.

It’s both inspiring and humbling to be part of the experience with them.

 

 

Juliette is a licensed Firework career coach who combines positive psychology principles with counselling and coaching skills to help clients identify a new career path, overcome their fears and create a more positive mindset. She lives in Brighton with her partner and young daughter. Find out more about Juliette at www.juliettedykecoaching.com